NPR Debate on "Is America Too Damn Religious?"
Unfortunately, I can't get the full version to work properly, but the edited version on mp3 is long enough as is. If you have the time (~1 hour), then it is definitely worth listening to.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/07/070215.elshtain-npr.html
I don't know if it's just me or what, but I was very impressed with the arguments of the panelists for the motion that "America is too damn religious" and annoyed by the panelist agains the motion. I don't think it was just that they were against the motion since that alone isn't annoying, just someone's perception. It was the way that the excused their perceptions with circular arguments, some outright lies, popular myth, etc. They also came off as very bigoted and arrogent.
My favorite panelist was Susan Jacoby. She had very well-developed arguments for her case and made several good points that had me applauding--including chewing out religious people who tout Martin Luther King Jr.'s accomplishments as the doings of their religion when their ancestors were likely trying to supress MLKJ's movement and silence his words. I also loved her response to Jean Bethke Elshtain's comments about the nature of science and study of evolution.
The award for worst speaker goes to Jean Bethke Elshtain, the only other woman on the panel. I just couldn't bear listening to her horrible inability to think after she attempted to argue that her views were not separate from reality by then stating a lot of fantasy and demonstrating her complete ignorance for the nature of science.
I also found it interesting that the three people on the side of being against the motion focused almost entirely on people and events in the past. They were quick to try to get Bush out of the debate and keep the debate focused on past good events/people (some of which they can't firmly claim as religious or that they were doing those good things because they were religious). They didn't stay on topic of America currently being too damn religious.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/07/070215.elshtain-npr.html
I don't know if it's just me or what, but I was very impressed with the arguments of the panelists for the motion that "America is too damn religious" and annoyed by the panelist agains the motion. I don't think it was just that they were against the motion since that alone isn't annoying, just someone's perception. It was the way that the excused their perceptions with circular arguments, some outright lies, popular myth, etc. They also came off as very bigoted and arrogent.
My favorite panelist was Susan Jacoby. She had very well-developed arguments for her case and made several good points that had me applauding--including chewing out religious people who tout Martin Luther King Jr.'s accomplishments as the doings of their religion when their ancestors were likely trying to supress MLKJ's movement and silence his words. I also loved her response to Jean Bethke Elshtain's comments about the nature of science and study of evolution.
The award for worst speaker goes to Jean Bethke Elshtain, the only other woman on the panel. I just couldn't bear listening to her horrible inability to think after she attempted to argue that her views were not separate from reality by then stating a lot of fantasy and demonstrating her complete ignorance for the nature of science.
I also found it interesting that the three people on the side of being against the motion focused almost entirely on people and events in the past. They were quick to try to get Bush out of the debate and keep the debate focused on past good events/people (some of which they can't firmly claim as religious or that they were doing those good things because they were religious). They didn't stay on topic of America currently being too damn religious.