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by Kerry Dougherty
Chances are you were too busy last weekend, or too smart, to bother with it. The New York Times.
But if you had taken a look, like me, you would have seen this article, promoted to the front page:
“In this time of war, I propose that we abandon God.”
The editors of The temperature ran this story on a weekend that is holy for all three major religions: for Christians, it was Easter. For Jews, Passover. And for Muslims, it is part of the holy month of Ramadan.
I read the play, by the way. Written by a Jewish man apparently still haunted by some of the metaphorical stories he heard in his youth about the ancient Jews.
In my opinion, that was drivel. But even drivel has its place.
But why was it released this particular weekend? Does anyone have The temperature do you think the article might be offensive to those with a religious bent? Who in this newspaper thought the timing was perfect?
I spent 42 years in daily newspapers and I believe it was no accident. It was a deliberate boost for believers.
Coverage of religion has always been anemic in most American newspapers. When forced to dabble in reporting with a religious twist, reporters tend to treat the faithful as mere quaint curiosities whose lives are guided by belief in the supernatural.
I can find no recent survey of the religious beliefs of American journalists. The closest was a 2008 study by the Pew Research Center that found that only 8% of people working at national publications attended church services weekly. This was well below the national average of nearly 40% for the general population.
This perhaps explains why the media remained silent when the governors of the blue states closed the churches two years ago – at Easter, no less! – in a brutal and unsuccessful attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
It was then unthinkable. It’s unthinkable now.
Don’t be fooled into thinking the media cares about American values.
The mainstream media dislikes you, disrespects you, and mocks your belief in God.
Act in consequence.
This column was republished with permission from Kerry: Unemployed & Undited.
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