10-02-2003, 12:05 AM
While not to generalize too badly, Mormons are generally Northwest, not Southwest. Quakers are too small in number to be the 60-70 million he's describing. Shakers are now even more insignificantly small in number. Mennonites are also relatively few, and tend not to be the most politically outreaching people.
I think the Baptists, Methodists and Pentecostals make up the largest chunk of the groups he is referring to. Catholics and Anglicans represent well too, I'm sure. "Bible literalists" would probably be the best label for them.
The crucial difference between "Born Again Christian" and most of those other labels you mentioned is self-identification. I've been called a commie and a bleeding heart; the question is whether I believe those things of myself, or if I would voluntarily associate myself with them. Maybe yes, maybe no. But when Said says "born again", he's talking about people who admit to this, and to Bible literalism. This is not an obscure demographic. This is a group who stand up tall and profess their belief (a fairly extreme belief) in the Bible.
"Born again" is just a best attempt to find a neutral title. "Fundamentalist wacko" would probably be the charged version.
Again, all titles are generalizations. All generalizations (except this one, of course) are, to some extent, unfair, otherwise they would be like Borges' map of the world which is the size of the world : Utterly useless.
Jester
I think the Baptists, Methodists and Pentecostals make up the largest chunk of the groups he is referring to. Catholics and Anglicans represent well too, I'm sure. "Bible literalists" would probably be the best label for them.
The crucial difference between "Born Again Christian" and most of those other labels you mentioned is self-identification. I've been called a commie and a bleeding heart; the question is whether I believe those things of myself, or if I would voluntarily associate myself with them. Maybe yes, maybe no. But when Said says "born again", he's talking about people who admit to this, and to Bible literalism. This is not an obscure demographic. This is a group who stand up tall and profess their belief (a fairly extreme belief) in the Bible.
"Born again" is just a best attempt to find a neutral title. "Fundamentalist wacko" would probably be the charged version.
Again, all titles are generalizations. All generalizations (except this one, of course) are, to some extent, unfair, otherwise they would be like Borges' map of the world which is the size of the world : Utterly useless.
Jester