The secular humanist based political approach to our national problems is far worse than useless. Secular humanism, which has become a powerful (replacement) type of religion in our society, proclaims that God does not exist and that anything supernatural in the Bible is pure superstition or myth. The original official Humanist Manifesto (1933) even states that reason and the accumulation of knowledge are “dual gods of a new religion of man’s empowerment”. Faith in the Judeo-Christian God of the Old and New Testaments is viewed as one of the worst (should I say one of the most ‘deplorable’) of human weaknesses.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus laid the groundwork for humanist doctrine around 500 BC (or BCE if you prefer). “Man is the measure of all things,” he wrote, “of the things that are, that they are, and of the things that are not, that they are not.” In other words, human beings are the final say in all matters! Wow – talk about an approach to living that lacks even a tiny crumb of humility! It’s very close, too, to the belief that reality is whatever we think or feel it is! Or better yet, what we perceive to be real (or true) is so simply because we perceive it as such! There are a lot of people operating out of that stance, but what about all the times our “perceptions” are skewed or even (sometimes) totally out to lunch!
And yet today’s liberalism is thoroughly marinated in secular humanism. True, most people have never even heard of it, but over the decades it has secretly become foundational to the beliefs and actions of millions upon millions of Americans. It has weaseled its way into every venue of life. Its hallmark is always to look to ourselves for the answers. Anyone who appeals to principle or dares to look to God is obviously “from some other universe”. But are we really so very wise and good to rest with all that passion (and venom) upon our own judgements?
Conservatives reject secular humanist based politics and embrace Judeo-Christian faith as the solid ground by which to be guided in the political ring. By no means does that mean that we have arrived anywhere close to perfection, but most of us genuinely believe in higher spiritual realities and principles that MUST be considered before decisions are made. The principles I am referring to are found within such sources as the Bible, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Within the context of these principles we can reason, and even reason together. Sadly, many of our countrymen have no such context. They have bought into “it’s all about me…. it’s about what I believe and what I want…I am right….you are wrong”.
Regaining self control, living by principle, and gaining some humility is not just for an aggressive, insulting group of people yelling at a couple of Republican diners in a restaurant, or those who post crass, denigrating, insulting things about Democrats on FB or elsewhere……..It’s for all of us!! We need to remember that If anyone pours gasoline on a fire, he or she shares in the responsibility for what it destroys when it gets out of control!
Bob Kloppel