Sam Weaver
The American conservative worldview
By Sam Weaver
NOTE: This is the fifth in a series of ten essays designed to proffer my peculiar views and insights concerning Western worldviews and culture.
Modern conservatism has been defined and described in many terms. In today’s culture, via public education and “mainstream” media (i. e., TV, movies, newspapers, and news magazines), these expressions are negative much more often than not. A short list of the words and phrases commonly used to denote modern American conservatism include: “right-wing,” “religious right,” “extreme,” “uncaring,” “uncompassionate,” “intolerant,” “bigoted,” “discriminatory,” “isolationist,” “unilateral,” “arrogant,” “capitalistic,” “wealthy few,” and “narrow-minded.” The list goes on and on.
A conservative, in any society or culture, is one who wants to fundamentally conserve all four institutions upon which his society/culture was established. These four institutions (as you know, if you have been following my columns) are Religion, Politics, Economics, and Science. A true American conservative not only desires, but demands progress. Any genuine American conservative considers every fellow human being his absolute equal under the law. However, any violation of the law requires consequences.
This fifth installment of my series will examine the modern Western (Anglo-American) conservative worldview. It will address all four elements (institutions) of intelligent thought as they relate to today’s conservative worldview philosophy.
Religion
The religion of the modern Western conservative is Judeo-Christianity. The explanation of origins of every religious Jew and of every faithful Christian can be found in the first few chapters of Genesis of the Holy Bible (or of the Torah). God created the heavens and the earth and all that dwell therein. God is both the Creator and the Author of Law. He established the framework of the nations/cultures/societies that roughly exist even to this day (See Chapter 10 of Genesis).
The Judeo-Christian ethic can be found, for example, in Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37-39, and Mark 12:30-31. The ethic of Judeo-Christianity, in a nutshell, is “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
Of course, not every conservative is a faithful Jew or a religious Christian. Sadly, many Christians, and perhaps even a majority of the world’s Jewish people have accepted both the secular (liberal) explanation of origins and the liberal ethic. (For information on the liberal explanation of origins and the liberal ethic, please review my column, The modern liberal worldview, posted on March 4, 2003.) Every true conservative, however, assumes from somewhere within the depths of his heart and mind the truth of two important principles: 1) There is a Supreme Creator and Author of all Law: Therefore, both law and truth are absolute; and 2) Individuals are both responsible and accountable to the Laws of the Creator.
America’s Declaration of Independence—in many ways the founding document of America—identifies the Source of all moral, political, and economic rights as “Their Creator” (meaning, of course, mankind’s Creator—God). America’s Founding Fathers time and time again spoke of “the Laws of Nature and (of) Nature’s God,” and the duty of every citizen to abide by these laws. True American liberty demands both responsibility and accountability to the Laws of the Creator. America was founded upon both of the aforementioned principles. America was founded upon the principles of Judeo-Christianity. A modern American conservative wants to preserve these important religious principles. A modern conservative will never forget the absolute fact that every genuine human right comes not from man, not from government, but from the Creator.
Since about the time of the fall of the Roman Empire, until very recently, the religion of Europe had been predominantly Christian. Europe’s culture, however, was never fully Christian. For more than a thousand years, Europe’s powerful “elite” had a concept of a Sovereign Creator and Author of Law, yet had absolutely no concept of human liberty. The “interpretation” of God’s Law was placed entirely in the hands of the “elite.” This way of thinking led to such doctrines and ideas as “the ‘Divine Right’ of kings” and forced allegiance (not to mention forced tribute) to an established church (i. e., an establishment of religion).
These doctrines and ideas defy Judeo-Christian principles. (See, for example, I Samuel 8:5-20.) They thwart one of the greatest themes of the Judeo-Christian Bible—to wit: Human dignity and human liberty. (For further discussion on and development of this topic, please look forward to both my seventh and tenth entries in this series.)
America’s Founders, for the first time in human history, established not just a religious ideology and not just a political system, but an entire culture upon these fundamental Judeo-Christian concepts. For the very first time in the history of the world, a nation was founded not only upon the idea of a Supreme Creator and Author of Law, but just as important, this new nation of 1776 would acknowledge and appreciate the uniquely Judeo-Christian idea of individual human liberty. There would be no king and no established church to stand in the way of human liberty, human dignity, or human progress. (Of course, nothing and no one in this world is perfect. The issue of Black slavery and the so-called “three-fifths rule” in the U. S. Constitution seem to give the lie to the previous statement. I hope to clear this up in the tenth and last entry of this series.)
America was the first and only nation founded by man to fully incorporate the uniquely Judeo-Christian concepts of liberty, mercy and judgment (or justice) into all four institutions of its culture. (Please stay tuned for column #8 in this series—Mercy vs. Judgment—for further details.) In other words, the concept of individual human liberty and fair, impartial, yet true justice was the ultimate goal for every American citizen; not to mention the very theme for American society as a whole. America’s political, economic, and scientific institutions are all founded squarely upon Judeo-Christian principles.
George Washington, America’s first president—the Father of Our Country—stated in his Farewell Address (17 September 1796), “Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness…” (See, for example, paragraph #27 of "George Washington's farewell address") I cannot possibly say it any better than George Washington did. American liberty and American justice come directly from the “religion” of Judeo-Christianity. The American Ideal comes from the Word and the Will of the Creator. Every aspect—every institution—of original American culture is rooted in a basic understanding of this concept. Anyone who would even attempt to argue otherwise would “claim the tribute of patriotism” in vain.
Politics
America’s Founders wanted nothing to do with totalitarianism in any form. No king would rule the American people. Kings, like every human being, are fallible and are guided by fundamentally evil (or selfish) human nature. No powerful “religious” authority would dictate, at its own whim, what is “right” or what is “wrong” for the American people. The people would be free to do what is right and shun what is wrong with one very important caveat: The people must be responsible to the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God. Failing this responsibility, any person must be held accountable. America’s Founders were quite aware of European history.
America’s Founders understood human nature. They were keenly aware that any pure democracy always results in a certain form of totalitarianism—the tyranny of the majority. In a democracy, the majority will always crush the will of the minority. A democracy—mob rule—was unacceptable to the Founders of America.
Legend says that Benjamin Franklin, as he left the final meeting of the Constitutional Convention, was approached by an old woman (some versions even identify the woman as Elizabeth Powel, the wife of the mayor of Philadelphia) who asked him, “What kind of government have you given us?” Old Ben’s reply was said to have been, “A Republic, madam; if you can keep it.” Even after much research, I do not know for sure if this legend is true, but I am convinced that every enduring legend is rooted in at least some degree of truth. For some degree of truth—some smattering “verification” of this legend—one need only look at Article IV, Section 4 of the U. S. Constitution.
The political system that was originally established for the United States of America was a Constitutional Republic. This system allows the people to freely elect those who would both enact and enforce the laws of the land. It does not allow the people to directly enact or enforce either law or policy. A Constitutional Republic requires an electorate that is generally moral, educated and informed. A democracy, on the other hand, would demand that every voter be a saint. Human nature forbids the possibility of any lasting democracy. In either system, any generally immoral, uneducated and/or uninformed electorate deserves nothing more than the representation that it gets.
The original American (i.e., the conservative) political system is based upon the promise of the rule of law—not upon the rule of man, any group of men, or any “relative” human concept of how “best” to govern society. The only legitimate law is the Law of Nature and Nature’s God. Dare I say it?! Political representatives who do not or will not comprehend the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God are illegitimate political “leaders.” Any politician who would disregard his own conscience or national security, for example, for raw political gain is an illegitimate “leader.” Furthermore, American voters who elect these illegitimate “leaders” claim only in vain the tribute of Patriotism.
(There; I said it. I fully understand the predicament of every conservative who has ever said to some liberal, “I do not question your patriotism; I only question your judgment.” However, in light of current events, the wisdom of George Washington, and my own understanding [after years of prayer and research] of the true meaning of liberalism and conservatism; I have come to believe that an intense analysis of any modern liberal’s purported “patriotism” is utterly justified. Modern liberals see the world through the distorted lens of relativism. Relativism says that human government is both the ultimate source of all valid law and the only licit grantor of justice. A true American, on the other hand, knows that the source of all law and justice is the Creator—GOD. Every human right comes from the Creator. Justice is served when those who would arbitrarily infringe upon the God-given rights of others are punished.)
The American political system is a Constitutional republic. Its ultimate goal is liberty and justice for all. This goal can only be fully realized when the Source of liberty and justice is clear. The Ultimate Source of justice is the Creator, Who is also the Author of all Law. Liberty is absolute individual freedom as long as the individual is responsible to the laws of the Creator. Any violation of the law demands consequences. Whenever violations of the law do not result in adequate consequences, true justice is not served.
The American (conservative) political system understands the rule of law and considers the nature of every human being. Any political system that both denies the Source of Law and ignores the evil (i.e., the selfish, indolent) nature of every human being is not a conservative political system. The American political system is based firmly upon an absolutist concept of liberty and justice. In other words, it is grounded in the Judeo-Christian “religion”; or worldview. Any political system that embraces the concepts of totalitarianism and/or relativism is the antithesis of the American political system.
Economics
The economic system that rocketed America to the status of economic superpower in less than 175 years of her existence is the free-enterprise system. Just like America’s political system, her economic system cannot and will not function without a generally moral, educated and informed populace. Just like America’s political system, her economic system is founded upon the uniquely Judeo-Christian ideas of liberty and justice. As with America’s political system, her economic system demands an understanding of basic human nature as the result of Adam’s original sin. (See, for example, Romans 5:12-14.)
No free-enterprise economic system can function properly (fairly and efficiently) without a strong Judeo-Christian ethical base. (Remember the Judeo-Christian ethic—“Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul and mind; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.) Free-enterprise, without this ethical basis, will inevitably deteriorate into materialism. Materialism is the belief that comfort, security, pleasure, and/or prosperity are the only things that really matter in life; or it is the tendency to focus on material things (e.g., a nice car or a large, comfortable house) rather than on spiritual things (e.g., God, His Will, justice, and righteousness). Without a strong Judeo-Christian ethic, powerful “capitalists” (because they are human—because their fundamental nature is self-serving) will exploit their workers and their customers for all they can get. With a strong Judeo-Christian ethical foundation, the built-in checks against human nature—competition and the bottom line—together with ethical competitors, workers and consumers (provided those competitors, workers and consumers are generally moral, educated and informed) keep the “capitalist” honest.
Several of America’s most influential and sagacious Founders expressed serious doubt that American liberty and justice would last more than a few generations. America’s Founders cherished human liberty. America’s Founders also profoundly understood human nature!
The economic system that was originally established for the United States of America was the free-enterprise system. It is based upon the Protestant Ethic—which, in turn, comes partially from II Thessalonians 3:6-15. (This message of St. Paul contains the famous phrase: “…if any would not work, neither should he eat.” [II Thessalonians 3:10] KJV.) It is the diametric opposite of the modern “liberal” economic system of socialism. (Please see my essay, “The modern liberal worldview” [March 4, 2003].)
Science
The American (conservative) approach to scientific discovery is the empirical method. According to the empirical method, assumptions and guesswork are simply not allowed. Only physical, observable evidence and laboratory proof can turn a hypothesis (an educated guess—a scientist’s best raw explanation) into a valid scientific theory (a scientifically proven explanation). (Contrast this with the dialectic method discussed in my previously referenced essay, “The modern liberal worldview.”)
However, the American cultural aspect of science goes much deeper than the method of scientific discovery. The phenomenal advances in science and technology—indeed the rapid and gigantic leap in human progress—since 1776 can be directly attributed to the Anglo-American (i.e., the Judeo-Christian) concept of liberty. For the very first time in human history, no religious or political “leader”—no monarchy and no “establishment of religion” would dictate the boundaries of physical law or scientific “truth.”
From the very founding of the United States of America, men would be free to use the empirical method and their own ingenuity not only to make discoveries, but to profit from those discoveries. No religious, political or economic “authority” could suppress either the discovery or the ability to profit from it—no authority, that is, other than the Creator. This is the recipe for human progress. This is why America stands today as the world’s only superpower in every sense of the word.
Just like the original American postulates of politics and economics, the original American concept of science is rooted in the Judeo-Christian ideas of liberty and justice. Neither liberty nor justice can exist when the public is not generally moral, educated and informed. As the noted French historian, Alexis de Toqueville, resolved after a rather in-depth study of American “democracy” in the early 1800’s, “America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
Every true modern Western conservative wants to maintain all four of the institutions upon which America was founded. A Constitutional Republic must be preferred over every form and any degree of political tyranny—including bureaucratic tyranny or tyranny of the majority. Free-enterprise must take precedence over any form or degree of socialism. The empirical method of scientific discovery beats the dialectic method whenever truth is the ultimate objective. Judeo-Christian concepts of Truth, liberty and justice are the absolute source of these original American ideas. Neither the American Ideal nor the American Dream can be realized without an understanding of these concepts. Nor could they possibly be expected to. American culture will not survive if her electorate is not generally moral, educated and informed.
Liberalism is easy! Just have fun. Complain when things do not go your way. Totally ignore both the hard work and the extreme sacrifice of others who made it possible for you to speak your mind. Live your life according to your will, while ignoring both the Word and the Will of your own Creator. And, finally—ultimately—then expect—no, have the chutzpah to demand your government bear the consequences of your irresponsibility. Or, on the other hand, you could be among the liberal “elite” who gain their power and influence by manipulating those who shamelessly make this demand and who rely on those votes.
May GOD bless those who are moral, educated and informed! May God richly bless America and keep her the “shining city upon the hill!”
© Sam Weaver
NOTE: This is the fifth in a series of ten essays designed to proffer my peculiar views and insights concerning Western worldviews and culture.
Modern conservatism has been defined and described in many terms. In today’s culture, via public education and “mainstream” media (i. e., TV, movies, newspapers, and news magazines), these expressions are negative much more often than not. A short list of the words and phrases commonly used to denote modern American conservatism include: “right-wing,” “religious right,” “extreme,” “uncaring,” “uncompassionate,” “intolerant,” “bigoted,” “discriminatory,” “isolationist,” “unilateral,” “arrogant,” “capitalistic,” “wealthy few,” and “narrow-minded.” The list goes on and on.
A conservative, in any society or culture, is one who wants to fundamentally conserve all four institutions upon which his society/culture was established. These four institutions (as you know, if you have been following my columns) are Religion, Politics, Economics, and Science. A true American conservative not only desires, but demands progress. Any genuine American conservative considers every fellow human being his absolute equal under the law. However, any violation of the law requires consequences.
This fifth installment of my series will examine the modern Western (Anglo-American) conservative worldview. It will address all four elements (institutions) of intelligent thought as they relate to today’s conservative worldview philosophy.
Religion
The religion of the modern Western conservative is Judeo-Christianity. The explanation of origins of every religious Jew and of every faithful Christian can be found in the first few chapters of Genesis of the Holy Bible (or of the Torah). God created the heavens and the earth and all that dwell therein. God is both the Creator and the Author of Law. He established the framework of the nations/cultures/societies that roughly exist even to this day (See Chapter 10 of Genesis).
The Judeo-Christian ethic can be found, for example, in Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37-39, and Mark 12:30-31. The ethic of Judeo-Christianity, in a nutshell, is “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
Of course, not every conservative is a faithful Jew or a religious Christian. Sadly, many Christians, and perhaps even a majority of the world’s Jewish people have accepted both the secular (liberal) explanation of origins and the liberal ethic. (For information on the liberal explanation of origins and the liberal ethic, please review my column, The modern liberal worldview, posted on March 4, 2003.) Every true conservative, however, assumes from somewhere within the depths of his heart and mind the truth of two important principles: 1) There is a Supreme Creator and Author of all Law: Therefore, both law and truth are absolute; and 2) Individuals are both responsible and accountable to the Laws of the Creator.
