Shorter Michael Coren: This Earth Is Flat!

It seems that Michael Coren has a few problems with the world today - like the fact it's not flat.

Apparently the last century's progress is all for naught, and must be discarded in favor of 'absolute biblical truths':

It's not about socialism, recycling, sexual licence, climate change, group hugs, self-esteem or never offending anyone. It's about truth, unchanging Scriptural absolutes, church teaching, the undeniable facts of the virgin birth and bodily resurrection, speaking God's message even when it hurts the speaker as well as the hearer and unending love and forgiveness.

Yes, Michael, let's discard the last couple of hundred years' worth of rational thought and knowledge - we don't need none of that fancy thinking stuff if we have you to interpret scripture for us.

You know, it is the inability of people like Coren to look beyond their assumptions and actually appreciate the fact that we understand ourselves and the world very differently than the original authors of scripture did. Science, psychology and medicine have all changed how we perceive the world - you might just think that just maybe an absolutist view of scripture doesn't work so well any more.

Of course, Michael just has to play the "poor, persecuted Christian" card:

Now this is important. Never think that the attack upon Christianity is a sign of the decline of the victim. On the contrary. These attacks are evidence of the decline of the perpetrator. So insecure in their ideology are the atheist hordes that they try to destroy anything and everyone that reflects and exposes their weakness.

That's right Michael, facts and reality don't matter if you've got FAITH. Those of us that don't share your particular brand of faith must be deluded and weak. Sure.

For those few readers that haven't noticed, fundamentalist christians like Mr. Coren believe that their faith is under attack. I don't think their faith is under attack at all. They are merely running smack-dab into the cold, stony wall of reality that not everybody sees the world "their way". Suddenly, there's rational fact that disproves their assumptions; there are significant faith traditions that are quite different from theirs - in essence, they think they are losing control.

As if to reassure himself, Mr. Coren states:

Every little victory for the secular culture is a major triumph for the Messiah whose birthday we are about to commemorate. Just as the Church was persecuted most harshly by a Rome in massive decline. The darkness before the new dawn.

Yes, history repeats itself - true enough. I can only hope that whatever religiousity emerges from the ashes of modern day religions is more intelligent, compassionate and a whole lot less judgemental.

As of The 2001 Census, religions are somewhat in decline in Canada, with 28% of Canadians professing no religion at all.

Much of the shift in the nation’s religious make-up during the past several decades is the result of the changing sources of immigrants, which has contributed to a more diverse religious profile. As well, many major Protestant denominations that were dominant in the country 70 years ago, such as Anglican and United Church, are declining in numbers, in part because their members are aging and fewer young people are identifying with these denominations.

In 2001, Roman Catholics were still the largest religious group, drawing the faith of just under 12.8 million people, or 43% of the population, down from 45% in 1991. The proportion of Protestants, the second largest group, declined from 35% of the population to 29%, or about 8.7 million people.

Yes Michael, overall, your faith and its relatives - noisy as you are - have been in gradual decline for quite some time. (I'll be curious to see if the 2006 census shows similar results)