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Love in the Ruins predicted all of this – the split in
just about every group in America. Religious, political, especially. The
Leftpapas and the Knotheads. What more accurate description can you give
the state of American politics today? Both 2000 and 2004 elections were essentially
50-50. While Obama seems to be a few points ahead, I’m wary of
predicting outcomes even now after the last two elections. And, it’s
still too close to 50-50 due to the ideological split in American
society. Why – because of paradigm shift a couple of hundred years
ago (a la Kuhn) in which science and a literal interpretation of creation and
the rest of the Bible seem to conflict. So, what do you have? A group
of people (religious fundamentalists and political conservatives) who won’t
let go of an outdated and disproven paradigm – and a group of people who,
having faced reality, realize that that paradigm is outdated and disproven, yet
have no paradigm to replace it that contains a set of morals and values that can
guide our lives and actions (the reason Percy chose the Catholic church).
There is no reigning paradigm in America today – only the conflict of
two. In the 21st century, a county adjacent to mine
actually had a legal proceeding approved to insert into a high school science
textbook that evolution was “only a theory.” The ignorance involved
in this is unspeakable. First of all – the definition of “theory”
was not understood by any of the parties involved – of course evolution
is a theory, as is all of scientific paradigms, it is just the best explainable
theory we have as it is supported by the most evidence. That is what we
call “science” – only the best explainable theory that we
have today, based on the most congruence to the evidence available today.
Second of all, the insertion of religious paradigms, scientifically unproven
and with little congruence to available scientific evidence and facts, into a
public scientific classroom funded by taxpayer dollars, is amazing. This is less to do with the Second Coming (or a second coming) than
it is with splits. A lack of moderation in every way. Anticipation of a
fulfillment of scriptural prophecy like an Armageddon and the second coming is
a scary scary thing in that some say that some conservative politicians will
try to precipitate this to fulfill “scripture” and feel no
compulsion to quell (some even say are actively involved in sparking) unrest in
the middle east. Karey From:
percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On
Behalf Of RHONDA MCDONNELL Two quick thoughts--Given that we're on the
eve of a new presidency, and it looks likely to go to Obama, can we quit with
Bush already? > From: marcus AT loyno.edu When
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