Around and Around We Go....Part 2

One of the predominant issues of discourse in the early days of this the 21st century has been about zealots of various discriptions. Of late many of these discussions have centered around the separation of church and state. We have heard from politicians, theists, deists, atheists, Islamists, fundamentalists, Baptists, Catholics, Christians, Methodists, Mormans, and Buddahists to name but a few.

My observations of these various groups as well as others has led me to the following conclusions for your consideration;

A) All of them have extremists in their midsts.

B) The extremists in any given group are a very minute percentage of the group. They just happen to be good salesmen!

C) All of those extremists hold the view that their way is the only right way.

D) Most of the members of any given group do not adhere to nor in most cases are even aware of the most damaging of these extremes. As I said the leaders are good salesmen and even better liars when confronted by their followers.

In recent weeks both journalists and politicians have peered out from behind their bunkers to proclaim that we are a Christian Nation as per the intent and decree of our founding fathers.
Christendom in that sense includes Catholics, and Protestants alike. We should all be able to get along since we all believe the same things right? WRONG! If you have any doubts ask any Irishman about that one.

As an example of the hole in the Christian Nation thesis, there was a news clip on NPR this morning concerning a Hooters Restaurant opening in Waco, TX. It seems that a preist came out to bless the event while the Christians showed up to protest its being being built in the first place!

Another from my past. Several years ago the mayor of my home town was to marry a local lass.
One of them was catholic and the other protestant. The bride wanted to have the ceremony in the newly constructed Christian Church mainly because it had more seating capacity and better
reception facilities. The Elders had a closed door session and emerged with a nay vote because of
differing beliefs of the two congregations. The result was lots of bad press for both groups and the Christians thereafter got billed for their parking lot polelights for the first time in the eighty plus years they had been there.

The other more damaging and long lasting side affects of both of these examples was, is, and will be the breech between the members of both groups that don't know what the fuss is all about. They will however in most cases continue to follow their leaders. This is the sad fact that drives me to extremes.

If anyone surmises that I am targeting any particular group, rest assured I'm not. These two instances just happened to be handy. I am, if nothing else, an equal opportunity protagonist. I will question any who wish to feed out of both sides of the pig trough and then claim to have not gotten their white shirt dirty.

I read a comment on another site last evening that said something to the effect that the constitutional separation of church and state prevented the state from assuming control of the church, but did nothing to prevent the church from asserting control of the state. Far fetched as this may sound, there is historical precedant for this very situation. Yes it could happen in the good ole USA!

Comment if you dare and as always, more to follow!