January 29th -- Block of Cheese Day + John Leland, Religion etc.

Inspired perhaps by West Wing, the Obama Administration will have a virtual "block of cheese" day on January 29th. Going to the link, we see the first "cheese day" was in the Jefferson Administration and the cheese was ultimately replaced by a "mammoth loaf." The original cheese was a brain child of John Leland, a Baptist separatist, who became a strong supporter of Thomas Jefferson and later Andrew Jackson. A flavor:

The notion of a Christian commonwealth should be exploded forever...Government should protect every man in thinking and speaking freely, and see that one does not abuse another. The liberty I contend for is more than toleration. The very idea of toleration is despicable; it supposes that some have a pre-eminence above the rest to grant indulgence, whereas all should be equally free, Jews, Turks, Pagans and Christians."

He was born in Massachusetts and was early on a strong opponent of slavery, in part as a violation of republican form of government. This suggests the potential of the term (see Art. IV of Constitution), which also was used by a few as a grounds against the death penalty. Leland's anti-slavery views changed over time, perhaps motivated by his political concerns.  This provides an insight into the complexity of this interesting historical character that deserves more attention. His strand of religious individualism was a certain wing of founding thought on religious freedom, something not just stated by Jefferson or Madison.*

During the Bush Administration, West Wing provided a fantasy universe for liberals. This was continued until the end, when the campaign to replace President Bartlett had Alan Alda on the Republican side. He was apparently going to be the winner, but then the other side's veep candidate died in real life and it was decided that it would be too harsh for his side to lose. At least, so I recall. The First Lady turned out to be "Stephanie Foster" of The Fosters. We live in reality (and the fictional universe had its issues anyway -- how else to cause drama?), but as a whole, I'll take the resulting Administration in various respects.

Going back to Leland, The Nation has an interesting article about how conservative Christian views of marriage have caused various negative consequences.  This is a theme we saw before -- e.g., abstinence only has been shown to be counterproductive, since teens will have sex and without more, the likelihood will be teens still having sex, just less properly aware and/or prepared.  As I noted in a comment, the use of "conservative" here is appreciated -- too often liberal or libertarian leaning comments sneer at "religion" as if that is the problem. The problem is certain beliefs and forcing it on others. Religion itself continues to provide positives ... at least, it is not really the ultimate problem.  To cite the article referenced in the footnote, "religion" is also an open-ended term:

The precise character of the good being promoted is itself deliberately left vague because the broad consensus on freedom of religion would surely collapse if we had to state with specificity the value promoted by religion. "Religion" denotes a cluster of goods, including salvation (if you think you need to be saved), harmony with the transcendent origin of universal order (if it exists),  responding to the fundamentally imperfect character of human life (if it is imperfect),  courage in the face of the heartbreaking aspects of human existence (if that kind of encouragement helps), a transcendent underpinning for the resolution to act morally (if that kind of underpinning helps), contact with that which is awesome   and indescribable (if awe is something you feel), and many others. No general description of the good that religion seeks to promote can be satisfactory, politically or intellectually. The Establishment Clause permits the state to favor religion so long as "religion" is understood very broadly, forbidding any discrimination or preference among religions or religious propositions.

Anyway, back to the start -- this "virtual block of cheese day" concept is cute and their heart is in the right place. The idea is that the White House is the "people's house" (Andrew Jackson took this to the next level with his inauguration with the hoi polloi invading the joint) where all views should be respected. This is seen as well with "We the People" petition idea. Online Q&A has been used in the past -- it works with celebrities and so forth, so why not the President?  I don't know how seriously the concept is taken as a whole, but the idea makes sense.

Virtual cheese also is animal friendly.

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* In "Corruption of Religion and the Establishment Clause," Andrew Koppelman noted this about Leland's views and actions:

A state-sponsored orthodoxy was as counterproductive in theology as it would be in any of these other fields. Salvation was a matter for the individual. "My best judgment tells me that my neighbor does wrong," Leland wrote, "but guilt is not transferable. Every one must give an account of himself."

Yet, despite his alliance with Jefferson, Leland was no rationalist. He preached "the great doctrines of universal depravity, redemption by the blood of Christ, regeneration, faith, repentance, and self-denial." He once heard the voice of God speaking to him. One night, some devilish ghost approached his bed, groaning so horribly that Leland hid under the bedclothes and prayed to God for help. He said, "I know myself to be a feeble, sinful worm."  Yet, he was indifferent to most theological controversies.  Feeling mattered to him more than doctrine. He made Jeffersonian political philosophy appealing to his poor, ignorant, and enthusiastic followers, and thus "succeeded in linking the political philosophy of the American enlightenment with the camp-meeting spirit."

Thus, Leland also is an example of the complexity of the "separation of church and state" philosophy.  He did not oppose religion's involvement in politics (he himself briefly served time in office) but had strong opinions on the proper role of government over religion all the same.