What strikes me

Seems that we as a nation feel it important to go to countries like Iraq and Afghanistan and drive out theocracies that force societies to live by religious rules that not everyone agrees with. Often, the examples cited as to why we need to do this are the ludicrous-to-us practices such as stoning someone or when women have to cover all but their eyes in public. We sniff at how America stands for freedom and that democracy will free them from such dogma.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, our own society is creeping that direction. Sure, it's less overt and not as severe as public lashings or women not being allowed to drive. But, the scary part is how a religion has begun to drastically influence our society.

The current party of power is aligned with conservative Christian interests. Their platforms are fairly obvious and wrapped in the context of 'family' and 'values.' Laws have been passed throughout the country that creep toward pro-life issues.... protecting 'unborn' fetuses in cases where pregnant women are injured, abortion notification laws, laws restricting funding for abortion providers. Then you have the school issues like creationism, er, 'intelligent design,' prayer in school and the issue of a reference to God in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The intolerance of the religious right is polarizing our country. The latest madness is a backlash against genericizing the holidays. Only in an age when we're out fighting the New & Improved Crusades (50 percent less denominational!) would it make sense that we're incensed about all these damned heathens taking the Christmas out of, well, Christmas. Seems the polarity in this case is being brought from the North Pole and how our American society is diluting the holiday season by removing references to Christmas. And while the boycotts are being threatened, the righteous being as indignant as possible, I look around for references to Hanukah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, or even Ramadan which might be elbowing out the good Christians. Scant in the America I live in.

So what we've got now are people who are mad because society has tried to accomodate more religions by making greetings, public displays and commercial enterprises applicable to more than just the one religion the zealots seem to be practicing. They describe it as taking their religious holiday away in the interest of being politically correct. Boo hoo. Perhaps they should consider the fact that Christianity is a Jesus-come-lately in the winter holiday market. The Jews, I think, predated Christianity seeeing as how he was one. Solstice, well, that's as old as the sun. And Islam, well, that's good news for the Christians... their holidays Ramadan (ended early November) and the Festival of Sacrifices (begins in January) seem to bookend our traditional December holidays. Whew.

So for all the apple-pie cooking, flag-waving Americanisms we have, to get our society's Temple Garments in a wad (sorry LDSers, didn't mean to drag you into it) over this issue is ludicrous. I think about how long we've bragged to the world about America being a great melting pot of people and cultures. Yet, the same people who wave the flags and sell the pies want to complain when the product of the melting pot (whether you think it a stew or maybe some kind of metal is up to you) doesn't look, taste or smell the way they want.

That strikes me as just wrong.

Sad Affairs of the State

The light inside the refrigerator that is my mind has been staying on a little longer than usual, adding a dull glimmer to what often is a numb darkness. The topic tends to ebb between two inter-related topics: church/state issues and the polarization of our society.

The church/state issues seem to portend all that is wrong with our nation. Yet, society in general seems to be generally polarized about it, but not inasmuch in a for/against manner. Rather, it seems our society has become an us vs. them, where the 'us' are religious-based conservatives railing about how liberals are killing our world. They point to the 'immorality' and how it is endangering us both now and in the afterlife. You're either with God or against God and if you dare say anything less than an "amen!" you might as well pack your hot-weather outfit for eternity.

More on this later.