Marc Malone: “You have bought into the Leftist criticism that SoCons are trying to ram their agenda down your throat via the law.”
First, let me gently attest that the way to my heart is not through telling me what I’ve bought into.
In fact, I haven’t “bought into” any leftist criticism. I’ve experienced what I’ve talked about for myself.
I was an enthusiastic tea partier back when the ball started getting rolling. Since then, I’ve seen my local tea party movement co-opted by Christian conservatives who are focused more on the social issues than on what we can all agree about. I became more and more uncomfortable because of their direct effort to evangelicize on issues that I just don’t agree with.
I still do support the movement though, in its original intent… don’t get me wrong. I’ll certainly not be voting Democrat in the near future. But my vote for an evangelical will more than likely be because at least the evangelical sees *somebody* as more powerful than himself, theoretically. Technically evangelicals aren’t supposed to be very Ego-driven, so at least some of them see *some* limit to their authority. In the primaries I’ll be voting for the guy that is most libertarian of course, but if push comes to shove in the General, I’ll go ahead and vote for the SoCon.
Not the strongest of endorsements, certainly, but I’m not someone who really believes that this country is in any way headed for a theocracy. If a bunch of evangelicals suddenly make it to Congress and start trying to impose a theocracy… well, frankly, I just don’t see it working. But if they tried, I’d see revolution in their future. So… no. I haven’t bought into anyone’s giant fear of SoCons ramming their agenda down my throat.
What I do find though, is that the SoCons are very one-note and unwilling to moderate that note at all to bring libertarians into their fold.
I just don’t get it. (Like Laika’s Last Wolf said.) I’ve been on pjm as a lurker long enough to read the final smack-downs issued on the abortion question from SoCons… the “when it’s *life* we’re talking about why should we compromise?!!!” questions. My response has always been to think that the questioner doesn’t seem to trust his/her God at all.
What ever happened to praying for souls? What happened to individual charity? Why are SoCons focusing more on the General Nation-wide OverArching Need For Agreement than on the specific call to service that they could really accomplish by helping the individual mother-to-be who is in a really untenable situation? Hearts and minds are saved, in my world view, on a one-to-one basis.
I personally think evangelicals that push for Federal intervention just don’t want to get their hands dirty, or they’re too busy with their lives to engage in a really heartfelt attempt to help someone. They’d rather work at the Federal level so they don’t have to deal with the mess up close and personal.
Maybe it’s because I was brought up Catholic, but I have always held that God’s ways are fairly mysterious and extremely personal. (And I’m seriously lapsed in my Catholocism, but I really dig the whole “mystery” aspect of the Catholic faith.) At any rate, maybe it’s that, but seriously… can’t we let go, and let God handle the hearts and souls of humans? We can offer our aid if we would like to answer a call to service. We can try to convince, we can offer service, and we can cry for the tragedy of it all. But ultimately setting up human rules (law) based on God’s preferences does nothing to help those who really are in need. All it does is offer an ego-boost to the person advocating for it. And one of God’s preferences, if I remember correctly (it’s been a while) has traditionally been seen to be a humble heart in his servants.
Yes… I agree that we should give those questions back to the States certainly. All of them. Gay marriage, Abortion, etc. Let the States decide what will go on in their borders. Better yet, let the locals in each area decide. Let churches decide who gets to have a religious covenant (aka: marriage) in their faith. Let us *all* have Civil Unions in the eyes of the Government (at any level). Take the Feds out of the picture completely. But none of this is going to happen using the approach that SoCons seem to bring to these questions.
Humility and reason are the keys to winning over the moderates, I believe. And individual work, one-on-one to help salvage the lives that are in danger.
SoCons really need to trust God to understand the hearts of his creatures, and trust individuals to make the decisions that have meaning and import in their lives.
