December 11, 2003. ת Howard Dean's Bikepath Religion.

Jay Nordlinger at National Review also contributed this bizarrity:

A little more of Dr. Dean: Interviewed by Judy Woodruff on CNN, he talked religion, and his departure from an Episcopal church over a dispute concerning a bike path: "You know what it really says? [The "it" refers to public curiosity over this bike-path affair.] It says the Republicans are talking like they're out of the Pharisees. Because if you're a Christian, you're a Christian. I don't believe it ought to matter what kind of a denomination you are. As a matter of fact, if you're a religious person, you're a religious person. I don't think it ought to matter what religion you are."

I will keep quoting: Woodruff: "Was it just over a bike path that you left the Episcopal Church?" (Even Judy Woodruff seems incredulous, doesn't she?) Dean: "Yes, as a matter of fact it was. I was fighting to have public access to the waterfront, and we were fighting very hard in the citizens group to allow the public to use it. [Notice how these people are always "fighting"?] And this particular diocese decided to join a property-rights suit [please gasp here] to close it down. I didn't think that was very public-spirited. One thing I feel about religion, you have to be very careful not to be a hypocrite if you're a religious person. It is really tough to preach one thing and do something else. And I don't think you can do that."

When to leave a church is an important and serious question. Theological differences are of course a good reason, though it is very hard to determine the exact line at which you differ so much from a church that you must leave. Bad actions of the church can be a good reason too. If my church kept wasting its money and making itself look bad by bringing lawsuits, I could see resigning membership. But this seems to have been a single objectionable lawsuit, and over whether there should be bicycles whizzing by the church on its property, a question on which it seems to me there could be reasonable differences of opinion.

Note too that Dean is saying that Episcopalians are hypocrites, a serious charge in the two worlds of Christians and liberals that intersect in that denomination. He is certainly saying this about his local diocese. He is also saying it about all the members of his former church who chose not to resign with him. And by implication, if he has left the entire denomination, he is saying it about the denomination.

He may well be right about Episcopalians, but only coincidentally. And the hypocrisy may be that they pretend to be Christian, but support Howard Dean for President.

(p.s.-- I know "bizarrity" is not a previously existing word, but I like it anyway. Remember Humpty Dumpty. The word is useful, and you readers all instantly know what it means, so I think it's legit to use it. I will charge no copyright if you wish to use it yourself.) [ permalink, http://php.indiana.edu/~erasmuse/w/03.12.11b.htm ]

 

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