See, one of the big lies of the Creationists is that opposing Creationism is the same thing as opposing religion. In fact, Creationism is terrible religion. It's totally inimical to true religious faith and spirituality, because it's about pretending that the Bible is nothing more than a textbook, that the only meaning it possesses is the superficial, literal meaning of the words, that it couldn't possibly be a collection of metaphors and allegories for something more abstract. And because it's about telling people that they're not allowed to ask questions about the universe, that they have to blindly follow authority and are forbidden to seek to understand God in any way except the narrow way that Creationists tell them to. Creationism misunderstands religion as profoundly as it misunderstands science.
That's one of the best characterizations of it I've ever read. That needs to be a Facebook meme.
Except that it would mainly apply to religion prior to the Enlightenment, many religious wars, and the Great Awakening, though it's some of heirs of the Awakening that cause the problems. They cause these because they
don't accept authority, so someone high up can't tell them what's what. They believe what they believe, even if it's in stark contradiction to the Bible, which is kind of key. Europeans have made the Bible mean what they think it should mean, and needed it to mean, based on what made sense to them. Parts of Middle Eastern culture, customs, and laws that didn't fit our way of life were tossed out or reinterpreted. Some of these interpretations are at extreme variance with the lessons of Jesus.
For example, in my culture, if you were having an ongoing dispute with some neighbor, and saw him from a great distance sitting alone in the woods by his fire, you didn't approach to make amends and forgive each other, you took a long range rifle shot at his head, because God had delivered him up into your hands, and successfully killing him with a bullet through the back meant the Lord was smiling down upon you and your family, and you were right with Him. Obviously, if God hadn't wanted you to kill your neighbor, he wouldn't have given you such a perfect shot with no witnesses. And thus, justice is done and His purpose is served.
That religious interpretation is thought to have come primarily from the Scottish highlands, and was in Europe considered backwards even in the 1600's, and probably represents a pre-Christian European relic of how the universe is ordered. At some point it was probably about making Odin happy, and by changing up a few minor details like the name of the God, it survived into the 20th century.
So when you hear of regular old Baptists speaking up for Jesus, be thankful they at least upgraded to the newer message.
