A CATHOLIC PRIEST, a PEDOPHILE and a CHILD RAPIST walk into a bar . . .
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Category Archives: Conservatism
If It’s Sunday, It’s Meet The Republican White Men
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An exhaustive new study by media watchdog Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting shows that the Sunday morning talk shows have been dominated over the last eight months by white, Republican men.
Thom Hartmann: Explains to Prof. Berkowitz Why Colleges are Liberal
Recognizing Bigotry
Consider the following statement for a moment:
“I would not vote for a man who was Black.”
Aside from a handful of teabaggers, I suspect that most people would recognize this statement as bigotry. Why? The statement implies that all people who belong to the specified category (i.e., Black) are unfit to hold office simply because of their membership in this category. Since the category is irrelevant to this judgment, we have both a falsehood and an unwarranted generalization. This is bigotry, and most people correctly identify it as such.
Now let’s examine the actual quote from the Rev. Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz:
“I would not vote for a man who was atheist.”
Rob Boston: Is There A War On Religion? No…. But There Is A Religious Right/Catholic Hierarchy Attack On Individual Freedom
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The average American would be hard-pressed to see evidence of this “war.” Millions of people meet regularly in houses of worship. What’s more, those institutions are tax exempt. Many denominations participate in taxpayer-funded social service programs. Their clergy regularly speak out on the issues of the day. In the political arena, religious leaders are treated with great respect.
Furthermore, religious organizations often get special breaks that aren’t accorded to their secular counterparts. Houses of worship aren’t required to report their income to the Internal Revenue Service. They don’t have to apply for tax-exempt status; they receive it automatically as soon as they form. Religious entities are routinely exempted from employment laws, anti-discrimination measures and even routine health and safety inspections.
Unlike secular lobbies, religious groups that work with legislators on Capitol Hill don’t have to register with the federal government and are free from the stringent reporting requirements imposed on any group that seeks to influence legislation.
Religion in America would seem to be thriving in this “hands-off” atmosphere, as evidenced by church attendance rates, which in the United States tend to be higher than any other Western nation. So where springs this “war on religion” talk?
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The Rise of Atheism in America
. . . [A large] share of the American public (19 percent) spurns organized religion in favor of a nondefined skepticism about faith. . . .
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Most polls suggest that atheists are among the most disliked groups in the U.S. One study last year asked participants whether a fictional hit-and-run driver was more likely to be an atheist or a rapist. A majority chose atheist. In 2006, another study found that Americans rated atheists as less likely to agree with their vision of America than Muslims, Hispanics, or homosexuals. “Wherever there are religious majorities, atheists are among the least trusted people,” said University of British Columbia sociologist Will M. Gervais.
Conservative Politics, ‘Low-Effort’ Thinking Linked In New Study [I’m shocked, shocked I tell you!]
Conservatives and liberals don’t seem to agree about much, and they might not agree about recent studies linking conservatism to low intelligence and “low-effort” thinking.
As The Huffington Post reported in February, a study published in the journal “Psychological Science” showed that children who score low on intelligence tests gravitate toward socially conservative political views in adulthood–perhaps because conservative ideologies stress “structure and order” that make it easier to understand a complicated world.
Ouch.
And now there’s the new study linking conservative ideologies to “low-effort” thinking.
Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism
Are racists dumb? Do conservatives tend to be less intelligent than liberals? A provocative new study from Brock University in Ontario suggests the answer to both questions may be a qualified yes.
The study, published in Psychological Science, showed that people who score low on I.Q. tests in childhood are more likely to develop prejudiced beliefs and socially conservative politics in adulthood.
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. . . People of low intelligence gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, which stress resistance to change and, in turn, prejudice[.]
Why The Republicans [i.e., Reactionaries] Will Lose
Sunday Shows use Easter to Promote Fictitious ‘War On Religion’
Easter morning is arguably a fair time for the Sunday morning political shows to host conversations about religion, but every single network offered only one perspective: there is a “war on religion.” CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX limited their religious guests to Catholic and evangelical Christian leaders, all of whom parroted conservative talking points about the role of faith in society and how liberal policies somehow infringe on “religious liberty.” Absent from the discussions were any progressive people of faith, non-Christians, or non-believers.
Always Question Authority 