The Holy See

It was at least partly James Corbett's lecture on Joseph II-Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Hapsburg lands (1741-1790)-that provoked a lawsuit from a self-identified Christian student and a right-wing legal foundation. Actually, it was the part about the glasses. The kid got this bit of Corbett's lecture to his Capo Valley High School AP European History class on tape: "How do you get the peasants to oppose something that is in their best interest? Religion. You have to have something that is irrational to counter that rational approach. [W]hen you put on your Jesus glasses, you can't see the truth." Defended by his district, Corbett is up against an outfit called Advocates for Faith and Freedom, which doesn't like gay people and supports spanking, so this case will be a doozy, Mr. and Mrs. Scopes. Corbett speaks to the Orange County chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State on "Conservative Historical Mythology and the Schools."
Sat., May 17, 2 p.m., 2008