Culture Briefs

Religious roots

“Most liberals — and most American Jews are liberal — argue that America does not derive its value from the Bible, but that the United States was founded on the secular values of the Enlightenment. … Of course the Enlightenment played a role in forming America’s values. But its concepts were largely add-ons to already established Bible-based values.

“The Europeans who settled on North American soil and formulated America’s original ideals were deeply religious people. These Bible-based Christians did not need the Enlightenment to tell them that government should not be theocratic. … While the United States has no state-based religion, it was designed to be a deeply religious country. And American religiosity was uniquely Judeo-based.

“America’s Christians were not European Christians — which is why it is foolish and immoral to liken American Christianity to Europe’s, as Jews do when they cite the Crusades and the Inquisition. America’s Christians were such Judeophiles that they founded America to be a ‘Second Israel.’ ”

— Dennis Prager in “Which Is More American? The Bible or the Koran?” in the April issue of Moment

Sunday slide

“In a terrific recent column by David Warren, he makes reference to a book by John Lukacs, in which ‘through a series of anecdotes, one for each year from 1901 to 1969, he reviews the decline, fall and final extinction of “the idea of a gentleman.” ‘

“Were Mr. Lukacs to append his book, I’d suggest an anecdote or two for 2007. It used to be that, even if you didn’t think Sunday morning meant ‘church,’ you’d at least respect the sensibilities of those around you who did. …

“One of the television networks is heavily promoting a new series that centers around the fun and games of a young expectant couple. During a promotional spot that aired the other night, the woman (wife?) says to the man, ‘Aren’t you glad we took up yoga on Sunday mornings?’ ‘It sure beats football,’ he sarcastically responds. No doubt they attend the vigil on Saturdays. A couple of weeks ago, I briefly met a man of Italian (and therefore presumably Catholic) descent who unself-consciously boasted, ‘My wife knows that Sunday mornings I’m on the golf course. No questions asked.’ ”

— Rich Leonardi, writing on “Day of Inversion,” Thursday at richleonardi.blogspot.com

Double standard

“In an e-mail to a team member’s mother, Duke professor Houston Baker called the lacrosse players ‘farm animals’ and ‘scummy white males’ — all before the defendants had been tried in a court of law. …

“Although criminal charges have been dropped, the lacrosse players are unlikely to recover their reputations any time soon. They will always be known as men who were once accused of rape — no matter how preposterous the charges. One of the defendants, David Evans, said in a ‘60 Minutes’ interview that the stripper’s accusations had ‘destroyed everything I worked for in my life.’

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