I started reading "The Reason for God" for Noah's discussion on Sunday. The author (whether he knows it or not) was very influenced by the central Pennsylvania culture and the Pennsylvania Lutheran religion. The author has almost the same background as I do, that is, raised in a Pennsylvania Lutheran church (I attend a Pennsylvania Lutheran church as a child) and educated at Bucknell University in central Pennsylvania. I was educated in another central Pennsylvania college (Juniata College) but almost went to Bucknell University. Another person that fits this profile is Judge Jones III who ruled on the Dover Trial. Judge Jones grew up in Pennsylvania near where I grow up, attends a Pennsylvania Lutheran church and was educated at Dickinson College in central Pennsylvania.
General themes in that area from what I remember are as follows: 1.Social conservatism with a focus on community and family responsibility (probably stemming from the farming and coal mining communities). 2. Strong Christian roots that focus on social justice and serving the oppressed/poor. Abortion, homosexuality, etc are secondary or periphery issues. 3. Defense of religious liberty and freedom of conscience. Religion should be voluntary--at least in theory. 4. Disdain for conspicuous consumption especially in front of the less fortunate, which is probably rooted in the influence of the Pennsylvania Quakers and Pennsylvania Amish but is often reinforced by the Lutheran and other churches. 5. To be Jesus-like is to humbly serve the less fortunate. Those are over simplifications but I think that those themes are generally true for that area of the country. Jason --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
