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Cultural Civil War in Iran and the U.S. Few of us stop to think about it, but no matter what the form of government - autocratic or democratic - a society's laws are ultimately dictated by what a majority of citizens believe is right and wrong. The reason for this is simple. If a ruler violates ideas of right and wrong that a sufficient number of citizens care strongly enough about, that ruler will not be able to stay in power. This is the reason that rulers like Hitler and Stalin, and regimes based on ethical systems of than those of the Bible, ruthlessly seek out and kill their political opponents. There is a fight for freedom going on today in both Iran and the United States that is strangely similar. In Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been shutting down media outlets that advocate organizing Iranian society on lines other than strict Islamic fundamentalism. This year Khamenei has shut down 23 publications and jailed dozens of journalists. The view of fundamentalist Islam is summarized in this quote by a Muslim priest from an article in the Washington Times: "No one can make a comment about what the leader does. Islam favors freedom, but we must have a red line. There is no right if a newspaper introduces oppressors as good people." The priest is wrong for two reasons. First, Islam does not favor freedom. The starting point for freedom is the idea than all people stand equal. But in Islam, Christians, Jews, Hindus, and anybody else who rejects Islam may have their property confiscated, be killed, or be enslaved. Second, if those in power may not be criticized, then they are free to disregard the rights of citizens and govern at their whim. This is precisely the idea that our Founding Fathers rebelled from, and it is the reason we have free speech. But it is critical for those of us who would live in freedom to realize that it is not only those with political power who can propogate a false view of the ideas of right and wrong that ought to govern our law but also those with economic power. In the U.S., liberal bias in the media and political correctness in our schools, workplaces, and private conversations have, for years, been spewing a false ideology into our society. But soemthing new is happening now. The liberals have so successfully destroyed the ethical agreement on which America is founded that our society is now polarized to the point that nobody can speak about "controversial" issues. The Washington Times recently printed a fascinating story that documents not only many instances of liberals shutting out traditional values messages but also of major networks now refusing to carry any social or political commercials. These views either get reported in "news" coverage or they don't get heard at all. There is only one way to win this kind of battle. We must not only advocate positions derived from America's Founding Principles - like opposition to abortion based on the right to life - we must win our fellow citizens over to the source of these ideas. We must help them come to know God. The biggest obstacle we face is our own lack of understanding of what God's rules require of our society. For example:
You can probably think of many other examples. The point is that our fellow citizens will not come to agree with our views until they themselves know God, can see how these ideas flow from God's Word, and understand why these ideas make us all more prosperous and free. You can advocate the issues all you want. Until you advocate their source, you will be a slave to Ayatollah Ted Turner. |
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