On the receiving end of those expectations, [Bobby] Jindal has given these issues considerable thought. "This would be a poorer society," he told me, "if pluralism meant the least common denominator, if we couldn't hold a passionate, well-articulated belief system. If you enforce a liberalism devoid of content, you end up with the very violations of freedom you were trying to prevent in the first place."

On the evidence of the Louisiana ad, Democrats have learned little about the religious and political trends of the last few decades. For all its faults, the religious right built strong ties between conservative Catholics and conservative Protestants on issues such as abortion and family values, after centuries of mutual suspicion. Evangelicals gained a deep affection for Pope John Paul II and respect for Catholic conservatives such as Justice Antonin Scalia. And conservative Protestants recognize that secularist attacks on Catholic convictions are really attacks on all religious convictions and could easily be turned their way.

"The most passionate defenders of my beliefs," says Jindal, "have come from people who don't share my beliefs." In one account in The Times-Picayune, the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of New Orleans, David E. Crosby, gave this reaction to Jindal's writings: "Anybody who reads this whole article and ends up angry just needs to grow up." That is a good definition of genuine pluralism - an adult respect for the strong convictions of others.

"Bigotry," said Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton, "may be roughly defined as the anger of men who have no opinions . . . the appalling frenzy of the indifferent." And religious bigotry is offensive everywhere, including on the bayou.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * Economics, Politics

1. Alice Linsley wrote: A very fine article and well written!  Liberal bigotry is evident against strongly held religious convictions, especially Christian convictions.  If Jindal were still Hindu, this article would never have been written. September 5, 9:02 am | [comment link]

2. libraryjim wrote: Yeah, we got that on the New Librarian list, too. A Baptist College was advertising for a librarian, but applicants had to agree with the mission statement of the college.  You should have seen the outrage it sparked, because it disqualified so many looking for job. Yet a job posting for a law library that required all applicants to have an additional law degree went by un-remarked upon, even though it disqualified (probably) more applicants than the religious institution posting did. It also sparked quite a debate on tolerance vs. intolerance, and can we really practice tolerance by being INTOLERANT of those with whom we disagree?  One person said ‘We have a right to be intolerant of those who themselves are intolerant. That’s true tolerance!” September 5, 10:36 am | [comment link]

3. Terry Tee wrote: This short article packs a lot of insight and thought-provoking analysis.  A fine piece of journalism.  I was particularly taken with the following:  In the liberal view, pluralism means a public square purged of intolerance - defined as the belief in exclusive truth-claims and absolute right and wrong. And this view of pluralism can easily become oppressive, as the “intolerant” are expected to be silent. September 5, 11:54 am | [comment link]

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