tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985842125194309281.post2277923147077148621..comments2023-02-20T03:24:47.787-05:00Comments on jonathan j prinz / BEYOND ALL THAT: Letter to the World's "Baptists"Jonathan J. Prinzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02298654988875937997noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985842125194309281.post-30525368761248646262007-10-03T04:21:30.000-04:002007-10-03T04:21:30.000-04:00Jonathan, well said. I'm reminded of the adag...Jonathan, well said. I'm reminded of the adage "Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels". History teaches us that the invocation of 'God's will' has been the first refuge of those who would subjugate the masses....at least for the last 2000 years of western history...with rare exception. Certainly in the US, Jefferson's and our founders' admonitions towards compromising the secular state have faced continuous challenges throughout our short history. Our currency, our pledge of allegiance, the tablets above so many courtroom doors and judges' benches natter at the edges of the 1st amendment.<br>I fear that our miltantly middle class society with all of our material trappings have suffocated our forefathers' views of the Bill of Rights. Between apathy, fear, and righteous materialistic expectations, our citizenry is only too willing to allow the forces of totalitarianism to compromise our freedoms. The so-called Christian right, the 'family values' crowd (who shun a bathroom seducer, while lauding a serial adulterous soliciter) who have dominated our political scene for the last 10 years or so, are symptoms of the broader populations' entropic apathy.<br>I'm not hopeful for our future at this point. Other great and powerful world-dominating empires have come and gone....most with far longer eras than our own. Our demise won't come from without, but from within...and the seeds are well beyond the germination stage.<br>Eric Dashmannoreply@blogger.com