The development of Christian identity politics will, I think, be recognized as the most important cultural factor in the United States' loss of world power. By "Christian identity politics", I mean megachurches, evolution, gays, "war on Christmas", FCC broadcast decency regulation, home schooling, magnetic fish stickers, the entire shadow culture of Christian rock, Left Behind, and Expelled.
Unlike other identity politics, the fact that Christian identity politics appears mainstream means that it can easily attract large number of adherents and affect the broader culture in a way that smaller, more "other" identity politics cannot.
The key to its complicity in our retreat in world significance is that Christian identity politics comprehensively rejects facts in favor of faith; its faith in America will keep it from observing that America is losing its power and stature and its faith in lower taxes will keep it from observing the degradation in the American economy. The losses themselves, of course, are due to the turning away from reason, stopping the engine of research and technology domestically and causing us to waste resources and lose respect by taking senseless actions internationally.
Faith cannot solve a financial crisis. Faith has already caused biotechnology to flee America. Faith will help convince the next generation of scientists to stay at home in Hyderabad and Shanghai.
Out here, in the real world, facts matter. Out here, in the real world, your ignorant faith in the poisonous words of your ignorant preachers is hurting America.
[Very few people will get that title.]
Posted by Greg at March 24, 2008 12:45 PM
the problem with this text is that the people it needs to reach are the people that blindly take faith over fact. even if they were to read this they would ignore it due to their blind faith.
sad.