Our Endangered Values
Jimmy Carter has always been one of my heroes. As a former president he has spent his life building homes for the poor, settling international disputes and fighting for a more peaceful world. The list of Mr. Carter’s involvement is longer than this but these are some of the things that I admire in this most moral man.
Recently, I had the opportunity to read, in its entirety, his new book entitled OUR ENDAGERED VALUES.
What immediately became clear was that the Republican Party has adopted as its platform the narrowly defined tenets of rigid religious fundamentalism.
The book begins with a restatement of America’s traditional moral values. These values, according to Mr. Carter, include promoting economic and social justice, preserving peace for ourselves and others, raising the banner of freedom and human rights, protecting the quality of our environment, alleviating human suffering and co-operating with other peoples around the globe to reach these goals.
Mr. Carter documents in his book the religious right attack on these values by trying to justify preemptive war, by striving to deny women’s rights, by attempting to take away our civil liberties, by degrading the environment, by putting religious beliefs over science and by otherwise melding religion and politics.
Interesting chapter titles include: Must Women Be Subservient?, Worshiping the Prince Peace, or Preemptive War?, No Conflict between Science and Religion, The Entwining of Church and State, The Distortion of American Foreign Policy, and Attacking Terrorism, Not Human Rights.
Through this easy to read book, President Carter comes across as an excellent teacher, political analyst and a compassionate human being deeply concerned about the trend away from traditional moral values in the false name of religion.
Would that our political leaders could follow Carter’s advice of Peace through diplomacy as a way to protect America’s interests and make a better world.
I recommend this book to all who want to understand an objective view of the great moral issues surrounding the current events in American politics.
I conclude the review of his book with a quote from Thomas Jefferson on a plaque given to Mr. Carter on the day he left office:
I HAVE THE CONSOLATION TO REFLECT
THAT DURING THE PERIOD OF MY ADMINISTRATION
NOT A DROP OF BLOOD OF A SINGLE CITIZEN
WAS SHED BY THE SWORD OF WAR
Recently, I had the opportunity to read, in its entirety, his new book entitled OUR ENDAGERED VALUES.
What immediately became clear was that the Republican Party has adopted as its platform the narrowly defined tenets of rigid religious fundamentalism.
The book begins with a restatement of America’s traditional moral values. These values, according to Mr. Carter, include promoting economic and social justice, preserving peace for ourselves and others, raising the banner of freedom and human rights, protecting the quality of our environment, alleviating human suffering and co-operating with other peoples around the globe to reach these goals.
Mr. Carter documents in his book the religious right attack on these values by trying to justify preemptive war, by striving to deny women’s rights, by attempting to take away our civil liberties, by degrading the environment, by putting religious beliefs over science and by otherwise melding religion and politics.
Interesting chapter titles include: Must Women Be Subservient?, Worshiping the Prince Peace, or Preemptive War?, No Conflict between Science and Religion, The Entwining of Church and State, The Distortion of American Foreign Policy, and Attacking Terrorism, Not Human Rights.
Through this easy to read book, President Carter comes across as an excellent teacher, political analyst and a compassionate human being deeply concerned about the trend away from traditional moral values in the false name of religion.
Would that our political leaders could follow Carter’s advice of Peace through diplomacy as a way to protect America’s interests and make a better world.
I recommend this book to all who want to understand an objective view of the great moral issues surrounding the current events in American politics.
I conclude the review of his book with a quote from Thomas Jefferson on a plaque given to Mr. Carter on the day he left office:
THAT DURING THE PERIOD OF MY ADMINISTRATION
NOT A DROP OF BLOOD OF A SINGLE CITIZEN
WAS SHED BY THE SWORD OF WAR
posted by Anonymous at 2:28 AM
1 Comments:
As I read this posting, I have to admit that I'm surprised by the willingness of Americans to accept the utter hypocrisy of the Republicans. While pandering to the religious right, they seem to blather on about why we need Christian fundamentalism in government. Simultaneously, they consistently do everything that seems non-Christian.
In particular, Tom DeLay really is an asshole and a complete hypocrite. Despite the obviousness of the Republican's reactionary Christian fundamentalism, people seem oblivious to the reality of the world.
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