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I'm a Conservative


TexasTiger

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"Conservatism, I strongly believe, is not a bad word or a bad ideal. It is, however, a term misunderstood. Those who label themselves conservative today seem most often not to be conservative at all. They have, in reality, a highly radicalized agenda, one set on taking us backwards. It is that direction which seems to imply conservatism, but it shouldn’t. Radicality lacks a vector, and should be known only through the severity of its proposed changes. To roll us back to a time when religion alone led us, to a time when white skin alone defined the rules, to a time when only the few owned nearly everything, is radical and not, axiomatically, conservative." This!

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Great essay.

I have sometimes made the same arguments in the past.

I think true conservatism became conflated with the unrestricted greed that (so called) "free" enterprise philosophies seem to be ultimately based on. It's hardly conservative in principle.

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Laughable.....So I shall.

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Great essay.

I have sometimes made the same arguments in the past.

I think true conservatism became conflated with the unrestricted greed that (so called) "free" enterprise philosophies seem to be ultimately based on. It's hardly conservative in principle.

Ive seen some blatant bull s*** before but this may take the cake for being the most absurd crock of s*** i have ever seen

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Because I’m a Conservative, I believe in a strong separation of church and state. :thumbsup: As Eliade wrote in The Sacred and the Profane, “the sacred always manifests itself as a reality of a wholly different order from ‘natural’ realities.” We do a disservice to the truly sacred when we force it into Caesar’s world. What is sacred to me is between myself and my Maker—and forcing that into the public square diminishes both of Us.

Because I’m a Conservative, I care about the environment. :thumbsup: Whether prompted by the Bible or by our own sense of morality (itself a part of the sacred), we are stewards of this earth, and we owe it to ourselves and our children—and to the plants and animals who cannot protect themselves from us—to provide not just good stewardship, but as perfect a stewardship as we can conceive.

Because I’m a Conservative, I support gay marriage. :thumbsup: I believe that a family with two loving parents is a benefit to children—and to parents. Kids get to see loving interactions (important to their development and world view) and parents can both join with—and rescue, when needed—each other, having a close friend with whom to share the thoughts, feelings, joys, and stresses of life, amplified even more with children.

Because I’m a Conservative, I care about personal responsibility. Too often, though, the term has been re-interpreted to mean “taking care of #1” when personal responsibility should also include ownership and accountability for what goes on around me. That means I have a responsibility to understand the plights of others, to recognize when and how I might contribute to such ills, and to do what I can to correct them, to create a fair and level playing field where everyone has the same chances given the same efforts. :thumbsup:

Because I’m a Conservative, I care about reasonable gun control. For me, a key component of traditional conservatism is feeling safe and secure, knowing that risk is minimal, and understanding what to expect of my neighbors. Randomly politicized gun-waving does nothing to further this cause, instead making us feel less safe, less secure. There is nothing “conservative” about walking into a store armed with semi-automatic weapons; it is egocentric, narcissistic, and dangerous. :thumbsdown:

Because I’m a Conservative I care about knowledge. Through the ages much has been learned, discovered, explored, and revealed. Not all of it has been good for us, but much of it has. And learning begets learning, all of which raises us up. To be conservative is not about the worn-out equation of ignorance and bliss, but about recognizing that our greatest assets include both our souls and our minds, and encouraging the growth of both equally. They are, after all, both a part of us, and handcuffing the one in favor of the other only insults each. :thumbsup:

Conservatism, I strongly believe, is not a bad word or a bad ideal. It is, however, a term misunderstood. Those who label themselves conservative today seem most often not to be conservative at all. They have, in reality, a highly radicalized agenda, one set on taking us backwards. It is that direction which seems to imply conservatism, but it shouldn’t. Radicality lacks a vector, and should be known only through the severity of its proposed changes. To roll us back to a time when religion alone led us, to a time when white skin alone defined the rules, to a time when only the few owned nearly everything, is radical and not, axiomatically, conservative.

For those of you who embrace the roots of conservatism, I urge you to continue to do so. For those who seek to call out conservatives, I ask that you recognize the difference between those of us who are, and those who have stolen the terminology from us and bastardized it for their own specious use. And for those of you who claim the role of conservative but so clearly are not… well… I ask nothing of you, for you have already shown us who and what you are.

I am a FISCAL Conservative and a SOCIAL Liberal.

This guy has some very good ideas.

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He has some good thoughts but again, he misinterprets things that are going on in the world. I don't believe in gay marriage for one simple reason. It is morally wrong for two people of the same sex to be together like that, period. I also know that once you redefine marriage from the traditional sense, that it just essentially opens the door for anyone doing anything. It's already started and it will only get worse from here. Now that doesn't mean I hate the individuals but rather I don't believe that what they are doing is right. It's the sin and not the sinner. The term "responsible gun control" is a load of hogwash. That is a term that was made up to convince people that don't understand the gun control crowd, that they are really nice people who just want to protect people.

This guy has fallen for a lot of lies and he wants to be liked by everyone so he tries to walk part way in the conservative side and partway in the liberal side. He wants to be loved and considered smart and enlightened. Nobody wants someone who isn't fit to own a gun to have one but the ones pushing that don't care about that. They want to get rid of guns altogether. They get one thing done and then they move on to the next. They keep pushing for more gun control while at the same time excusing criminals for their behavior and not enforcing the laws we have on the books now. We have plenty of laws on the books to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them. I'm not crazy about the idea of the way some people go about showing their guns in public but under our constitution that is their right. Criminals are criminals for a reason but yet that never seems to sink into the heads off some people. Gun ownership is the epitome of self reliance and that is anathema to the gun control crowd and the left in general. These are the same people that oppose letting women carry a gun on a college campus to protect herself from assault, robbery or rape but yet they love women.

Nobody has ever said that you take care of number 1 and then leave everyone else to fend for themselves.

Of course we have a responsibility to help others. That is a basic tenet of Christianity. However, we think it comes better from individuals rather than government. If you want to call me radical so be it and I'll accept that term over some watered down version of conservatism like this guy.

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Great essay.

I have sometimes made the same arguments in the past.

I think true conservatism became conflated with the unrestricted greed that (so called) "free" enterprise philosophies seem to be ultimately based on. It's hardly conservative in principle.

Ive seen some blatant bull s*** before but this may take the cake for being the most absurd crock of s*** i have ever seen

Good. I must have "nailed it" as you guys like to say. ;D

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I don't think I define conservative in the way this guy does. Being a conservative to me means moving deliberately and thoughtfully rather than rashly. It means that you believe there are certain things that are worth conserving and preserving...that in the words of Chesterton:

"Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.”

And as C.S. Lewis wrote on being 'progressive':

“Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer.

If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.”

In other words, new ideas are not good just because they are new. Neither are old ideas (traditions) bad simply because they are old. Thousands of years of human civilization can teach us. Younger ones can help us to view the past in a better light.

Or maybe, if this is the definition of a conservative, I'm just not one. I'm not a liberal either. Perhaps the entire progressive/conservative paradigm is broken.

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I don't think I define conservative in the way this guy does. Being a conservative to me means moving deliberately and thoughtfully rather than rashly. It means that you believe there are certain things that are worth conserving and preserving...that in the words of Chesterton:

"Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.”

And as C.S. Lewis wrote on being 'progressive':

“Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer.

If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.”

In other words, new ideas are not good just because they are new. Neither are old ideas (traditions) bad simply because they are old. Thousands of years of human civilization can teach us. Younger ones can help us to view the past in a better light.

Or maybe, if this is the definition of a conservative, I'm just not one. I'm not a liberal either. Perhaps the entire progressive/conservative paradigm is broken.

:bow:
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