Ecrasez l'infame! 2014 can't come soon enough.

Southern Baptists historically were probably the nation's biggest boosters of public education. This is an indication of how badly the public schools are doing in the eyes of their constituents. Of course, it won't cause them to change a thing.

People who seriously believe that NCLB will change anything simply ignore the history of government. Whatever test will be cooked, broiled, basted, roasted, marinated and stir-fried so as to ensure that everyone passes.

Homeschoolers from Patrick Henry College put a whoopin on an Oxford U. team in a debate contest a few weeks ago. These are the same "moron evangelicals" who are filling up the intern ranks in the White House and Congress. I just hope the blue state heads all spin west-to-east so the jetstream is not disturbed.

Southern Baptists have been traditionally pro-public school because they were traditional anti-Catholic. From the standpoint of their owe interests this position began to unravel in the late '40's, when secularism started to intrude on public education, although this was not apparent to them for another 40 years or so.

That was then; this is now. Presently believers are more likely to understand that we must all hang together or we shall surely by fed to the lions separately. That the Papists would be beneficiaries of a voucher system fades in significance when you see the state taking your money to try turn your children against you.

Oh, please.

Who do you think attended all those seg academies that were set up in every southern county after the Supreme Court (you will all execrate their decision, I'm sure) said that black kids were entitled to a public education, too?

Southern Baptists were, in the 1840s, the loudest advocates of a free press, too, but only because they were being oppressed by more powerful Christian denominations.

That job has now been taken over by the Seventth-day Adventists, and you'd be hard pressed to find a Southern Baptist who does not consider it his job to be a censor.

The Southern Baptists (Baptists and other evangelicals in general, really) and Catholics have been on the same side of a lot of things for years. There's even been a formal treaty of friendship, of sorts.

Being on the same side did not prevent them from being, as Lou says, antiCatholic.

At the time, the Catholics were solidly against government support of private schools.

Cost my parents a lot of money they didn't have for a worthless education I've been trying to overcome for 40 years.

They're all just opportunists.

Yes, but now all recognize that the same opportunity serves us call.

There are millions of reasons for anyone who loves freedom to be anti-Catholic.

Harry, much Southern enthusiasm for public education did end with Brown but the same is true in the North. Wasn't it Irish Catholics in Boston and Polish Catholics in Macomb County, Michigan setting fire to schoolbuses during the late 60s early 70s busing for integration craze?

Southern Baptists created the great state universities of the South like North Carolina and Texas which are world-class. Baptist tradition is one of tolerance, Ku Kluxery is far less important than Roger Williams.

I'm not against Brown, because separate turned out not to mean equal, but as a user of NYC public transport I can definitely see significant value to segregated railway cars. :)

Politically speaking, I know Southern Baptists who are all over the map but damn few want to use government to impose their views on others. The two ministers of my acquaintance, one in Indiantown FL and another in Taylorsville, NC
are both eminently reasonable sorts, with a clear understanding of the role of government and the church.

Here's a rare downside of being conservative. I can't ask all you anti-Catholics to keep to topics that are at least vaguely relevant to 2004.

Bart, if you want me to say something disparaging about Catholics, it's been done.

I don't trust opportunists.

Bart:

"There are millions of reasons for anyone who loves freedom to be anti-Catholic."

Only if one loves freedom more than the will of God. Freedom only exists so we can choose to do the will of God, beyond that, it's hedonism, to put it charitably.

JimGooding:

Presuming, of course, that Catholicism (Index, anyone?)is consistent with the will of God. It might be. It might not.

If you are the one to decide--God has been noticeably silent on the issue--then you are the one to whom everyone's Freedom is subject.

And if it isn't you, then it is someone else, whose conception may be, in your view, arrant nonsense.

Will you choose according to their lights?

Silent? He's made Himself painfully clear.

Oh?

That accounts for tens of thousands of religions, and probably at least a thousand different Christian sects.

All of which are, to a greater or lesser extent, mutually exclusive, all claiming to have God's direct word.

Yeah, that's real clear.

None are even mildly exclusive--it's just a function of human stubborness.

You mean all those murders were pointless?

Orrin, say it ain't so!

Harry:

Every murder is pointless.

Who would join an organization devoted to pointless murders?

Every citizen of every nation on Earth, to begin with.

Hmmm...why would I would want to join an organization with a history of fanaticism, pogroms, and endless arguments over eschatology?

Because you think Origin of Species is true?.