In an exercise of which 20-something year olds can say the darndest things, my worldview sustained a heavy blow. For a reason which I cannot expound upon because it is just too scholastic for me, my class was asked to shout out whatever ideas come to mind when thinking about a Republican or a Democrat. You know, the typical thing you think of when you think of a Republican. What we came up with for Republicans is, and I quote, “Truck-driving, confederate flag waving, racist, sexist backwoods hicks.” The cherry on top is that they are also homophobes who support the death penalty, but not abortion!
It was almost astonishing, the reaction to the revelation that Republicans prefer to kill criminals and not babies. At first I was astonished, and then I was nervous. “Can you believe it?” One girl asked. “They are such hypocrites. Let’s kill people not fetuses!” I giggled, albeit nervously, before I was able to try to respond.
This girl and I are operating on such opposing worldviews that we can look at one situation and get two wildly different conclusions. But, really, in her defense, by what standard could she possibly measure what is right or wrong other than whatever she decides to think? I attempted to point out that over and over in the Old Testament, God’s law put certain criminals to death, and among those laws is Exodus 21:23, which requires that someone who causes a child to be miscarried must pay “life for life.” It is upon this basis that the “conservative” view stems from. Although I am left to wonder, wouldn’t simple logic tell us that it is the innocent—and not those found guilty—that should be protected? I guess I’ll just have to leave that battle for another day.
Next I was informed that abortion rates skyrocket during Republican presidencies because conservatives do not support selling birth control at gas stations, grocery stores, and for free in your high school’s nurses office! Unfortunately for my dear liberal comrade, this is a myth that was repeated so often by nutcases for the past five years that it was forced to be debunked over and over and over and over and over again. At this point, its just willful mud-slinging to even assert such ridiculousness, as even Planned Parenthood affiliates have looked into the claim and found it to be false, even crediting Republican presidents for lowering abortion rates.
Another example of conservative bigotry is the fact that we like the woods, trucks, and confederate flags. I’m supposing that the problem with this is that the tree-hugging hippy attacking me would prefer to hug the trees without me watching. As for the confederate flag, well she’s pretty right about that, and sometimes I wish I had a truck to put one on. However, I’m going to have to assume that in the rich history she was taught during her public school education she got only the myth of the Civil War and those who took a part in it. While I was defending the Confederacy, she sarcastically said, “Yea, cause those were good people.”
Well….A) By what standard do you decide what makes a person “good” or “bad”? And B) Why yes, they were good people! Let’s let their general, Robert E. Lee, demonstrate his goodness: “So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that Slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interest of the South. So fully am I satisfied of this that I would have cheerfully lost all that I have lost by the war, and have suffered all that I have suffered to have this object attained.”
Here’s another goodie: “My chief concern is to try to be a humble, earnest Christian.” So far, I’m really digging this Confederate hick. But, once again, my worldview necessitates that I find solid, Christian men as “good”; hers necessitates the exact opposite.
As long as we’re on the subject, every liberal’s second favorite President had the following sentiments concerning slavery: “I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable,” and, “If I could unite the nation without freeing a slave I would.”
Dear friends, what can one conclude from this? Knowledge is power. Any Christian in college, whether or not its private or public, is going to encounter this kind of absolute nonsense. Utter lies are going to be thrown in our faces, and our beliefs are going to be challenged. It doesn’t have to be a scary thing, and it doesn’t even have to be a bad thing. I bet that some of the things I said about old testament laws in class was the first time any of the kids in the room had heard such things! Who knows how God can use you? It is all for His glory, so let’s use our minds in a God-honoring, God-fearing way.
