AMERICA'S ONLY ACCEPTED BIGOTRY:

Ashcroft pitches faith: In Denver, AG lauds aid for religious groups (Susan Greene, January 14, 2003 , Denver Post)

John Ashcroft was preaching to the choir Monday while crusading in Denver for the Bush administration's plan to fund religion-based social services.

The U.S. attorney general and part- time gospel singer told about 1,000 religious-service providers that, "Out of fear, ignorance and occasional bigotry, faith-based groups have been prohibited from competing for federal funding on a level playing field with secular groups."

Here's another kind of anti-religious bigotry, Change is in the air (Rev. Larry Connors, Evangelical Covenant Church, January 13, 2003, International Falls Daily Journal):

I have enjoyed being a part of the church column since the spring of 1994. For almost nine years area clergy have submitted articles without creating any major controversy. My experience has been that the response was both favorable and an encouragement to the readers of The Daily Journal ... and that was the intention since its inception. There has been a wide variety of columns, most of which have included Scripture and were based on a verse or several verses from the Bible, the Word of God.

But change is in the air. I recently received a letter from The Daily Journal informing me, along with other area clergy, of some new policy guidelines for the church column. I would like to share with you as readers one of the changes, which is most disappointing to me. It is the new policy of not being able to use Scripture in our articles. I want to just quote to you the new guideline so there is no misunderstanding in my concern and disappointment.

A paragraph on page 2 of the new guidelines reads: "One of the best ways to keep from just writing down a sermon on paper is to not use Scripture, so we ask you to refrain from quoting Scripture in your columns. Although Scripture is an important aspect to religion, we feel it is inappropriate for our newspaper's church column. When a writer uses a Bible or other religious text, as a resource, it seems that they are attempting more to write a sermon than a church column and they may turn off readers. Besides, if a clergy member feel strongly enough about an issue they can always write a letter to the editor, which is published on The Daily Journal's opinion page. In a letter to the editor, a reader may quote Scripture."

Odd, isn't it, how the presumed attempt to create a "neutral" environment so often requires folks to demonstrate actual hostility towards religion. Odder still that this hostility is the default politically correct position nowadays. Posted by Orrin Judd at January 14, 2003 6:55 PM