On a lighter note, this week’s Wednesday Whatevers.
- Should religion and state be separated, and why?
Yes! DUH! For starters, it’s what the Founders intended. For finishers, religion involves beliefs which frequently include a lack of tolerance. All the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) have that “one true way” thing going on. You just can’t be a good political leader and honestly believe that you are the holder of the Supreme Truth. Leaders have to be able to see the other person’s side of things, to understand other people. Organized religion frequently clouds the mind, breaks the world into black/white, and makes you stop thinking. I don’t know a single fundamentalist Christian who can have a proper discussion with someone who disagrees with them – they invariably start harshing on the other person and saying they’re wrong. They don’t LISTEN. Leaders have to listen as well as act. If Bush had LISTENED to the CIA’s caveats about the info they were providing, he might not have dragged us into Iraq. Besides, no good comes of religion interfereing with government. Look at the crusades, Henry III’s divorce, the battles between Catholics and Protestants, and the Inquisition. Religion appeals to the part of the mind that wants to believe, and with leading a country you have to know. Not just believe. - Should all spelling be phonetic?
No. That would be boring and we’d lose all our linguistic history. - What do connections with “the” people get you?
“The” people? I’m not 100% sure what that means, so I don’t know…
