For once, the Christians have produced an idea I can get behind.
Following my cover-to-cover read, my takeaway is that he wants Christians — by which he means only those who share his conservative sexual ethics (i.e. not you, you moralistic therapeutic deist, you) — to withdraw from society and form cult-like communes for the sole purpose of rejecting queer people and “the toxins of modern secularism” (i.e. me).
I don’t have much to add except a massive yes.
Fuck off already. Separate. Disappear into obscurity. Buy your own island and never build a port.
Read more about The Benedict Opinion here.
-Shiv
Dreher has been drivelling on about this for ages, and sadly shows absolutely no sign of going anywhere. Roy Edroso regularly takes the piss out of him (and other deserving targets) over at the always-excellent alicublog.
I actually invited Rod to be on my show recently. I said, “As a secular humanist, I think a secular society is the best way to guarantee religious freedom for all, so why don’t you come on the show and we’ll talk about it.” He said, “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
And people think I’m afraid to talk to folks that disagree with me!
I’m vaguely reminded of the Alan Moore “Future Shocks” episode in which civilization builds gigantic arks in order to escape from a spaceborne doom that is bearing down on humanity. Of course, certain parties (nudge nudge!) make sure they are at the head of the line to get on the arks, which then leave. Escape! That’s when the people on the arks discover that it was all a scam to get them into spacecraft heading toward “fuck off” and there was no spaceborne doom at all.
Never thought I’d say this, but sterilize them first. I’d hate to be a child born into such a community.
@4 robertbaden
Normally I bite people’s heads off for ideas like that, but in this circumstance you might have some traction.
@3 Marcus
That sure sounds pinched from Douglas Adams. o_O
I read the beginning of the Krakauer book about FLDS communities some years ago and it kinda ruins the joke for me. Fundies do this and the end result is always pedophilia factories. God has the most hideous champions.
Oh yeah, looks like robertbaden @4 had the notion.
Eh, robertbaden just said what we’re all thinking. And… GAS is right — religious enclaves tend to turn into self-sustaining pedophile rings.