George Will just admitted to being an agnostic

[BurtWorm]

on The Colbert Report. He said he was not decisive enough to be an atheist.

I had the same reaction Colbert had: "Wow."

[biscotti]

1. Yes that was something!

How will he explain himself to the right wingers tomorrow?

[BurtWorm]

3. I noticed he said something about taking the Christ out of Christ Science

a few moments before, and I wondered, did he mean that to come out that way?

Weird.

[physioex]

5. I don't think George Will was ever a religious looney....

He is more a paleo-republican. I remember from a Simpsons episode he embraced evolution. You gotta remember the Republican party is a big tent of corporate, religious, and old school republican interests.

[BurtWorm]

6. I could swear he used to describe himself as "high church Episcopalian"

or something snobby like that.

[Beregond2]

9. Hey, we're not snobby; just better!

[BurtWorm]

11. Maybe "snobby" was the wrong word.

But is there a "low church Episcopalian?"

[Critters2]

21. Yeah, there is. And a third choice--broad church. nt

[BurtWorm]

33. I'm going to guess the high church people made up the categories.

;-)

[Beregond2]

36. LOL; no doubt.

"High" means tending toward Catholicism in worship.
"Low" means tending toward Protestantism in worship.
"Broad" means a combination of the two.

In my experience, there doesn't seem to be much correspondence between form of worship preferred and doctrinal tendencies. I mean, "high" doens't necessarily mean "conservative," though it may have originally.

[Flirtus]

37. here in the South

"High" is more liberal (I'm female and Jr Warden at my parish where I also cantor, recently the Exultet at Easter, we have a female Rector), "Low" is more likely a conservative congregation. "Broad", we don't use that term round these parts, except to describe a river or something.

I've noticed McCain claims "Episcopal"; I'm depressed.

[Beregond2]

40. Well, that's another thing.

The Episcopal church really changes from region to region. I first got involved in it in Portland, OR, where it is an extremely friendly, liberal church. But when I lived in NYC, I found out in a hurry just how snobby some Episcopalians can be. It really is an "old money" church in those parts, or at least that was my experience.

[Hardrada]

26. I thought so too

and it was no recommendation for the 39 Articles!

[Postman]

2. "decisive enough"?

I can understand being agnostic, but how can anyone say with certainty that there is NO God whatsoever?

No one knows for sure, either way.

[BurtWorm]

8. I have decided that I don't believe in God.

I'm not making any claims about whether or not there actually is a god. I am stating positively I don't believe there is one. Therefore I am an atheist.

[madokie]

30. Thats me too

I was raised in a church oriented family, the church dad started back in '52 is still going strong, but I haven't, other that a funeral, stepped foot in one since bootcamp in the navy. I do not believe in god

[Forkboy]

4. That's ok, God's not sure George exists either.

[emilyg]

16. Good one.

[Supersedeas]

7. but manipulating religious belief for political ends is A-OK

[rebel with a cause]

10. whatever he is

I am a non-believer as far as he is concerned, even if I am close to being agnostic also. He is really not my cup of tea.

[BurtWorm]

13. The more out-of-the-closet agnostics and atheists there are the better, I say.

George Will not being afraid to admit he is agnostic normalizes disbelief/nonbelief, which is a good thing. It's time for this country to grow up about that.

[PassingFair]

17. I agree, but why HIM?

I can't STAND his pompous ass.

[rebel with a cause]

19. That is basically what I was meant when I said I didn't believe in him..

As far as believing is concerned, I was surprised to find out that what I believe is the same as Einstein. Gee, I must be smarter than what I get credit for.

[BurtWorm]

31. It has nothing to do with him. It has to do with the normalization of the message.

It's just a good thing when anyone feels safe enough in American media to say he or she is an agnostic or an atheist. It doesn't matter who the messenger is. Any time someone feels safe to say it, others are encouraged to feel safe to say it.

[PassingFair]

34. You're right, of course...

My husband was watching the show from his desk
and I asked him who Colbert was interviewing...

he told me it was Will...and I said "That guy's
an asshole"...

About 2 minutes later, I heard Colbert ask him
if he was an atheist.

WOW!

My jaw dropped.


:wow:

[KT2000]

12. He also lied about

state legislatures causing the increase in health care costs.
Legislatures have to pass laws to stop the dishonesty of insurance companies because they stop at nothing. But he has given the repugs their talking point for not passing health coverage for all.
He is really disgusting.

[BurtWorm]

14. His bullshit about conservatives being pro-freedom is disgusting as well.

Conservatives are pro might-is-right when you get right down to it. Freedom has nothing to do with it.

[Jackpine Radical]

18. Baloney. Conservatives ARE pro-freedom.

They believe the corporations should be free to exploit their workers and cheat their customers. They believe that the religious loonies should be free to throw science out of the public schools. They believe that the freedom to pollute the environment is a sacred right.

[The Diest]

24. Well put! nt

[BurtWorm]

29. Freedom for the mighty is not the same as freedom per se.

If you examine conservativism closely, you see that they do not believe in freedom per se--individual freedom to express oneself in all ways one sees fit. They actually believe in the inequality of freedom, that some deserve freedom more than others and that those who don't have the might to set the terms of freedom for all are better left unfree. And they justify this contradiction of their own terms by claiming the weak are free to "choose" to be unfree.

What they believe is baloney all right. And bullshit.

[yellowdogintexas]

15. increase in healthcare costs is due to greed on part of insurance companies

everybody knows that. so if there are decent state mandates, then profit margin is less.

:argh:

[Jackpine Radical]

35. It's amazing. At the same time the ins. cos. are raising their rates,

they're cutting back on reimbursements to small clinics. The Blues just tried to force us into a contract that would pay about 1/3 of our standard hourly rates for psychologists and psychotherapists.

[rebel with a cause]

20. I agree!!!!!!!

Blamed Obama for this.

[The Diest]

23. He was extremely condescending and an ass.

What a dick.

"You're a quick study!"

Is that all those old fuck POS's have left is condescending sneers?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. The one issue he's not an ass about is fair treatment for retarded people,

but that's only because he has a retarded son. If he didn't, he wouldn't be interested.

[Hardrada]

27. He has written some useful books on baseball.

Our National Sport.

[uppityperson]

22. Huh. And all this time I thought he was an asshole.

[KitchenWitch]

28. Gutless as always.

[mmonk]

32. Interesting.

[Orsino]

38. He worships Mammon.

He's just not honest enough to admit it.

[NoGOPZone]

39. When's he going to admit to being a pompous know it all?