America’s Declaration of Independence—in many ways the founding document of America—identifies the Source of all moral, political, and economic rights as “Their Creator” (meaning, of course, mankind’s Creator—God). America’s Founding Fathers time and time again spoke of “the Laws of Nature and (of) Nature’s God,” and the duty of every citizen to abide by these laws. True American liberty demands both responsibility and accountability to the Laws of the Creator. America was founded upon both of the aforementioned principles. America was founded upon the principles of Judeo-Christianity. A modern American conservative wants to preserve these important religious principles. A modern conservative will never forget the absolute fact that every genuine human right comes not from man, not from government, but from the Creator.
Since about the time of the fall of the Roman Empire, until very recently, the religion of Europe had been predominantly Christian. Europe’s culture, however, was never fully Christian. For more than a thousand years, Europe’s powerful “elite” had a concept of a Sovereign Creator and Author of Law, yet had absolutely no concept of human liberty. The “interpretation” of God’s Law was placed entirely in the hands of the “elite.” This way of thinking led to such doctrines and ideas as “the ‘Divine Right’ of kings” and forced allegiance (not to mention forced tribute) to an established church (i. e., an establishment of religion).
These doctrines and ideas defy Judeo-Christian principles. (See, for example, I Samuel 8:5-20.) They thwart one of the greatest themes of the Judeo-Christian Bible—to wit: Human dignity and human liberty. (For further discussion on and development of this topic, please look forward to both my seventh and tenth entries in this series.)
America’s Founders, for the first time in human history, established not just a religious ideology and not just a political system, but an entire culture upon these fundamental Judeo-Christian concepts. For the very first time in the history of the world, a nation was founded not only upon the idea of a Supreme Creator and Author of Law, but just as important, this new nation of 1776 would acknowledge and appreciate the uniquely Judeo-Christian idea of individual human liberty. There would be no king and no established church to stand in the way of human liberty, human dignity, or human progress. (Of course, nothing and no one in this world is perfect. The issue of Black slavery and the so-called “three-fifths rule” in the U. S. Constitution seem to give the lie to the previous statement. I hope to clear this up in the tenth and last entry of this series.)
America was the first and only nation founded by man to fully incorporate the uniquely Judeo-Christian concepts of liberty, mercy and judgment (or justice) into all four institutions of its culture. (Please stay tuned for column #8 in this series—Mercy vs. Judgment—for further details.) In other words, the concept of individual human liberty and fair, impartial, yet true justice was the ultimate goal for every American citizen; not to mention the very theme for American society as a whole. America’s political, economic, and scientific institutions are all founded squarely upon Judeo-Christian principles.
George Washington, America’s first president—the Father of Our Country—stated in his Farewell Address (17 September 1796), “Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness…” (See, for example, paragraph #27 of "George Washington's farewell address") I cannot possibly say it any better than George Washington did. American liberty and American justice come directly from the “religion” of Judeo-Christianity. The American Ideal comes from the Word and the Will of the Creator. Every aspect—every institution—of original American culture is rooted in a basic understanding of this concept. Anyone who would even attempt to argue otherwise would “claim the tribute of patriotism” in vain.
Politics
America’s Founders wanted nothing to do with totalitarianism in any form. No king would rule the American people. Kings, like every human being, are fallible and are guided by fundamentally evil (or selfish) human nature. No powerful “religious” authority would dictate, at its own whim, what is “right” or what is “wrong” for the American people. The people would be free to do what is right and shun what is wrong with one very important caveat: The people must be responsible to the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God. Failing this responsibility, any person must be held accountable. America’s Founders were quite aware of European history.
