It is a fact that the majority of profound thinkers in America are conservative; they used to have a conservative outlook on life, but this has been declining in that they have devising worldviews just like their liberal colleagues whether in the National Review, the City Journal, the Commentary Magazine, or the Wall Street Journal, among others institutions. Of course, there are bright leftist and liberal thinkers, but those who understand the depth of human nature, the state of mankind, life, history, and wisdom of the great conservative thinkers and writers hold to traditional values. I write this because true conservatism believes in American exceptionalism, that it is the only country founded on the principles that all men are created equal and that their human rights such as life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, are unalienable because they are granted, not by any government, but by the Creator. If the Creator does not create these rights, they are essentially worthless, since the government can declare them null and void at any time it wishes.
A clear example is what is happening around the world right now. The real conservatives get their roots from the Judeo Christian God that has given the power of the Holy Sprit as a counselor and an advocate to live inside of them, in order to help them to love their neighbors as themselves. I cannot think of any way to meet that standard without divine assistance! Nearly a century ago one of the conservative intellectuals, C. S Lewis, a non-believer in God, tried to disprove God and became overwhelmed by the evidence he encountered becoming one of the most powerful writers and advocates for the truth.
I do think it is not rocket science to understand the world would be a better place if more people loved their neighbors as they do themselves. It is true that Christians, Muslims, and Jews have fought in the name of their religion, and these religions have lots of problems that we still see, but the true and powerful God has no need of anyone to fight for him because he can defend himself. If he cannot, then he is not all-powerful. So fighting in the name of religion does not make God corrupt; instead, it makes people corrupt for not following God’s commandments but, instead, making God’s word follow and suit them. That is why there is a famous joke going around that says, “If you would like to be rich, build a church.” It is true that when religion rules, religion can be the basis of significant values that will help us live better and more productive lives. Religion, however, can also be used for self-interest, particularly in a political system that creates hate, bigotry, intolerance, and corruption.
How is it that some American conservatives still call themselves conservatives when faith or the origins of it are no longer relevant or appreciated in a real conservative society? What replaced it? Judeo-Christian morality is already declining, thereby opening the door for another religion, and that religion is Islam. A good example would be the current situation in Europe. Europe is very proud of being leftist with atheism thinking and abandonment of the Judeo-Christian faiths. Now they are getting a new faith, Islam in all its fury. Europe did not want to believe anything; therefore, there have nothing to stand for, and since they do not have anything to stand for, they do not need to defend anything. As a result, the Europeans are meekly bowing down to their future.
The leftists and liberals actually do understand the power and importance of conservative Judeo-Christian moral values. That is why those values are their number one target for destruction. The conservative political and intellectual worlds are oblivious to the consequences of secularism. They are not aware of the disaster that Godlessness in the West has led to. The leading Republicans and most of the wealthy donors to the Republican Party, in addition to virtually all libertarian politicians and think tank scholars, either are not interested in the decline of Judeo-Christian values, especially values in America and in Europe, or they do not care about values at all anymore. They probably think America will survive without God, religion, and the conservative values they stand for. This is very shocking and particularly alarming is how effective the secular indoctrination in American schools and media has been, so that even the majority of conservatives writers or think tanks that are formulating policy not only believe like secularists but also they seem to have no idea how much American civilization depends on the Judeo-Christian values. The founding fathers and the Declaration of Independence established America based on conservative values. The problem is not that most leading conservative writers, the wealthy elite, or think tanks are secular; it is, rather, that they do not seem to have any clue that a godless America means the end of America, just as a god-free Europe has meant the end of Europe. Like a main sequence star that has burned through the hydrogen in its core and reached the end of its life cycle, a country that has burned through its essence will grow dimmer and cooler, and eventually the lights will go out.
Dr. Aland Mizell is President of the MCI and a regular contributor to Mindanao Times. You may email the author at:aland_mizell2@hotmail.com
