OK, let’s carefully look at this quotation from CNN’s website today, with a critical eye focused a bit more precisely on reality and not Orwellian doublespeak:
After Jason Collins came out as gay, ESPN’s Chris Broussard said the NBA player was living in “open rebellion to God” — sparking a backlash against the sportswriter. That’s proof, some Christians say, that changing attitudes are turning evangelicals into a “hated minority.”
Source: CNN*, May 5, 2013
This statement is very carefully crafted Orwellian doublespeak: that artful craft of deferring to the indefensible, selectively reshaping facts into something they are not because the truth doesn’t suit one’s indefensible agenda, manipulating how people perceive reality.
Let’s look at the facts: the use of one’s professional platform (in this case as a sportscaster) to broadcast one’s personal religious beliefs is neither professional conduct nor acceptable conduct. Chris Broussard is simply and appropriately being called out for his lack of professionalism. A backlash was warranted.
“Some Christians say…” should more factually read: “Changing attitudes are making more transparent the hateful intolerance a religious minority have been attempting to force on the public space, a minority that refuses to accept that anyone should be allowed to live in any way outside of how that minority chooses or prefers to interpret the Bible.”
Let’s be clear: this loud and vocal religious minority does not have the right to force others to live by their religious beliefs. Their attempts to do so have failed. They have squarely lost this clash of ideas in the public space and need to accept this reality as they become less and less relevant to the 21st century. Their lifestyle choice has been rejected.
Religious extremists are free to live their narrowly defined religious beliefs as long as they are not hurting other people. This unsolicited comment by Chris Broussard was nothing less than hurtful and bigoted. “If you don’t have anything nice to say…”
I stand against their efforts to force others to live by their beliefs. Their beliefs need to be able to attract a following based on the merits of their faith practice. Without doubt, their faith practice has done just the opposite: brought upon themselves the disapproval bad ideas deserve. My personal advice to them: Rather than crying fowl, offer better ideas.
Ralph got it right over 100 years ago!
Lidewij Edelkoort nicely summarized the psychological space people are choosing to define for themselves today:
Freedom from rules, worship of nature, fascination with the past and a devotion to beauty are certainly the focal points of the romantic movement, and can be seen once again building up in society, along with the belief that imagination is superior to reason and intuition superior to organization.”
*Which, IMHO vacillates between being the Crime News Network and the Christian News Network