A few perhaps random thoughts rattling around inside my cranium.
There has been much commentary on the fact that the persistent conservative majority on SCOTUS seen in things like the recent Hobby Lobby case consists of 5 Catholic men, four of whom apparently have connections with Opus Dei. Yet their decisions are empowering the more extreme evangelicals and fundamentalist "Christians" (more about the use of "Christians" anon) who do not consider Catholic to be Christians, with some of the those evangelicals and fundamentalists viewing Rome as the "whore of Babylon." They also show a remarkable lack of historical understanding because one reason for the development of a Catholic school system was the imposition of Protestant Christianity through public schools. That Opus Dei Catholics agree with extreme fundamentalists and evangelicals on abortion and birth control and homosexuality shows how out of touch they are with many of the rank and file congregants in Catholic churches, particularly younger people. Worth noting that the one non Opus Dei among the 5, Anthony Kennedy, is a consistent supporter of gay rights.
More beneath the fold
"Christians" - man ascribe to themselves that term, and exclude its application to those who disagree with them on a variety of issues. At the most extreme, I can remember an occasion on my first visit to Mount Athos in 1981. Athos is a monastic republic more than 1,000 years
Perhaps because it helps explain why I teach, and in some ways helps fill out more completely the thoughts from my diary earlier today, I am reposting this piece from April 10, 2005. Thus some of the material - the specific preceding event, my age - are somewhat dated. The rest of the thoughts are not: they still speak my mind, and help explain why I remain a teacher. Today the sun is shining.
by rss@dailykos.com ... / 10min