Civil Commotion

The criminality of being Christian
increases with your proximity to science.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Albert Mohler makes much of a recent NPR report about a study which finds — What do you know? — that evangelicals with some science education are mistrustful of university-based scientists.

I have to admit I am somewhat astounded that that line made its way into this NPR report. Straightforwardly, here we’re being told that evangelicals with greater expertise in science have less trust in the so-called university scientists. The distinction on the left-right continuum in American ideological life was made clear when the article says that liberal respondents were more trusting of university scientists and of science museums than were conservatives, but were no more trusting of industry scientists. On the other hand, the conservatives were more trusting of religious organizations than were liberals.

Well.

Mohler, y’all should know, is a Young Earth Creationist, upholds a literal reading of the Bible, and serves on the board of the Answers in Genesis ministry. Naturally, he would read approvingly anything that points toward mistrust of science.

Not all opinions are created equal, alas. Evolution is supported by millions of objective, mutually supportive, unrelated observations made by tens of thousands of unrelated individuals over the course of more than 150-years, and has withstood the scrutiny of the world’s finest minds. Mohler’s literalism is supported by … his mommy and daddy told him so. So there.

I have a difficult time, frankly, understanding how any educated adult can regard the Bible’s origins claims with anything but contempt. The whole story is a preposterous myth, and only an inferior intelligence can fail to see that; it really is as simple as that, and not worth further discussion.

But in an age when an aide to President-elect Donald Trump can say frankly on national television that “facts no longer exist,” and an extraordinary number of Americans believe that millions of illegal aliens cast votes for Hillary Clinton in California during the recent election, it’s worthwhile to give some thought to what we know and how we know it.

The place to begin is by frankly acknowledging that, yes, everybody is entitled to his or her opinion but, contrary to the anti-intellectualism now howled and bellowed from pulpits and podiums all across the country, not all opinions are created equal. Here are some facts: My opinions about the behavior of soil when loaded is better than yours; Michael Hamar’s opinions about the law are better than mine; frequent commenter Bernie knows more about operating a warship than either of us; and regular commenter TR can undoubtedly design an electrical circuit more capably than any of us.

There is such a thing as expertise, and a lot of it is needed to keep a society running smoothly. It is true that engineers, lawyers and naval officers all make mistakes — but not so often as others and, generally, far less consequentially.

“Facts no longer exist”? Bullshit. And instead of eating the educated, the people who have devoted thousands of hours of their lives to mastering a field of knowledge that keeps the public safe, they ought to be celebrated.

This is why our democracy is failing.

However, while Christians may love their country and perform their civic duties, Christians cannot ignore the fact that we are first part of a Kingdom which transcends nations and ethnic groups. Christians cannot ignore the fact that we are called to make disciples of all nations, and that our true home is not of this world.

Aaron Davis, at SBC Voices

Yeah, well — ho-hum. This is standard fare, and I doubt there’s a Holy Man in all of Christendom who would find anything objectionable in that statement, or say otherwise.

But it raises a fair question: Why the hell should I be expected to subsidize his ridiculous club via my taxes?

Well?

A piece in today’s New York Times acknowledges the role of evangelicals in sending a nutjob to the White House and concludes — What do you know? — that the evangelical brand needs a makeover.

As the election retreats like a hurricane heading back out to sea, first responders are assessing the damage left in its wake. One casualty is the reputation of evangelicalism.

Evangelicalism was closely associated with the campaign of Donald J. Trump, and more than 80 percent of white evangelicals voted for the president-elect.

[ … ]

As a result, much of the good that went by the name “evangelicalism” has been clouded over; now a new movement is needed to replace it.

[ … ]

True faith can never pledge allegiance to anything less than Jesus.

But Jesus-centered faith needs a new name.

Well … good luck with that. Call yourselves whatever you like — it’ll still be the same pack of ignoramuses who live in a world the size of a shoebox sitting in your pews every Sunday morning. They’ll still hate everybody whose life isn’t as straitened as their own, and they’ll still follow Pied Pipers like Trump who know how to capitalize on their ressentiment.

The problem you’ll never be able to overcome is that everybody in the educated world knows your schtick is untrue.