Confronting the Bullies

The culture war drags on and Christians are in the crosshairs. Defending the faith and our right to present our case in the marketplace of ideas requires a sober analysis of our opponents’ strategies. In this battle we are confronting a coalition of activists, who insist that their ideologies cannot be challenged and anyone who objects to their demands is evil. They are not interested in debate or dialogue, but silencing dissent, which is understandable since most of their claims are provably false. They see no need to defend their beliefs, when they can achieve their objectives by shouting down opponents using a litany of epithets: racist, bigot, sexist, homophobe, transphobe, Nazi, Fascist, patriarchal tyrant and advocate for toxic masculinity, etc. Facing intimidation and bullying, many people are afraid to speak. A faith undefended is a faith betrayed.

The current set of ideologues include: the LGBTQ+ activists, radical feminists, postmodernists, Deconstructionists, Neo-Marxists, politically correct censors, and Social Justice Warriors. What motivates the ideologues is not compassion, but resentment and a naked will to power. While the ideologues present themselves as virtuous, their ideologies promote sin, specifically violations of the Ten Commandments.

LGBTQ+ Activists
While some may think that lust is the primary sin of the LGBTQ+, years of research in this area have convinced me that for the LGBTQ+ the primary temptation is envy, followed by lust. The pathologically envious feel they have been unjustly denied something they have a right to. This leads to coveting—the sin of being obsessed by a desire for something that belongs to someone else, something you have no right to. For example, the persons who identify as Trans, envy the things which naturally belong to the other sex.

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Radical Feminists
The sine qua non of radical feminism is abortion on demand. When I became involved in the battle over abortion, I thought all we had to do was convince the “pro-choicers” that it was a baby. What I discovered was that they knew it was a baby. At some level, the women who have had abortions know that they have killed their baby. They may plead self-defense, but they know they have violated a prime commandment: thou shalt not kill. Today millions of women are living with the guilt of abortion. The guilty fear punishment. Unable to face the truth, they lash out in anger. This may explain why some radical feminists irrationally scream that pro-lifers want to kill them.

Postmodernists
Postmodernism is a “philosophy” which rejects reason, truth, and God. For the postmodernists, there is no objective reality, and no scientific or historical truth. Science, technology, reason, and logic are not vehicles of human progress, but instruments of oppressive power hierarchies. For the postmodernists, there is no such thing as human nature. Human behavior and psychology are socially determined or constructed. Language does not refer to a reality outside itself; it’s just words. Any rational argument is rejected out of hand, because for the postmodernist, logic is a patriarchal plot. In denying the existence of God, the postmodernists violate the first commandment, making themselves gods, and deciding for themselves what is good and what is evil.

Deconstructionists
If, according to the postmodernists, there is no truth, then all that is left is power. Deconstructionists, who are literary allies of the postmodernists, believe everything—all literature, all theories, and all relationships—can and should be taken apart (deconstructed) so as to discover who gains power and who is oppressed. Once this has been figured out, the oppressed can demand that the power be taken away from the oppressors and given to the oppressed. The Deconstructionists do not honor their parents, and they reject the wisdom of the past.

Neo-Marxists
The postmodern Deconstructionists embrace Marxist political theory. Marx taught that all problems can be explained as a conflict between the oppressed and their oppressors. The Neo-Marxists no longer focus on the conflict between workers and owners. The new oppressed classes are women oppressed by men, LGBTQ+ oppressed by the straight, blacks by whites, etc. The oppressed have the right to take everything that belongs to the oppressor. Communism and Socialism are Marxist-inspired political systems based on theft. Anyone who identifies as a “Neo-Nazi” is righty viewed as condoning the crimes of Hitler and the horror of the Holocaust. No school would hire a Neo-Nazi to teach or invite one to speak. However, as evil as the Nazis were, the followers of Marx are worse. In the Soviet Union, China, North Korea, Cambodia, and Cuba, Marxists have murdered ten times the number killed by Hitler, yet professors in prestigious universities proudly claim to be Marxist. Neo-Marxists should be treated the same way we treat Neo-Nazis.

Politically Correct
The politically correct have appointed themselves as speech monitors. They have decided that certain words hurt the feelings of the oppressed and therefore those who use these must be silenced. As soon as the PC police have enforced a change of language in one area, they will seek to uncover these new offenses and demand compliance for the newly designated politically correct language. Anyone who doesn’t give in to the demands of the politically correct is bullied into submission. The PC police insist that we lie. For example, they demand we pretend that a man who thinks he is a woman is actually a woman. They insist that everyone accept that two persons of the same sex can have a true marriage and those who disagree must nevertheless participate in the celebration. They don’t try to change our minds, but force us to say what we know is untrue—to lie. Truth can offend. Feelings can be hurt by truth. Nevertheless, it is wrong to lie. When we lie, we betray ourselves and we may even damage those to whom we lie by denying them a truth that might set them free.

Social Justice Warriors
The SJWs are the enforcers of the ideologies. They do not want to debate the issues, but to silence the opposition. This includes shouting down speakers, forcing institutions to cancel speakers, threatening businesses with boycotts and, when everything else fails, rioting. One group is Antifa, which claims to be anti-Fascist, when in fact they use Fascist tactics. Another SJW group is the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC identifies and targets “hate” groups. It started out opposing the KKK and white supremacy groups, but now targets any group that isn’t PC, in particular Christian groups. One of their main targets is “patriarchy,” which they define as anything run by men. In doing so they turn the name of God into a curse, since one of the names of God is Father, in Latin Pater. God is the Father from whom every fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named. Men are called to imitate God’s fatherhood, and to love and protect women and children. It is true that there are men who abuse women and children and for this they are rightly condemned, but the SJW attack virtuous fatherhood and healthy masculine virtues, not just the abuses.

We should never underestimate the evil, dangerous, and manipulative nature of these ideologies. Giving in to the demands of ideologues just to be nice is a terrible strategy. It is never wise to give in to bullies. We must stand up to them whenever they raise their ugly heads. We should not turn our children over to an educational system controlled by them. Give an inch and they will take a mile.

The tragedy of the ideologues is that never in the history of the world have people—including women and minorities—been freer, safer, healthier, or better off than Americans are today. Yet instead of being grateful, the ideologues waste their energy collecting offenses, rewarding victimhood, nursing resentments, plotting revenge, and bullying anyone who questions their claims. They demand that violators of their PC code confess without offering forgiveness. There is no offer of redemption, only the expectation of a groveling confession of guilt.

Real freedom, however, only comes when we forgive what ought to be forgiven.

(Photo credit: Shutterstock)

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