universal values are unique to the Christian world

Christian world

context

the article comes from “the course of Western civilization,” section 14. Chapter II, the third part of the book, discusses the Puritans who came to Massachusetts in North America and finally established the city on the hill, a God’s city. At this time, in front of the hard facts of history, the author has to conclude that universal values such as “equality for all,”” democratic elections” only created in the Christian world and only can survive there. Why say so? At that time, it was the middle of the 17th century, but the Puritans had built the basic structure of American constitutionalism. The governor had the sole power, and two houses of Parliament restricted him. That is American constitutionalism today. The president of the United States had the largest power, which could guarantee the efficiency of administration. At the same time, he was restricted by the house and the Senate to prevent him from usurping power forming a dictatorship. At the same time, the formation of parish autonomy evolved into the later autonomy of cities and towns, and I have always emphasized it was the unprecedented, unique secret weapon in the United States. The reason why Puritans can build these constitutional structures is that they have Christian traditions, especially Protestant traditions, which come from England.

universal values are unique to the Christian world

These leftist thinkers did not know that there was no so-called universal and abstract good. Schopenhauer criticized Kant’s moral concept from this point and created the philosophy of will. Kant thinks that morality is good, which is not a specific good but a universal and abstract good. This definition is, of course, impeccable rationally, but it is useless in practice. Because all the good in life has specific content, there can be no universal and abstract good. Therefore, Kant’s moral philosophy is complacent in philosophy, which is useless in real life.

Similarly, the leftist thinkers put the nation under universal and abstract concepts, such as universal freedom, equality, human rights, etc. As a result, the so-called universal values are also extraordinarily void and groundless. Because in real life, these universal values have actual content and profound reason. They all come from the root of Christianity. They come from the brotherly love of Christianity, the equality of all people under God, and the religious freedom of all sects. For more than 5000 years in human history, apart from the Christian world, other human societies have never had such concepts as equality and religious freedom, all of which come from the Christian world. And even in Christian countries, these concepts appeared very late. As for religious freedom, we know that although the separation of church and state was widespread in the middle ages, the concept of religious freedom came into being only after the birth of Protestantism to ensure fair competition among all sects. The concept of equality also formed after Protestantism’s “everyone is equal under God.” In the declaration of independence, Jefferson put forward that all people are created and equal. Then the concept of equality was widely accepted. The concept of human rights was even later until Hegel abstracted a universal and abstract concept of human rights. Before the emergence of these concepts, brotherly love existed widely in the Christian world, and it was the only soil that can create these concepts. The universal values of equality, freedom, and human rights were also the gradual evolution of brotherhood.

The love of brothers makes it impossible for us to be superior to our brothers and restrict our brothers’ freedom. When it develops to a certain extent, the concepts of equality and freedom come into being naturally. Of course, I am just briefly discussing it here. If you want to know more about it. How brotherly love evolved to equality and freedom, you can re-read Chapter 7 of this book, “Ruth and Calvin.” In the five thousand years of history since the existence of humans in ancient Egypt, the concept of equality and freedom has never appeared in other societies. It is because that the soil full of brotherly love is unique to the Christian world, and other human societies never have such similar soil, so it is impossible to create these concepts. Equality, freedom, and other universal values are not generated and abstracted from empty, but the fruits of the soil of brotherly love, the fruits of which developed to a certain extent. Even today, it is a problem of whether these universal values can exist universally, and whether these concepts can survive in non-Christian society?

When I say these, many people may retort that there were laws to protect life and property in ancient Greek and Roman, but the laws to protect life and property are far from clear universal values such as equality and freedom. Not only the freedom of ancient Greece was limited to the citizens of the city-states, but also the status difference between nobles and civilians was noticeable. Even Solon’s reforms were carried out on the basis of the recognition of property rights rather than denial. The freedom of ancient Rome was only limited to the citizens of the Republic. Similarly, the differences among the elders, nobles, and civilians were very obvious. Moreover, due to the existence of private law, the relationship between people in the Republic of ancient Rome was more complex and far away from the concepts of freedom and equality. We have also discussed that due to the greed and depravity of human nature, even these simple concepts of human rights were lost in a short time. Ancient Greece was annihilated by the Macedonian Empire, and the ancient Roman Republic was also abolished by the ancient Roman Empire. After the fall of ancient Greece and Rome, for more than a thousand years, human beings had been struggling in the monarchy and hierarchy society, let alone the concepts of freedom, equality, and human rights. No, the words of them did not appear.

