Thursday, November 30, 2006
The Mentality of a Moderate Christianist
So, there's a controversy about whether Barack Obama should be allowed to walk into a church with Rick Warren to discuss AIDS prevention. Some say Obama should be shunned because of his beliefs on abortion; but maybe cooler heads will prevail. Here's one moderate Christianist's take:
It's OK to include people who disagree with you on some issues in a forum about AIDS, but only so that you might change their minds. Our minds must be made up before we come to the discussion, impervious to facts and arguments that we don't like.
This in the context of AIDS prevention in Africa. It doesn't matter whether or not stressing abstinence works in countries with AIDS; what matters is that abstinence is important to me, and must therefore be imposed on others-- or at least, must be supported at the expense of programs that work better.
And this is a moderate voice, someone not calling for the excommunication of Obama.
The facts are that Warren can invite to his pulpit whoever he sees fit, and that Christians are not monolithically opposed to abortion.
It's OK to include people who disagree with you on some issues in a forum about AIDS, but only so that you might change their minds. Our minds must be made up before we come to the discussion, impervious to facts and arguments that we don't like.
This in the context of AIDS prevention in Africa. It doesn't matter whether or not stressing abstinence works in countries with AIDS; what matters is that abstinence is important to me, and must therefore be imposed on others-- or at least, must be supported at the expense of programs that work better.
And this is a moderate voice, someone not calling for the excommunication of Obama.
The facts are that Warren can invite to his pulpit whoever he sees fit, and that Christians are not monolithically opposed to abortion.
