Peter Principle

NPR : Walking the Faith Line with Eboo Patel

Religious totalitarians have the unique advantage of being able to oppose each other and work together at the same time. Osama bin Laden says that Christians are out to destroy Muslims. Pat Robertson says that Muslims want only to dominate Christians. Bin Laden points to Pat Robertson as evidence of his case. Robertson points to bin Laden as proof of his. Bin Laden says he is moving Muslims to his side of the faith line. Robertson claims he is moving Christians to his. But if you look from a certain angle, you see that they are not on opposite sides at all. They are right next to each other, standing shoulder to shoulder, a most unlikely pair, two totalitarians working collectively against the dream of a common life together.

William Lobdell was already a serious Christian when the LA Times assigned him to the religion beat. But eight years of reporting on the church shook his beliefs.

Religion beat became a test of faith

At the time, I never imagined Catholic leaders would engage in a widespread practice that protected alleged child molesters and belittled the victims. I latched onto the explanation that was least damaging to my belief in the Catholic Church – that this was an isolated case of a morally corrupt administration.

And I was comforted by the advice of a Catholic friend: “Keep your eyes on the person nailed to the cross, not the priests behind the altar.”

A New York state senator has proposed a bill to specifically ban texting while driving. This was in response to a crash that killed 4 teens when the driver was texting.

Of course, existing traffic laws typically ban any behavior that distracts a driver or prevents them from safely operating a vehicle. But it’s probably a good idea to explicitly ban texting anyway. I’d bet that most people who text or talk on the cell phone probably think they’re still in complete control.

According to a survey by AAA and Seventeen magazine, a huge fraction of teen drivers engage in risky behavior – including DWT (driving while texting).

Many teens admit risky driving habits

The survey showed 61% of teens admitting to risky driving habits. Of that 61%:

• Nearly 50% said they text message while driving.
• 51% talk on cellphones.
• 58% say they drive with their friends in the car.
  (Having other teens in a car can dramatically increase the likelihood of an accident).
• 40% say they speed.
• 11% say they drink or use drugs before driving.

Whenever I see a brand-new crop of teens getting their licenses and taking to the road for the first time, it reminds me of those National Geographic specials about turtles. One night each year, on a tropical beach, thousands of little turtles will hatch out of the sand and rush towards the surf. Many get caught and eaten before making it to the sea. Many more get picked off in shallow water. And only a few dozen of them will survive the whole year to make it back to the beach and lay their eggs. And then their offspring will ask to borrow the car keys.

A fascinating article in the New York Times magazine a few months ago discussed the evolution of religion. That is, how did religious belief become such an important part of human culture? The answer seems to be that humans are already wired for religion.

The article surveys what we know about how humans think, and how this might predispose us to belief in the supernatural. And the rituals of religion may confer other societal advantages. Which makes being an atheist a bit of a challenge, even in our enlightened age.

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