America’s Founders understood human nature. They were keenly aware that any pure democracy always results in a certain form of totalitarianism—the tyranny of the majority. In a democracy, the majority will always crush the will of the minority. A democracy—mob rule—was unacceptable to the Founders of America.
Legend says that Benjamin Franklin, as he left the final meeting of the Constitutional Convention, was approached by an old woman (some versions even identify the woman as Elizabeth Powel, the wife of the mayor of Philadelphia) who asked him, “What kind of government have you given us?” Old Ben’s reply was said to have been, “A Republic, madam; if you can keep it.” Even after much research, I do not know for sure if this legend is true, but I am convinced that every enduring legend is rooted in at least some degree of truth. For some degree of truth—some smattering “verification” of this legend—one need only look at Article IV, Section 4 of the U. S. Constitution.
The political system that was originally established for the United States of America was a Constitutional Republic. This system allows the people to freely elect those who would both enact and enforce the laws of the land. It does not allow the people to directly enact or enforce either law or policy. A Constitutional Republic requires an electorate that is generally moral, educated and informed. A democracy, on the other hand, would demand that every voter be a saint. Human nature forbids the possibility of any lasting democracy. In either system, any generally immoral, uneducated and/or uninformed electorate deserves nothing more than the representation that it gets.
The original American (i.e., the conservative) political system is based upon the promise of the rule of law—not upon the rule of man, any group of men, or any “relative” human concept of how “best” to govern society. The only legitimate law is the Law of Nature and Nature’s God. Dare I say it?! Political representatives who do not or will not comprehend the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God are illegitimate political “leaders.” Any politician who would disregard his own conscience or national security, for example, for raw political gain is an illegitimate “leader.” Furthermore, American voters who elect these illegitimate “leaders” claim only in vain the tribute of Patriotism.
(There; I said it. I fully understand the predicament of every conservative who has ever said to some liberal, “I do not question your patriotism; I only question your judgment.” However, in light of current events, the wisdom of George Washington, and my own understanding [after years of prayer and research] of the true meaning of liberalism and conservatism; I have come to believe that an intense analysis of any modern liberal’s purported “patriotism” is utterly justified. Modern liberals see the world through the distorted lens of relativism. Relativism says that human government is both the ultimate source of all valid law and the only licit grantor of justice. A true American, on the other hand, knows that the source of all law and justice is the Creator—GOD. Every human right comes from the Creator. Justice is served when those who would arbitrarily infringe upon the God-given rights of others are punished.)
The American political system is a Constitutional republic. Its ultimate goal is liberty and justice for all. This goal can only be fully realized when the Source of liberty and justice is clear. The Ultimate Source of justice is the Creator, Who is also the Author of all Law. Liberty is absolute individual freedom as long as the individual is responsible to the laws of the Creator. Any violation of the law demands consequences. Whenever violations of the law do not result in adequate consequences, true justice is not served.
The American (conservative) political system understands the rule of law and considers the nature of every human being. Any political system that both denies the Source of Law and ignores the evil (i.e., the selfish, indolent) nature of every human being is not a conservative political system. The American political system is based firmly upon an absolutist concept of liberty and justice. In other words, it is grounded in the Judeo-Christian “religion”; or worldview. Any political system that embraces the concepts of totalitarianism and/or relativism is the antithesis of the American political system.
Economics
The economic system that rocketed America to the status of economic superpower in less than 175 years of her existence is the free-enterprise system. Just like America’s political system, her economic system cannot and will not function without a generally moral, educated and informed populace. Just like America’s political system, her economic system is founded upon the uniquely Judeo-Christian ideas of liberty and justice. As with America’s political system, her economic system demands an understanding of basic human nature as the result of Adam’s original sin. (See, for example, Romans 5:12-14.)
