The CATO Institute recently released their Free Speech and Tolerance Survey, and the results, while unfortunately not surprising, were disturbing.  The climate in the United States has gotten so toxic, that a majority of Americans believe it prevents them from being public about their own political beliefs.  Evidence of this can be seen in the results of the 2016 Presidential election which were not predicted by any polls because few people were willing to truthfully tell pollsters for whom they planned to vote.

It is interesting that while nearly 3 in 4 conservatives feel this way, only half of liberals do.  Why would that be the case?  I suggest it is because sin is not only pleasurable, but very popular.  But as Leo Tolstoy wrote, “wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.”

There is a humanistic worldview that underlies liberal/progressive philosophy, and it is antithetical to moral truth.  By way of example, I will once again refer to the CATO survey results.  A majority of liberals believe:

  • It is hate speech to say homosexuality is a sin. (It is sin.)
  • It is hate speech to say transgender people have a mental disorder. (They do.)
  • It is hate speech to say illegal immigrants should be deported. (They should.)
  • It is hate speech to say women shouldn’t fight in military combat roles. (They shouldn’t.)
  • It is “morally acceptable” to punch people who use hate speech. (It isn’t.)

These are but a few of the examples from the survey. But they show the inevitable results that come from a rejection of truth.  And the decline has been rapid.  Not so long ago, even a majority of liberals would not have held any of these positions.  And if it was wrong then, it is wrong now.  As Patrick Henry said, “the eternal difference between right and wrong does not fluctuate, it is immutable.” That is, at its core, the fundamental basis of conservatism – a protection of the nationally-defined beliefs and truths upon which the country was founded.

It is interesting that when it suits their needs, liberals also believe in the immutability of right and wrong. This is the argument used to justify the removal of every statue, plaque, or historical marker that even references someone who might have done something they find “morally objectionable” by today’s standards.  They stridently proclaim that if it is wrong now, it was wrong then and these people should not be honored for anything else they may have done in their lives.

So this division between a humanistic worldview (liberal philosophy) and a worldview that believes humanity is dependent on transcendent truth (conservative philosophy) continues to widen.  And it will, inevitably tear the country apart.  According to the CATO survey, a large majority of liberals simply can’t even be friends with someone who voted for Donald Trump.  Conversely, a large majority of conservatives do NOT find it hard to be friends with someone who voted for Hillary Clinton.  Once you understand the worldviews underlying these two political philosophies, these results are not surprising.  On one hand, people don’t like to be reminded of their sin.  On the other, transcendent truth demands love toward those who oppose you.

And that may be the only hope the country has for survival.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *