I first I thought it was a joke. But it wasn't. Jane Smiley writes:
Here is how ignorance works: First, they put the fear of God into you—if you don't believe in the literal word of the Bible, you will burn in hell. Of course, the literal word of the Bible is tremendously contradictory, and so you must abdicate all critical thinking, and accept a simple but logical system of belief that is dangerous to question. A corollary to this point is that they make sure you understand that Satan resides in the toils and snares of complex thought and so it is best not try it.
I guess it never occured to her that some of the brightest people in history were Christians. C.S. Lewis would run circles around her. Not to mention Hugh Ross. I'm almost embarrassed for her (almost!). This much ignorance won't be good for her career.
Posted by Tim at November 6, 2004 11:01 AMI wouldn't assume the magazine endorses what she says. She's an opinion columnist, and they hire her to write opionions. That doesn't mean they endorse them. Your headline, therefore, is unsupported.
Posted by: Jeremy Pierce at November 23, 2004 09:46 AMMagazines and newspapers regularly make decisions about what to publish in part on whether they agree with the opinions expressed by the author. Political commentators, even sports columnists have had columns spiked because editors believed the opinions were offensive. The very fact of publication implies, if not full endorsement, at least passive sympathy. If Slate thought Ms. Smiley’s views offensive the article wouldn’t have been published.
Posted by: tim at November 23, 2004 12:02 PM