>From Ken Mac: ``...In short: how does one provide a critique of
religion without being dogmatic or pendantic while working through
political issues at the same time.''
``Contrast the positive aspects of religion with the negative implications of the religious right, in terms of policy. Force the discussion to relate religious abstractions to their real consequences.'' (mbs) ----------------
Naw. Smear'm on sex charges.
Try something so sleazy that they will find it impossible to deny, because even the terminology can't be pronounced in public media. Maybe start a rumor of pedophilic day care centers run by church leaders or something. Take a hint from the Brits (see Jim Heartfield's column posted earlier).
Announce that there are rumors that local law enforcement officials are looking into parent's fears that a toddlers-for-sale, sex ring is being run in Rev Dueright's chain of day care centers. The Rev. Dueright's young christian volunteers were said to be found with baby bottle sex-toy nipples used in various oral, anal, and vaginal games performed by their little charges for paying customers. [Let them explain how those strange, unnaturally shaped nipples from Denmark or Sweden are intended to help the formation of the palette and not deform the mouth. Ha, ha. Sure thing, Clyde. Whatever you say.]
If you can't find a morals charge, try a money scandal like fraud, embezzlement, or a confidence game. `Abusing the trust of the elderly, Rev Dueright's chain of nursing homes are rumored to ....' See, like that.
Ken you are still under the illusion that reasoned discourse works. It doesn't, that's why there isn't any. Sure you could try to examine whatever bullshit they are selling with an Approved-by-Jesus stamp on it, and then link it to the social consequences, as Max suggests. But it won't work.
The reason that rational discourse doesn't work is because these jack-offs live in a moral and rational vacuum. Look at Bush's compassion: executing more prisoners than any state in the union, giving the thumbs up to planned parenthood terrorism, pumping up gun sales to militia crazoids, saving public education by starving it death and calling it choice, criminalizing the migrant work force they depend on while celebrating diversity, moving pollution to Mexico in the name of free trade, and so on, and so forth. These are public policy moral abominations, and you don't hear one word of righteous indignation from the jesus hawkers on any of that. So, fuck'm.
As the US joke goes, if you give a Texan an enema, you can bury him in a shoe box. If the Repugnant's compassion is any indicator, then one good flush and you could bury them all in a match box.
Chuck Grimes