Politeness police

Who made the rule that Brit Hume so publicly broke? | Joel Belz

Photo illustration by Krieg Barrie

So exactly who was it who set the rule that it's not polite to talk about your faith in public?

For sure, Nancy Spagnolo of Bethany, Conn., was speaking for millions of Americans when she emailed television personality Bill O'Reilly following his celebrated interview with newsman Brit Hume. "Religion is such a deeply personal issue," she said confidently, "and it is wrong to discuss what another person should believe. Mr. Hume should have contacted Tiger Woods privately instead of taking it public."

"That's not a bad point," O'Reilly responded. "I'm sure Hume had noble intentions when he addressed the golfer publicly, but it was a deeply personal assessment of Woods' predicament. We are all sinners. How many of us want to be told how to achieve forgiveness in a public forum?"

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January 30, 2010, Vol. 25, No. 2

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