This is a series on the erosion of moral, cultural, and ethical boundaries in modern society:
♦ Part 1 — Moving the Ancient Boundaries
♦ Part 2 — The Rebel & the Victim
♦ Part 3 — Undermining Civil Authority
Do not move the ancient boundary stone
set up by your forefathers.— Proverbs 22:28 —
♦ The Assault on Religious Authority
Undermining the legitimacy of civil authority and mutating the role of government into an instrument for protecting personal licentiousness — while endlessly chasing solutions to the incorrigible problems thus generated — is a key element in the secular postmodern pursuit of a utopian dream of unbridled freedom without consequences. But it is not sufficient; other centers of authority must likewise be transformed to serve the individual over the common good, or neutralized to overcome their resistance to such trends.
Religion, which promotes transcendent values, and strives to restrain destructive individualism and promote the common good through the development of character strengths such as service, charity, self-restraint, and accountability, is a prime alternative source of authority to government — and serves to restrain its excesses and aberrant tendencies as well. As such it is a prime target for the individualist committed to promoting an unrestrained and unaccountable utopia, enforced by the levers of government power.
Continue reading “Moving the Ancient Boundaries – IV”