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Jewish World Review March 12, 2004 / 19 Adar, 5764

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The one-sided culture war

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Undeniably, a culture war is still raging in this country, but it's not much of a war because the good guys are barely fighting back. Is there anything that can shock the so-called majority out of its complacency?


Liberals deny that Christianity and its values are under assault, saying that Christians are in the majority and majorities don't endure discrimination.


But what they don't understand is that it is precisely because Christians are perceived to be the majority religion that they are being attacked. If it weren't for those stodgy, judgmental, homophobic, dueling banjo-playing, intolerant Christians, the homosexual lobby, the secular left, the radical feminists and other fringe groups would have free rein. (Please don't tell the malcontents, but if certain other religions were in the majority, they wouldn't even have the freedom to complain about it publicly.)


But apart from the issue of whether a majority of Americans truly are Christians, it is absurd to believe that numbers alone control. Other factors, such as the organization, motivation, determination, and militancy of the minority are highly important in the mix. Also relevant are the naivete and complacency of the "majority."



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Human nature being what it is, is it inevitable that beneficiaries of freedom don't cherish it any more than some third-generation pampered bluebloods appreciate their inherited wealth? At least wealth is something tangible; even people who inherit it can recognize if it's slipping away and perhaps adjust their behavior before it's all gone.


But freedom is much more difficult to quantify; it's largely imperceptible to people born into it who often believe it is their natural birthright and requires no sacrifice to maintain.


Given the unparalleled military might of this country, it's improbable that we're going to lose our freedom to an external enemy. Even terrorists, though they can degrade our lifestyle through fear, are not likely to formally conquer us and abolish our liberties.


Students of history and political science have always understood that real threats to our liberty come from within, though this self-evident concept was arrogantly dismissed by communist sympathizers during the Cold War.


Just as during the Cold War, those who primarily threaten our liberty today do so insidiously, by masquerading as champions of liberty while sandblasting its main pillars: our unique culture and traditional values.


If our society finally surrenders to the relentless onslaught against the absolute moral standards that serve as the foundation for our library of freedoms, it will only be a matter of time before America falls.


I don't mean to be a prophet of doom. We don't have to throw in the towel. But unless a healthy percentage of traditionalists wakes up and starts fighting back, our grandchildren will not inherit the blessings of liberty or the luxury of a society built on the rock solid foundation of Judeo-Christian values.


I don't quite understand how there can be such apathy when we see evidence of cultural assaults and the astonishing intolerance of the culture annihilators every day. Don't tell me that the aggressors merely want equal rights or societal respect. It appears they will not be satisfied until traditionalists are muzzled and Christian expression and worship are relegated to the privacy of our homes and churches, if that.


It's not just that our societal norms are changing, it's the radical means by which these changes are coming about.


Consider:

  • the audacity of the Massachusetts high court rewriting its constitution to redefine marriage and its cavalier treatment of the legislative branch;

  • the lawlessness of public officials legitimizing homosexual marriage;

  • the brazenness, and frankly, depravity of the recent "National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers";

  • the Supreme Court's disallowance of theology scholarships;

  • the California Supreme Court's decision that the employee healthcare plans of Catholic charities must provide access to contraception;

  • the lawsuit seeking to expel the Boy Scouts from public parklands in San Diego because of their adherence to traditional values;

  • that President Bush and others resisting a fundamental revision of the thousands-year-old institution of marriage are accused of political opportunism, initiating a culture conflict, and hatefulness;

  • that Jane Fonda is being honored as one of the "100 Women of the Century";

  • That Senator Kerry actually boasted that America-unfriendly foreign leaders prefer him as president.


I'm just scratching the surface, but based on these examples alone, how can there be such irresponsible lethargy among the "majority" in this country? It's time they wake up.

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David Limbaugh, a columnist and attorney practicing in Cape Girardeau, Mo., is the author of, most recently, "Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.) Comment by clicking here.

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