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I think
this is a pretty reasonable definition. Izzy: New
definitions: 'Liberal' vs. 'conservative' Posted: October 28, 2004 © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
When I was growing up, the
political labels "conservative" and "liberal" basically
described fiscal philosophies. Of course, there were exceptions. For instance, for much of the
last 40 years, "conservative" denoted a more nationalistic,
democracy-inclined outlook. "Liberal" implied a much greater acceptance of
competing worldviews like socialism and communism. But as a rule, the labels usually
indicated a philosophic divide over the role of government and its claim on our
tax dollars. "Conservatives" generally favored allowing private
initiative to flourish without overbearing governmental intrusion. In other
words, the "keep the government's hands out of our wallets and we'll all
be better off" kind of thinking. "Liberals" usually felt that only the government
could wield the kind of power needed to tackle society's biggest problems. And
certainly only the government could solve those problems with fairness and
impartiality. Their thinking was, "Don't trust big business. Only big
government will bother to take care of the little guy." But beyond those fiscal and political differences, many of the
people of both stripes were remarkably similar. There were good, moral,
spiritual people on both sides of the aisle. Though they usually disagreed on
domestic issues, they often stood together on foreign issues. Though they often disagreed on how many tax dollars to collect
and how to spend those dollars, they frequently agreed on issues of moral
consequence to the nation. It was not uncommon for a fiscal "liberal"
to be spiritually and morally conservative. THIS IS NOT THE CASE ANYMORE! Of course, there are always exceptions on both sides. But by
and large, the core beliefs of a "conservative" and a
"liberal" in past decades are as I have outlined them above. But these labels do not mean the
same thing today. When you examine the fiscal philosophies of
the two major political parties, they are now unfortunately similar. Though the Republicans decry big government, Republican
administrations usually do very little to downsize. On the other hand, the Democrats are currently attempting to
claim the mantel of "peacemaker" while charging the Republicans with
"warmongering." They conveniently ignore the fact that in the last
half-century, with just a couple of exceptions, But the thing that concerns me most – and should concern
all Christians – is this: The characteristics that used to define and
divide conservatives and liberals – economics and government – now
don't seem so defining. And the qualities that used to unite members of both
major parties – morality and national pride – are now the arena of
all-out warfare. It is the great divide. Putting the issues succinctly into today's realities, it looks
like this: If you are a "liberal," you favor abortion and you support
homosexual marriage. You want to see prayer banned from public gatherings and
you think all Scripture – including the Ten Commandments, which form the
basis of our system of law – should be removed from the public square.
You believe that condemning certain deviant behavior should be a crime. If you are a "liberal," you think government can make
better decisions and spend your money more wisely than you. You believe that
legislation can dramatically improve the fortunes of all Americans. You think
that taxpayers should foot the bill for many who either don't want to work or
can't work as a result of their destructive lifestyles. A "liberal" today takes comfort in the knowledge that
even if Furthermore, the majority of liberals think the And most concerning of all, if you are a liberal, you are
convinced that religion has caused most of our problems and should either be
banned or tightly controlled. Finally, if you are a "liberal," you probably don't
believe there should be any restrictions on your moral or ethical behavior. At the other end of the spectrum lie the
"conservatives." "Conservatives" predominantly believe that life is
given by God and begins at conception. They believe it is therefore sacred and
to be revered and preserved at all cost. You think that our basic rights are
granted by God, Himself – not by governments of men or human courts
– and therefore cannot be denied without penalty.
"Conservatives" believe our nation was founded by Christians on Judeo-Christian
principles – that those principles and values have enabled our nation to
become strong and prosperous. If you are a conservative, you probably are convinced that it
is not only our right to worship without interference, but that it is our
obligation to publicly remind ourselves from whence our strength and blessings
flow. As a conservative, you understand that marriage is a sacred
institution designed by God to be the union of one man and one woman. You think
that when society condones and sanctions deviant behavior, destructive
lifestyles and moral depravity, it degrades and weakens our nation. A "conservative" believes in the power and the rights
of the individual, the family and the private sector to create and preserve
wealth. You believe that our earned wealth is to enhance our lives. You are
confident that government should play an important role in protecting the
nation, supplying common essential services, and providing a safety net for the
weaker and less fortunate in our midst. It should, however, be our servant and
not our master. Finally, if you are a conservative, you probably believe that
God raised up the You believe Twelve years ago, the campaign slogan that propelled Bill
Clinton to victory was: "It's the
economy ... Stupid." But to the informed and critically
thinking person today, there are much more important issues than just the
economy. We are facing an enemy that hides in the shadows, doesn't play
by any of the rules, and is determined to use any means to bring about our
literal annihilation. And though this aptly describes the Islamic fanatics who seek
our destruction, it also describes the enemy that lurks among us. The enemy
that seeks to remake Twelve years ago, you could vote for the liberal agenda and
plausibly convince yourself that you were just calling for a change in fiscal
philosophies. Today, you don't have that luxury. A vote for the conservative
cause next week – in the national, state and local races – is a
vote to continue the effort to reverse
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