Why Christians Are More Open Minded Than Leftists

A couple of my favorite socially liberal otherwise moderate bloggers, Ann Althouse and Rachel Lucas, have mentioned that the Left is always more vicious than the right. In their experience, conservatives are far more open-minded and "liberal" than their supposedly liberal counterparts. There are reasons for this and the reasons are rooted in the philosophy and belief systems of the leftists and the right-wingers. So, I thought it would be interesting to explore them.

Leftists believe, fundamentally, in the preeminence of men. Namely, the preeminence of themselves. If God is even in the picture, He is there as an abstract entity not as a being whose ideals are meant for today. Therefore, the ideals must be created by men. This is a tremendous amount of pressure. SomeONE has to be right. And so, a lot of blood gets sweated in an attempt to find the "right" way. The right way must be rational and make sense to them. And anyone who doesn't believe like the Leftist has after years and years of refinement, must be a total moron. Anyone who disagrees is not just irrational and stupid, he is also evil, because this person is disagreeing not with a an idea but a whole, fully thought out ideology.

Because Leftists essentially create their own religion, made up of their own rules, they tend to dislike anyone who deviates from the rules. In contrast, a Christian, knows that everyone falls short of God's rules. They might be the church lady, but actually there's usually only one row of church ladies. More likely, they're the average pew-sitters who are fully aware of how they, themselves, fall short. Throwing stones at someone who disagrees seems silly. Most Christians have had a spiritual notion finally sink in years, even decades, after first learning the principle. Most Christians see their own failings when looking at the Jesus blueprint. Most Christians know that they are just stumbling along like everyone else. Judge not lest ye be judged, and what have you.

Now, here's where I've seen the church people get aggressive: When someone claims to be religious and sets himself up as a spiritual leader of sorts, he can tend to be judged more harshly. The Anchoress has received hate mail from those on the right who expect more of her because she's a good Catholic. I think this has the same roots as the Leftist hate towards moderates or those who don't 100% see things purely. It is an absolutism that comes from having complete and utter faith in the self's ability to identify "truth". This perspective is annoying whether it's coming from a Leftist or a right winger.

Beyond the "we all fall short" dogma most Christians adhere to, there's also a strong belief in free will. People have to answer for themselves on judgment day and no one else. Everyone has to choose in their own time. Add to this the notion that most Christians believe that God has a plan for everyone. Do I need to go to some blogger or friend's house and convince them of anything? Not really. God takes care of those things. Christians have faith that God's in charge.

Contrast that with the screaming Left. Wouldn't you be screaming hysterically, though, if you thought the outcome of the entire universe was all on you? That tends to make every policy decision seem like life and death. Any person who doesn't see the light is deluded and must be converted, NOW, because, LIFE IS SHORT! We could all die by Global Warming or we could harm animals by wearing fur or we could do any number of Very Bad Things and must be stopped!

Faith tempers a person's reactions, or it can. Faith encourages civility. Faith reinforces free will. Faith gives a person an alternative when things seem like all is lost. In short, people of faith, Christians particularly, can have a sense of humor. They can relax because it's not all on them. They can be content doing their part knowing that should they fail, someone else will come to finish it. Faith makes for happier, more generous people. Why be condemning? Who knows God's plans?

And these are some reasons that Christians and conservatives can be kind to those who might not believe like them while Leftists leave mean messages, attack people personally and act like looney tunes when protesting. It's life and death to them. No, it's not. We're just all little blips on the surface of the universe. Leftists need to get some perspective. They need to get Jesus. They'd have more fun. Oh, and they'd be nicer, too.