Monday, December 06, 2004

Understanding the truth (and lies) about liberals and conservatives -Steven Waldman -- Beliefnet.com

Understanding the truth (and lies) about liberals and conservatives By Steven Waldman -- Beliefnet.com:
Perverted, God-Hating Frenchies vs. Inbred, Sex-Obsessed Yokels
Why Can't Liberals and Conservatives Get Along? Because They Fundamentally Misunderstand Each Other


That's the catchy mouthful of a title of this article by Steven Waldman I found on beliefnet. I encourage you to read the whole thing, but here are the main points:

TRUTH ABOUT LIBERALS #1
They're Just As Moral As Conservatives

TRUTH ABOUT CONSERVATIVES #1
They're Just As Smart As Liberals

TRUTH ABOUT LIBERALS #2
Most Are Religious

TRUTH ABOUT CONSERVATIVES #2
They Don't Want a Religious Dictatorship

TRUTH ABOUT LIBERALS #3
They Believe History Is On the Side of Tolerance

TRUTH ABOUT CONSERVATIVES #3
The Pro-Life Position Is Born of Compassion

TRUTH ABOUT LIBERALS #4
Most Support Separation of Church and State to Protect Religion

TRUTH ABOUT CONSERVATIVES #4
They Feel Under Assault

TRUTH ABOUT LIBERALS #5
Family Values Are Revered

TRUTH ABOUT CONSERVATIVES #5
They Believe American Culture Has Become An Insult to God

I think Waldman makes some good arguments. I don't agree with him 100% on his interpretations or justifications of either 'side', but I think he puts some of our caricatures of other another in perspective. There are always some on any side who are the extreme version - some liberals and some conservatives who I think are genuinely evil. And I think there are some liberals and some conservatives who don't fit in the assigned boxes they're supposed to. But generally, these 'truths' seem to hit some major themes, and can be easily applied to both the political world and religious communities...

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Sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, "Picnic and a Boat Ride," John 6:1-21 (Proper 12B, Ordinary 17B)

Sermon 7/28/24 John 6:1-21 Picnic and a Boat Ride Our gospel lesson today is a text that’s probably familiar to most of you, at least some...