Let’s briefly review the lengthy content of the second chapter of this book and make some preparations because we will explain from the most fundamental perspective, infer that a secular society can’t produce universal values such as freedom and equality. The main content of this chapter is that human beings can not restrain the nature of greed and degeneration by relying on their own strength. Only through faith can human beings obtain morality. It can be understood here that only through faith can human beings get the concepts of equality, freedom, and human rights rather than through rationality. Therefore, secular society can not produce these concepts. More than 2000 years ago, Aristotle, Plato, and other rationalists believed that human beings act according to reason, but people have never done so in practice. So people began to criticize rationalism from Pirang’s skepticism. In modern times, utilitarianism believes that people acted by senses and accorded the sense to seek benefits and avoid damages. Such theories slowly touch the essence of human life.

Then, Schopenhauer thought that man is the representational world of the will, which deepens human thought to a deeper level of will; people are controlled by will. Therefore, based on Schopenhauer’s view, Nietzsche’s strong will and Superman have emerged. Nietzsche believes that human being is driven by strong will, and Superman leads humans forward. Then, the traditional moral philosophy system collapsed before the last blow of Nietzsche. I personally consider that after Nietzsche, human moral philosophy is dead (if you want to know more, please refer to Chapter II of this book). The moral philosophy of the secular society can’t even establish the basic morality? How can it be possible to produce more advanced concepts of freedom and equality? Therefore, the secular society can not produce universal value at all.

Comparison to these secular moral philosophies is Christian morality. For Christian morality, we summarize its characteristics in the following chapter. It is based on faith and believes that morality is the Divine Order of heaven and Eden. Only by pursuing virtue can people be saved and obtain eternal life. Moreover, Christian morality uses punishment to hell for violating morality, making people feel awed and dare not do anything wrong. At the same time, Christian morality is an absolute truth, which can not be refuted and questioned. It requires people to abide by as the form of absolute order, requires firm execution. It does not allow any hesitation and vacillation, so that the execution of morality is automatic and timely, and social order can be effectively established. Since Christian morality is an absolute truth, it is sacred, inviolable, responsibilities, obligations, and inescapable. All these can not be achieved by secular moral philosophy. Therefore, Christian morality can easily become the foundation of society and has been the foundation of Western society all along. Countless other facts in five thousand years of human history have also proved that human beings are driven by faith. All human actions are for the ultimate purpose of immortality and eternity. This is exactly what I think; belief is the real driving force of the world. Only basing on belief can human beings establish universal values; only through faith can we obtain the concepts of equality, freedom, and human rights. We have discussed that these concepts actually come from the Christian brotherhood, equality under God, and religious freedom. In the eyes of Christians, these are the keys to access to heaven. It is because of such holiness that they will pursue them unremittingly and even risk their lives. How can the non-Christian world get these universal values without such pursuit? What can drive non-Christian to get them?

But I don’t want to be misunderstood. I don’t mean that everyone should believe in Christianity, but to clarify a fact. There are many religions now, and new religions may emerge. I just think that if every believer can absorb the advantages of Christianity and integrate the concepts of brotherhood, freedom, and equality into his religious belief, Then it will be a better world.

We can find that all leftist thinkers leading the trend are living in Christian countries that are gradually secularized. There are still a large number of Christians in these countries. Thus, after these concepts are pulled out of the soil, are generalized and abstracted, their existence has not been affected for the time being. Most people believe that whether or not these concepts come from God, they are all taken for granted. These concepts are inseparable from the soil of Christianity; they are the fruits of brotherhood. Therefore, it deserved that they can survive temporarily in the gradually secularized Christian countries. However, when we transplant them into non-Christian society, can the fruits of the Christian soils survive? The answer is negative.

