June 8, 2004
Don't Encourage the Wackos
Although the reasoning is sound, albeit approached from a different angle than I take, a point that Eugene Volokh and Cathy Young make about the cross on the L.A. county seal indicates a lamentably pervasive sentiment. Volokh writes:
Cathy Young has a very good column on this in the Boston Globe. "When secularists go after a tiny cross on a county seal or Christmas decorations at a firehouse, they lend substance to the 'religious persecution' complex -- and play right into the extremists' hands." Indeed.
Note the two groups placed in opposition: secularists and extremists. One might similarly say that, "when religious people advocate for mandatory, prominent crosses on every county symbol or Christmas decorations in every public building, they lend substance to the 'separation of church and state' complex -- and play right into the extremists' hands." If the extremists on one side are portrayed merely as impractical secularists (and run no less prominent an institution than the ACLU), are religious people wrong to be concerned about their activities? Put differently, if the persecution is, in fact, lent substance, does reaction to that substance really represent a complex?
Such biases according to worldview are natural, and I'm certainly guilty of them myself, but that doesn't mean that they aren't worth pointing out and, perhaps, correcting. Young does refer to "secularist zealots," but immediately thereafter, she describes the following "exaggerated perception [that] is exploited by religious extremists who really would like to undo the separation of church and state":
Many Americans today believe that secularist forces in this country are implacably hostile to all things religious, particularly Christian, to the point of wanting to purge our culture and our history of all traces of Christianity.
Exaggerated? Only if everybody on Young's side is taken to be objective and reasonable by default — no matter what over-zealous moves they make.
Posted by Justin Katz at June 8, 2004 11:23 AMReligion
You are absolutely right on target with this.
These people are not "secularists", they are extremists. It needs to be stated (and screamed, in my opinion) that one can be an extremist on EITHER side of political spectrum. (yes, more often the Left ...) Volokh is also right that this view does harm against legitimate movements to maintain some separation between Church and State.
Your post title of "Don't Encourage the Wackos" is perfectly appropriate. Who is more 'wacko' ? One who is offended or fearful of a cross on a county seal or one who is not ? Really.
Well said.
Posted by: Mark Miller at June 8, 2004 12:46 PM