Why the Left Fears Faith
No matter what others may claim, the United States was founded on Judeo-Christian ideals and a belief that God would be a central part in the lives of Americans. The words and actions of the founders leave little doubt to that assertion. Our Constitution, currency, and capital city all recognize and praise Christianity’s God.
Today, many Democratic politicians insist that they are just as religious as their Republican counterparts. Yet many in the Democratic Party actively work to undermine religion in America. While Democrats are quick to defend themselves against these charges, they “doth protest too much.” For instance, the left is actively trying to remove “In God We Trust” from the United States currency, has tried, sometimes successfully, to prevent to recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance because it uses the phrase “Under God,” and has attacked religious leaders, especially those adamantly opposed to abortion, as bigots. If the Democratic Party was a friend of religion, it would not hesitate to purge those who seek to undermine the religious foundations of our country from their ranks. But they do not. As usual actions are more important than words.
Yet this opposition should not be surprising. Leftist movements such as communism and socialism have a long history of oppressing religion and faith. The father of Communism, Karl Marx, saw religion as an evil that existed in society. Marx said that, “It [religion] is the opium of the people.” In Communist Russia, where Marxist found its most ardent advocates, continuous persecution of the Orthodox Church resulted in its near-extinction. Many churches were leveled, and tens of thousands of priests, monks and nuns were persecuted and killed. As Alexander Yakovlev notes in his A Century of Violence in Soviet Russia, over 100,000 were shot during the purges of 1937-38. Today, the Communist Chinese government continues this oppression as it actively persecutes the followers of Falun Gong and forces the Catholic Church to operate in secret within its borders.
Why this reflexive and powerful opposition to religion from the left? Part of the answer lies in the fact that many religious teachings are diametrically opposed to the goals of liberalism. Religion teaches that there is such a thing as right and wrong or good and evil. Democrats and liberals do not think the world is “so simple” and fear faith, because its teachings make judgments upon people. When you are teaching morality and how to treat your fellow man, you have to make judgments. Committing murder is bad, so is drinking to excess, and so is stealing. Therefore, while those that commit those acts can be saved, their actions cannot be excused simply because they, for instance, had a disadvantageous upbringing.
More importantly, the left finds itself at odds with religion because religion recognizes a higher power whose teachings and doctrines serve as a guide to how one should lead their lives. For liberals and, it seems today, most of the Democratic Party, that higher power is government. Liberals want more and more control over an individual’s life. They want people to pay more taxes, to send their children to the school the government chooses, and to be beholden to a health care system controlled by the government. Religion, especially Christianity, on the other hand, teaches that one should serve God, not the government.
The growth of faith and religion is dangerous to the continued existence of the left’s ideology. Therefore, the left will actively seek to undermine it every chance they get. It is sad, but true that they think the government should be more important than faith.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
Today, many Democratic politicians insist that they are just as religious as their Republican counterparts. Yet many in the Democratic Party actively work to undermine religion in America. While Democrats are quick to defend themselves against these charges, they “doth protest too much.” For instance, the left is actively trying to remove “In God We Trust” from the United States currency, has tried, sometimes successfully, to prevent to recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance because it uses the phrase “Under God,” and has attacked religious leaders, especially those adamantly opposed to abortion, as bigots. If the Democratic Party was a friend of religion, it would not hesitate to purge those who seek to undermine the religious foundations of our country from their ranks. But they do not. As usual actions are more important than words.
Yet this opposition should not be surprising. Leftist movements such as communism and socialism have a long history of oppressing religion and faith. The father of Communism, Karl Marx, saw religion as an evil that existed in society. Marx said that, “It [religion] is the opium of the people.” In Communist Russia, where Marxist found its most ardent advocates, continuous persecution of the Orthodox Church resulted in its near-extinction. Many churches were leveled, and tens of thousands of priests, monks and nuns were persecuted and killed. As Alexander Yakovlev notes in his A Century of Violence in Soviet Russia, over 100,000 were shot during the purges of 1937-38. Today, the Communist Chinese government continues this oppression as it actively persecutes the followers of Falun Gong and forces the Catholic Church to operate in secret within its borders.
Why this reflexive and powerful opposition to religion from the left? Part of the answer lies in the fact that many religious teachings are diametrically opposed to the goals of liberalism. Religion teaches that there is such a thing as right and wrong or good and evil. Democrats and liberals do not think the world is “so simple” and fear faith, because its teachings make judgments upon people. When you are teaching morality and how to treat your fellow man, you have to make judgments. Committing murder is bad, so is drinking to excess, and so is stealing. Therefore, while those that commit those acts can be saved, their actions cannot be excused simply because they, for instance, had a disadvantageous upbringing.
More importantly, the left finds itself at odds with religion because religion recognizes a higher power whose teachings and doctrines serve as a guide to how one should lead their lives. For liberals and, it seems today, most of the Democratic Party, that higher power is government. Liberals want more and more control over an individual’s life. They want people to pay more taxes, to send their children to the school the government chooses, and to be beholden to a health care system controlled by the government. Religion, especially Christianity, on the other hand, teaches that one should serve God, not the government.
The growth of faith and religion is dangerous to the continued existence of the left’s ideology. Therefore, the left will actively seek to undermine it every chance they get. It is sad, but true that they think the government should be more important than faith.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
posted by The Conservative Guy at
11:02 PM
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