One of the major differences between the right and the left concerns the question of authority: To whom do we owe obedience and who is the ultimate moral authority?
For the right the primary moral authority is God (or for secular conservatives Judeo-Christian values) followed by parents. Of course government must also play a role but it is ultimately accountable to God and it should do nothing to undermine parental authority.
For the left the state and its government are the supreme authorities while parental and divine authority are seen as impediments to state authority.
Lets begin with God.
From Karl Marx -- man is God; religion is the opiate of the people -- to todays left in America and elsewhere God and God-based religion specifically Judaism and Christianity (Islam too but in the West Islam has played little role) have been the primary obstacles to leftist victory.
That is why the further left a government or an ideology the more it has opposed religion. The first targets of Lenin and Stalin were churches synagogues and clergy. At the modern Western university the epicenter of leftist ideology the same has held true. A clear if unstated goal of modern liberal arts education is that as few college graduates as possible hold values rooted in traditional Judaism or Christianity.
This also explains the lefts passion about maintaining and furthering secularism -- under the banner of separation of church and state. Anything -- any value any idea any person -- rooted in Judeo-Christian values must be confined to as narrow a place in society as possible.
That is largely why there is such intense leftist opposition to the pro-life position. Since most opposition to abortion (when the mothers life is not threatened) emanates from religious values pro-life means that transcendent values are authoritative not a womans wishes.
It is the major reason for left-wing loathing of those who oppose embryonic stem cell research: That opposition usually emanates from religious sources and therefore places Judeo-Christian values higher than sciences capabilities.
It explains leftist opposition to even mentioning God in public schools -- students must graduate as secular as possible.
It is not secularism that animates those positions; it is leftism.
One proof is that there are many secular people who are not on the left. Prominent examples include Wall Street Journal editorial and opinion page writers and the Washington Posts Charles Krauthammer.
Take for example Krauthammers position on embryonic stem cell research. Though Krauthammer is secular he opposed creating human embryos for the sake of stem cell research -- a position all the more noteworthy in light of his own paralysis as a result of a spinal cord injury incurred as a young man.
Another proof that it is leftism not secularism that animates the lefts attacks on Judeo-Christian public expressions and influence on public policy is that when left-wing positions are enunciated by religious spokesmen the left supports them. Clergy that are anti-war green or for same-sex marriage for example are celebrated by the left.
Many left-wing Jews and Christians believe in God. But the God that most leftists believe in is the same in name not in characteristics. The God left-wing believers affirm is largely a non-judging God a loving friend in heaven (or increasingly likely in nature). He is found in trees much more than in moral demands.
The second most powerful obstacle to the state and government assuming primary authority is parents.
It was no meaningless phrase when baby boomers on the left declared Never trust anyone over 30. Who was over 30? First and foremost their parents.
As with religion the further left the state or ideology the more it seeks to undermine parental authority. In the Soviet Union Komsomol the Soviet Youth League substituted for parents. Mao too did what he could to destroy the familys authority. Although no way comparable to Stalin or Mao the American and European left also seek to undermine parental authority.
The battle over parental notification in the case of abortion is primarily about parental authority.
The battle over sex education in schools is largely about that too -- who gets to teach youth about sexuality and homosexuality? Parents or schools (i.e. the state)?
The battle over school vouchers is in large measure also a battle over governmental authority versus parental authority. Who gets to choose where ones child attends school -- the state or the parent? The battle over who gets to actually educate our children has already been lost to the state in the vast majority of cases. It is why the left is so uncomfortable with home schooling -- parents not the state get to teach children.
As the late James O. Freedman former president of Dartmouth University said in a commencement address in 2002 the purpose of a college education is to question your fathers values.
Just as the left has substituted the authority of the state for the authority of God it has substituted the authority of the state for that of parents. And just as God has been reduced to a non-judging non-disciplining pal so too the left wants parents to become non-judging non-disciplining pals of their children.
In a nutshell the left wants to have ever-expanding authority over peoples lives through ever-expanding governmental powers. It does so because it regards itself as more enlightened than others. Others are either enemies (the right) or unenlightened masses. It is elected by demonizing its enemies and doling out money and jobs to the masses.
Dennis Prager is a radio show host contributing columnist for Townhall.com and author of 4 books including Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual.
