Katherine Kersten's Korner

Today's kolumn is typical Kersten mendacity. Really, it almost doesn't merit comment. It's a tired old rehash of all of her favorite "arguments."

Wingnuttia Level: 10 (She's gonna blow!)

I'm not Methodist, so I could care less what they do with their time, or what the topics of converation are at their conventions. I don't know what religion Kersten is, but I am willing to bet that it isn't Methodist, so I do have to wonder why she cares about them...

Unless, of course, it gives her an excuse to decry "left-wing" activism. Apparently, according to her, the fact that Methodists are pushing "left-wing" policies is the reason why membership in the church has been dropping lately. Religious expert Kersten says "[people] seek answers to life's most profound questions: What is the purpose of my life? What is the meaning of my suffering? What is my connection to the transcendent, to God?" And apparently the Methodists aren't doing enough of that, instead talking about chlorine-free paper.

Pay special attention to the next line in her kolumn, though, because it will make your head explode: "If rank-and-file church members believe their leaders attend too little to these eternal questions, and focus too much on political advocacy, they may look elsewhere for spiritual nourishment."

Guess which churches are being investigated for mixing politics and religion? Fundamentalist churches. Guess which mega-churches print out huge voter guides that exhort people to vote against Democrats and liberals? Guess which churches use their bully pulpits to talk about such political topics as opposing gay marriage, supporting the war in Iraq, banning contraception? It's not the Methodists, or any other "liberal" churches.

I know, I know. For Kersten to see the speck in the eyes of the Methodists and not to see the beam in the eyes of conservative churches is nothing new. But seriously, isn't anybody at the Star Tribune going to start pointing these things out to her?