A Tougher Kind of Love
by Carl V. Bibeau
How can I say "I told you so" in a loving way? You might already object, that really compassionate people don't "rub it in" so to speak. We have a misconception of what it means to be Christ-like in that regard. Somehow, we ultimately elevate Love over Justice, the Spirit over the Law. Isn't that what the New Covenant is all about?
But "Post-Modern" thought is full of the dodges of responsibility. It's fatalistic really. Society tells me that no matter what I do, personally, my fate is pretty well sealed from the start, according to circumstances. If I have a same-sex attraction, it must be genetic. If I end up in prison, it must be the culture's fault due to my lack of nurturing from the socio-economic setting which begot me.
Besides, how could a "fair" God condemn ANYONE? None of it's our fault. We blame Adam. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the devil. It's all the devil's fault!
Post-Modern Christian thought holds that everyone is going to heaven. Hell only exists for the devil and his fallen angels. God must really be a little sadistic, they think. He does love us Unconditionally, but He just likes to jack us around, like seeing how many pins one can stick in a caterpillar before it dies.
Up to now, I've mostly been describing the worldview of the "Progressive" Believer in God. Many Post-Moderns have been through all the agnostic stages of doubt and are now full-fledged atheists. Most of the "scientific community" has arrived at that point, due to their "superior intellect." But please don't discount their "secular" influence, incrementally, on all the rest of us. On the continuum, rising from the atheists and agnostics, to those who acknowledge some form of Prime Mover or Higher Power, to Post-Modern Christians, all the way to Conservative Right "wing nuts"... we are continually under ever-growing pressure to conform to the Secular.
Given a test of moral courage, focused at a particular point in time, like say, an election, any number of people along the continuum of Belief can be influenced through fear or doubt, to succumb to the pressure. Many who call themselves Christian, for instance, voted for Barack Obama. Liberals such as these, "feel the pain" of the stuck caterpillars, and sincerely believe themselves to be more compassionate than even... G-d. The Liberal Wing of the Christian Church (all denominations), "shepherds" included, falls into this category. That's why Obama was able to garner the majority of the popular vote. These people, misguided but with good intentions, believe that Christ came to liberate economically and politically (Liberation Theology) for a "redistribution of the wealth." They believe it's possible to live a pure communism which permeated life in the early Church according to the Acts of the Apostles. But wait. Isn't that the same philosophy that Judas Iscariot held?
Now let's take a look at self-professed Conservatives who saw through those deceptive promises of hope and change. They feared the stark reality of Obama's Marxist vision. They looked to the past, recognizing the Atheist, Secular "fruits" that would be on the horizon with this type of "change." Blatantly, he appealed and still appeals to those "other" people who hold to the Relativist view that a woman's "choice" supersedes the rights of any "parasite" even though said helpless one is human. But Conservatives understand advocacy for the "Culture of Life" as the highest priority, dear to God's heart. They understand that the erosion of respect for ALL human life is rooted in the disrespect for the most helpless. Subconsciously, everyone feels the vulnerability that this philosophy propagates - that might makes right. "Survival of the fittest" is anti-Christian in a deeper way than the obvious anti-Creationism. It disregards the fact that human young are indeed the most helpless of any creature. Conservatives get this. They don't buy into commonality with the animal kingdom.
How can I say "I told you so" in a loving way? You might already object, that really compassionate people don't "rub it in" so to speak. We have a misconception of what it means to be Christ-like in that regard. Somehow, we ultimately elevate Love over Justice, the Spirit over the Law. Isn't that what the New Covenant is all about?
But "Post-Modern" thought is full of the dodges of responsibility. It's fatalistic really. Society tells me that no matter what I do, personally, my fate is pretty well sealed from the start, according to circumstances. If I have a same-sex attraction, it must be genetic. If I end up in prison, it must be the culture's fault due to my lack of nurturing from the socio-economic setting which begot me.
Besides, how could a "fair" God condemn ANYONE? None of it's our fault. We blame Adam. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the devil. It's all the devil's fault!
Post-Modern Christian thought holds that everyone is going to heaven. Hell only exists for the devil and his fallen angels. God must really be a little sadistic, they think. He does love us Unconditionally, but He just likes to jack us around, like seeing how many pins one can stick in a caterpillar before it dies.
