Faith and by Gory

COMMENT -- From Dinty Ramble, our correspondent across the pond: "It is a brave person who starts a discussion about religion or politics; a foolish one will merge the two.
   "These two topics have been intertwined for a very long time.  Sadly the result has not been good. Consider the number of wars and conflicts that have occurred over the years. The Crusades were all about those two issues, and before that there were other conflicts. The Spanish Inquisition, the English Civil War, etc. followed suit. The mistrust between Shiites and Sunnis has resulted in much conflict over the centuries.  In more recent times the conflicts in Northern Ireland and Bosnia, then the 9/11 attack with all the consequences that followed.
   "While many may think that the US does not have such a problem, you need only consider the worries many had about Jack Kennedy running for President.  Many people now worry about Mitt Romney being a Mormon, and some are convinced that while Obama claims to be a Christian, he will not publicly admit that he is of another faith."

   An interesting point, especially the note that it takes a foolish person to merge discussion of religion and politics. But you immediately point out  that the two are merged, and have been for centuries.
   I suggest that while the given reason for a war may be religion and/or politics, the real reason is economic. In the case of the Crusades, it was access to the spice trade, and the gouging by raiders along the route.
   Also, there are many who maintain that Mormons are not Christians, but rather should be called "Joseph Smithians," after their founding prophet.
   Meanwhile, the Constitution of the United States guarantees not only freedom of religion (First Amendment), but also freedom from religion (Article Six in the main body of that document). That section stipulates, "there shall be no religious test for any office of public trust." That was a reaction to the Test Act in the UK, which mandated that only members of the Established Church, the Anglican Communion, were eligible to hold office.
   Therefore, in America, a candidate's religious or spiritual preferences cannot be a qualification, and should not even be an issue for discussion.
   A person's spiritual path is a private matter. And too often, churches take the fun out of spirituality.
   Think about it.

COME A-CROPPER -- The agent at the airline gate says to passengers, "This flight is completely full," or "very full" or "extremely full." There is no degree of fullness, notes our friend Lew Sichelman. The plane is either full or it isn't. If just one seat is empty, the plane is not full, tight as seating arrangements may be. Maybe almost full or nearly full but not full.

DESPAIR -- Several questions came in about the way to use "hopefully." The -ly ending shows it to be an adverb, modifying a verb and indicating the way one performs an action. In all other usages, the term adds nothing to the sentence. Strunk & White's Elements of Style, one of the best manuals ever published, says flatly, don't use it. And Edwin Newman, the broadcast guru on usage, had a plaque on his desk that read, "Abandon hopefully, all ye who enter here."