Wildmon being Wildmon

I don't care what your political, philosophical, or religious beliefs are, anyone who thinks they can predict in any way what things will be like in 40+ years is a fool. Wildmon has always been an incredibly bigoted ignorant asshole. It did not surprise me in the least to come across his ludicrous fear mongering projections on HuffPo's "American Family Association Warns Christians Of Bigotry, Family Unit Ruin And A Muslim President."

 I found Wildmon's claims/fears about polygamy particularly entertaining since he bases his own "definition" of marriage on the Bible which condones such practices. Somehow, I don't think 2060 will see the end of marriage or families. They may or may not be structured the way they are now (we already have wide variations) but that doesn't say anything about their value. I also fail to see what would be so horrible about a Muslim president in the future. We've survived Christian ones.

Of course, it's possible that Wildmon doesn't really believe any of the crap he's slinging. Fear mongering has always been quite profitable for the Religious Right. Whether he's a money grubbing whore or raving looney, Wildmon is and probably always will be a complete asshole. That's not a prediction so much as it is an assumption based on past experience.

Why Take Offense

Tim Suttle offers a possible explanation for why people are so easily offended on his Paperback Theology blog. It would probably be more accurate to point out that he is endorsing the explanation of another person in his post "Why Do We Become So Easily Offended?" In either case the rationale provided has some limited use. It is a partial explanation that may work in some instances.

Chocking it up to issues with an individual's "ego" may have some merit but is by no means universally applicable and is far from an adequate approach. "Ego" is such a subjective and unsubstantiated construct that it has very limited explanatory qualities. It also borders on Freudian psycho-babble. The piece is too short to determine whether Suttle is using the term in the way Freud intend or if he is trying to use a more modern interpretation.

Personally, I think it has as much to do with insecurity and fear. At least some theists probably realize to some extent that their views are not well founded. Many cannot stand even the slightest critiques of their religious beliefs for fear of where any real examination might lead. Though, I would also point out that insecurity and fear are also not complete explanations. The question, like so many, is far to complex to adhere to a single explanation.

Mortality's Impact on belief

"Belief in God is highest among older people and increases with age, perhaps due to the growing realization that death is coming closer." This opening to the brief  April 18th Reuters piece is not exactly shocking. Atheists like myself have pointed out on various occasions that both fear and wishful thinking have always played a significant role in religious beliefs. Most of what follows in "Belief in God grows as mortality nears, survey says" is also pretty well established. It is, however, nice to see that such things do from time to time get some media attention.