Up to now, I've mostly been describing the worldview of the "Progressive" Believer in God. Many Post-Moderns have been through all the agnostic stages of doubt and are now full-fledged atheists. Most of the "scientific community" has arrived at that point, due to their "superior intellect." But please don't discount their "secular" influence, incrementally, on all the rest of us. On the continuum, rising from the atheists and agnostics, to those who acknowledge some form of Prime Mover or Higher Power, to Post-Modern Christians, all the way to Conservative Right "wing nuts"... we are continually under ever-growing pressure to conform to the Secular.
Given a test of moral courage, focused at a particular point in time, like say, an election, any number of people along the continuum of Belief can be influenced through fear or doubt, to succumb to the pressure. Many who call themselves Christian, for instance, voted for Barack Obama. Liberals such as these, "feel the pain" of the stuck caterpillars, and sincerely believe themselves to be more compassionate than even... G-d. The Liberal Wing of the Christian Church (all denominations), "shepherds" included, falls into this category. That's why Obama was able to garner the majority of the popular vote. These people, misguided but with good intentions, believe that Christ came to liberate economically and politically (Liberation Theology) for a "redistribution of the wealth." They believe it's possible to live a pure communism which permeated life in the early Church according to the Acts of the Apostles. But wait. Isn't that the same philosophy that Judas Iscariot held?
Now let's take a look at self-professed Conservatives who saw through those deceptive promises of hope and change. They feared the stark reality of Obama's Marxist vision. They looked to the past, recognizing the Atheist, Secular "fruits" that would be on the horizon with this type of "change." Blatantly, he appealed and still appeals to those "other" people who hold to the Relativist view that a woman's "choice" supersedes the rights of any "parasite" even though said helpless one is human. But Conservatives understand advocacy for the "Culture of Life" as the highest priority, dear to God's heart. They understand that the erosion of respect for ALL human life is rooted in the disrespect for the most helpless. Subconsciously, everyone feels the vulnerability that this philosophy propagates - that might makes right. "Survival of the fittest" is anti-Christian in a deeper way than the obvious anti-Creationism. It disregards the fact that human young are indeed the most helpless of any creature. Conservatives get this. They don't buy into commonality with the animal kingdom.
But FEAR of Obama's unmitigated agenda forced many who consider themselves to be Conservative, into the arms of John McCain. So, how's THAT workin' out for ya? It was a landslide for Obama. Your vote turned out to be the one that was "wasted." Would that be called "Monday morning quarterbacking" according to the threat the way you perceived it, and your resulting call to "prudence?" It would be if Conscience relied solely on Prudence. But even before it happened, our position warned that if you always vote for someone who doesn't represent your values, you'll NEVER get someone who represents your values. Conscience is acting in accordance with a perceived good, not running away from "extreme" evil by settling for just "ordinary" evil.
So the question remains... what is your next right thing to do? You said during the past year before the election that it was "too late" to back a completely Pro-Life candidate. Due to Pragmatism, you felt compelled to go with the "lesser of two evils." The "worst-case scenario" happened anyway. I hope you're not saying now that four years isn't even enough time to "turn the ship around." Because then I'll bet you're thinking "moderate" is the way to go in order to compromisingly "gather in" the "centrists" and the "lukewarm." If you're thinking the Republican Party can be "fixed" you're even worse off now, Charlie Brown. You're still lying on your back, and already you're pinning your hopes on Lucy, watching her in your mind's eye, seeing her hold that football until your foot makes contact with it. Sweet Sarah Palin who sold out her values for the sake of "upward mobility" while she yoked herself to "non-partisan" McCain perhaps? Yeah, she'll definitely make a good Conservative prospect with backbone.
Break the pattern! Stop the habitual self-defeating, battered hostage syndrome. There is a "safe-house" available for you. America's Independent Party is a "closed party" that requires personal affiliation. In order to participate in the process of nominating candidates for office through a system of permanent caucuses, rather than open primaries run by the supervisor of elections, one must agree to the values of the party. If that's you, we're here waiting for you. We can't offer you the physical protection from the Republican thug who keeps breaking promises to you, or a new identity by way of a "witness protection system." But we can assure you that a Liberal won't be nominating your candidate for you anymore.
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permission granted to reprint or disseminate electronically in its entirety with credit of authorship, and link to http://laying-the-groove.blogspot.com
permission granted to reprint or disseminate electronically in its entirety with credit of authorship, and link to http://laying-the-groove.blogspot.com
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