Now We Can All Sleep Safely, if Lightly
Things have gotten pretty bad in America when it becomes unsurprising or even expected that Republicans would support authorizing the state to torture or abuse suspects detained under any circumstances. The sight of so-called "progressives" from the Democratic Party joining in, though, is enough to make even a cynical person weep with despair. When a political party stands behind the abandonment of the normal standards of morality or justice in the pursuit of political policy, then they stand behind moral evil.
What does a political party stand for, though, when they are unable or unwilling to stand up against moral evil? Can they be described as standing for anything at all?
Tell me again why secularists and godless liberals need to learn to be more accommodating of liberal religion and liberal Christianity? I can't begin to count how many times liberal Christians have lectured to godless liberals about how secularism and secularists harm progressive causes by making the Democratic Party look anti-religion and anti-Christian. Apparently, Democratic political fortunes would be much better if they could only appear to be more friendly towards religion -- like God's Own Republicans, for example. Is the Republican Party really a model to emulate, though?
The simple and unavoidable fact of the matter is that "secular" Americans (which must include atheists and agnostics, but probably also some non-religious theists) are far less likely to support torture under any circumstances than any denomination of Christian Americans.
Christians, in turn, are far more likely to say that torture is sometimes or often justified than secular Americans. I don't think that either liberal or conservative Christians have anything to teach non-religious atheists on morality; if anything, the opposite may be the case. Given these numbers, is it unreasonable to think that if the Democratic Party were more secular, then perhaps it would be less likely to join God's Own Republicans in authorizing the torture and abuse of suspects detained by our government?
Liberal Christians have either failed to imbue the Democratic Party with their moral values, or those values are unable to prevent the support of torture. Either way, they might want to consider that they could achieve more by a greater secularization of the Democratic Party.
This image is based on a German World War II poster depicting a soldier and a factory worker joining hands in common cause.
What does a political party stand for, though, when they are unable or unwilling to stand up against moral evil? Can they be described as standing for anything at all?
Tell me again why secularists and godless liberals need to learn to be more accommodating of liberal religion and liberal Christianity? I can't begin to count how many times liberal Christians have lectured to godless liberals about how secularism and secularists harm progressive causes by making the Democratic Party look anti-religion and anti-Christian. Apparently, Democratic political fortunes would be much better if they could only appear to be more friendly towards religion -- like God's Own Republicans, for example. Is the Republican Party really a model to emulate, though?
The simple and unavoidable fact of the matter is that "secular" Americans (which must include atheists and agnostics, but probably also some non-religious theists) are far less likely to support torture under any circumstances than any denomination of Christian Americans.
Christians, in turn, are far more likely to say that torture is sometimes or often justified than secular Americans. I don't think that either liberal or conservative Christians have anything to teach non-religious atheists on morality; if anything, the opposite may be the case. Given these numbers, is it unreasonable to think that if the Democratic Party were more secular, then perhaps it would be less likely to join God's Own Republicans in authorizing the torture and abuse of suspects detained by our government?
Liberal Christians have either failed to imbue the Democratic Party with their moral values, or those values are unable to prevent the support of torture. Either way, they might want to consider that they could achieve more by a greater secularization of the Democratic Party.
This image is based on a German World War II poster depicting a soldier and a factory worker joining hands in common cause.
