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United States: If Nicholas Kristof's predictions for a presidential campaign bent on grovelling to the moral moronity of the loony fundie faction prove true, the we will soon be up to our eyeballs in stories from the lunatic fringe gone mainstream.
Religion may preach peace and tolerance, yet it's hard to think of anything that — because of human malpractice — has been more linked to violence and malice around the world. And now as we enter a new campaign year, it's time to brace ourselves for a new round of religious warfare and hypocrisy at home.
America is riven today by aGod gulfof distrust, dividing churchgoing Republicans from relatively secular Democrats. A new Great Awakening is sweeping the country, with Americans increasingly telling pollsters that they believe in prayer and miracles, while only 28 percent say they believe in evolution. All this is good news for Bush Republicans, who are in tune with heartland religious values, and bad news for Dean Democrats who don't know John from Job.
So expect Republicans to wage religious warfare by trotting out God as the new elephant in the race, and some Democrats to respond with hypocrisy, by affecting deep religious convictions. This campaign could end up as a tug of war over Jesus.
The God Gulf - The New York Times, 7th January 2004.
Posted in
Church and State
at 00:22. Last modified on September 28 2006 at 23:42.
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Comments
1: Posted by: pril | January 13, 2004 7:28 PM
nothing new, really, in American politics. And now Dean has jumped on Jesus' bandwagon, too.
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