http://storylineblog.com/2014/08/29/your-feelings-are-not-the-boss-of-your-behavior/
Unfortunately, the problem is even worse than that. The First Amendment is also biased against religion in an unexpected way. As we are all familiar, Congress “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Sorry, theocrats! But think more deeply: Congress could make all kinds of laws that aggressively establish an ideology that is not a religion.
To underscore the point: The Constitution strongly protects us against theocrats who would pass religious precepts into law. The Constitution provides us with pretty much no protection against ideologues who want to hardwire specific secular dogmas into our laws and our lives—so long as the attorneys defending this process in court convince judges that due process and equal protection standards are met.
Republicans, Women, Institutions and the Insufficiency of all things Attainable
Republicans and Women
RR Reno at First Things and Amanda Hess at Slate have been going back and forth on a new report to Republicans on how to attract women. This debate is full of red meat for politicos on both sides.
My first impressions of Reno’s take were
Reno’s comments, however, did prompt some other thoughts in me about faith in institutions and traditions.
Add into the mix of my pondering these pieces over the weekend a Backstory podcast on the impact of WWI in American culture, especially the attempt to keep venereal diseases from impact the US Army.
Social Success Seeds Failure
What Reno’s piece prompted in my was the pondering of the widespread abandonment of the assumed sexual, marital and moral formula that dominated the American mid-century. Church, marriage, monogamy, career and company loyalty were the formula for temporal and eternal security and success. Government supported these things but didn’t directly administer them.
The assumption of the truth of the formula was pervasive but is now questioned or dismissed.
It doesn’t seem difficult to see it was oversold and now in the angry reaction to its failure over-rejected. We tend swing back and forth on these things. Continue reading →