Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 1:01am
Where religion rides the political carousel
Column: Mensch Press
Funny how certain trivial events generate life-long memories. A seventh-grade teacher, trying to explain the terms "left wing" and "right wing" used in current events, drew a long flat line along the blackboard in front of us. At the far left end of the line, he wrote the word "Communists" and at the far right end, he wrote the word "Fascists." Somewhere between the middle and "Communists," he wrote the word "Democrats" and then did the same on the other side, writing the word "Republicans." Presumably, those who knew their right hand from their left got the concept.
A plain straight line — with the tyrannical ideologies of Communism and Fascism diametrically opposed — is probably how most people view the terms "left wing" and "right wing." Unfortunately, as I would learn, this depiction of the political spectrum was about as accurate as those first drawings I made in kindergarten depicting the sky as a smear of blue crayon racing along the top of the page.
At home, I asked my Dad — a proud Jew and an impassioned anti-Communist — about the difference between Communism and Fascism, both of which I knew were bad. "Theoretically," he replied, "they pretend that there's nothing in common." He went on to explain that, in practice, they're both imposed through dictatorships which substitute the State for God and generate misery for almost everyone except the privileged few. Fascists are particularly adept at internal propaganda. They're able to convince their people that their lack of status and progress is dependent upon defining another people — often Jews — as the scapegoat. The Nazis did it in the '30s and the Arabs did it in the '60s (when my Dad was explaining this) and, of course, they do it today. Communists, on the other hand, seem to have a better grasp of external propaganda, convincing useful idiots around the world that, despite the rampant misery caused by centralized state control, they are building heaven on earth.
When I understood that Communism and Fascism were reverse sides of the same coin, I realized that the political spectrum is not a straight line at all, but rather a circle, or better yet, a clock face. Fascism is at 6:29; Communism is at 6:31. Recall that Hitler's Nazi political party was the "National Socialists" — ostensibly, a left-wing movement — and that Hitler greatly admired how Stalin had destroyed his rivals and amassed power in Soviet Russia. The two tyrannosaurs even approved a mutual non-aggression pact in 1939 which remained in effect until Hitler ordered the invasion of Soviet Russia in 1941. It is true that Fascists and Communists have professed hatred for each other more often than not (see, e.g., the Spanish Civil War), but this arises less from ideological differences than from the fierce competition between predators.
Indeed, the real political opposites are Conservatism and Liberalism, located at approximately 1 to 4 and 8 to 11, respectively. Fascists and Communists will agree on many more things than liberals and conservatives ever will. A few examples illustrate the dichotomy in the United States today: Conservatives are pro-life; liberals are pro-abortion. Conservatives want to lower taxes; liberals seek to raise them. The liberal solution is more government; overly intrusive government is the problem for conservatives. Liberals pursue the absolute separation of church and state and Socialists (at 7:59 and earlier on the political spectrum) the diminution of God in society. Conservatives believe that freedom will flourish only in a society that promotes belief in an ethical God.
It is this last aspect that comprises a second defining characteristic of the political spectrum. Generally, starting at about noon, as one heads leftward — counter-clockwise — on the spectrum, God-worship declines and secular humanism increasingly predominates. The apotheosis, so to speak, of the anti-God forces is reached at the bottom of the spectrum — in the hellish regions of the brutal "fatal-isms," where dictators substitute the state (or themselves) for God. And so the moral standard embodied in God belief is supplanted by the capricious will of the dictator. The wrong race (in German Fascism), the wrong religion(s) (in Islamofascism), the wrong economic class (in Communism) is deemed to be "immoral" — and human beings who don't fit in the favored class are treated inhumanly.
The fact that, in this election season as in all election seasons, all of the leading candidates for the U.S. presidency publicly profess their belief in God indicates not that the candidates are all huddled on the right side of the political spectrum — a patent absurdity, particularly with this crew — but rather, when it comes to religion, the American electorate is more conservative and wants to hear their candidates profess the sovereignty of a higher spiritual authority. And though the large majority of Americans rightfully reject theocracy (the rightward position of which on the political spectrum is mirrored by socialism on the left), woe to the political candidate — Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal — who announces that God is a figment of the American public's imagination. His or her half-life on the political scene would be too brief to measure. Nationally, America only votes for professed God believers. Thank God.
