Copyright 2018,2023 by Shea Oakley
All rights reserved
In my view a “Humanism” that is not based on belief in absolute truth, and a reverence for human life which derives from that truth, will eventually become murderous towards those who oppose it. Such Humanism will finally become as inhuman as any totalitarian system in history because it has no supremely transcendent foundation on which to value a person’s worth. If contemporary apostles of militant secularism continue to gain the reins of power in the West their philosophy will finally become one that cannot tolerate the presence of those who hold to a transcendent morality. All of this new order’s supposedly progressive celebration of toleration and diversity will ultimately develop into a spirit of hatred towards those who criticize it, especially from the standpoint of monotheistic faith.
True human rights are a function of the value that all persons derive from being made in the image of the God of the Bible. This is why the only true Humanism has developed most effectively and completely in Judeo-Christian societies. All of the great campaigns to better the rights of the individual, from the abolition of slavery to the institution of political guarantees of freedom of expression and conscience, have been marshaled by those who have been inspired by the worth assigned to human beings by God. This historical fact has been either forgotten or ignored by those who like to paint those who worship Him as purveyors of intolerance and hatred.
The level of hostility that exists among secular elites towards Theistic religious belief, particularly theologically orthodox Christianity, is profoundly disturbing. It is not an exaggeration to say that many secularists would like to see this form of religious conviction disappear from the face of the earth. Of course the only way that will happen is for those who hold to this conviction to either give it up…or disappear as well.
Some social conservatives have been heard to say that the only absolute truth left in Western society is the belief that there is no absolute truth. We may smile at what a clever observation this is, and how effective it might be in getting “one-up” in debates, but we would do well to soberly consider what our championing of this proposition will finally provoke. Those who are loath to acknowledge truth will not acknowledge it no matter how adroit or persuasive we are in its presentation. We will only enrage those who have decidedly closed their minds and hearts to the possibility that they may be fatally wrong in their assumptions. When people who value self-sovereignty above all else are confronted with the fact that they are in rebellion against God, and are in danger of judgment by that God, they can respond in only two ways. One way is to repent, the other is to demonize those who witness to this reality and seek to silence them by whatever means necessary.
If this sounds extreme remember that prohibitions against the taking of human life are ultimately sustained by religious underpinnings and always have been. Take away these underpinnings and the entire structure of human rights will inevitably collapse. Once this happens all that will remain is the primacy of personal power and the fallen human tendency to abuse that power. Combine this with our other tendency towards bloodlust and the scenario for those who stand against an ascendant radical secularism becomes clear.
We who contend for the human race’s accountability to its Creator should not harbor any illusions. As Western society continues to travel down the path it has in recent years a time will come when it becomes corporately captive to the preservation of the “imperial self” at all costs. When this happens those who champion absolute truth, and the God who embodies that truth, will be treated as a threat that must be ruthlessly eliminated.
If and, more likely, when this occurs Secular Humanism will turn lethal.