Following from NOFP post, is this commentary by The Quietist,( linked in Carl’s post)
The Quietist: 06/01/2005 – 06/30/2005
Certainly, many leftists are certain that moral certainty is a bad thing: hence their emphasis on “nuance,” their hatred of religion, etc.
In the months following 9/11, an academic journal (I’m sorry I can’t remember which it was) on postmodern theory and criticism published an article on whether or not 9/11 made postmodernism “impossible.” Like Carl notes, any moment of moral clarity, when our pampered, sheltered society is made to witness the true brutality and amorality that the world can produce, is a threat to their entire moral existence. It’s an existential realization, one that Thomas Merton describes as the infinitely harsh and traumatic realization that your entire life has been one big lie. Since postmodernism has become a substitute faith for those without belief in today’s world, that crisis cannot be anything less profound than a “born-again” sort of epiphany (as I imagine them to be). So we should not be surprised when leftists lash out at any indication of moral certainty in politics (unless, of course, it’s the certainty that there is no moral certainty). This is also why they NEVER bring up 9/11 in their rhetoric; it is one of those real-life events that does not serve their worldview.
He goes on in what I would call “postmodernist as passive-aggressive” argument. There is a point, and actually, it has parallels to religious stances. The Atheist as negative response to Religionist, having nothing to say once you remove the object of objection.
But, of course the reality is that both the Left in postmodernism, and the atheist, do have a platform. All activism must have a platform…just getting them pinned down to defined terms… that is the challenge. But there is a platform.
And on this I am reminded of something noticeable years ago: at times the Conservative and the Liberal are not very far apart. When they both eschew belief in God as basis for their morality and they both promote action based on a “Father Knows Best” premise…. well, they start to look an awfully lot alike.
That is why it is important to dig into the foundation for the moral judgment and expression which forms the policy and the actions promoted.
You who call yourself Christian, take heed. Use the Berean method. Yes, you know what I am talking about.
“Use the Berean method. Yes, you know what I am talking about.”
I’m afraid I don’t. Can you spell it out?
It is a reference that Protestants of the Reformed type often use, but Evangelicals, also, based upon “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
The Berean method is to carefully check things out by studying for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Excellent advice in a democracy.