Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Dealing with Fundamentalis, FYI quote

From the new web site integating Faith and Politics, Street Prophets,
March 29, 2006.


. . . Because what is problemmatic is not that conservative evangelicals often come at things from a very different perspective than the majority - we all have ways of reconstituting reality - but that their beliefs are so closely tied to the needs and desires of their community. To put it another way: you can argue against creationism on scientific grounds until you're blue in the face. It won't get you anywhere. Creationism - intelligent design, whatever - is about representing and defending a group of people, not an abstract concept. And until you get at what it is that group of people wants or needs, the controversy will continue. It's interest-group politics, not philosophical discourse.

That poses a political dilemma: how do you accomodate a sizable minority that's demonstrated a profound lack of interest in making a deal?

Look, I honestly believe that we are getting very close to a major political realignment in this country. It might not happen in 2006, but maybe in 2008, we will see the beginnings of a generation-long Democratic majority. And my hunch is that because security hawks have been thoroughly discredited and big business types tarnished with charges of corruption, the real drive of the opposition to that majority will come from these same conservative evangelicals. They're patient, and committed, and they feel like their backs are up against the wall. What do they have to lose?

Somehow or another, progressives are going to have to learn how to deal with ideological Christianity. You can call them "spoiled brats" if you like - it certainly seems apt, at least for the politicized leaders - but there are just too many of them to ignore. That doesn't mean, on the other hand, that progressives should "try to become more like them," or even spend too much time doing outreach to them. It may never be possible to bring them into a Democratic coalition.

But sooner or later, progressives will have to figure out what ideological Christians want - which is not always what they say they want - and deal with it.

Not give it to them.

Not deny it to them.

Deal with it. Without a game plan for addressing this ideology, a progressive majority is not sustainable over the long run, in my opinion. That means we'd better start thinking beyond these people . . .

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