H. L. Mencken Quotes
The only really respectable Protestants are the fundamentalists. Unfortunately, they are also palpable idiots.
Mencken, H. L. Minority Report: H. L. Mencken's Notebooks. Alfred A. Knopf, 1956.
His intolerance and bigotry not only is of Muslims and Hindus, but extends to some Protestant denominations as well. See {643060} for additional examples of bias on the part of this erstwhile Presidential aspirant. To him, religions, unless they agree with his religious beliefs, are evil and dangerous to society.
Many would argue that the situation is the same today, over a hundred years later.
Reading this quotation, one would think that it was uttered in the early 21st century when the Christian Fundamentalists drove Christian liberals out of many of the evangelical churches and out of the Republican Party. However, this process and conflict has been ongoing for almost a century. This quotation was made in 1922.
Many Conservative extremists like Terry are not only anti-abortion but also are racists and religious bigots as well. However there are also many anti-abortionists who have fought for equality and pluralism in America. The Roman Catholic Bishops, for example, oppose abortion, but denounce racism and other discrimination.
Some scientists are religious believers. Many are not. However, relatively few hold the position that Dawkins does that religion is and has been an evil force in the world. These argue that religions and religious factionalism has caused as many deaths as epidemics and pandemics and is an evil for society. While that argument has been historically true in much of the world, religious conflict deaths has actually decreased in frequency over the last century and may be at a world-wise low as a percentage of the world population. With the exception of Islamic fundamentalist extremism, there is no religious group that advocates religious violence and has a majority of any country. Moderate Muslims have never before been in greater numbers, so it can be argued that modern society and most religions have been reforming themselves over the years.
The classic dilemma is that religious moderates and scientists do not argue to force everyone to follow the dictates of science, but in almost all societies and nations, religious fundamentalists strive to force their beliefs on all and make disagreement illegal.
Henry Louis Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, and contemporary movements. His satirical reporting on the Scopes Trial, which he dubbed the "Monkey Trial," also gained him attention.
