New York Times Editor Bill Keller Sparks Outrage By Comparing Religion With Belief In Space Aliens

By: Tommy Christopher | Mediaite.com

New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller’s column for this week’s Sunday Times magazine, “Asking Candidates Tougher Questions About Faith,” is getting angrier buzz than a beehive at a piñata party. Most of the outrage centers on Keller’s clunky comparison of religion with a belief in space aliens, and the sense that he’s picking on Republicans. What does the Bible say about all of this, are candidates’ religious views fair game, and is Keller’s column just another excuse to highlight Mitt Romney’s Mormonism?

Keller’s opening is obviously designed to grab attention, and while the effect may seem to be to trivialize religion, the intent appears to be to draw a distinction between Keller’s questions, and the specter of religious bigotry that makes people squeamish about the subject.