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September, 2008

Perception vs. Reality: A Rant

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— mariagwyn @ 11:56 pm
Mon
29 Sep 2008

This is, as the title indicates, a rant. A long rant. A peevish, ridiculous, adolescent rant. Having clarified the emotional maturity of what follows, let me begin.

I grew up in the Southwest Hills of Portland. Please note a key word in the region’s title: “Hills.” The word “hills” is not a difficult word, it does not have some hidden or subtle meaning. It refers to ground which goes up and down, terrain one generally goes over, especially on trips to grandmother’s house.

This is, as the title indicates, a rant. A long rant. A peevish, ridiculous, adolescent rant. Having clarified the emotional maturity of what follows, let me begin.

Talking Right, Stumbling Left

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— mariagwyn @ 8:39 am
Sat
27 Sep 2008

W. Bradford Wilcox wrote an interesting article on the reasons for Evangelical support of Sarah Palin, not despite but because of the apparent inconsistency between her religious ideals and the realities of her family life.  I must admit, I have found it a little disturbing how quickly we liberals point out the seeming hypocrisy she represents.  How often does our ideology falter in practice (hint: do you drive?  do you drink coffee grown outside your immediate environs?)?  What I find equally disturbing is the apparent lack of acknowledgment of the difference between ideology and practice among Fundamentalist Christians and some Evangelicals (fundamentalists are not the same as evangelicals!).  Wilcox's article makes an interesting connection. 

In Talking right, stumbling left by W. Bradford Wilcox at The Immanent Frame wrote:

But when it comes to putting these views into practice, the picture grows more complex. My research shows that evangelical Protestants are more likely to be married and to have larger families than other Americans, as one might expect. But on other fronts, American evangelicals have clearly been affected by the tidal wave of change associated with the family and gender revolutions of the last half century. On average, evangelical Protestant teens have sex at slightly earlier ages than their non-evangelical peers (respectively, 16.38 years-old versus 16.52 years-olds). Evangelical Protestant couples are also slightly more likely to divorce than non-evangelical couples. And, I have also found that evangelical mothers are actually more likely to work full-time outside of the home than their non-evangelical peers.

Read the full article >> 

W.