As a democratic socialist I think - whatever your preferred philosophical views- social SANITY depends on respecting the FREE SPEECH , FREE THOUGHT tradition of Western Civilization . I am well aware that organized Christianity has an embarrassing history here. But my state of Rhode Island is famous for supporting FREEDOM of religion .
Human religious instincts , the FAITH IN GOD of both ordinary people and brilliant intellects, will not disappear with any political order that would call itself " officially atheist " and PERSECUTE religion. Militant materialists ( dogmatic followers of Marx call themselves " dialectical materialists ") will never persuade the very MASSES they would lead to worship blind MATTER IN MOTION, or rejoice in " what hydrogen atoms can do after 13 billion years " ( " Cosmos " and Carl Sagan ) .
Separation of Church and State is imperative in any democracy . But what we see now in the United States , under a false illiberal liberalism , is a growing contempt and active hostility to people of FAITH. It DOES affect the moral atmosphere of the nation. There is no moral instruction in empty atheism .
Any socialist movement that would daily mock religion - the faith of millions, Protestants , Catholics, Muslims , Orthodox Jews - will only marginalize itself or be deformed into a dark force for totalitarianism.
Some fanatical sectarian Marxists cannot forgive me for suggesting that they build bridges to Christians and Christianity , stop this endless bashing of devout Catholics and the Catholic Church. If they had ANY roots in the real working class they would have succeeded in becoming a MASS MOVEMENT a century ago.
How can any honest thinker not see the fatal HUBRIS in the New Atheism and godless Marxism ?
Clearly in the 20th century even SCIENCE is a " god that failed ".
Centuries ago Catholic theology condemned " intellectual pride ". A famous psychiatrist - a traditional liberal , Karl Menninger- wrote a book aptly titled " Whatever Became Of Sin ".
How can anybody read daily news headlines and not feel palpable EVIL ?
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Ron