Today's Supreme Court brouhaha -- ruling that a Washington high school football coach could pray after games on the field -- is a great example of how things tend to escalate and how they eventually get a bit out of control.
The coach took a knee for a minute after games for years, evidently, until a few players started joining in and then opposing players and coaches and finally all sorts of loosely connected adults who basically just wanted to take on public schools and prayer.
And it eventually got to the Supreme Court, now noticeably open to almost any issues or cases that can troll Americans who don't fit a specific profile. In a sense, this is much ado about nothing, since the coach moved to Florida some time ago and isn't likely moving back to Bremerton. And it is fair to ask whether the informal praying on the field caused disruptions and hurt feelings.
But that's the thing. When the majority puts an official OK on one sort of religious belief, those who are made to feel uncomfortable or excluded tend to NOT protest loudly.
American politics currently suffers from the "tyranny of the minority," in that our system is rigged in favor of smaller states and more rural areas. But it is important to remember that the more common tyranny is of the majority.
Today's boastful and proselytizing Christians feel free to scream loudly any time they feel the least uncomfortable. I am grateful that public school officials continue to resist particular religious practices being forced on students and their families.
These public protestations of faith give me the willies. And the peculiar new tradition of using religion to poke at our neighbors is hardly a sterling advertisement for these oh-so-holy people.
I saw the term CINO the other day -- Christian in Name Only -- based on the Republican in Name Only phrase that radical right wingers fling at anyone in their political party not sufficiently pure.
There's no good reason to even try to create arguments about religion, which is why I discourage students in my writing classes to even try in that area, much like the silliness of trying to convince people about abortion, trans sports participation, etc.
But I like the CINO approach generally. It's a good reminder that most humans don't really measure up to their professed values, and never will. I would guess most supposed Christians are picking and choosing among all sorts of values, some antithetical to what religious authorities desire.
I was thinking of all the celebration among Catholic bishops and their most radical adherents after Roe was overturned, while knowing that nearly 65 percent of Catholics in America support the basic protections of Roe.
Then I thought of how, immediately after the "big win," so many "pro-life" fanatics began plotting to force EVERY American to give up personal autonomy. All while fighting with equal vigor for the rights of anyone to care any sort of weapon at all times.
There is nothing logical about all these anti-abortion people being fine with unlimited guns and the death penalty... and allowing 25 percent of American children to go hungry.
We are all hypocrites in some way, and I just wish knowing that would dampen our enthusiasm for fanatical ideas and our desire for just one way of life to prevail. But that would require self-reflection and a sense of shame... and many Americans can do neither.
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