Posted on 07/12/2011 8:28:35 PM PDT by marshmallow
A reminder about the totalitarian temptation
The Washington Post’s culture critic, Philip Kennicott, recently took to the pages of his paper to note the “cognitive dissonance” between ingrained “habits of homophobia” in American culture, on the one hand, and a recognition that “overt bigotry is no longer acceptable in the public square,” on the other.
As an example of those who resolve this dissonance by holding fast to their homophobic prejudices, Kennicott cited Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, who had remarked on the similarities between the Empire State’s recent re-definition of marriage and the kind of human engineering attempted by totalitarian states; NRO’s Kathryn Jean Lopez and I came into Mr. Kennicott’s line of fire for displaying similarly “virulent homophobic rhetoric” in articles defending Archbishop Dolan’s suggestion that, in the marriage debate, the totalitarian temptation was very much in play.
Philip Kennicott’s line of attack nicely demonstrates the truth of Oscar Wilde’s famous observation that the only way to rid oneself of temptation is to yield to it. For crying “homophobia” is a cheap calumny, a crypto-totalitarian bully’s smear that impresses no serious person.
But for charity’s sake, let’s assume here that Mr. Kennicott simply had a bad day and might actually be interested in the arguments of those he and others have dismissed as bigots. Perhaps I can illustrate the point Kennicott’s targets were making by reminding all parties to this dispute of what marriage under totalitarianism was like — a subject I happened to be discussing with a Polish couple who were preparing to mark their 47th wedding anniversary when the Kennicott article appeared.
Under Polish Communism, Catholic couples — which is to say, just about everyone — got “married” twice. Because marriages in the Catholic Church were not recognized by the Communist state, believers had two “weddings.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
As I often point out, Juvenal declaimed specifically against gay marriage in his Satire II, presciently remarking, "If we live long enough, we shall see these things done openly" ... over 1900 years ago! And rest assured he had no sympathy with Christianity. His only concern was the violation of Roman Virtue.
If what he says is true, and that we are moving into a kind of totalitarnism — well, I don’t care to live that way or have my children live that way. So I see there are two options: fight —literally — the other side until one of us no longer stands, or say to hell with it and walk away.
If?
The human mind, like the wind, is free by its nature, and will never be corralled by edicts of the state.
Likewise, the rights mentioned in the Constitution are granted by God (not the state), and recognized by the state. That’s why Feckless Leader calls the Constitution a charter of negative liberties, in part. He wishes to have all power granted not to the people, but the state. That statement of yours, true though it is, is anathema to a mind feeling that all resides within the purview of the government. But then, we are also speaking of the titular head of those who categorize their opponents (us) as inherently wrong by virtue of intrinsic deficiencies, not people with a valid, but disagreeing, point of view. My humble opinion: pray for them. Because it may do them some good, and, I admit, it also seems to drive some of the left crazy. ;)
Could we see another American revolution down the road?
I think I'll start passing around "Homophobic pride" t-shirts.
A phobia is a fear. The left et.al. have done a good job with the misplaced term Homophobia to describe those of us that have a moral objection to homosexuality. It is not based in fear, but it is part of the lexicon non the less.
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