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It’s no surprise that our political polarization should break along religious lines, with Fundamentalist Christians, Jews, and Muslims and many Catholics gathering right, while more open-minded faith communities lean left. This is not new. Throughout history, hard times have brought out extremists of all kinds, with one side attributing our troubles to the “wrath of God” and the other disparaging those who oppose progress as Luddites and haters. Yet just because it’s so doesn’t mean it’s right. From both a religious and psychological perspective, this relentless battering takes its toll on our personal beliefs as well as our social values and mandates.

It is unhealthy, unproductive, and—okay, I’ll say it—unacceptable.

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