Increasingly today, what is undeniably evil is depicted as good and what most traditionalists, at least, used to agree is good passes often for evil.
What's striking to me is that many aren't merely rationalizing evil in an attempt to excuse their indefensible actions. They have systematically turned our entire moral code upside down. They have attacked the very basis for that code and declared that belief in its divine author itself is evil -- and dangerous.
Many deny that there is an affirmative war against Christianity and Judeo-Christian values, but they apparently haven't heard or read the words of some of the New Atheists -- or anti-theists, as some call themselves -- who conflate all religions and blame them all for most of the evil and war in the world.
Others scoff at the notion that Christianity and Christian values are being assaulted, arguing that it's absurd to believe a majority belief system could be under attack.
Let me share just three disturbing stories that caught my attention the past few days.
During an Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training briefing on extremism, evangelical Christianity, Catholicism and Islamophobia were listed along with al-Qaida, Hamas, the Ku Klux Klan and other groups as examples of religious extremism.
An Army spokesman confirmed that this occurred but told Fox News that this was an "isolated incident not condoned by the Dept. of the Army."
Well, that's good to know, but it doesn't change the fact that we see this kind of wrongheaded insanity with ever-greater frequency in our culture. The idea that evangelical Christianity and Catholicism can be listed as extremist organizations by anyone is troubling enough -- but even more so in a publication paid for by taxpayer dollars. This episode may be isolated as far as the Army is concerned, but the thought process giving rise to this twisted perspective is anything but unique, as those paying attention can attest.
Next, we turn to the Florida Statehouse, where legislators were considering a bill to require abortionists to provide medical care to an infant who survives an abortion -- the same type of bill President Obama opposed as an Illinois state senator.
Townhall reports that Alisa LaPolt Snow, the lobbyist representing the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, testified that her organization believes the decision to kill an infant who survives a failed abortion is the prerogative of the mother and her abortion doctor. It must not escape your attention that Snow repeatedly affirmed that she was speaking not on her own behalf but on behalf of her organization.
If this doesn't repulse you, you might need a stimulant to jump-start your moral blood pressure. If you think this is isolated thinking, then you might need to do a little more research into Planned Parenthood and the overall culture of death we are witnessing in this nation.
When Snow was pressed on her position, she reportedly betrayed no moral reservations about her organization's position. Rep. Jim Boyd asked her, "If a baby is born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, what would Planned Parenthood want to have happen to that child that's struggling for life?"
She replied, "We believe that any decision that's made should be left up to the woman, her family and the physician."
Stop right there. Pro-abortionists will still argue, disingenuously, I believe, that abortion does not involve the killing of a live human being, but no one can argue the procedure in question is anything short of premeditated murder. Let me repeat: premeditated murder. Yet we have a woman, representing a major organization that is cherished by the political left and receives government funding, arguing for the right to commit murder. There are no synonyms for "shocking" and "depraved" that can adequately describe this evil.
Finally, The Washington Times has reported that Melissa Harris-Perry, a professor at Tulane, has endorsed the concept of human ownership by the state.
I don't have the space to delve into this one, but it suffices to say that it fits nicely with the first two examples as another assault on our society's foundational institutions and values.
These incidents used to be rare, fringe occurrences but have now elbowed their way into mainstream culture.
Please don't accuse me of whining, pessimism or fatalism for calling these matters to your attention. I'm not saying the culture war is over, but I am saying the forces of evil have the upper hand and will ultimately prevail if the prevailing attitude of apathy and moral indifference continues to imprison our will to fight for what is right. It's up to us.
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