Posted by
The Secular Conservative on Friday, November 03, 2006 11:09:58 AM
I get uncomfortable listening to conservatives that cannot separate their ideology from their faith because they often do not even recognize the difference. This is where the religious right gets its reputation. As conservatives we have an immediate advantage with our ability to debate issues; our friends on the left are stuck with the politics of personal destruction. But in a society where religious freedom is expected, responding with arguments founded upon personal religious belief are non-beneficial. To a secularist like myself, you have opened yourself up to the easiest rebuttal of them all: non-belief. For example, to state that homosexuality is wrong because it is an affront to God (or because the Bible says so; or Christ; or Paul; or the Old Testament) assumes an underlying premise for the belief in God. Remove that premise and the rest of the argument cannot be sustained logically. Perhaps there are justifiable reasons why homosexuality is morally wrong, but supporting those reasons in religious language to a secular audience only detracts from the credibility of the speaker.
Now, I am not ignorant of the fact that polling throughout the U.S. indicates that most Americans continue to have a belief in god (although not necessarily the Judeo/Christian/Islamic God). But, unlike others, I do not automatically interpret this news as proof that the secular perspective is a minority viewpoint. While the most common measure of a religious vs. secular perspective is a person’s stated beliefs, I tend to look towards people’s actions. So while most Americans profess a belief in god, the actions of individual Americans suggest that the secular worldview dominates. How many Catholics attend mass regularly but continue to use birth-control? How many Protestant parents take their teenage daughters to Planned Parenthood for an abortion? How many Muslim women wear low-rise jeans and make-up? How many Jews eat bacon? So let’s all accept that, generally speaking, Americans believe in god. Let’s not, however, assume that those of us who act (and vote) based on a secular viewpoint – even those professing a belief in god – must naturally be liberal.
The conservative movement is real and liberalism, in its present form, is dying. This change that is sweeping the U.S. has come about because of reasoned argument and demonstrated success (or in the case of liberal philosophy, demonstrated failure). And while the Republican party is making great strides in overcoming liberal-generated accusations (e.g. racism, sexism, homophobia), party leaders and mainstream conservative thinkers continue to suggest that to be a conservative, you must also have a devout belief in god. By all means, believe what you believe and shout it from the rooftops (our Constitution will protect you even if the ACLU will not), but don’t imply that there is some religious affiliation required to participate in the conservative movement.
There is room in this world for both ideology and religious belief. When the two sides meet and intertwine, voters become alienated and frustrated by the public dialog. In the public discourse, conservative leaders should demonstrate that ideology and religion are separate concepts by sharing their belief openly and respectfully, while supporting their ideology with reason and logic.
The secular conservative ideology upholds true conservative principles without resorting to religious appeals to justify policy decisions – it separates the religion from the politics. It is a better ideology than traditional conservatism because it recognizes religious differences through an indifference towards religion, while upholding the right to practice religion openly. But recognizing that our society has become more secular over the years, it allows secularists to identify with conservatism on an intellectual level. Perhaps traditional conservatives don’t realize it, but their daily rhetoric makes us secularists feel as though we’re not welcome. Well, we’re coming to the party anyway, and the public dialog will be better as a result.
-tsc