tafel

There was a time when God was a symbol of love and acceptance. But as I watch religiosity and Republicanism become inseparably intertwined, it seems as though we’re witnessing a regression. Not just a regression of what God stands for in our society, but a regression of tolerance and the “I am my brother’s keeper” doctrine that defines the world’s major religions. I appreciate the value of religion in society and in building community, but when it becomes a platform for hate, intolerance, violence, greed and lies, it might be time for a cultural awakening, and a reevaluation of just what a belief in God symbolizes.

(this post inspired by the latest Palin cocktail of crazy about a “death book” distributed by the Government encouraging US soldiers to end their lives. The myth originated with Bush’s former director of faith-based initiatives).

Updated: This is an example of the toxic stew you get when you mix religion and politics. Not only is it terrifying in its tenor, but antithetical to the religious cause.

Not surprisingly, House Republicans see health care reform quite differently from the rest of us connected to reality. House Minority Leader John Boehner, in an effort to thwart any Democratic proposal, released this terror-inducing info-graphic that obfuscates any real information that might be gleaned.

This, of course prompted outrage within the design community who posted their own, clearer visualization of the Democratic health care proposal, as well as a scathing and not-so-politically-correct scolding.

Meanwhile, the publication The New Republic issued a visualization of the current health care system, which, although not as bad as the Republican non-info graphic, and not as pretty as the designers version, gives some pretty good insight into the complexities of our current system.

Some nice debate from the design community. Edward Tufte would be proud.