![[sex and science]](http://www.sunclipse.org/downloads/sexandscience3.png)
Concerning Pulpit Freedom Sunday, the Chicago Tribune reports the following.
"If we can tell you what to do in the bedroom, we can certainly tell you what to do in the voting booth," said the minister [Gus Booth], an evangelical leader of a nondenominational church, who expects to endorse Republican John McCain during his Pulpit Freedom Sunday sermon.
One is reminded of Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, who (the story has it) was angered by the insolence of the city-state Sparta. The fearsome conqueror sent a message which read, more or less, "If I enter Laconia, I will level Sparta to the ground and spit its babies upon pikes"; the Spartans, famous then as now for their "laconic" wit, responded succinctly: "If."
Politics
Comments
Makes sense. The priests want to control every aspect of their followers lives, why would it be different when it comes to politics?
Posted by: Kel | September 28, 2008 8:11 PM
The problem isn't them telling their followers what to do. The problem is them getting federal tax exemptions to do it. That means that they are using taxpayers' monies to run political campaigns, which nobody else gets.
Posted by: John S. Wilkins | September 28, 2008 8:24 PM
That's a problem, all right, but I'd wager it's not the problem. People who don't know this Gus Booth — never met him in their lives, never clapped eyes on him, let alone learned anything of how he's met the challenges life has presented him — take what he says seriously. They read what he says in the newspaper, and they think he speaks from a position of authority. That can't be a good thing.
I'm almost tempted to suggest that tax exemption is just a symptom of the deeper problem, unearned respect.
But what do I know?
Posted by: Blake Stacey | September 28, 2008 8:58 PM
Your response to the quote is perfect. Whereas mine consists only of sputtering and choking out a "but...gah!"
I'm not sure if I think the tax exemption is related to unearned respect per se...tax exemptions are supposed to encourage something "good," so it's more like an unsubstantiated good than an unearned respect.
Posted by: nicole | September 28, 2008 9:32 PM
Why does seeing his quote make me feel like I just won an argument? This Booth character just confirmed every prejudice I have about the religious right.
Posted by: John McKay | September 28, 2008 10:06 PM
My favourite ever response to this comment is (the probably well known) this one:
"Keep religion out of my bedroom and I won't come and have sex in your church"
Posted by: Lab Rat | September 29, 2008 5:36 AM
If we can tell you what to do in the bedroom, we can certainly tell you what to do in the voting booth
But you can't tell us what to do in the voting booth, therefore you can't tell us what to do in the bedroom. Elementary logic, Mr. Booth.
The tax exemption itself is not the problem, it's the fact that people like Mr. Booth feel free to abuse the tax exemption. I'm fine with people who are privately religious and understand that they have no right to impose their religion on others. It's people like Mr. Booth who are giving religion a bad name.
Posted by: Eric Lund | September 29, 2008 10:03 AM
Personally, I take my orders for what to do in the bedroom directly from Barack Obama.
Posted by: Ben | September 29, 2008 10:14 AM
If churches want to endorse candidates that's fine. As Carlin said "Pay your admission fee like everyone else! Tax the churches!"
Posted by: Rev Matt | September 29, 2008 2:19 PM
Poe?
Posted by: efrique | September 29, 2008 7:55 PM
As if.
Posted by: Alan Kellogg | September 29, 2008 10:55 PM
I didn't know that was the origin of "laconic".
So ... did he?
Posted by: Sili | September 30, 2008 2:31 PM
Philip left the Spartans to their own devices; Alexander's general Antipater was less impressed.
Posted by: Blake Stacey | September 30, 2008 2:46 PM
I think it's time to start counterevangelizing these people. They are fundamentally against the most basic tenets of being American -- they don't care about personal freedom or the right of people to make up their own minds.
But then around here, I'm not saying anything anyone else here doesn't already believe...
Posted by: Brian X | October 5, 2008 10:02 PM
I'm fine with people who are privately religious and understand that they have no right to impose their religion on others.
Posted by: cabbagepow | October 7, 2008 6:50 AM