“But when we create our own God and our own world, what we are really doing is to deify our own lust. We are then bound to hate our fellow-men, as obstacles standing in the way of our wills.”― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
There is great controversy in Iowa and the United States about gender/sex issues. It boils down to post-modernism. The religion of post-modernism proclaims and teaches, even insists, that there is no absolute truth. Each of us gets to have our own truth, and there is no absolute truth.
This is in direct contradiction to Christianity. Jesus Christ proclaimed there is only one truth, Himself. Christianity is based on this proclamation of absolute, universal truth. As Western civilization becomes less Christian and instead more secular, we find society becoming based on the worship of self. We are, after all, beings in need of someone or something on which we can rely, something to look up to, something to carry us through tough times. As we reject Jesus, we must cling to something else to fill the void.
We find this something else in “post-modernism.” The “post-modern” person rejects the so-called “modern” philosophy. There are basically six areas of disagreement between the two philosophies.
Modernism believes in an all-encompassing “grand theory” that combines culture, science and history to explain everything and that represents all knowledge. Post-modernism rejects theories that try to encompass reality.
Modernism believes in the objective. Post-modernism rejects this and looks at everything subjectively. Not as things are but as various possibilities, including how we “want” things to be.
Modernism says there are universal truths that govern the world. Post-modernism says there are no universal truths.
Modernism is serious and direct. Post-modernism teaches everything is a parody, ironic and there is a total lack of seriousness.
Modernism teaches faith in a deeper meaning over superficial appearances. Post-modernism says there is no depth, everything is only superficial.
Modernism believes in learning from past experiences and the historical record. Post-modernism rejects focusing on past experience and rejects objective historical truth.
All this leads to an “anything goes” philosophy. We can believe in anything we want. Our personal reality becomes really, really, true. At least to us, and no one can dare to challenge us, or tell us we are wrong.
Climate change is right up there on the list. There are many real climate scientists who use real historical data to prove that so-called “man caused climate change” is not true. But because of post-modernism any one can claim that man is destroying the world-wide balance of climate. Even those with multiple mansions, who fly around the world in private jet airplanes to places like Davos, Switzerland. We can also safely ignore the fact that nations like China and India are building coal-fired electric generating plants at the rate of 20 or more each year. Apparently, climate change is not caused by the wealthy, or the so-called “developing nations.” According to post-modernism, climate change can be determined by looking at no more than the weather from the last one or 200 years.
Because of post-modernism we now have the ability to decide our own gender. The “modern” scientific notion that each human being is formed as either a male or a female no longer applies. Because we are now post-modern, we can throw off the shackles of our birth, and decide for ourselves our true sex. If our bodies regrettably betray our new found identity, it is our right, nay – our duty, to declare otherwise. Not only can we unilaterally decide our gender, all other humans must recognize and affirm this self-declared reality.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church in Germany. His writings on Christianity’s role in the secular world have become widely influential; his 1937 book “The Cost of Discipleship” is described as a modern classic. Apart from his theological writings, Bonhoeffer was known for his staunch resistance to the Nazi dictatorship, including vocal opposition to Adolf Hitler’s euthanasia program. Bonhoeffer was a member of the conspiracy to assassinate Hitler and was hung for this crime just a month before the defeat of Germany and the end of WWII in Europe.
When we practice post-modernism, we are rejecting reality. We are declaring ourselves to be God. This is dangerous. This is insanity.
Mike Lang, Chairman, Union County Republican Central Committee