Godlessness

The tension between secular and religious worldviews has been constant throughout history, but recently we’ve seen a strong increase in secular views about life and its moral framework. This virtue signalling has provided a platform to confront the perceived moral intolerance of our political and legal systems. It’s like cancer that’s been 40 years in the making and history has found a way of repeating itself. Human nature has always been self-serving, and much of what we’re witnessing today is the result of unbridled amoral outrage, but the hypocrisy in this outrage is somewhat ironical. Sadly we see a vocal section of society becoming intolerant but demanding the tolerance of others. Simultaneously there’s been a general departure from the religious teachings of the past which has left us with a moral vacuum that seeks to be filled. Civil society, to be civil, needs accountability to something of shared meaning, even if it’s only a golden calf. This push to establish a redefined view of moral values is essentially the establishment of a secular religion or, at least, a neo-religious consensus about values. It's fascinating, at the very least. However, the aimless pursuit of ideological archetypes has always ended in self-destruction, and one can see why when confronted with people saying things like “it’s greedy for a man to keep the money he’s earned, but not greed to demand and take somebody else’s money.

In these days of political sophistry, social engineering subverts how we should think, what we can say, and what we can do. It gradually establishes itself as we remain oblivious to the danger growing within us. We know we aren’t well, and we feel the effect of something that’s not right, but we learn to live with a minor limp, a pain in our chest, or the blurring of our vision because they seem to be minor inconveniences at the time, not sufficient to distract us from more important matters. In time, we don’t remember how, or when, these difficulties started, or when we first noticed the signs. And by the time we decide to act it’s too late; our bodies have suffered the irreversible damage of our neglect.

This cancer is not about conservatism or liberalism. It’s not about democracy, capitalism, fascism, or socialism, it’s not even about Donald Trump or other leaders of this world. These issues are symptomatic of our desire to have a religious system to replace God. A system to establish our form of godliness. It is, in fact, a “religion” of secular proportions, pursuing a path of ever-evolving controls, rules and laws. Without direction or purpose, it devours anyone or anything that stands in its way. It’s consumed with self-importance, yet delivers nothing but confusion. Indeed humanity has become “lovers of themselves”.

What type of society do people want to live in? Of course, the answer to this might depend on many conditions including the background and upbringing we've been born into. I imagine most people might generally say, “I want to live a productive, and peaceable life”. This can only be achieved through personal responsibility, cliche, though it may sound. To suggest that we are responsible and stand on our own two feet is easy to say, but not so easy to justify if we also demand, “that everyone must apologize for my pain, do what I say, and give me what I want, because it's my right. Only within a free society can humanity say this and get away with it, and while it seems unbelievable, the ideals of freedom are being hijacked by those who use their freedom to instigate social anarchy. Western cultures have always embraced the ideals of freedom, but not at the expense of personal responsibility. By all accounts elected representatives are struggling to meet the ever-increasing demands of a society with no boundaries. Full-term abortion might be an example. Society creates its laws according to the vagaries of its ever-changing moral compass. Therefore, the cancer I’m writing about is more insidious, it’s systemic to the nature of man, with much deeper origins than simply saying we need better leaders, with new and more liberal laws. No political system can resolve a moral vacuum that lays claim to a form of godliness, but having denied its power, competes to establish its own.

Freedom cannot survive without personal responsibility. Civil society cannot survive without laws to govern, and it cannot survive without a moral compass to empower them both. Some realities must be understood to find that good and peaceable life. One of these is that humanity is not born equal and the poor will always be with us. This is not something to feel guilty about. We’re not born equal in the cultural, social and financial opportunities we inherit. However, within any society some will take advantage of opportunities before them, some will build and create more, and some will be content with less. Unfortunately, some will squander any opportunity they have and some will become discontent. Some will blame society for not giving them what others have earned. So it seems that society has become obsessed with its idea of rights but less concerned with responsibility. I’m not suggesting it is fair, I’m suggesting this is simply a reality of life, and it doesn’t prohibit humanity from having a social conscience for the poor. Indeed, most countries have some form of social conscience towards the poor. However, there appears to be no limit or end to the displeasure of those consumed with discontent and hatred.

Finally, in my view God is a reality, he is the rock on which everything I do finds its moral compass. However, he’s given me the responsibility of doing my best with the gifts and opportunities I’m presented with. I can choose to be content or choose to be discontent, but what will I gain from being discontent? And even if I’m wrong and God doesn’t exist, what have I lost in this life? What experiences might I have had, and what would I have gained through that experience? No, I have lost nothing and gained more, and above all things he has provided hope, for a future beyond this life.