Has there ever been a society that was destroyed or came to its own ruin because of conservatives? I am not being sarcastic or coy, I am being serious. Think about it. I have never heard of a society that came to an end because of it's strong work ethic, or high moral values or it's commitment to a strong family unit. I have never heard anyone say that a nation went down the drain because of their strong belief in God. To make it more to American traditional values, a strong Puritan work ethic, an adherence to judeo-christian values. I have never heard anyone say that they would have a better community to raise their kids in if people would just get rid of those stupid out dated "ten commandments" and live and do what ever is right in their own eyes.
Seriously people, I don't mean to offend anyone but Rome didn't fall because it was full of conservatives. It didn't crumble from within because of their strong belief in family values and hetero/monogamous relationships. Rome was at it's heart "liberal and progressive" where everyone did what was right in their own eyes instead of having a standard of high moral values to guide their lives by.
When I look at America today I see Rome all over again. It seems that we as a society are hell bent on getting rid of all those conservative things that our country was founded upon. Why do "we" want to rid ourselves of the things that have made our nation and it's people the envy of the world. I am not talking about unbridled capitalism fueled by ones own greed but a country set up and built upon, YES HERE IT COMES, Judeo-Christian Principles. Are "we" so full of hatred of things that are "Christian", "Godly", good and wholesome that our society is willing to destroy itself? Are we so blinded by our own selfish desires that nothing else matters but our own personal satisfaction no matter the cost to ourselves and those around us? Do YOU not see that the path we as a country are going down is the same old path that so many have gone down before us NEVER TO RETURN OR BE HEARD FORM AGAIN?
WAKE UP!!!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!
Just some honest questions and something to think about.
Ps. I am not talking about extremist of any religion or belief system.
Interesting. I'm very intersted in your equation of all "conservatives" with Christianity. Are all conservatives Christian? Or even Judeo-Christian? And are no "liberals" or "progressives" committed to "strong work ethic," "high moral values," or "a strong family unit?" Of course, morality and family can be subjective, but even if they weren't - are all liberals lazy, amoral, and against family?
ReplyDeleteIt's intersting to me, because "conservative" and "liberal" can be defined in many ways. Conservatives often define themselves as interested in limited government power in favor of personal freedom, while liberals often claim that the government as a great deal of responsibility and must therefore be more active in dealing with the governed.
And yes, I think I would say that Rome fell partially because of liberalism, but also because of conservatism. People behaved liberally, but the willingness of those in power to grow, change, or progress was pretty conservative. And if we look beyond Rome, we can find many of nations who did not fall because of conservativism, and many who shamed themselves. The Spanish Inquisition, for instance, was borne a strong work ethic dedicated to preserving a moral system. The religious wars of England were, as well.
In my mind (and I'm not a raging liberal, I tend to be more towards the middle, but I suppose I could be called a liberal, so I admit that I may be a tad biased), liberals are simply more interested in helping others. At least, that's what inspires me to lean more towards liberalism than conservatism. I believe that it is our responsibility, whether as individuals or as a society (and the latter includes government) to actively help one another when we can. And I don't think that has ever lead to the downfall of any society.
Thank you for your thoughts D. This blog was a wide sweeping blog that speaks in generalities and not specifics. I don't believe that all christians are conservatives or vice-a-versa. I know of al lot of people who would call themselves liberals who are good moral people. The fact is that this country was founded on the Judeo-Christian philosophy so that is where we came from and have departed form. I don't see anyone who takes an honest look at our society and says that we are getting "better". We are gaining more and more knowledge but less wisdom on how to use that knowledge. I don't agree with you that "liberals" are more interested in helping others. That argument could go both ways. But that is not really the point is it? I don't believe that if this country should crumble into ashes as so many societies have in the past that it will be because of honest, moral people, but because those honest moral people stood by and did nothing.
ReplyDeleteWell, I certainly didn't mean to imply that liberals were MORE interested in helping others (though I can see how it may have looked that way).
ReplyDeleteI take issue with the idea that the nation was founded on the Judeo-Christian philosophy, though. It seems to me that it was founded much more on the Greek and, yes, even Roman principles of government. And the idea of religious freedom. At least that's what the words they wrote down said.
I suppose I think we're getting better in some ways and worse in others. I also think that's just the way things are. We are imperfect. We will never be perfect. Can we strive to be better? Should we? Sure. I guess none of that, for me, though, can be defined along lines of which religion we choose to follow or which political ideology we choose to align ourselves with.