Dennis Prager, one of my favorite thinkers, has been writing what is basically an exegesis on Judeo-Christian values. He contrasts that worldview with the secular left simply to show further proof of the differences and the present culture war in the U.S. He is a huge fan of clarity, so he is careful to define the differences so both sides understand what they believe. His latest article is all about how liberalism is based solely on feelings. It's brilliant, and completely true. I've tried telling my liberal friends time and again that their viewpoints are based on feelings rather than logic. However, Dennis, as always, is far more articulate than I am, so I must direct you to that article entitled, Liberal Feelings vs. Judeo-Christian Values, Pt. VI. Here is an exerpt.
With the decline of the authority of Judeo-Christian values in the West, many people stopped looking to external sources of moral standards in order to decide what is right and wrong. Instead of being guided by God, the Bible and religion, great numbers -- in Western Europe, the great majority -- have looked elsewhere for moral and social guidelines.
For many millions in the twentieth century, those guidelines were provided by Marxism, Communism, Fascism or Nazism. For many millions today, those guidelines are … feelings. With the ascendancy of leftist values that has followed the decline of Judeo-Christian religion, personal feelings have supplanted universal standards. In fact, feelings are the major unifying characteristic among contemporary liberal positions.
Aside from reliance on feelings, how else can one explain a person who believes, let alone proudly announces on a bumper sticker, that "War is not the answer"? I know of no comparable conservative bumper sticker that is so demonstrably false and morally ignorant. Almost every great evil has been solved by war -- from slavery in America to the Holocaust in Europe. Auschwitz was liberated by soldiers making war, not by pacifists who would have allowed the Nazis to murder every Jew in Europe.
Click on the link I've given. You must read the article in its entirety.
Posted by Portia at February 24, 2005 10:08 AMLove that Dennis Prager!
Posted by: Jon at February 24, 2005 04:15 PMHow is religion based on logic rather than feelings? Is faith logic or a feeling?
Posted by: ziggy at February 25, 2005 07:56 AMHe never said religion is based on logic. Religious people and conservatives in general live their life by a set of logical rules, i.e. the Bible, the Torah, etc. The Bible teaches us to do what is morally and ethically (according to the Bible) right, no matter how we feel about it, or how it will make us look. That's logic.
Posted by: Jon at February 25, 2005 08:51 AMIf it begins with a feeling it's not logic. Liberalism on the other hand does not require any feeling or assumptions, if you believe, say, Kantian ethics. That's not to say that most liberals don't substitute moral feelings for analytical philosophy, but it is to say that it's no more irrational than religion, and in principle it's less so.
Posted by: ziggy at February 25, 2005 05:20 PMZiggy, have you read his article? There are also 5 others on the topic. It and they would answer many of your questions. Religions is completely not feelings based, at least the Judeo-Christian religions. Not at all. Neither are they irrational. I would encourage you to really examine the principles and practices of Judaism and Christianity to answer some of your questions as well. You would be hard pressed to find irrational or feelings based tenets in there. Trust me, I've been following them since I was a little girl. :)
Posted by: Emily at February 26, 2005 11:26 AMI read Dennis Prager's ENTIRE article and found it very worthwhile. I link to townhall but have never read his work before. So thanks.
I found your site from Shaking Spears (one of my favs) and really enjoy it.
Love that billboard...and I'm sorry for some of the comments you apparently have received. It's a shame but there is always the DELETE key.
Thanks again for sharing your insights.
