The world in general, but the United States specifically, is seeing a rise in people making idols of politicians and political parties.
This has resulted in violence and threats of violence. On the extreme left we find that surveys indicate that greater that 50% of self-identified leftists support “Luigi Mangioning” President Trump and/or Elon Musk. Luigi Mangione assassinated United Health Care’s CEO Brian Thompson last year.
Click here to get an explanation of the term “Luigi Mangioning”
On the extreme right, we see far too many people who have made idols out of President Trump and Elon Musk. We saw an example of this form of idolatry this past weekend in Coeur d’Alene in the response of many people to the ‘hands off’ protest. Attempting to drown out or “smoke out” protestors against your idol, is no different than the assassination fantasies of the extreme left.
As a culture, we have lost the ability to have rational disagreement over political issues. For the most part, disagreement quickly degenerates to the level of a pack of 12-year-olds on social media. It seems that our keyboard warrior society places the greatest value on who can “destroy” the other side, so simplistic name calling has replaced rational thought. For example, there are rational arguments on both sides of the issue as it relates to how to cut government fraud, waste and abuse. Government auditors have stated that the federal government loses between $250 and $500 billion in fraud, waste and abuse every year. Instead of coming together to actually do something about it, the right wants to cut as much as possible as quick as possible and the left wants to cut nothing. The end result further empowers the idols in our society and worse yet, creates a culture of Conspiracy Theories. This furthers the divide between both parties and ratchets up the level of hatred that we are seeing in the streets today.
Conspiracy Theories Abound
We are seeing a rise in the number of people allowing conspiracy theories to take over their lives. This is when you place the responsibility of all the bad things that happen to you on the conspiracy. The extreme left believes that the “system” is holding down various groups in society based on various traits. The problem with this conspiracy theory is that systematic racism (racism written in to the legal codes) has not existed in the United States for a long time, no matter how much the extreme left tries to make it so. That’s not to say that there aren’t racists in the United States and there are many examples prove this. The extreme right believes that a “cabal” of global political elites are attempting to take over the world, i.e. “Q-Anon.” The problem with this conspiracy theory is that for the most part, the elite politicians of the world are mainly interested in building their own personal wealth/power and not in ruling the world. That’s not to say there aren’t some politicians who have demonstrated by their action’s authoritarianism. Keeping these politicians in control comes down to individual choices and participation by the voters.
If you think about it, both the extreme right and extreme left have the same conspiracy theory, “some group in power is responsible for all the bad things that happen in your life.” Ben Shapiro argues, and I agree with him, that Judeo-Christian morality does not leave room for conspiracy theories such as held by the extreme left and the extreme right. Judeo-Christian morality states that YOU are responsible for most of the bad things that happen in your life, not some sinister outside force. Judeo-Christian morality also states that we are not to show partiality, that all races, tribes and tongues are welcome. As this nation continues to move away from Judeo-Christian morality, expect to see two things increase: One, the number of conspiracy theories about how some group or system is responsible for all of your problems and two, that politicians will come in with “solutions” to these conspiracy theories that will involve giving said politicians more power.
We should never support a human created Theocracy
So, are we arguing for a human created Theocracy? ABSOLUTELY NOT! A human created Theocracy is in fact anti-Biblical. In the past, authoritarians have used Judaism and Christianity to cover their totalitarian actions, but they clearly did not have a set of Judeo-Christian morals. Governments created by Judeo-Christian morality have built into them checks and balances because Judeo-Christian morality has the distinct understanding that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. To put it more simply, human created governments will be populated by sinners who will naturally want to expand their own personal power. To quote James Madison, the father of the Constitution, in Federalist 51; “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man, must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”
America’s Founders also had the correct understanding of how religion and morality are to influence government and how government is to be kept out of religion. The first amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” Put simply, the lawmaking branch cannot establish a national religion (pointing back to all have sinned) or prohibit the free exercise of religion. Notice there is NO mention of religion not having an influence on the government. 100% of the laws passed by the legislature have a set of morals attached to them. As a people with a Biblical Worldview, we need to work to ensure that the laws of this nation reflect that world view.
Personal Responsibility is a requirement for Liberty
What is the solution to all of this and how do we maintain liberty? PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY! You are the one who gets to choose how you respond to the challenges of this life. In this country, we have this ability in abundance. It is easy to demand that the government solve all of your problems and to abdicate your own responsibility in creating them. History demonstrates quite clearly that this is a path to disaster for a nation. Take responsibility for your own life, be involved in your government (voting is a minimum). Your responsibility does not end when you think you have elected the right people into office. We must remember they are mere humans that make mistakes and can be influenced by other interest groups. The Bible speaks of this when it states, “the heart is deceitfully wicked, who can know it” – Jeremiah 17:9. Never forget what George Washington said, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”
