A Bit More On The Coulter Flap
Posted by
tgirsch
KTK has already said most of what needs to be said about this, but I think there are a couple of additional things that are worth pointing out:
First, as KTK points out in comments, but needs to be addressed more explicitly, the fact that one “truly believes” ones religion does not prohibit us from making moral judgments about those beliefs. We don’t excuse the Islamofascist who blows up a market because he “truly believes” this is God’s will. We condemn it irrespective of the sincerety of his belief. Why, then, should the beliefs of Christianity be immune to such criticism?
Second, it seems to be a common objection that Coulter is merely embracing the whole of Christian ideology, and that this not only excuses and justifies what she said, but is the only correct belief for a “true” Christian to hold. However — and this doesn’t get near as much attention as it should — nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody embraces and follows the whole of Christian ideology. Every Christian — indeed, every religious adherent of any religion — selectively adheres to that religion. In many ways, they have to, because the teachings of most religions are inherently self-contradictory. But that’s not even what I’m talking about. In most cases, they choose to. This is how conservative evangelicals can justify ignoring admonitions against eating shellfish, or calls for blood sacrifice, or requirements to banish their menstruating women from the town, hiding behind the excuse that “the New Testament fulfills [and/or replaces] the Old,” but as soon as the subject changes to homosexuality or Wiccanism or abortion, they go all Leviticus on us without so much as batting an eyelash.
Based on these two observations, I call bullshit on the idea that Coulter, as a “good Christian,” is somehow compelled to hold the vile beliefs she spews, or that we shouldn’t criticize those beliefs because of it.
