Saturday, July 14, 2012

Douthat and Religion: Blessed Be the Blind


Douthat and Religion: Blessed Be the Blind
P. Schultz
July 14, 2012


This is a very strange column by Russ Douthat. Strange in that it seems to be his argument that religious liberals, “Christian liberals” should adjust their beliefs in order to “stay in business.” That is, never once in this column – as near as I can tell – does Douthat consider the possibility that “Christian liberals” actually believe in, say, the legitimacy of “same sex marriages.” Because if they do so believe than they have another issue altogether different from the one Douthat thinks they have.

Moreover, does Douthat think the “conservative Christians” are maintaining their conservatism for the sake of “staying in business?” I think not as he seems to assume that they maintain their beliefs because they actually and legitimately believe them.

And, finally, Douthat never offers his opinion on just what “Christianity” should be or, rather, become. Like so many others, Douthat writes as if “Christianity” has had a clear and unchanging meaning over the past 2000 years plus. And one gets the impression from Douthat, as one gets from many others who concern themselves with protecting “Christianity,” that is, their version of Christianity, that recent changes, especially changes from the “liberals,” constitute the first substantive changes affecting “Christianity.” In other words, Douthat writes as if the Reformation had never occurred or, more generally, that there is no Christian history .

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