Freedom and individuality are wonderful. Taken to extremes like anarchy or hyper individualism, they are terrifying.
Often, people throw around the phrases “agree to disagree,” “that’s none of your business,” or, a personal favorite amongst liberals, “stop shoving your beliefs down my/our throat(s).” Similarly popular is out-of-context Biblical messages.
It’s especially amusing to hear people scream about how Christ forgave the adulteress who was about to be stoned, saying “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her,” as an example of how Christians must “accept” everyone no matter what. Christ also told that same adulteress to go and sin no more. How very unaccepting of him.
Many Americans today use these tactics to encourage non-judgment and hyper individualism, and they can be difficult to fight.
In the face of these child-like arguments, non-religious Americans often abide by their nationalistic beliefs in individuality, and Christians struggle with the out-of-context words of Christ. This mentality gives Americans an excuse to live as they see fit, within their own definitions of right and wrong.
All is relative or subjective, including morality and beliefs. If someone dares to say something people don’t want to hear — especially those doggoned fundamentalist Christians with their absolutes — then by golly, you’re a narrow-minded hater who doesn’t deserve to voice an opinion.
And so, freedom and individuality have turned into something perverse. Desire has taken the place of good, and that is harmful for free countries like ours.
This form of thinking surrounds us and has even invaded many churches. An example of this came with Ben Abbott and his play “Questions of the Heart,” which he performed in Moscow on Aug. 12 and 13. The play examined what it means to be gay and Mormon. Abbott portrayed real gay Mormons he interviewed and echoed their fondness for the Mormon Church. But, their fondness came as a matter of the self and not truth. Being actively gay was more important to them than following God — and it’s certainly more comfortable to live in that regard rather than in the Spirit.
This hyper individualism doesn’t just apply to homosexuals. It also applies to every American who believes and tells others they cannot judge them, who says you cannot criticize a woman’s choice to abort her child, who believes various words and names should be condemned (i.e. the Washington Redskins’ name, the word bossy), who says your opinion is illegitimate because of white privilege, and so on.
Christ or truth no longer matter, especially if they get in the way of our comfort and feelings — and thus we continue to undermine our liberty. No one can criticize, even in an effort to help one’s neighbor, because we all live in our little bubbles where absolutes have no meaning and nearly everything can be considered “none of your business.” This is a serious matter that we should ponder.
Andrew Jenson can be reached at [email protected]