Anti-Intellectualism, Part II; What actually goes on in the Fundie mind?

I don't read the daily paper very often anymore, so I didn't see the original column to which the below-referenced Hartford Courant LTTE refers. Actually, since the entire LTTE section of today's Sunday Courant is devoted to responses to that columnm, it was pretty easy to pick up its gist. But the first letter in particular made me gasp, almost literally...I called to my wife and read it aloud, I was so amazed at the thought process (or lack thereof) that it illustrated, and how that thought process seems to actually be on the ascension in our society. You might have to read it twice, as I did, to believe your own eyes...

"When I read Robert M. Thorsen's column 'Biblical Literalism Troubling - And Wrong'...I couldn't help but be amazed. Has Professor Thorson examined both sides of the issue? How is it that he has concluded that the theory of evolution (which has not been proved scientifically) is true and the belief in creationism (revealed to creation by the creator himself) is wrong? Neither can be proved scientfically."

WTF? Even if you're willing to acknowledge that evolution has not been entirely 100% proven by science, you gotta give 'em about 99%...but to offer as your only refutation the "fact" that the creator himself tells us that his creation is true...it just boggles the mind. The LTTE writer is actually trying to say that we can't believe science, but the mystical being in which he believes told Christians to believe him, so the mystical being must be the correct one.

And these people are allowed to vote? Huckabee thanks God every day for people like the LTTE writer. Me? I just shudder in fear that they'll continue to drag our entire society down with their Dark Ages mentality.

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the cheese done fell off their cracker.

It feels like some third world country sometimes. I wonder what our founding fathers would think of what their "freedom of religion" amendment has led to. Would they be repulsed by the current shit being proffered by the religious right, or would they be able to see it as a bad concept made worse by idiots like Robertson, Falwell, and the rest of the whacked out loonies on the extreme right.

.. Fundies are proud and ignorant, but then some people think that's the general American personality. I sometimes wonder if it all has to do with the combination of Protestantism and Manifest Destiny. You know, a religion that doesn't place importance on higher education, coupled with a sense of entitlement to the whole planet. I dunno.. just talkin'

An empty-headed lot.

I think it is a form of insanity myself.

I know some of these people. You can present them with scientific PROOF from well respected publications that global warming is real, that evolution HAS been proven, that there is not enough oil in ANWR to fill every American gas tank for 100 years, that Rush Limbaugh was an Oxycontin addict, etc. etc. and they'll answer with "Well I don't believe it! The liberal media will say whatever to make us believe their propaganda! I know how I feel and I don't think you've got the facts"! They rely on their BELIEFS over every fact present to them because anything that shakes their own "faith" and political ideology scares the crap out of them. And there's more and more of these people all the time. As long as the RW noise machine is cranked on full blast we'll never get through to them with logic, facts, and common sense.

They live in fear and projection. They refuse to accept scientific truth. They won't let any new ideas or any factual statements enter their fearful little skulls. They'd rather spend their energy bullying people who don't believe what they do, instead of quietly doing good for their fellow man or woman or child. It's more important that they feel superior and saved, than that they do any good deed for another person.


Since they believe literally in the Bible, they think pi is 3, and the earth is flat.
Attempting to reason with them is a complete waste of time and energy.





"The Church says the Earth is Flat; but I have seen the Shadow on the Moon, and it is Round; and I have more Faith in a Shadow on the Moon than in the Church." -- Ferdinand Magellan, Explorer (1480-1521)

Great discussion about this. Bill sent a gay reporter into Huckabee land to discuss God and whether or not they felt he should be stoned to death, etc. It was priceless.

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it was Dan Savage, syndicated columnist of the infamous "Savage Love" column which popularized the use of "Santorum" in the nastiest possible way. Don't even look it up if you're the queasily type.

It was a funny segment and showed the human side of those who would have us all put to death on paper, but lack the courage of their convictions when presented with a real, living, human being who also happens to be gay. Yeah Dan, bring your husband and kids on down for a vacation in sunny SC!

When you look at the evidence its ludicrously overwhelming that it's rather past time that we call it a theory.

billions of years old? And why would God want people to specifically reject the repeatable as a sigil of faith?