Being at work I will be brief. recently I was reading in Free Thought that churches have recently funded and are in the process of funding the building of new Churches and recreation areas that attract young people to their faith under the New faith based Initiative of President Bush. They do this by claiming multiuse of these facilities. The buildings are in part used to hold literacy classes or marriage counceling and as such qualify for Federal funding. I asked my JW father if the WT has availed itself to this source of revenue yet. He insisted they never would because this would involve government interference in Society buisiness. I agreed the potential exists as is bourne out in recent Court cases where gays or nonChristians were fired or discriminated against by churches that have used this Federal funding. Yet I wonder if the temptation for easy money will prove too great. I feel the progam is an atrocity,yet this lure of money could ironically be a catalyst for change in religion in America toward tolerance and social accountability. Any thoughts?
separation church and state being eroded
by peacefulpete 5 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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mizpah
peacefulpete:
Nothing would surprise me any longer when it comes it comes to the Watchtower Society. It passed itself off as a "cultural organization" in Mexico for years. True, it never received government money. But it did demonstrate how willing it is to compromise if it is to the benefit of the Society.
But your father is probably right. The one reason it might not accept government money is to avoid having government interference. It has remained a financially secret organization in the U.S. And it would want to remain so.....
Bush's popularity seems to be waning. Perhaps the influence of the religious right will diminish with a new administration. What do you think?
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peacefulpete
I wish I could be so optomistic. The polls continue to betray a growing intolerence of foreign cult and culture. The rise of Fundementalism was in reaction to the uncertainties and secularism of the industrial revolution. These same conditions are resurfacing in our postmodern age. Combine this with the "dumbing down of America" that has taken place over the past 25 years and we have the formula for religious extremism. I fear that this wave won't crest for some decades. Then as a reaction to the harm and losses we may again see movement toward emphasis on education and tolerence. The greater the governments involvement with religion, inevitably the more secular the religions will be forced to become simply because the views of the many begin to bear on the myopia of the few.
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Double Edge
The older I get the more I learn that everything goes in cycles. What's out yesterday will be in today and out tomorrow. This is no different..... just a constantly turning cycle .....
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jst2laws
peacefulpete, hmm. Interesting and rare discussion involving fundamentalism, secularism and the postmodern age.
The rise of Fundementalism was in reaction to the uncertainties and secularism of the industrial revolution
While I am excited to find such a reasonable discussion of the modern issue of separation of church and state I want to expand on one thought: "reaction to the uncertainties and secularism of the industrial revolution". I certainly agree with the fact that fundamentalism did rise during that period and the industrial revolution caused uncertainty and more. But it seems to me the industrial revolution was a result of modern scientific rationalism and the later is what made religionist more insecure overall. Higher criticism casting doubt on the infallibility of the Bible Canon, Darwinism, Carl Marx, and science in general dispelling so much of the mystic fantasies of their perception of God seems to have made them most insecure. The industrial revolution with it's injustices, inequality and disillusionment with where science was taking mankind certainly added to it, but to me was incidental to the intellectual attack on the reasonableness of faith. What do you think? Steve
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peacefulpete
I'll concur (as I puff my pipe and peer over my horn-rimmed reading glasses.)lol