Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Can't We All Just Get Along?

I must be catching Cheerryitus.

I just finished reading Dennis Prager's latest article, which is part of an ongoing series called "Judeo Christian Values." He's up to
Number XX so I guess he's enjoying writing them. In an earlier article in the series, he wrote "It is difficult to overstate the depth of the differences between the Judeo-Christian view of the world and that of its opponents, most particularly the Left." When I commented on that article I expressed a feeling that the depths of our divisions were not as deep as he made it out to be.

I still think that, and his latest article does nothing to dissuade me from that view. His latest article might be subtitled "Why I focus on the Left Wing and not so much on Islam." Basically he seems to believe that there really aren't any competing philosophies outside of Judeo-Christianity and Liberalism. Islam isn't growing except by force, eastern philosophies aren't guides for society, and Communism is dead. Not sure about any of those statements but that's his position.

In writing these columns, Dennis Prager has consistently distorted Leftism/Secularism and, ironically enough, Judeo Christianity. Some distortion is
inevitable when you are boiling down such large umbrellas into two movements and then placing them within in a Manichean struggle for dominance. And some distortion is clearly the result of Mr. Prager's personal blinders.

Are Christians and Leftists enemies? Mr. Prager certainly seems to think so (this is the dude who posited a
Second Civil War).

I don't think so, because I have a third value I want to throw into the mix. Americans. Judeo Christian Americans and Leftist Americans (not sure where I fit in those two categories, being a moderate liberal who regularly attends church) both want to see a strong successful America. We disagree, sometimes vehemently, on how to get there. But we agree on the main goal. So why can't we take that foundation and build from there?

Perhaps because it's more profitable to stir up hatred, isn't it, Mr. Prager?

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