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A Conversation between a Leftist and a Mormon
By Trenton | January 18, 2008
My friend Nate Walker is an excellent thinker with a near-flawless memory. I’ve never met anyone with a greater talent for distilling a situation down to its core principles. He recently handed me a few pages of his travel diary that documented this conversation with a liberal taxi driver with a Ph.D. while traveling in Las Vegas. Read On…
I was driving through Las Vegas in a taxi one time. The driver had a Ph.D., probably in Philosophy or something, which would explain the fact that he was a taxi driver.
As we spoke, he asked what I did for a living. I told him. Then he asked what kind of education it took to get me there. After chatting for a moment he said, “You’re an educated man, so I can safely assume you lean left politically and you’re liberal in your thinking.” He then launched immediately into a tirade of sorts about how much he admired the Clintons and hated Pres. Bush. He even said, “Bill Clinton is one of the greatest statesmen this country has ever had.”
I said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who says I’m a leftist? As a matter of fact, I lean pretty far to the Right.” He looked at me like I was from Mars. Then, in a tone of incredulous disbelief, he blurted out, “But…you’re educated!”
I smiled and explained that a person could be both educated and conservative. “In fact,” I explained, “the things I’ve studied about our Constitution and the Founding Fathers increase both my education and my conservatism.
As we talked I said, “Let me explain something. We could talk all day on a variety of topics and, in the end, they would all boil down to the same point.”
“You believe morality is relative. Thus, to you, religion is a crutch; rules hamper your freedom; and one man’s actions are as good as another.”
“You can call terrorists ‘Freedom Fighters’ with a straight face, because they are incapable of evil.”
“To you, there is no evil, and the only boundaries you recognize are those established by law.”
“You will say ‘you can’t legislate morality’ while failing to recognize that almost all legislation is based on morality.”
He was dumbfounded. I continued: “I believe that morality is absolute. I believe there is such a thing as absolute truth, and I seek after it. I believe that there is right and wrong, based on eternal, unchanging universal Truth.”
I then explained, with interjections from my new friend, what I meant, and how absolute morality changes the picture. I said, “We could explore any cause, and arrive at the same end—absolute truth.”
“Let’s take environmentalism. Environmentalists say we should save the Earth, Gaia the Mother. All nature simply “came to be”—and shares equal footing. A man is no more important than a rat, so humans are a blight on the planet, a corruption of the natural order.”
“If we are animals and the fickle fortunes of evolution brought us to a higher state, it was an accident. We’ve upset the balance of nature. We were not created to have dominion; there is no Creator. Therefore, there is no higher truth—no higher law—no higher accountability. There is no God, so there is no evil—no need for religion—nothing but dust.”
“Either that thinking is right, or there is a God, we have dominion, and we have a divine destiny. I assert that this is the case. Absolute truth.”
“We could discuss animal rights. If an animal enjoys the same status as man and is anthropomorphically endowed with “rights,” that animal must have arrived at such a state as part of an evolutionary, not a creative, process. Therefore, there is no dominion. No higher law, no accountability, no God.”
“Or God gave us dominion. He holds us accountable to be wise stewards, and our rights are granted by Him. Absolute truth.
“Let’s take social programs—welfare, universal health care, even communism. If we pollute the inspiration of God, which declares that all men are created equal, and say ‘all outcomes should be equal,’ we rob men of their agency and, before long, they become like cattle. ‘By the sweat of thy brow’ does not mean ‘enjoy the fruits of another’s labor without recompense.’
Our Constitution was established, in part, to help preserve the equal opportunities (and therefore, responsibilities) of man, not equal outcomes. ‘All men are created equal,’ but the law of the harvest has not been suspended. If all men are compelled to be equal, they cannot better themselves. They cannot grow through selfless service. They develop no self-control or self-determination. They behave as cattle, not sons of God, and one man is as good as another. There is no law but compulsion; religion is a crutch and a fantasy; there is no God, thus there is no devil. There is only the State, and the flagging will of a decaying society.”
“Or–Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness are granted by God.”
I don’t remember exactly how the conversation went, but if I had more time, I would have probably continued: “A man can exercise his rights for good or ill, and learn from the inevitable outcome. He is personally responsible to choose good over evil. There is a God. He has granted freedom to man. The love of God shines forth from the man who chooses absolute truth.”
Our Founding Fathers well understood that the Constitution, our political system, in fact our entire way of life depends on the ability and willingness of the individual to govern himself. When self-government ceases to be enshrined as the hallmark of character, man begins to descend. Ere he is aware, he has sold his freedom for a mess of pottage, having exchanged the fruits of morality and industry for anarchy, irreverence, and corruption.
The solution is to instill in the hearts of children and adults a true love of freedom; a knowledge of the abundant fruits of an upright character, and a quick discernment and stalwart resistance to any person, program, or attitude that threatens. The only safe place for liberty, freedom, understanding, brotherly love, and progress, is enshrined in the heart of one who loves and seeks absolute truth.
Topics: Ideology and Philosophy, Religion and Faith |
January 19th, 2008 at 2:57 am
Trenton,
Good to see that you have began posted again. I want you to know that I have added section134.com as well as a link to conservativefront.com to my new blog found at http://www.libertysfront.blogspot.com. I have also sent the links to every one in my e-mail list
Thanks for your inspiration. If you don’t want the links published on my blog I will be happy to remove them. If you’re fine with it I would appreciate it if I could keep them up.
Travis Gollaher.
January 19th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I have known Nathan Walker for over thirty years, and am always astounded at the intellectual and communicative skills he has been endowed with.
Nathan has, in a most succinct manner, encapsulated the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the origen, purpose and destiny of man versus the liberal viewpoint of evolution and earth’s degradation by self-centered men.
Indeed, I am blessed to call Nathan a friend and I echo the statements he made to the taxi driver. I further state categorically the absolute truth that mankind is the offspring of God and was given dominion over all of His creations with free agency to choose between good and ill and then reap the consequences of his actions.
Well said Nate!