I remember my previous spiritual director pointed out to me that tolerance is not a Christian virtue, but I think I still have some residue left over from my own liberal days. The reason I worry about taking a stand at times is because I still think tolerance is somehow the superior good. I've managed to equate tolerance with humility, the latter being indeed a Christian virtue.
But as I think about the Woke Ideology that has become the defacto Secular Religion of the US and perhaps Western Civilization as a whole, I realize that tolerance only has the moral superiority within the Woke World View. In a Christian World View, there are moral absolutes, which by definition eliminate the ability to treat any and all perspectives as equally valid and valuable.
What else does the Woke Religion value that I need to be aware of?
Tolerance. Equity. This second one is also contrary to the Gospel. The Biblical worldview tells us that we all have different callings from God, different challenges, and that we are not to compare ourselves with each other but rather to do the best we can with what we have. Now, of course, there are basic human rights that we ought to fight for, but I think this is where we need to iron out what Christianity sees as human rights, and what the Woke Religion sees as human rights.
Christianity sees the right to life, liberty, and even property!... but pursuit of happiness is an American value, not a Christian virtue. Rights from the Christian worldview are seen as something we owe to others, not something we demand for ourselves. They stem from the 10 commandments and Jesus's dual Great Commandment of loving neighbors as ourselves.
So, since we ought to honor our parents, our parents can be said to "have a right" to being honored by their children.
Since we are to not kill, we can say all people have a right to not be killed.
Since we are to not steal, we have a right to our private property.
Since we are to not cheat, we have a right to not be cheated by others.
Since we are to not commit adultery, we have a right to expect fidelity from our spouses.
Since we are to not covet, we have a right to not be envied by others. (This one doesn't really hold water...)
Let's look at how Woke Religion does according to the above standard.
Parents are being overridden by the government when it comes to transgender issues and their own children. In some cases they are being separated from their children for making decisions contrary to the Woke view.
Killing has been turned on its head in the case of both abortion and euthenasia, where they are both considered a "right" rather than the absence of the right to life.
We are told that taking from the priviledged and giving to the less advantaged is their "right" in the name of equity. So equity is in direct contrast to the commandment to not steal, for it overrides the right to private property.
We are not to cheat, yet the transgender ideology as it relates to women's sports certainly provides an unfair advantage to male bodies over female bodies on account of the male bodie's minds identifying as female!
Adultery is pretty much seen as a quaint vestige of the past at best, and patriarchal oppression at worst. People's sexuality is now seen as something that could "by nature" (or by preference) be "polyamorous", and some of the more liberal churches even have pondered if they shouldn't "bless" such group unions! In effect, lifelong fidelity to one spouse is out the window.
The Wokeists claim that they are only demainding what anyone would want for themselves, thereby evoking Jesus's commandment about loving our neighbor as ourselves. We are to use terminology that is contrary to biological facts for the sake of appeasing the mental disorders of trans people, as if we would expect the same for any other mental delusion. If I'm pschizofrenic, the last thing that is in my best interest is a society that goes along with my delusions and pretends with me. I have zero hope of ever being rescued from my illness in that environment.
This comes down to whether we have a right to what is in our best interest, or merely to whatever our current desire is. The Woke say we have a right to happiness, basically. Not joy, mind you, but happiness, which by definition is fleeting. Christians would say we have a right to have our whole person cared for with the long view in mind. Just because we want to do something self-destructive doesn't mean we have a right to it!
And so we are at a crossroads. There is no way to reconcile the two worldviews. We will end up loyal to one and hating the other. Much like it says in the Bible about not being able to serve to masters. The God and Mammon quote is generally used to refer to financial wealth and money, but I think it fits here, too. The point is, we can only serve one Master, and we will serve someone or something, whether we want to or not. So it's in our best interest to serve the One Who created us, for He has our best interest in mind!
Perhaps there are specific political issues that it may be Christ-like to come down on the left side, but only if they are assessed from the point of view of the Great Commandment and the 10 Commandments. We may want to be granted our every whim, but do we really want to grant every whim of every one of our neighbors? That would result in utter chaos and no security, for whims by nature change from minute to minute.
I may want to be treated with respect, and so name-calling is probably not the Christ-like response to Leftists or Trans Activists. We want to engage them with respect, even when they resort to name-calling and cancellation and downright destruction of our reputation. But it does not mean we have to bow down to their demands. We can disagree appropriately and respectfully. We can refuse to embrace what doesn't feel right to us based on our own world-view. If they have given themselves the right to hold to a world-view that is entirely based on individual human independence and desire, then using their own standards would necessitate they extend those rights to us, who choose to follow a world-view we believe comes to us directly from God the Maker of Heaven and Earth. It's His world, His rules, He knows what He's doing. We have a right to believe this, since people can believe whatever they come up with nowadays.
But the Left is based on hypocricy, not anything timeless or dependable. That's how I know it's not virtuous. Virtue can only be unchanging, for it comes from the Unchanging God. There are so-called cultural virtues, like collectivism vs individuality, or honor vs mercy/compassion, or reverence for ancestors vs pursuit of innovations. But if followed to their natural end, we see that the Truth with a capital T is a balance between the two extremes.
