Takes One To Know One

Once again via Jesus Politics, take a look at this article on what Ed Brayton from Dispatches from the Culture Wars calls WorldNutDaily.

I find it rather amazing that an advertisement created by an Islamic group to invite Christians to a forum where Muslims and Christians can have a dialogue to develop mutual understanding is, according to the evangelical owners of the radio station refusing to run it, so obviously a Muslim group "trying to promote... its faith," and yet Christians trying to put prayer, the Ten Commandments, and so-called "Intelligent Design" in the schools is not Christians "trying to promote [their] faith" but just exercising "freedom of religion." I guess evangelicals are so used to Lying for Jesus that they just assume that Muslims must have ulterior motives just like evangelicals do and therefore are Lying for Mohammed.

In fact, that probably explains why evangelicals are so insistent that the teaching of the Theory of Evolution (that is to say, teaching SCIENCE) in public school science classes is really an atheist plot to destroy Christianity! Since "Intelligent Design," presented by evangelicals and other nutty Christians sects as science, is actually part of The Wedge Strategy (which, alas, has nothing to do with Wedge Antilles) to force Christianity into public schools and thereby onto all public school children, they assume that "atheists" and "secular humanists" (ie, scientists, many of whom are themselves Christians, just not nutty ones) are purusing their own surreptitious version of the Wedge Strategy.

To all you evangelicals, fundamentalists, Pentacostals, and any other crazy-ass Christian sect out there, let me say this once and for all: Teaching the Theory of Evolution is not part of an atheist or secular humanist plot to turn your children into atheists.* Evolution says nothing about your God, about the origins of the universe, or even the origins of life. And let's be clear: Just because something doesn't mention your God doesn't mean it is opposed to your God. Some ideas are neither pro- nor anti-Christianity. They are neutral with regards to Christianity.

One other thing. In general, I would say that a Christian radio station has the right not to take the advertising business of a Muslim group, despite the ignorance and hypocrisy of doing so. Except for the fact that, in the past year or so since the Janet Jackson Superbowl "wardrobe malfunction," all I hear from the White House, Congress, and the FCC is how the airwaves are "public airwaves" and therefore, in an effort to "protect the public," I guess, they have to mount witch trials against Howard Stern and anyone else who isn't toeing the Bush regime's line on creating a Christians-only culture in the US. So, if these are the "public's airwaves," then why the hell does an evangelical station manager get to say "We're here to serve evangelical Christians"? Bullshit, I say! Why, by the same token, can't Howard Stern say, "We're here to serve those not easily offended," and therefore be immune to fines? Why do Christian radio stations get to use the "public's airwaves" to promote their evangelical, intolerant views and yet Howard Stern gets fined because some conservative Christian idiot in Iowa has to write in a letter instead of just changing the channel?

I mean, come on.

The public consists of many who aren't evangelical Christians. So, why isn't this radio station forced to serve the public instead of a thin slice of the public while using the "public's airwaves?"

*That's what "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Will & Grace" are for. Duh!