No free-enterprise economic system can function properly (fairly and efficiently) without a strong Judeo-Christian ethical base. (Remember the Judeo-Christian ethic—“Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul and mind; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.) Free-enterprise, without this ethical basis, will inevitably deteriorate into materialism. Materialism is the belief that comfort, security, pleasure, and/or prosperity are the only things that really matter in life; or it is the tendency to focus on material things (e.g., a nice car or a large, comfortable house) rather than on spiritual things (e.g., God, His Will, justice, and righteousness). Without a strong Judeo-Christian ethic, powerful “capitalists” (because they are human—because their fundamental nature is self-serving) will exploit their workers and their customers for all they can get. With a strong Judeo-Christian ethical foundation, the built-in checks against human nature—competition and the bottom line—together with ethical competitors, workers and consumers (provided those competitors, workers and consumers are generally moral, educated and informed) keep the “capitalist” honest.
Several of America’s most influential and sagacious Founders expressed serious doubt that American liberty and justice would last more than a few generations. America’s Founders cherished human liberty. America’s Founders also profoundly understood human nature!
The economic system that was originally established for the United States of America was the free-enterprise system. It is based upon the Protestant Ethic—which, in turn, comes partially from II Thessalonians 3:6-15. (This message of St. Paul contains the famous phrase: “…if any would not work, neither should he eat.” [II Thessalonians 3:10] KJV.) It is the diametric opposite of the modern “liberal” economic system of socialism. (Please see my essay, “The modern liberal worldview” [March 4, 2003].)
Science
The American (conservative) approach to scientific discovery is the empirical method. According to the empirical method, assumptions and guesswork are simply not allowed. Only physical, observable evidence and laboratory proof can turn a hypothesis (an educated guess—a scientist’s best raw explanation) into a valid scientific theory (a scientifically proven explanation). (Contrast this with the dialectic method discussed in my previously referenced essay, “The modern liberal worldview.”)
However, the American cultural aspect of science goes much deeper than the method of scientific discovery. The phenomenal advances in science and technology—indeed the rapid and gigantic leap in human progress—since 1776 can be directly attributed to the Anglo-American (i.e., the Judeo-Christian) concept of liberty. For the very first time in human history, no religious or political “leader”—no monarchy and no “establishment of religion” would dictate the boundaries of physical law or scientific “truth.”
From the very founding of the United States of America, men would be free to use the empirical method and their own ingenuity not only to make discoveries, but to profit from those discoveries. No religious, political or economic “authority” could suppress either the discovery or the ability to profit from it—no authority, that is, other than the Creator. This is the recipe for human progress. This is why America stands today as the world’s only superpower in every sense of the word.
Just like the original American postulates of politics and economics, the original American concept of science is rooted in the Judeo-Christian ideas of liberty and justice. Neither liberty nor justice can exist when the public is not generally moral, educated and informed. As the noted French historian, Alexis de Toqueville, resolved after a rather in-depth study of American “democracy” in the early 1800’s, “America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
Every true modern Western conservative wants to maintain all four of the institutions upon which America was founded. A Constitutional Republic must be preferred over every form and any degree of political tyranny—including bureaucratic tyranny or tyranny of the majority. Free-enterprise must take precedence over any form or degree of socialism. The empirical method of scientific discovery beats the dialectic method whenever truth is the ultimate objective. Judeo-Christian concepts of Truth, liberty and justice are the absolute source of these original American ideas. Neither the American Ideal nor the American Dream can be realized without an understanding of these concepts. Nor could they possibly be expected to. American culture will not survive if her electorate is not generally moral, educated and informed.
Liberalism is easy! Just have fun. Complain when things do not go your way. Totally ignore both the hard work and the extreme sacrifice of others who made it possible for you to speak your mind. Live your life according to your will, while ignoring both the Word and the Will of your own Creator. And, finally—ultimately—then expect—no, have the chutzpah to demand your government bear the consequences of your irresponsibility. Or, on the other hand, you could be among the liberal “elite” who gain their power and influence by manipulating those who shamelessly make this demand and who rely on those votes.
May GOD bless those who are moral, educated and informed! May God richly bless America and keep her the “shining city upon the hill!”
© Sam Weaver
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(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
