Certain things scare me.

[fabrisse]

There's an opinion piece in the "On Faith" section of the Washington Post.

The comments there can be very nasty, but occasionally I'll comment, as I did on that article. I stated that I was atheist -- under Fabrisse, not my real name.

Comments

[mecurtin]

Why 1828, I wonder?

[fabrisse]

Ooh, that's an interesting question. I could see 1812/14 for the war of the same name. 1860 as the Civil War or 1850 if he just liked round numbers. There was a major change to the Presidential Nominating process that year (so my google-fu tells me) which may have contributed a bit to Andrew Jackson's win, but the remarks made seem to be more in the Jacksonian populist vein than the early Federalist vein.

[eanja]

I was wondering what happened in 1828 too.

[fabrisse]

It is an interestingly random-seeming year.

[aurora_novarum]

I think he/she was just coming up with a random early year, or counted dates wrong on his/her fingers.

And I think your comment was awesome as is. :-)

[fabrisse]

Thank you.

It occurs to me that it might be the documented year an ancestor of his arrived...

And I really like that icon.

[eronela]

Loved your post. I'm in the middle of reading Sarah Vowell's "The Wordy Shipmates," and last night I was reading about Roger Williams, who founded Rhode Island. He was very religious but also very much for separation of church and state

She writes:
Stranger still, Williams does not mean that a civil state should allow merely all forms of Christianity, from Catholicism on down. He means that a civil state should permit all forms of religion, including "the most paganish, Jewish, Turkish (Islamic) or Antichristian consciences." These forms of worship should be legal for "all men in all nations and countries." Not that Williams will be hosting and interfaith prayer breakfasts. He insists other religions should be "fought against." It's just that the only weapon used to fight them should be "the sword of God's spirit, The Word of God."

And Williams was saying this more than 100 years before the Bill of Rights was written.

[fabrisse]

Protecting the minority by upholding their rights means that if the shoe is on the other foot, your rights will be upheld, too.

I'm all in favor of Williams' approach. I have no objection to the Governor of Texas proclaiming a day of prayer, but the way he went about it and the group he's choosing to align with...? They bother me.

eta: I wish I'd thought of Williams when I was trying to come up with my rebuttal.

[siderea]

That seems like a reasonably nice smackdown to me.

[fabrisse]

I am kind of the Ur example for white privilege (other than money). I might as well use it. *G*