The Day the Enlightenment Went Out (Garry Wills loses it)

The New York Times ^ | November 4, 2004 | Garry Wills

[EveningStar]

This election confirms the brilliance of Karl Rove as a political strategist. He calculated that the religious conservatives, if they could be turned out, would be the deciding factor. The success of the plan was registered not only in the presidential results but also in all 11 of the state votes to ban same-sex marriage. Mr. Rove understands what surveys have shown, that many more Americans believe in the Virgin Birth than in Darwin's theory of evolution.

[EveningStar]

I believe so.

[OpusatFR]

Dear Sir,

I am a practitioner of Zen, Catholic, live way below my means and donate the the rest, live in a nature reserve, raise my own vegetables, never use any chemicals on my land.

I spend many hours each week reading to the blind, checking on the elderly, and generally practicing Christianity.

I believe in Darwin's theory which is natural selection, the Virgin Birth, and a universe peopled by the seen and unseen.

You, sir, are an example of that particular blight of liberalism who believes only you are enlightened, kind, charitable, progressive and, of course, educated beyond mere mortals such as myself.

You aren't fit to polish my shoes.

[carlr]

Lets see i`m trying to remember how same sex marriage became an issue.Oh yeah because some Mass.liberal judges thought they should inflict their views on the entire country.Who was the dem candidate?Yet another Mass.liberal.Darn right wing christians for expressing their displeasure with this bunch.

[PeterFinn]

Amazing. Karl Rove is more in touch with America than Kerry and his minions. This constitutes a problem...why? Sounds more like jealousy to me and no small amount of elitism in that most of America is standing up to squarely reject the moral vacuum that is secular humanist liberalism. The liberals can't understand why mainstream America rejects pederasty, atheism, perversion, and anti-patriotism.

[kimchi lover]

I'm really getting sick of the media trying to spin Bush's DECISIVE victory as some sort of homophobic advance of the religious right.
They act as if the only people who want the term "marriage" to apply to a union of a man and a woman are evangelical Christians. This is just not the case.
Besides, there were WAY more important issues on the minds of the voters on Tuesday. For one, people came out in droves to vote because they didn't want a murderous madman(UBL) telling them who they should vote for on threat of death. I really think W's victory was a "$crew you" moment for the American people. A message to Bin Laden and his ilk...."I'm a red stater. Bring it on, you creep!"

[siunevada]

Wow--Isn't Wills a Catholic?

I think he's "Catholic" the way Kerry is "Catholic". Like Clinton is "Baptist".

[x]

Wills overstates wildly. The Enlightenment, like religion has its good and bad sides and forms -- indeed, I almost said "The Englightenment, like any other religion ..." since there is much faith of a particular sort involved in believing the creeds and promises of the modern enlightened worldview. Scholars have often contrasted the mild, Anglican-oriented British Enlightenment to the more strident, anti-clerical and radical French Enlightenment.

Also, I have to wonder if Wills, the Catholic and Chestertonian, isn't a little confused: Is he saying that Americans ought to believe more fervently in evolution than in the Virgin Birth?

[durasell]

I feel obliged to defend Wills. I've read many of his books and some of them are truly brilliant, like his bio of St.Augustine. Like virtually all writers, he's not consistantly great in either his prose style of analysis, so slack should be cut.

[EveningStar]

Michael, I don't know if this qualifies for your "just damn" list but you might get a chuckle out of it.

[keithtoo]

There are MANY educated people in America who do not believe in the fallacy of Evolution. There are many, such as I, who believe that Evolution is a virtual religion all by itself. It is certainly a fundamental worldview with zealous and unforgiving adherents. Apparently the 'cafeteria Catholic' Gary Wills is one of them.

[Time is now]

"Respect for evidence seems not to pertain any more, when a poll taken just before the elections showed that 75 percent of Mr. Bush's supporters believe Iraq either worked closely with Al Qaeda or was directly involved in the attacks of 9/11."

Since this reporter is an ignorant terd, one can only hope that he is older than 12 so that he can understand the big words in this ABC news report:

Here's the EVIDENCE AGAIN!

[petitfour]

Another Delusional Democrat.

[EveningStar]

Your comment is noted and appreciated. :)

[Spok]

The politics of hate and intolerance.

[bert]

Well thats it....... The times said it, it must be true.

It couldn't possibly have any thing to do with rejection of The amoral ethiclessness of a pacifist brat who slimes America daily with lies and slander.

[rdax]

Took a class at NU from this guy many years ago. I wasn't much interested in politics back then, but this smarmy, arrogant creep rubbed me the wrong way.

[The Loan Arranger]

Charles Darwin was considered the eccentric, ne'er-do-well of the family. "You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat-catching," Charles Darwin recalled his father once telling him, "and you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family." It was an inauspicious beginning for one of history's "greatest scientists". Another myth attached to Darwin is that he coined the phrase "survival of the fittest." He didn't (Herbert Spencer did). While some refused to accept Darwin's theories at all, others were all too happy to accept his teachings — and exploit them. Darwin developed the theory of natural selection to explain differences between species, but many of his contemporaries, including Spencer and Darwin's own cousin Francis Galton, used his ideas to promote "Social Darwinism" and eugenics. "Social Darwinism" maintains that certain groups of people are poorer than others and more likely to be used as slave labor because they're "less evolved" and therefore inferior. (Keep in mind that racism masquerading as science didn't get its start with "Social Darwinism".) Although Darwin's theory of natural selection posed perhaps the greatest challenge to a literal belief in scripture, he was buried in Westminster Abbey, in recognition of his remarkable achievements. He lived and died a Christian.

[crazyhorse691]

hat many more Americans believe in the Virgin Birth than in Darwin's theory of evolution.
_______________________________________________________________

Poor old deluded Dr. B.Fuddled still mixing up religion and science. Science has no place for belief; it requires empirical data and logical,provable conclusions. It doesn't matter if you "believe". Religion is based on a belief that cannot be logically proved. But of course, us dumb old crackers wouldn't know how to do more than to burp, scratch, and fornicate.

[vigilence]

F'en A!! This guy was required reading in my Poly Sci classes in 1972 and is more lib now than then.

[onevoter]

You say, "Somehow, the conservative religious right is evil but having Rock Stars attempt to bring out the youth vote is glorious. Those 18-25 year olds freshly indoctrined by academia is not scary?"

I think the percentage of young voters who did turn out may have been largely conservative. Whether the professors like it or not, most young people reflect the values of the parents more than ever. The bitterly split electorate has resulted in young people who have established their own beliefs by the time they reach college age. They are no longer "clay to be molded."