One of the major differences between the right and the left concerns the question of authority: To whom do we owe obedience and who is the ultimate moral authority?
For the right the primary moral authority is God (or for secular conservatives Judeo-Christian values) followed by parents. Of course government must also play a role but it is ultimately accountable to God and it should do nothing to undermine parental authority.
For the left the state and its government are the supreme authorities while parental and divine authority are seen as impediments to state authority.
Lets begin with God.
From Karl Marx -- man is God; religion is the opiate of the people -- to todays left in America and elsewhere God and God-based religion specifically Judaism and Christianity (Islam too but in the West Islam has played little role) have been the primary obstacles to leftist victory.
That is why the further left a government or an ideology the more it has opposed religion. The first targets of Lenin and Stalin were churches synagogues and clergy. At the modern Western university the epicenter of leftist ideology the same has held true. A clear if unstated goal of modern liberal arts education is that as few college graduates as possible hold values rooted in traditional Judaism or Christianity.
This also explains the lefts passion about maintaining and furthering secularism -- under the banner of separation of church and state. Anything -- any value any idea any person -- rooted in Judeo-Christian values must be confined to as narrow a place in society as possible.
That is largely why there is such intense leftist opposition to the pro-life position. Since most opposition to abortion (when the mothers life is not threatened) emanates from religious values pro-life means that transcendent values are authoritative not a womans wishes.
It is the major reason for left-wing loathing of those who oppose embryonic stem cell research: That opposition usually emanates from religious sources and therefore places Judeo-Christian values higher than sciences capabilities.
It explains leftist opposition to even mentioning God in public schools -- students must graduate as secular as possible.
It is not secularism that animates those positions; it is leftism.
One proof is that there are many secular people who are not on the left. Prominent examples include Wall Street Journal editorial and opinion page writers and the Washington Posts Charles Krauthammer.
Take for example Krauthammers position on embryonic stem cell research. Though Krauthammer is secular he opposed creating human embryos for the sake of stem cell research -- a position all the more noteworthy in light of his own paralysis as a result of a spinal cord injury incurred as a young man.
Another proof that it is leftism not secularism that animates the lefts attacks on Judeo-Christian public expressions and influence on public policy is that when left-wing positions are enunciated by religious spokesmen the left supports them. Clergy that are anti-war green or for same-sex marriage for example are celebrated by the left.
Many left-wing Jews and Christians believe in God. But the God that most leftists believe in is the same in name not in characteristics. The God left-wing believers affirm is largely a non-judging God a loving friend in heaven (or increasingly likely in nature). He is found in trees much more than in moral demands.
The second most powerful obstacle to the state and government assuming primary authority is parents.
It was no meaningless phrase when baby boomers on the left declared Never trust anyone over 30. Who was over 30? First and foremost their parents.
As with religion the further left the state or ideology the more it seeks to undermine parental authority. In the Soviet Union Komsomol the Soviet Youth League substituted for parents. Mao too did what he could to destroy the familys authority. Although no way comparable to Stalin or Mao the American and European left also seek to undermine parental authority.
The battle over parental notification in the case of abortion is primarily about parental authority.
The battle over sex education in schools is largely about that too -- who gets to teach youth about sexuality and homosexuality? Parents or schools (i.e. the state)?
The battle over school vouchers is in large measure also a battle over governmental authority versus parental authority. Who gets to choose where ones child attends school -- the state or the parent? The battle over who gets to actually educate our children has already been lost to the state in the vast majority of cases. It is why the left is so uncomfortable with home schooling -- parents not the state get to teach children.
As the late James O. Freedman former president of Dartmouth University said in a commencement address in 2002 the purpose of a college education is to question your fathers values.
Just as the left has substituted the authority of the state for the authority of God it has substituted the authority of the state for that of parents. And just as God has been reduced to a non-judging non-disciplining pal so too the left wants parents to become non-judging non-disciplining pals of their children.
In a nutshell the left wants to have ever-expanding authority over peoples lives through ever-expanding governmental powers. It does so because it regards itself as more enlightened than others. Others are either enemies (the right) or unenlightened masses. It is elected by demonizing its enemies and doling out money and jobs to the masses.
Dennis Prager is a radio show host contributing columnist for Townhall.com and author of 4 books including Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual.
