tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post112362140662413200..comments2024-03-19T07:48:54.021-06:00Comments on Gus Van Horn: Dennis Prager: A FiskingGus Van Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-1123703989984318022005-08-10T13:59:00.000-06:002005-08-10T13:59:00.000-06:00Just a minor note -- Prager is Jewish. However, li...Just a minor note -- Prager is Jewish. However, like other Jewish Conservatives such as Don Feder and Michael Medved, he is such an admirer of Christianity (at least as he sees it, which frequently differs from what his Christian callers point out to him -- that's part of the problem -- he makes Christiantity and religion in general sound much more reasonable than it actually is) that it doesn't really make that much difference in practice.<BR/><BR/>You're quite right on the nihilism of of left and its attack on all values.Gideonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02806423185226885594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-1123700921757059552005-08-10T13:08:00.000-06:002005-08-10T13:08:00.000-06:00"[Prager] equates what the left and academics do w..."[Prager] equates what the left and academics do with reason." <BR/><BR/>Good point, and related to one I meant to make here but forgot. (There was so much to say that I was bound to lose track.)<BR/><BR/>To wit: Prager also, of course, uses a straw man for "secularism" as well. The left's nihilistic attacks on religion, which often are really just attacks on values <I>as such</I> make secularism look bad all the time. Not to condone self-sacrifice, but when a crucifix in a jar of urine is touted as art, even I get offended, and not just because I sometimes have to explain it away as a secularist. This is an attack on reverence, a profound emotion.<BR/><BR/>And another point: Prager's book <I><A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060987359/103-8426680-0446247?v=glance" REL="nofollow">Happiness is a Serious Problem</A></I> is compared at Amazon by a reviewer to another similar religionist, Joel Osteen. Both seem to package-deal personal achievement and this-worldly happiness with what I think of as "Christianity Lite". On the one hand, this looks like opportunists trying make a buck off of Christianity while it is on the wane. On the other, it encourages a lot of people not to think explicitly about important issues. So it's a good sign and something to watch out for at the same time.<BR/><BR/>GusGus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-1123700006990176492005-08-10T12:53:00.000-06:002005-08-10T12:53:00.000-06:00It's well deserved. Certainly you put a lot more e...It's well deserved. Certainly you put a lot more effort into your response than I did in mine. Prager is a very interesting character. He thinks he is being quite rational in his opposition to what he terms the "secular left" but at the same time he always denies that reason is sufficient for arriving at morality (partly because he equates what the left and academics do with reason). The one thing about Prager if you listen to his show is that he is very polite and serious, which makes it tricky for some people to attack him.Gideonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02806423185226885594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-1123697784814448932005-08-10T12:16:00.000-06:002005-08-10T12:16:00.000-06:00Thanks, Gideon! That means a lot coming from someo...Thanks, Gideon! That means a lot coming from someone who is so familiar with Prager. I'd never heard of him until yesterday myself.<BR/><BR/>GusGus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-1123694343466767312005-08-10T11:19:00.000-06:002005-08-10T11:19:00.000-06:00Just plain awesome! Couldn't have said it better m...Just plain awesome! Couldn't have said it better myself!Gideonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02806423185226885594noreply@blogger.com