When someone like Holy Hyrax says, as he did two threads down, that he has "more in common" with RW Christians what does he mean? That he hates homosexuality, is suspicious of science, thinks women ought not work, and crushes on Sarah Palin? That he admires the Ned Flanders model of masculinity? That he's bought into creationist misinformation and obfuscations?
I'm really not trying to be snide. I'm honestly trying to work out what he means.
Because when I say I have more in common with seculars (though I believe in God and do mitzvos) I mean that the average secularist and I both value common sense, despise superstition, enjoy discovering the true nature of things, respect real history, and think freedom and tolerance(*) should trump just about everything else, because the dialog and exchange of ideas these two values promote are the most reliable ways to discover truth.
So, who can help me work this out? Where is the common ground? (and please don't insult our intelligence by suggesting it has something to do with "family values" (unless, like most politicians you intend it as a code word for homophobia) Secularists are perfectly capable of creating strong families, and loving their children. The religious have no monopoly on that, nor are they immune to bad marriages, rebellious children, and the rest.)
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* Not freedom to do anything, nor tolerance of everything. I don't think people should be free to murder each other in the name of God, nor to I wish to be tolerant of stupidity. Refer to my many posts on pluralism to see why in certain cases intolerance is perfectly fine, and why the intolerance I recommend is unlike the intolerance of "ism"s and religions. (Also, please acquaint yourself with the difference between pluralism and relativism before accusing me of the latter.)
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