Odd response to religion

I have no desire to get deeply into the Brit Hume comments on Tiger Woods situation but some of the response to it is ... really, really odd.

Look at Tom Maguire who runs an interesting, albeit contentious, blog called Just One Minute. Now if you read a bunch of his posts, one inescapable fact about the guy is undeniable: he researches stuff. You may or may not like what he has to say but he really digs into the background behind stories. But on this one, he just shoots his mouth off.

First, here is a transcript of Hume's comments:

"The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith," Hume said. "He is said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So, my message to Tiger is, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world."

Okay, if Hume was spokesperson for my religion, I'd fire him.

Still, Maguire's response makes no sense. Here is what he says:

Brit Hume gets uncomfortably judgmental about Tiger Woods' religious choices.

Uncomfortably judgmental? Seriously. What he says above is excessively critical? How?

But Maguire is just getting rolling:

Whoa. Obviously, there are plenty of cheating Christians.

Yes there are and that relates to forgiveness and redemption how? Really, you'd think a religion that offered forgiveness and redemption would tend to attract unfaithful people for the same reason people with toothaches go to dentists.

Maguire later refers us to the Wikipedia! site on Buddhism and says:

The notion that Buddhism has no path to enlightenment is not supported, but I suppose Hume could find traction with the idea that Christianity has a more accessible path to forgiveness. But so what?

Tom Maguire, I repeat is a very intelligent guy. And that makes it all the more troubling that he would say something this inane. Read the Brit Hume quote again and tell me if you can see where Hume says that Buddhism has no path to enlightenment? It's as if Maguire doesn't even have a vague grasp of what the words mean.

And then: "Hume could find traction with the idea that Christianity has a more accessible path to forgiveness. But so what?" Gee, I don't know, if a guy says, as Tiger Woods does, that he has commited major offenses against his wife, his children and his fans, maybe seeking forgiveness and redemption might matter to him.

I repeat, I don't want to take a stand for Hume's statements, although I can't see why he wouldn't have the right to make them. But it is striking that normally intelligent people have so little understanding of religious concepts. Maguire is like a guy who wanders into a debate about the whether the San Francisco 49ers are a better team than the Dallas Cowboys and says that there is no proof that the Dallas Cowboys can't score from the free throw line. How many other intelligent people are this out of touch about religion.