Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Creating a sense of moral obligation to outsiders is one of Christianity’s singular achievements. But the full genius of historical Christianity was shown by its ability to do this without falling into a suicidal universalism . . .

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Comments (7)

In the US people created a gubmint to be for the People, by the Informed People, of the Informed People. As a republic, the minority would be just as protected as the majority.
But there is no mechanism for punishing abuses.
Only a moral people can have such a government and morality is defined within a personal spiritual belief. Therefore, morality requires a personal spiritual belief.
It does not require a specific religion and it does require Christianity.

March 17, 2023 Arthur_500 Reply

I also think the US regime has constructed a narrative for white Christians to believe it is “good” to sacrifice their lives for all those other people and whatever the government is up to. If you question you are now a bad person or in sin. You will either be lectured by your woke pastor or you will be brow beaten on line into submission.

But suicide or self-abuse isn’t a Christian principle. We need to recapture that spirit of Samuel Rutherford who showed that Christians have a right to defend themselves and their communities from all forms of tyranny.

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March 20, 2023 RMB Reply

The “moral obligation to outsiders” came with strings attached, and was neither open-ended
nor universal. It depended on the outsider’s attitude towards the covenant community, whether Jewish or Christian. Outsiders who tried to harm the community were not afforded the same welcome as outsiders who respected it. “Love your neighbor” meant “love those who are near”, not “love everybody”.

March 21, 2023 G. Poulin Reply

If not for Christianity there would be no bipartisanship, “Corrections” (rehabilitation of criminals) etc. falling within the guidelines of “love of enemies”.

March 23, 2023 Peter Reply

Immigration is not good for the immigrants and their home communities either. I am one of the most successful imigrant I know both economically and academically. I have been in US for 40 years (since age 15). I can’t go back as Iran is no longer my home, yet i am not home here either. It is like a cultural purgatory. The brain drain also harms the home country’s economy.

March 24, 2023 Mansour Reply

Mansour, thank you for your comment. Your comments are on target, and express a point of view seldom heard in the United States.

March 25, 2023 Tom Piatak Reply

“America can, and indeed should, take in small numbers of genuine refugees from all over the world, but we simply cannot keep on taking in millions of ordinary economic migrants year after year, ad infinitum, and retain any semblance of being a nation.”

This says it all–nothing else need be added. Been advocating this very same policy for decades. A pity, though, that not enough people will listen. After all, we don’t wield the bullhorn. So, it looks like this country will just have to learn the hard way.

And the irony of it all is that it will be the IMMIGRANTS who will suffer the most!

March 27, 2023 Hans Bosse Reply

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