A couple of months ago I picked up Carter’s “Our Endangered Values” from the thrift shop. Didn’t really expect to like it, since he’s devoutly religious. But surprisingly, I did.
First, to deal with the religiosity thing. Sure, he’s a religious guy. He’s ministered and preached the word of the other famous JC. But his “born-again” status was overblown by the press. He has always defended religious freedom (a President who takes the First Amendment seriously?), and eventually he ended up leaving the Baptists because they got too damn political.
Second, to address Bart’s questions, Carter certainly did speak out against Bush, verbally and in print. He was against the Iraq war, he has always been against torture, and he opposed the screwed-up financial priorities of the BFEE.
But, when he was doing that, the whore press ignored him.
If I still have the files, I’ll send some nice sound bites your way from the book.
I wouldn’t swear to this, but it seems I heard Carter on NPR (maybe) in 1992 as the Father of the Bush Boy was leaving office, right after he pardoned Cappy Weinberger and all of the other Reagan detritus involved in Iran/Contra.
Jimmy was not happy that all of these people who had done deals with the same country that had held American hostages were going to walk free. I think he said they should be in jail, butI could be wrong.
I Googled this, but didn’t have time to read through all of the listings.
Comment by RS Janes — January 27, 2009 @ 9:18 am
Peregrin, concerning being religious, it doesn’t always stem from belief. Not all of us that think there’s more to man than mud believe the Bible word for word.
Comment by grimgold — January 27, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
I am aware that being religious doesn’t necessarily mean being fundamentalist Christian.
In fact, I know several religious people who are not Christian at all.
But if religion doesn’t stem from belief, then what the hell is it?
Anyone who will reject provable fact if it conflicts with their faith is too religious for my taste.
Comment by Peregrin — January 28, 2009 @ 1:39 am
P, I agree that declaring that the Earth is 6,000 years old in the face of the fact of million year old fossils is silly and a result of fear.
Religion is a way of life based on experience, either your own or others that have taken the time to discover that man really is more than mud.
The athiest, or man of mud, is a believer in Science. Science is his religion. He fervently holds to the idea that we are simply complex electrical/chemical interactions of neurons within our brains tricking us to believe there is more than mud. The athiest, by this defination, is a religious as any Moslem in his disbelief. The fact is he can’t prove there is no God. He simply believes it.
I’d write more, but would then be accused of spam by the blog system.
Grimmy
Comment by grimgold — January 28, 2009 @ 12:58 pm
I am so sick of either/or arguments. Religion/no religion. God/science. Black/white. Maybe conceding a couple shades of gray to prove openmindedness.
What about people who just feel a sense of “There’s something else”. Who maybe suspect there might be a little flash of blue or pink or plaid outside the black and white. Who don’t feel the need to run to a religion for explanations.
They just accept it and live their damn lives.
Comment by bittershaman2 — January 28, 2009 @ 2:20 pm
Grim, I have no idea if there is or isn’t a God, but I suspect if there is one, he/she/it probably doesn’t occupy his/her/its time answering prayers on our tiny little anthill in the boondocks of the Milky Way galaxy.
Like Jefferson, I have no problem with people believing whatever they want — ‘it neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg’ — as long as they don’t do it through government or the military, and don’t use my tax money to promote any particular religion.
Comment by RS Janes — January 28, 2009 @ 3:13 pm
Bitter, again you make sense. Stop it!
It’s a matter of experience, not belief. Belief makes for right/wrong, black white non-sense. Belief systems are supposed to be a beginning place in inner exploration, but my experience with the more wild-eyed Christians and their opposite pole, athiests, is their lack of interest, lack of a questioning, inquiring attitude. Closed minds never, ever furthered civilization, or experienced truth.
Grimmy
Comment by grimgold — January 28, 2009 @ 9:16 pm
RS, Hello! I wouldn’t mind speaking to you more directly so the Bartblog doesn’t step on us for being long-winded. If you’d like, it would be okay with me to get my e-mail address from Bart or Jim.
Our American experience with the Moslems in the Middle East recently, points to how powerful belief can be. Bitter is correct in that it would be better to live your life than to proudly wear a scar on your forehead from bowing to Mecca 6+ times a day.
When you say God, are you referring to the popular notion of a big being? It would be impossible for a big being to care about you and me in a personal way. The Zeus/Odin/Jupiter that is referred to as God the Father by some Christians is straight out of Jungian Psychology.
The American Indians have it much closer to right with the Holy Spirit like a wind idea, a presence rather than a father figure.
The study of God and Everything is an EXPERIENTIAL study, not a series of beliefs.
Blind belief is worse than wrong, it causes wars. Once again, I could go on. A lot. But I don’t want to be accused of spam.
Grimmy
Comment by grimgold — January 28, 2009 @ 9:28 pm
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What is this gibberish?
Comment by grimgold — January 29, 2009 @ 10:27 am