Jesus, Liberalism, and the Crisis of Modern Conservatism
Originally from May 1, 2022: A reflection on liberalism, intolerance, religion, personal choice, and the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, inspired by an interesting dialogue with Jude O, examining modern conservatism, freedom, decency, and the limits of imposing belief on others.
Tolerance and the Fear of Difference
A lot of tussling about and contradictions.
I think some guy just found out the meaning of “liberal,” a term he had hitherto used derogatorily, not realizing it was actually a good word.
Which is what illiberal folks do. They take your strengths and make them seem like weaknesses because they have no strengths that can stand on their own feet.
If the author has found out he has opposed those who harbor no ill will towards people like him, and who would even be more tolerant of their views if they would stop the mad quest for avenues to make their intolerance the law of the land, he should simply say so, and not tussle about trying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on an untenable position.
Illiberalism stems from darkness, not enlightenment.
Let people be.
Your truth is not their truth.
Just let them be.
The Blazer, the Tee-Shirt, and the Need to Control Others
I know a guy who always wears a blazer or a waistcoat, even if he’s going nowhere.
I know another guy who criticizes him all the time behind his back. This second guy loves tee-shirts and shorts.
One feels insecure without a blazer. The other feels secure without one.
Why should that be a problem to you?
Let him be. He’s not trying to show off.
I was preaching tolerance.
The second guy was imposing his beliefs on the first guy, who was simply trying to find his way through the day.
The Politics of Decency
This post is dishonest, and I only respond because you tagged me.
Let’s flip the post on its head.
Why does the writer hold “liberals” accountable to the definition of the word, but not those who revel in their assault on decency?
There is such a thing as decency.
Trump is, was, and makes absolutely no effort to be a decent human being.
People who purport to be decent, yet revel in supporting such a fellow, cannot be separated from the indecency they support.
If you support a man who has no respect for facts or the truth, you are just as dirty a liar as he is, and good luck expecting “liberals” to support your indecency simply because the definition of “liberal” expects them to be tolerant.
Look in the Mirror
Look in the mirror.
If you are not tolerant of others who harbor no ill wishes towards you, what right have YOU to complain about their intolerance towards your intolerance?
Anyway, thanks for tagging me.
I rest.
#dk
#OldManInTheMolue
When Prejudice Demands Validation
Jude Adebosoye O responded thus:
“Whatever anyone’s truth may be, it is glaring in every man’s composition that pain is generally unwelcome. So also is anything that makes life unbearable for fellow humans.
And no matter how highly anyone may be placed, it is just natural for even the nonentity on the street to have his or her opinions of him or her, especially when such a ‘highly’ placed personage causes untold suffering and hardship to fellow human beings by being hypocritical, corrupt, and ISCARIOT.”
My Response to His Response
Jude Adebosoye Ogunade, great response to folks who have a problem with “liberals.”
I’m not sure if that was your intention, but it seems you oppose the note you tagged me on.
In my opinion, the victim mentality of those opposed to “liberals” is palpable, and sad to see.
I’m no psychologist, but it’s clear to me that it is an inner tussle, nothing to do with “liberals,” those comfortable with the principles and lifestyles they either live, or simply have no problem with.
I’ll go as far as saying it is a form of envy, sour grapes.
You hate homosexuals?
That is your choice.
But please do not stand at the imaginary doorway of your own morality and take offense at the fact that there are non-homosexuals who refuse to become guardians of that same morality, people who simply do not hate them.
You hate blacks, speaking now to white supremacists, and cannot understand, indeed are offended, that there are white folks who do not hate them as much as you do.
So, to make yourself feel better about the hatred you proudly wear, sometimes in the form of a red hat, you manufacture terms you can spit out and snigger with, labels meant to mock those who refuse to subscribe to your prejudice.
And so “liberal” becomes less a description and more a sneer.
Their “liberalness” thus becomes the problem, NOT your prejudice and jaundice.
Jesus, Liberalism, and the Conservatives of His Time
And all that bigotry supposedly is derived from the Bible.
Jesus was the GREATEST of all liberals, but you dare not suggest this to them!
You dare not mention that He very clearly despised the conservatives of His time.
No question in my mind what He would say to today’s self-acclaimed conservatives, if indeed He is the same “yesterday, today and forever.”
He would say to them plainly:
“I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
Hopefully some young “conservative” reads this and thinks a bit more deeply about the views they have been introduced to.
For the older ones, read the Parable of the Wheat and Tares.
I rest my case.
#dk
The Molue of Faith
If you genuinely have a change of heart, be humble.
Step back from the unreasonableness you made your mantra.
There is no shame in saying:
“I was wrong.”
Fact is, if God hates certain folks based on their preferences, or even their skin colour, if we are to believe the man who first propagated the false “Curse of Ham” theology, then perhaps the only business we truly have is this:
Intercede for them.
For clearly, according to you, they have fallen into disrepair with God and, as Scripture says:
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Hebrews 10:31
And if God Himself “shall judge His people,” as the preceding verse says, who are we to pre-judge them?
Let Them All Grow Together
The Parable of the Wheat and Tares, Matthew 13:24–30, is a direct challenge to human prejudice.
Read it again.
And again.
It directly challenges the urge to violently purify society.
The servants want immediate separation.
The Master says no.
Why?
Because in trying to destroy the tares, they may uproot the wheat also.
This is one of the deepest warnings against ideological fanaticism and social persecution in the New Testament.
We are ALL in a race.
Run your race and let others run theirs.
Every man can jump on or jump off the Molue of religion, faith, or belief at any point in time they choose.
Do you question or berate a man who gets off at Anthony bus stop and ask why he does not follow the Molue to Race Course?
How about holding him down and forcing him to travel with you to the last bus stop because that’s where you want to go?
Can you do that?
You can’t?
You would be insane to do that.
Choice. Choice. Choice.
And it is that insanity, the insanity of imposing one’s choice on others, that “liberals” reject.
By the way, here is what the word liberal means:
Individual freedom
Freedom of speech and conscience
Tolerance of differing beliefs
Limits on state or religious coercion
Equality before the law
Protection of minorities
Skepticism of absolute authority
The word itself comes from the Latin liber, meaning “free.”
It is a choice and will always be a choice.
Choice. Choice. Choice.
It is amazing, and amusing, to see evangelicals talk about being oppressed in America, almost like slave masters complaining of oppression because they are prohibited by law from using the cudgel on the enslaved.
The sense of entitlement of these types beclouds their common sense.
Hey!
You can criticize a man’s choice, or try to bring him around to your point of view through the force of argument.
What so-called conservatives bemoan is the inability to force their argument on everyone else, and that, in their minds, is the law curtailing their religious liberties.
NOTHING is more evil.
NOTHING.
For the Third Time: The Parable of the Tares
For the third time, I refer to the Parable of the Tares.
“Let them all grow,” I paraphrase. “Perchance you destroy wheat as you try to rid the farm of the tares.”
The exact words of Scripture:
“The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest…”
Read it yourself:
Bible Gateway – Matthew 13:24–30
Case Closed
I rest my case.
Don Kenobi
#OldManInTheMolue
#MyFrancisEssays
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