Let’s first look at the secular society. Let’s look at a society in which religion is only a tool of secular government. I have discussed that life is full of endless troubles and pains, which is also the normal life in the view of Buddhism and Schopenhauer. In order to get rid of these troubles and pains, we get temporary relief from all kinds of pleasures, from the joys of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, and the satisfaction of wealth, fame and fortune, eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. The universal values of equality, freedom and human rights are meaningless to ordinary people in secular society. We can’t get rid of the troubles and pains by pursuing these universal values. These concepts are just empty and pale, just the illusion of the most beautiful things in the depths of the human soul and a remnant image of human life in the garden of Eden; it does not influence our secular life.

In other words, for people in secular society, there is no motivation to pursue universal values because they have nothing to do with sensory pleasure and material pleasure. We have mentioned that Some so-called democratic fighters are extremely sad about the so-called national character. They suggest that the secular society is indifferent to their huge sacrifice. In fact, they feel sad only shows that they do not understand the secular society, because indifference to them is the real life of the secular society. These universal values have nothing to do with the man in the secular society; ordinary people in secular society consider that universal values are only concerned by psychopaths. They can’t understand why ordinary people think that. However, I would like to say a few words more to these democratic fighters. Under normal circumstances, the pursuit of these universal values is driven only by faith and has nothing to do with the attitude of other people around them. If they want to win everyone’s praise, it’s a bit doubtful about the purpose they are pursuing. We can conclude that the universal values of equality and freedom can produce neither benefits nor pleasure. Therefore, it is needless to say that they can’t survive in a secular society.

Let’s look at the situation of Islamic countries. I have repeatedly stressed that religion determines western history; religion is prior to politics. The belief in immortality and eternity prefers political concepts such as equality, freedom, and human rights. According to the teachings of Islam, the conditions closely relating to immortality, immortality, and access to heaven are that using sword forces other people to believe in Islamism and the unifying the state and the church; the church is the state, and the state is the church. There are no universal value concepts such as equality, freedom, and human rights in their doctrines. These concepts can only bring about a little touch and a few tears in the most depth of their souls about the most beautiful things. But apart from that, there will be no more other or a little action; they can’t pay anything for these concepts. These concepts have little to do with their lives; they can’t produce material benefits, nor can they get rid of their troubles and pains. Let alone let them go to heaven and get immortality and eternal life. There is no room for universal values in these Islamic countries. Therefore, we can see that in the Middle East, although many rich Islamic countries have extremely modern material lives, there are no modern political ideas. These countries are all Islamists; although they have different sects, there is no room for Christianity to survive; there is no sign of religious freedom. In these countries, the royal family has huge privileges. According to the doctrines, they practice the system of monogamy. Men have absolute authority over women. There is no possibility of equality between men, and it will never be possible because the doctrines stipulate that. As for human rights, it is even more extravagant. Similarly, according to the doctrines, believers can only absolutely obey the church and the state; there is no room for negotiation. Even if these universal values had been transplanted to the Islamic world, they had soon dried up and died. Such can be proved by today’s Islamic countries.

It is impossible for the Islamic world to have such concepts as equality, freedom, and human rights. Another important reason is that the church has an army, and the doctrine allows to conquer the heretics by killing. How can a church with an army and a religion allow killing with universal values such as equality, freedom, and human rights? When faith is combined with the sword, it is absolutely a terrible thing. We know that faith is the most fundamental issue of human beings; there is no room for compromise and negotiation in the pursuit of immortality, eternity, and the ultimate world. Sword is originally the ultimate weapon to solve disputes, and it can only be used when all negotiations fail, But in the Islamic world, the sword is the first weapon to settle disputes. The use of swords to resolve disputes also has its advantages: that is, direct, simple, and effective. one hand with scriptures and the other with swords, if you disobey them, are killed. After disobedience is killed, the rest will be obeyed, how happy it is. Even if you don’t accept it in your heart, you stooped to compromise and pretend to observe in order to survive, but then your descendants will be assimilated by their doctrines. Seeing your son become an Islamist who slaughters Christians will only make you more tearful and humiliating. But most of the time, when the Islamists preach and conquer with swords, others also fight against and protect themselves with swords. Moreover, the Islamists also use swords for internal sectarian disputes. The bloody killing of their own sects is no less than the war between pagans. Therefore, the long-term war in the Islamic world has never stopped, So how can such a country have universal value?

