Kamangir (Archer)

Reader's Comments

1. trainer | February 19th, 2007 at 3:35 pm

   This reminds me of the evangelical Christians in the US who see the face of Jesus in a plate of ravioli or Mary in a piece of toast. The latest was the face of Jesus in the wood grain of a lady’s basement door in Brooklyn.

   They even had something on the local news about the neighbors coming over to get blessed by the door. (This lady’s son wasn’t quite convinced, rolling his eyes and saying he hoped the attention made his Mom happy).

   Hopefully you use the reporting of such outbreaks as we do - a source for humor….but don’t get too close - the craziness will rub off if you touch them.

2. kamangir | February 19th, 2007 at 3:45 pm

   Trainer,
   Does the administration, or even a part of it, advocate and support such things in the US?

3. trainer | February 19th, 2007 at 8:05 pm

   Oh no, not at all. Behavior like this is ignored completely by both sides of the political aisle. Religion is literally ‘not discussed’ in professional American politics other than to confirm freedom of religion for all citizens. Make any kind of a disparaging comment about any religion, and your career is over.

   That said, the press, pundits, and partisans, have a field day with this stuff. Mitt Romney, a Mormon, is the latest guy to catch heat, but only from the press and religious right.

   People like their personal religion quiet over here…understandable as there are hundreds. Get 50 miles outside of the cities, and America is a quietly conservative Christian country - in the cities not so much…secular or even anti-religion.

   Remember because of our constitution, religion and government have been separated by a wall for almost 250 years. Religious communities have evolved into local entities concerned with the spiritual wellbeing of their members, charity, good works, and local community projects.

   There are exceptions of course, but that’s about it for most of them. People actually resent it if their pastor talks about politics in the pulpit…that part of their lives is none of his business. 99% of the preachers don’t do it.

4. trainer | February 19th, 2007 at 8:15 pm

   Note that even tho George Bush is a self proclaimed ‘born again’ Christian, he goes to church less than other presidents did. He never talks about religion in public other than to confirm religious freedoms as I noted above.

   He takes heat from the press for anything he does…his religion is just a part of it. Kennedy took heat because he was a Catholic, and Carter because he was more ‘born again’ than Bush. This is only from the press or competing religions - nothing is official, sanctioned, or supported by the government, or the party out of power.

   They are very serious about ‘freedom of religion’ over here. A bit too serious in my view - treating some ‘end times’ cults like they are a serious religion has resulted in problems, murders, abductions, interventions, and mass suicides.

5. Matthew | February 20th, 2007 at 10:31 am

   Trainer,

   Has Romney been catching hell from the religious right? Is that why he’s giving the commencement at Regent University this Spring?

   One of the American left’s general criticisms of the right is that it is too religious or that it ties religion too closely to politics. You yourself used the term ‘religious right.’ Have you ever heard the term ‘religious left’ in the American media?

   Even though the Constitution prohibits an official state-religion, it is wrong to say that the founders put a complete wall between church and state. Consider the Declaration of Independence which says that humans are created beings and endowed with rights by their Creator (capital C). The Supreme Court building has Moses holding the last five of the ten commandments (the one’s that deal with human relations rather than human relationship to God) on the center frieze.

   Is it possible to separate religion from politics? Religion informs standards of morality and either reflects or influences the larger social-political structure.

   Have you heard the sermons of 99% of American preachers to know what they advocate? One of my favorite posters is from a Baptist church on the lead up to the Iraq War which reads “Suggested: $2 donation for God and war.” The point is that certain houses of worship/houses of worship outside of established urban centers may be more politick than you think (or want to admit).

6. ella | February 20th, 2007 at 12:24 pm

   Mathew

   I think that you are not wrong. There is no religious left, but one can call it atheist left or any-religion-but-christanity left. Is that really so much better?

7. ella | February 20th, 2007 at 12:36 pm

   read “you are wrong” i/o “you are not wrong”
   ps. what about the “left” who want to remove all symbols of christianity near the government buildings but have no objection to showing up other religion symbols. There is something wrong, in my view, when one religion is seemingly at fault every time, but when someone shows faults of other religion(s) the same people cry wolf.
   Furthermore there is right and there is “right”. Many people of the “right” (such a broad generalization) are not religious at all, they just treat all religions equally.

8. azah | February 21st, 2007 at 5:01 pm

   wasn’t Abbas Emam Hossein’s Brother?
   by the way Arash, I know lot of people in ahmadinejad camp advocate jamkaran but someone who had been there told me that there is big sign over there saying the authenticity of this place has not been certified by any Islamic scholar, however nobody seem to care

9. kamangir | February 21st, 2007 at 6:15 pm

   Azah,
   I did not see that sign when I was there a few years ago. Any way, thanks for the info.

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