Now, I think I may have started to get the lenses in focus. Something is becoming clearer and maybe that will lead me to finish a degree someday, but I think I will use the blog to start to work out my thoughts and to get me writing again.
I call this focus The Truth Project, for now. I am becoming fascinated by discovering the truth behind positions, especially, positions taken up by the Christian Right. I'm seeing that truth (as in facts) are regularly being distorted to support untenable positions. I was struck by this in two cases.The first case is outlined in the book, Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul by Kenneth R. Miller. The court case happened in 2005 in Dover, PA. It spelled the end of the whole Intelligent Design movement and should have been the end of Creation Science in any rational world. The judge from that case ended up giving a severe tongue lashing to the side that represented the ID movement. They had distorted facts, twisted evidence, and dodged truth through language games. So the more "religious" side, when put up against a wall in a court of law began to, basically, lie.
The second case is the arguments against gay marriage. I need to get my links together, but, again, the side that was against was accused of distortions, denial of truth, etc. I will try to update this again, but I can tell from even my teaching experience that I find that the stability and support of the child from within the family is what makes a difference in a child's life. If there is love and a home to go to, the child will go far in school and life. If the home is broken, unstable, unpredictable, and the child is shuffled between different "homes," the chances for success become less. Not impossible, of course, but less. So where is the truth? I'm finding it is not found in the Christian Right's interpretation of marriage.
I am looking for patterns. My working hypothesis is that the Christian or Religious Right's intellectual position is under attack due to the fact that public support is weakening. The baby boomers, who seem to make up most of this belief system are literally dying off. Discovering the truth is going to be more difficult since the Christian Right do enjoy a lot of power in our media and in politics. However, I'm finding that the more I read and try to piece together facts, I'm coming down more and more strongly on the progressive side.
For the first time in a long time, I'm excited about writing and exploring deeper ideas. I may not finish the Master's, but I'm determined to look for the truth. I believe that God is the God of Truth, so I can't be on the wrong path,even though many in my Christian circles will shake their heads and believe that I'm on the road to hell.