Let’s continue to take a look at the things in Southeast Asia. These Southeast Asian countries have been colonized by Christian countries for a long time and have been infused with the concept of universal values such as equality and freedom. However, when the colonial rule was overthrown and the Christian suzerain withdrew, the non-Christianity in these countries reborn and flourished; because these Southeast Asian countries also were formerly Islamic colonies, and Islam was preached by swords, it was efficient and effective. Soon the Islamists in these countries made up the majority of the population. At this time, the situation was completely different. According to the theory, which religion is prior to political concepts, faith prefers to universal value; in line with the teachings of Islam, these countries gradually implemented the church law and unified the church with the state. The state is the church, and the church is the state. At this time, they completely abandoned the universal values of equality, freedom, and human rights, which were empty in their eyes. They implemented the religious blasphemy law and didn’t allow to make irresponsible remarks on Islam. How will these Southeast Asian countries develop? As you can imagine, I won’t go on.

Let’s go back to the traditional Christian countries. When the concepts of equality, freedom and human rights break away from the Christian faith and become a universal value, what would happen to these countries? I have repeatedly stated that the universal values of equality and freedom, for most of us, are the most righteous and virtuous things that hide in the depths of the soul and represent the truth from the depths of the universe. Although we can ignore them due to the greed and corruption of human nature, we always have incomparable admiration and great respect for them in our hearts. Especially in the traditional Christian countries, Since there are still many Christians who really believe in them, the influence of these concepts is even more significant. Therefore, these concepts have become the universal values in traditional Christian countries, that is, the so-called “political correctness,” an untouchable bottom line. But what I want to discuss here is that when the concepts of equality, freedom and human rights break away from Christianity and become a universal value, it turns into a very hypocritical concept, because in the traditional Christian world, these concepts are closely related to belief. They are sacred and solemn and are connected with immortality and eternity, are used for moral practice. The universal value without belief can only be a pale, poor, abstract concept. A so-called universal value is just a broken and fragmented concept of good in the depth of human subconsciousness, which may not be entirely correct. Or they will be achieved through long-term efforts, can not be realized under the current conditions. Therefore, universal value and “political correctness” can only be used by hypocritical politicians. This is the same reason that after human morality leaves belief, it is just a synonymous of empty and can only produce hypocrites like Yue buqun. of couse, you can only criticize hypocrites, cannot criticize human morality and universal values. After all, they are truths from the depths of the universe, are untouchable bottom lines. Because belief is sacred and solemn and used to practice, we dare not even say it rashly. When the universal value has nothing to do with belief and becomes a concept, it also becomes a pronoun for false and empty, which can be used to product profits. Thus, politicians, like Yue buqun can wield the moral stick of universal value and “political correctness” to criticize others and achieve the aim of being superior. Because of the pursuit of universal value, they become great politicians and leaders of this society, satisfying their boundless vanity and pleasure. This is the real reason why leftist politicians must refer to “equality, freedom, Human rights “in their words. These leftist politicians do not pursue universal value for the sake of faith, nor may they sacrifice anything for these concepts. It is just an generosity that costing others wealth. Obama can express his boundless love for black brothers in his speech, but at the first opportunity, he leaves Chicago, where black people gather and moves his family to Washington, where rich white people gather. When Merkel was asked whether can raise several refugees, she firmly answers, “never.”. This is the genuine attitude of leftist politicians towards universal values, which is extremely hypocritical. This is also the fate of equality, freedom, and human rights when they left the embrace of Christianity, and they became similar to Confucianism in ancient Chinese society. Their role is to produce hypocrites with good looks. The fundamental reason for this phenomenon is that society is becoming more and more secular and far away from Christianity, It is more and more similar to the secular society of atheism.

