Obama at Notre Dame

I hate petitions. And I hate organized boycotts.

An example of the former is the cowardly weasel Hector Avalos, a cliché of a man who ably demonstrates how public university "Religious Studies" departments are often abysmal dens of iniquity housing intellectually inferior atheists. A few years ago Avalos attempted to influence, publicly, the normally private academic faculty review process by launching a petition against the tenure of ID-friendly Guillermo Gonzalez. I don't know whether Gonzalez deserved tenure or not (he was denied), but I'd take Gonzalez over the pusillanimous Avalos anytime. But that's not the point—the point is that a petition is a brainless form of protest favored by eunuchs. It doesn't rise to the level of honorable civil disobedience because nothing is placed at risk. Did Avalos risk anything? No. The petition was unintellectual and narcissistic. Avalos got a few atta-boys from some chattering types—for the price of his integrity, if he had any to begin with.

Boycotts are a favored (and impotent—but that’s not the point) weapon of politicized Christians. It is common for me to get mailings saying we should boycott McDonalds or Ford or some other corporation, usually because some Christian chucklehead or misguided para-church organization is upset that they are providing health benefits to the partners of gay employees. I always respond by email that a) the incensed should spend his or its energies spreading the gospel and not organizing boycotts (duh) and b) even though I am a conservative, bible-believing Christian I will do my best to frequent the business they want me to boycott, under the biblically supportable theory that an acceptable Christian witness is preferred over acting like a jackass who is endeavoring to remove the health care benefits of a fellow human being. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Now I have received notices about Obama giving the commencement speech at Notre Dame. I am supposed to be outraged about this.

I am not.

Do I agree with Obama on abortion? Of course not.

Would I want to hear Obama give a speech in person? Absolutely.

When did attending a speech imply acquiescence to the speaker’s views? As a rule, I’d rather hear someone I disagree with than someone I agree with.

The only exception to the above rule is that I'd rather hear Christ than Satan. But, nevertheless, if Satan was invited to give our commencement address, I’d be really excited to hear what he had to say.