On Sunday I was gonna write about the Marcionites, but I didn't have time.

Just as well, as the word looks too much like "Mariconites." (A word that didn't need inventing; just misspelling.)

But it's Monday now, and the Marionites seem to have faded from the scene and the screen. I enjoyed Dave Kopel's post (via InstaPundit) about the Book of Judas, but I had earlier read Donald Sensing's, and that had started me on another long winded, sure-to-get-out-of-hand, historical essay about the Marionites (articles about the Book of Judas here and here), but history took a yawn and the post will become one of my hundreds of unfinished, unpublished posts. . .

Ancient texts are interesting, but because they don't control my life I can't get too worked up about them. (BTW, the inherent and growing incompatibility between blogging and essay writing drives me to distraction, and I see no solution to the problem. I don't mean to whine here -- even though I am -- but there's something about the finishing and posting of a long essay which ought to be enjoyable, in the way accomplishments are said to be enjoyable. But any sense of accomplishment is quickly ruined by the certainty of knowing that it's "just another blog post," and if I don't get something up in another couple of hours, the blog will be as dead as a doornail. Because of the medium, a long post attempting to analyze mistaken assumptions I might feel were made during Christianity's infancy in the Roman empire is -- like it or not -- the "moral equivalent" of a one-liner throwaway sarcastic aside involving Mick Jagger or Paris Hilton. It's tough, but that's the medium. Sometimes, it disturbs me to stop and consider that no normal person would blog daily essays for a period of years. But then, is there any rule that I have to be my own shrink?)

In any case, I am still intrigued by Donald Sensing's who-knew-Jesus-best analysis:

there were so many writings claiming Christian authenticity that documents of genuine apostolic origin were being squeezed out. Through a complex series of episcopal meetings, by the fourth century the Church decided that only Gospels of actual apostolic origin should be considered canonical. That meant that writings well known to the Church, such as the Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles), Gospel of Peter, First Letter of Clement, Letter of Barnabas, Apocalypse of Peter and Shepherd of Hermas, and now the so-called Judas gospel were excluded. They simply dated far too late to have apostolic authority. In the case of the Judas document (but not only it), they were works of imaginative fiction, novels basically, which could not form the basis of preserving the teachings of the apostles who had known Christ personally.

What is it that makes something "interesting"? Is it the subject material itself, or is it the way it's presented?

Because Monday will always have a back-to-school feel to it, I find it difficult to get myself interested in anything on Mondays. Like the Marionites. Yawn.

I mean really! Just YAWN!

But a debate between Ward Churchill and David Horowitz?? Now that's real Monday morning back-to-school stuff! Looking around for something to jumpstart my curiosity this morning, via Jeff Soyer I found Cam Edwards' fascinating account of precisely such a debate. While I wasn't there, it appears that Churchill is a more accomplished practitioner of a phenomenon called "working the room":

Churchill has been doing this for years, talking to students in a classroom setting. He’s working the room very well. Horowitz, on the other hand, seems less engaged (or engaging). He’s got his facts down, he’s quietly passionate, but I’m having a hard time understanding the nuance of his position. Just a minute ago he said “I have no problem with professors expressing their opinion about a subject, as long as they’re not indoctrinating the students”. Part of the problem is as simple as turning up the volume on his microphone. He’s difficult to hear, whereas Churchill’s just booming out his responses.

Jeff Harrell pointed out something that I didn’t catch from Ward Churchill: the statement, “There is no truth”. I think he meant to say “There is no truth that I am a Native American.”

All in all, I was hoping for more fireworks. It was interesting in a C-SPAN sort of way, but I’m not much of a C-SPAN guy. While Horowitz won on points (for me anyway), Churchill held his own. He didn’t come off as moonbat crazy, he made a couple of interesting points, and probably partied like a rock star with the G-Dub students after the show was over.

The fact is, Churchill spends more time lecturing than does Horowitz, and it obviously shows. Horowitz, on the other hand, spends a lot more time in front of hostile audiences, and I'm willing to bet he's a lot more accustomed to being shouted down, if not drowned completely out. "Working the room" is something he wouldn't have as much opportunity to do.

In fact, I'd be willing to bet that if the tables were reversed, and this same debate had been sponsored by MoveOn.org (not to be confused with the more polite MoveOn.us), Horowitz would have been lucky if he still remained on the stage, much less in an audible fashion. That's because David Horowitz is one of the favorite demons of the left, and audiences of left-wing activists are simply not known for politeness to known right wing opponents. (I've previously posted about leftist audience responses to Horowitz, and to Malkin.)

What this debate proved is that:

This is something I have known for years. I'm a shy person, and not much of a hand at working the room. I found that even the most ideological of conservatives would listen patiently to me, even when they disagreed, while left wing activists would start to ratchet up the intimidating tactics at the very first sign of heresy.

(And I am a heretic, by any standard, whether left, right, or "center" -- or political, religious, or sexual.)

Ann Althouse and Sissy Willis have commented on this, as of course did Glenn Reynolds.

Bottom line, according to Ann Althouse:

bloggers on the right link to you when they agree and ignore the disagreements, and the bloggers on the left link only for the things they disagree with, to denounce you with short posts saying you're evil/stupid/crazy, and don't even seem to notice all the times you've written posts that take their side.

...the Right is looking for converts and the Left is looking for heretics...

I mean, no one in his right mind (or left mind as the case may be) would think of Ward Churchill as a potential "convert" would they? So I don't think it's as simple as that. Otherwise, you'd expect rudeness to set in once it became clear that "conversion" was impossible.

No, I think there's just something downright old-fashioned about civility. It's like that hold-the-door-open-for-a-lady business. Being well groomed and all that bullshit. (Bullshit I make a point of engaging in, I hasten to add....) It's not even necessarily political. Maybe politeness is more of a lifestyle thing, and maybe the politeness people are just sort of pushed over to the conservative side by default, because they feel more comfortable with people who are polite.

The Churchill Horowitz audience phenomenon thing simply confirms my suspicion, and others' observations. So does this email from a Christian conservative to GayPatriot:

Proofing this letter, I’m not sure I have communicated clearly what is in my heart and mind today. Hope you can read between the lines and gain a sense of what I am trying to communicate. Perhaps a recent comparison will serve to illuminate. As Cynthia Mckinney’s recent actions have reinforced many negative racial stereotypes, so you two serve to combat stereotyping of the gay community. You two are much more convincing advocates for the gay community than Queer Nation or Dykes on Bikes. And Bruce loves Brad Paisley! A country music fan. Who’d a thunk it? Another stereotype down the tubes.

Appreciate your work. Your thoughts, arguments, and reasoning. You are helping to forge a bridge of greater understanding between the larger gay community and straight conservatives.

This email would never have been written to us by any Democrat or Gay Leftist. Nor would any Gay Secular Liberal have ever written such a compassionate and sincere note to a Christian.

That alone speaks volumes about how far our community has to go.

You could say that about the country.

Shit. (It's already after nine in the morning on Monday, and I've accomplished nothing!)

MORE: Thank you Sissy Willis for the link! (I think I'm heretical enough to go on record as opposed to politically correct cat blogging, and one of these days I should write a post about vegan cats!)