We can see that leftist politicians such as Obama and Merkel seem generous and practice universal values; they all are high above and glorious, but have caused great harm to the country and society. For example, “equality for all” is a so-called universal value, a concept of “political correctness,” and a nice thing left in our subconscious mind. People feel that it is so great and lofty and believe that it is also the ultimate aim of human beings. Most of us dare not oppose this concept. But considering such great and lofty concepts as the ultimate goal of human beings always are strange things. Why? Because these concepts are not stood by belief, they can not be achieved in reality under the present conditions. No religion believes that all people’s rights are equal. It is just the hypocritical politician’s reasoning. The purpose of these politicians is to highlight that they are greater than ordinary people .” Although “equality for all people” has an incomparable universal value, it can’t win the support of most religious believers. After all, religious belief is the most essential matter in human society. Therefore, the concept of “equality for all” is plausible, can’t be put into practice. Without belief, they are just saying. These politicians never want to practice it; they just used it as a moral stick to hit others. At present, the unconditional “equality for all” has done harm to the society. In recent years, the source of the continuous black riots in the United States obviously come from this “equality for all”. For another example, “homosexual rights” is also a universal value and “politically correct”. The minority of homosexuals demand equal rights, the requirement from the view of equal rights for all, the remnant and nice impression coming from human’s unconsciousness, seems accurate. But from the perspective of faith, it is problematic because no religion recognizes that homosexuality is normal; it’s harder to connect with holiness. Since all religions exclude homosexuality, it is doomed to be difficult for most people to identify with it. After all, religious belief is the most essential matter in human life. More people believe in religion rather than believing in the right of homosexuality. Moreover, and homosexuality is contrary to the human natural physiological phenomenon, most people are difficult to identify.  It is absolutely correct to protect homosexuals’ rights and not harm them. This is also the most realistic and correct thing under the current conditions. However, leftist politicians demand that homosexuals’ rights will be unconditionally equal to normal people for the sake of universal values. They promote homosexual education in elementary schools and believe that homosexuality is a normal phenomenon. Doing so hurts the rights of most people and makes many ignorant children curious to try this so-called normal phenomenon. How much harm and distortion does it cause the trauma to normal children, and how much perversion does it bring to the whole society? For the sake of their so-called greatness, these leftist politicians have ruined many social ethe and mutilated many teenagers. If we want to investigate them further, they are already committing a crime.

Our only requirement for any politician who stresses universal value is to pay equally. If you want others to pay, then you must give a fair proportion of the same. It is impossible for other people to sacrifice their lives and property, and you sit idle and enjoy the benefits. For example, we can ask Obama to live in Chicago instead of moving to Washington. But, of course, he can live in a luxury villa with tight security. You can’t ask him to live like an ordinary black man; this is unrealistic. But how much he loves black people, how eagerly he pursues equality for all, if he doesn’t live in Chicago? Where does he live? Or ask Merkel to adopt some refugees, how much She likes refugees, how eagerly she pursues universal values. She can’t let refugees harass her compatriots, but she seems nothing.

To judge whether a politician really believes in universal values and “political correctness” or seeks his own interests in the name of those, we can compare his proposition with the content of the Bible because the universal values come from the Bible. If the proposition advocated by a politician is too different from the Bible, it is in doubt. For example, when a politician puts the rights of homosexuals and transgender above normal people, it can be concluded that he is a hypocritical politician. He waves a moral stick solely for his own benefit because their options are too different from the Bible’s contents. You can claim to respect the rights of homosexuals and transgender, but if you put their rights above normal people and preach their way of life everywhere, there is absolutely a problem. We should not hate homosexuals and transgender, but it is impossible to beautify them and abet normal people become them. This is too different from the Bible and absolutely contrary to the common sense of human relations. Because of the limitation of our knowledge, it is difficult for us to distinguish what faith is? What are the universal values and “political correctness” of empty and void? What should I do? Don’t worry; compare these politicians’ ideas with the Bible.

These leftist politicians preach universal values everywhere and hope to build a new society with universal values. It can only be said to be daydreaming and bring endless disasters to human beings because there are no universal values. All these universal values are unique to the Christian world. Without the condition of Christian faith, these universal values, “Political correctness,” can only be water without a source and will soon dry up.

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