Why is it apparently so difficult to get a reasonable, thoughtful, non-extremist religious voice on cable news shows? After watching yet another program about religion in politics pitting an atheist against a fundamentalist, beliefnet's Diana Butler Bass wants to know…
Why is it apparently so difficult to get a reasonable, thoughtful, non-extremist religious voice on cable news shows? After watching yet another program about religion in politics pitting an atheist against a fundamentalist, beliefnet's Diana Butler Bass wants to know …
The media appears to believe that Hitchens and Blackwell fairly represent the "extremes" and that if you add them together then divide by two, you get the opinion of the rest of us. It amounts to spiritual voyeurism, intended to drive ratings and not much else.
Although American religion certainly has entertaining extremists, they do not represent regular people and how faith and politics work. American religion is more subtle and complex, full of questions and surprises that shape our communal life in ways that deserve thoughtful commentary–and thoughtful commentary doesn't mean boring.
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