In 17th Century New England, a young woman, a widow who believes her husband was lost at sea, is publicly humiliated by her townspeople because she had a child out-of-wedlock. In addition to standing in the town square on the scaffold, Hester Prynne must wear the scarlet letter, “A” on her breast, showing to all she was guilty of adultery.
This fictional story, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, helped him to become one of the foremost of American writers. It is still read and studied today, in part because it shows how those in power (in Hawthorne’s story the well-respected minister, Arthur Dimmesdale) often use their positions to force their will and opinions on their lessers.
Not much has changed in our world. One of the irritating qualities of liberals is their feeling of superiority to those they view as being “less” than they are. Liberals feel they know better than others who do not believe as they do, and heap scorn on the many who do not hold to the liberal orthodoxy. If they could, they would place around the neck of their opponents a scarlet “C,” for those who commit the sin of conservatism.
If I were indicted for my conservatism in religion, I am sure conviction would follow. I was brought up to believe in God and Jesus, and to find that faith in the Bible. Hence, I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, just like Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. In addition, there are moral standards by which we should live, with no “gray” areas where we can pick and choose. No situational morality for me!
I believe that we are to live what is written in the Bible, exercising The Golden Rule, not judging others, religiously following the example of Jesus and the precepts of the New Testament. That makes me very conservative indeed. Evidence is piling up. Taught to worship regularly and to honor the church, I am forced by my faith to love my enemies and to pray for them. My giving to the poor is expected. I must also be tainted by that pejorative word, “evangelical.” Since I am not to be ashamed of the Gospel, it looks like I deserve the scarlet “C”. Bring it on.
This set of beliefs spills over into the social and political aspects of my life. I don’t read in the Bible of the disciples hunting for the correct outhouse to use like the LGBT crowd insists on making us do today. We are to have compassion for the poor, but Jesus teaches us that “the laborer is worthy of his hire”, and we don’t have the right to take from the industrious and ambitious to give to those who don’t want to work. Socialism is anathema to me, and many of the rights those who hold to this ideology claim are not found in Scripture. Socialism and Christianity are not compatible.
True conservatives believe that in the church, in society and in politics, women are important. We know that they bring a unique perspective to all aspects of life. Thus, contrary to what some on the left would say, I am not anti-women.
We are to “render unto Caesar those things that are Caesar’s,” and so cede to the government the right to protect us by use of the police power and to keep out of our nation any who might harm us. Although I and my fellow conservatives are regularly vilified by liberals, we must not respond in kind.
I believe in limited government at all levels, and find myself almost on the side of Rand Paul, the libertarian-leaning Senator, believing that much of governing should be done by the states and on the local level. I also believe that military preparedness is vital to our nation’s security. Another item that makes me so disliked by liberals is that I am strongly pro-life.
Immigration needs to be reformed and controlled, and those not willing to follow our laws should be deported. Also, since ISIS is a branch of Islam, we should call the terror “radical Islamic” terror, rather than worrying about offending other Muslims.
Evidence keeps piling up. Of all the people I know, I seem to be one of the most deserving of the dreaded scarlet letter, “C”.
Yet, I am not homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic, or any of the other charges hurled my way. This great divide in our nation places families against each other and former colleagues become “enemies.” To be sure, we don’t desire the scarlet letter “L” to be worn by those of a different persuasion, for we have compassion for the misguided and ill-informed of our country.
But since we are on the subject of conservatism being out of the mainstream (which it isn’t), I believe I have earned the “C” to be hung on me. But instead of shame, it will be a point of pride for me, as I believe those of us who are conservative are on the right side of history, the right side of human development and the right side of God’s Word.