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"I dont much care why hes a decent guy; I just care that hes decent."
Jonah Goldberg, National ReviewPersonally, while Im intellectually curious about Mormonism the topic du jour because of Mitt Romneys big religion speech this week I really cant get worked up about the topic. Romney says that his faith informs his values, and I believe him. I also think hes generally right about the importance of faith in a free society. But, ultimately, I dont much care why hes a decent guy; I just care that hes decent. . . . . . . historically, theology hasnt mattered that much to Americans. Mormons are a good example. Americans didnt want Utah to become a state because Mormon men took too many wives. Mormons dropped polygamy and bada bing Americans dropped their objections to Mormon statehood. Irving Kristol has cited the fight over Utahs statehood as a quintessential expression of how America practices theological pluralism while insisting on moral conformity. It is the American way to care about what people do, not about what they think. Every religions theology has some wacky stuff in it, not only from the atheists perspective but from the perspective of pretty much every other religion. Its impossible to know how much this or that theological tenet guides a persons actions. All we can judge is the persons actions. This is why I think many people get too invested in the tenets of Muslim theology. Defenders of Islam, as well as apologists for terror, often say Islam means peace and point to this or that quote from the Koran. Opponents of Islam will often say that Islam is a religion of violence and conquest and point to a different part of the Koran. As a literary exercise, both sides have good arguments. But at the end of the day, Koranic exegesis will only get you so far. Ultimately, a religion is what its adherents do in its name. And for a significant minority of Muslims, it is simply the case that Islam is a religion of violence. How else are we supposed to react to a Sudanese mob chanting for the execution of a schoolteacher because she permitted her students to name a teddy bear Mohammed. The people who should be angry about this fact are the majority of Muslims who claim theirs is a religion of peace (and, it should be noted, some Muslims were indeed mortified by the spectacle). I have liberal Jewish friends who are sometimes flummoxed as to how I could hang out, ideologically or personally, with Christian fundamentalists. My short answer is: Have you ever met any? I may not want some of them planning my next trip to Vegas, but the ones Ive met couldnt be nicer or more polite. And the same goes for Mormons. Yes, I think theres some weird stuff in Mormonism, but they might say Same to you! about Jews. Still, all of the Mormons Ive met have been serious, kind, and morally upstanding. Republicans might also note that Mormons are among the most reliably conservative senators and congressman. I think the objections to Mormon theology are often sound. But I think there are sound objections to pretty much every theology. Its a good thing for Romney that while theology isnt relevant to picking a president, morality is. Posted by: Mike 2007-12-07 |
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