— — —
Samuel R. Lewis writes on current events and is a columnist for UPI's ReligionAndSpirituality.com. His email is {email srlewis65@yahoo.com}srlewis65@yahoo.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Samuel R. Lewis.
A plain straight line — with the tyrannical ideologies of Communism and Fascism diametrically opposed — is probably how most people view the terms "left wing" and "right wing." Unfortunately, as I would learn, this depiction of the political spectrum was about as accurate as those first drawings I made in kindergarten depicting the sky as a smear of blue crayon racing along the top of the page.
At home, I asked my Dad — a proud Jew and an impassioned anti-Communist — about the difference between Communism and Fascism, both of which I knew were bad. "Theoretically," he replied, "they pretend that there's nothing in common." He went on to explain that, in practice, they're both imposed through dictatorships which substitute the State for God and generate misery for almost everyone except the privileged few. Fascists are particularly adept at internal propaganda. They're able to convince their people that their lack of status and progress is dependent upon defining another people — often Jews — as the scapegoat. The Nazis did it in the '30s and the Arabs did it in the '60s (when my Dad was explaining this) and, of course, they do it today. Communists, on the other hand, seem to have a better grasp of external propaganda, convincing useful idiots around the world that, despite the rampant misery caused by centralized state control, they are building heaven on earth.
When I understood that Communism and Fascism were reverse sides of the same coin, I realized that the political spectrum is not a straight line at all, but rather a circle, or better yet, a clock face. Fascism is at 6:29; Communism is at 6:31. Recall that Hitler's Nazi political party was the "National Socialists" — ostensibly, a left-wing movement — and that Hitler greatly admired how Stalin had destroyed his rivals and amassed power in Soviet Russia. The two tyrannosaurs even approved a mutual non-aggression pact in 1939 which remained in effect until Hitler ordered the invasion of Soviet Russia in 1941. It is true that Fascists and Communists have professed hatred for each other more often than not (see, e.g., the Spanish Civil War), but this arises less from ideological differences than from the fierce competition between predators.
Indeed, the real political opposites are Conservatism and Liberalism, located at approximately 1 to 4 and 8 to 11, respectively. Fascists and Communists will agree on many more things than liberals and conservatives ever will. A few examples illustrate the dichotomy in the United States today: Conservatives are pro-life; liberals are pro-abortion. Conservatives want to lower taxes; liberals seek to raise them. The liberal solution is more government; overly intrusive government is the problem for conservatives. Liberals pursue the absolute separation of church and state and Socialists (at 7:59 and earlier on the political spectrum) the diminution of God in society. Conservatives believe that freedom will flourish only in a society that promotes belief in an ethical God.
It is this last aspect that comprises a second defining characteristic of the political spectrum. Generally, starting at about noon, as one heads leftward — counter-clockwise — on the spectrum, God-worship declines and secular humanism increasingly predominates. The apotheosis, so to speak, of the anti-God forces is reached at the bottom of the spectrum — in the hellish regions of the brutal "fatal-isms," where dictators substitute the state (or themselves) for God. And so the moral standard embodied in God belief is supplanted by the capricious will of the dictator. The wrong race (in German Fascism), the wrong religion(s) (in Islamofascism), the wrong economic class (in Communism) is deemed to be "immoral" — and human beings who don't fit in the favored class are treated inhumanly.
The fact that, in this election season as in all election seasons, all of the leading candidates for the U.S. presidency publicly profess their belief in God indicates not that the candidates are all huddled on the right side of the political spectrum — a patent absurdity, particularly with this crew — but rather, when it comes to religion, the American electorate is more conservative and wants to hear their candidates profess the sovereignty of a higher spiritual authority. And though the large majority of Americans rightfully reject theocracy (the rightward position of which on the political spectrum is mirrored by socialism on the left), woe to the political candidate — Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal — who announces that God is a figment of the American public's imagination. His or her half-life on the political scene would be too brief to measure. Nationally, America only votes for professed God believers. Thank God.
— — —
Samuel R. Lewis writes on current events and is a columnist for UPI's ReligionAndSpirituality.com. His email is {email srlewis65@yahoo.com}srlewis65@yahoo.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Samuel R. Lewis.