On Losing My Religion Post -
Thank you very much for this thoughtful and respectful post! As a politically progressive, strongly traditional Catholic it is refreshing to find a commentator outside of the political right that treats my faith as anything other than a rich source of ridicule and contempt. Secularism is one thing, anti-religious chauvinism is another. All too often I find intolerant secularism accepted as an antidote to religious intolerance. Such sentiment misses the point entirely. It is not the religion that makes religious intolerance objectionable, it is the intolerance!
It is the requirements of my conservative Catholic belief that drives me to the progressive end of the political spectrum. Compassion for the poor, respect for human rights and human dignity and pacifism are, in me, driven by the same faith that inspires me to object to abortion and stem cell research. Democrats and liberals are fools to disdain allies of faith or those who fail to pass a litmus test on every issue. There are issues upon which I and the progressive movement must part ways, but that would be a function of any person's individuality and exercise of reason. It is stubborn and short-sighted to reject people of faith over such narrow-minded chauvinism.
Mooseketeer
Marstons Mills, MA
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