Quote of the Day:
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” Daniel Moynihan
Last week you may have heard about comments made by the founders of Chick Filet to the religious press regarding their views on homosexuality. If not, the story is readily available on the web.
Let’s get one thing out of the way right at the top. This story has nothing to do with the First Amendment. No criminal charges are pending. No government fines are forthcoming.
There has, however, been a push by liberal groups to boycott the chain and a predictable backlash from those who call themselves conservative to support it. I noticed particularly long drive through lines here in Jackson this weekend, by the way. But I digress.
What makes this little battle in the culture wars significant is that it is a continuation of the conflict between science and religion that goes back at least as far as Galileo observing that the Earth revolves around the sun.
You cannot “agree” with Chick Filet in their so-called views of homosexuality unless you are ignorant. I usually try not to offend on this page, and if I have, I regret it but I can’t apologize. Get educated on the subject. Like with global warming, evolution, the age of the Earth and that we indeed revolve around the sun, science is settled that homosexuality is a trait established at birth, not a choice. Not being a choice, it can’t be a sin. Not being a sin but rather a matter of fact, it is outside the jurisdiction of churches, the churchy and Chick Filet’s “views.”
One might as well have the “view” that germs don’t exist. “Hell, you ever seen one?!” Or that the moon is made of cheese. “My Pappy said so!” Or that the Periodic Table is a communist plot. (“All this workin’ t’gether to build thing talk…..makes me wanna shoot sumpin…”)
It is to America’s great shame that so many issues of scientific fact have bogged down to issues of politics. It is doubly shameful that the leaders of the GOP have made it so. Because, you see, it damages their credibility on everything else they say at a time when we desperately need their responsible input and leadership on a host of matters. If Republican leaders stir up the masses on non-issues such as gay marriage and evolution, it is a harmful diversion from our real problems, even if they are only using it for votes they see as necessary in a “by any means necessary” era. Maybe you don’t think that’s such a big deal, but add to that their obstinate refusal–in some cases reversal–to acknowledge the clear and present danger of climate change, a scientific reality that ignoring only allows to exacerbate. By denying the existence of what is probably the most important long term problem we face, they leave all theories for remedying the problem to their political and ideological opposites, and deprive us the benefit of a sensible compromise and multi-faceted approach. And that’s the best case scenario. Thus far they have prevented any national action whatsoever.
That is the problem with, not so much Chick Filet’s comments, but the reaction to them. Half of America thinks what they “believe” about science is more important than what the facts actually show. When we expend so much energy arguing fact vs fiction, how can we ever expect to reach reasonable compromises on solutions to real problems, or for that matter, to even agree on which problems actually exist?
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PS, spare me the “Democrats suck too” comments. That is true. This post is about denying science.
take a leap