I think I finally found myself. My attention was brought to a study called “Hidden Tribes.” The researchers used a combination of a national survey and interviews to identify seven distinctive political groups in the United States. The attitudes of individuals in those groups help to explain the tremendous polarization in our society. On the far left is the Progressive Activists. They make up about 8 percent of our country. They are not only very progressive but they are also... Read more
I feel like I am a child in a dysfunctional marriage that is heading for a divorce. My parents no longer talk to each other except to argue and call each other names. Why do I say that? Because I am a political independent who is tired of the dehumanizing and demeaning behavior of both political parties. I certainly must not be alone in feeling this way. A little history. In 2015 I came out strongly against the candidacy of... Read more
The recent Supreme Court hearings have presented a bipartisan problem that has been vexing to me. The deterioration of our Senate nominating process has been revealed in these hearings. Clearly this deterioration reveals a larger problem we have with our polarized society. Let’s get some perspective. The Democrats torpedoed Judge Bork’s nomination for purely political reasons. He was well qualified for the position, and there were no character issues. But he was simply too conservative for them and that was... Read more
Okay I admit that this came out during my mini-sabbatical, and I should just let it go. But it is stuck in my craw and I think I need to write about it so that I have had my say. So to be clear I am doing this for me and not my readers. But if my readers benefit from this rant, then so be it. Perhaps it will serve a double purpose. Once again the pastor Robert Jeffress has... Read more
A couple of weeks ago I did a blog on why putting so much energy towards the defense of Kaepernick is a losing strategy. Of course I got pushback which is fine and dandy. I also saw name calling and dehumanizing which is not acceptable. I decided to remove such emails from the comments. I simply do not understand the lack of introspection that comes with thinking that insulting others is the way to win them over to your cause.... Read more
When I studied anti-Christian sentiment, there were some common stereotypes that kept reemerging from those with that sort of hatred. One of those stereotypes was that Christians are anti-science. Some of this stereotype is grounded in the resistance of many conservative Christians to evolution. However, my respondents also showed concern about Christians who resisted the use of stem-cells in research and who inaccurately argued that America was founded as a Christian nation. I am very familiar with the anti-intellectual strain... Read more
I have made it clear that fighting for the right of Colin Kaepernick to take a knee for the national anthem is not a high priority for me. A big part of my apathy is the hypocrisy of progressives who only seem to fight for the jobs of those who share their political ideals. I think a case can be made for supporting Kaepernick, particularly in light of the stupidity coming out of our president’s mouth, but I will not... Read more
A couple of weeks ago I posted something like this on my facebook page and had a lot of fun with it. I think I need a fun blog today, so I am reposting it here with a few additions. Those of you with multiple children will get this right away. I love my boys, but I find this to resonate so much with me right now. I hope you enjoy it. So having three kids is like this. Imagine... Read more
As you may know by now Sarah Jeong is a controversial member of The New York Times (NYT) editorial board. She is controversial because of a series of her anti-white tweets that came out as the NYT hired her. The NYT hired her in spite of tweets which infuriated political conservatives. This story has made the rounds, and I do not want to repeat what others have said. But I think I can add some unique perspectives to this controversy.... Read more
I had a much needed paternal break from the blog. But all good things must come to an end and once again it is time to engage. In my return blog, I want to discuss a current intellectual, and perhaps even moral, dilemma of mine. While I have generally had one answer to this dilemma, I find myself challenged to rethink that answer. This blog is my attempt to flesh out some of my thinking. But first an update on... Read more
Shattering Paradigms
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