In the magazine section of the Sunday Times, there is an article that is both revealing and frightening. Those who remember what America's Fifth Column concerns were, in the years in America leading up to World War II, might find parallels with the way that certain religious ideologues are trying to re-write the textbooks in American schools.
Speaking as a Christian, and a very committed one at that, you should not misunderstand the title given by the Times, "How Christian Were The Founders?," and sub-tilted "History Wars: Inside America's Textbook Battles." This is not a matter of "Christianity, Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down."
This a matter of a narrow-minded group trying to change facts, and put their own spin on different elements of history, with an eye toward altering the perceptions of America's youth in order to re-write the future of this nation.
It is a battle of extreme ideology against the facts of history, and we should be as wary of these extremists as we should be if such efforts were coming from extremist Muslims, or ultranationalist Jews, or Hindu fundamentalists, or any other extreme religious group trying to change facts and alter perceptions to suit their philosophies.
We have to be concerned about the possibilities of the institution of what would amount to an American Taliban, whether Christian, or Jew, or Muslim, or whatever, with all of the control-freak single-mindedness, and perversion of reality, which is the hallmark of such groups.
I would urge all of you to read the full article, which is available at the NY Times website:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/magazine/14texbooks-t.html?pagewanted=print
Speaking as a Christian, and a very committed one at that, you should not misunderstand the title given by the Times, "How Christian Were The Founders?," and sub-tilted "History Wars: Inside America's Textbook Battles." This is not a matter of "Christianity, Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down."
This a matter of a narrow-minded group trying to change facts, and put their own spin on different elements of history, with an eye toward altering the perceptions of America's youth in order to re-write the future of this nation.
It is a battle of extreme ideology against the facts of history, and we should be as wary of these extremists as we should be if such efforts were coming from extremist Muslims, or ultranationalist Jews, or Hindu fundamentalists, or any other extreme religious group trying to change facts and alter perceptions to suit their philosophies.
We have to be concerned about the possibilities of the institution of what would amount to an American Taliban, whether Christian, or Jew, or Muslim, or whatever, with all of the control-freak single-mindedness, and perversion of reality, which is the hallmark of such groups.
I would urge all of you to read the full article, which is available at the NY Times website:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/magazine/14texbooks-t.html?pagewanted=print
