Political Correctness or Love?
In today’s society, being politically correct, or “PC”, is touted as all important – often more important than honesty and truth. On the surface, political correctness is sold as being loving toward others so as not to discriminate or offend certain peoples or groups. But is this how it really works? One cannot watch the news anymore without hearing a story about a person, or a group of people, who have been “offended” by something another person or group said or did. It is a problem that is epidemic in the United States of America. Even this article has to be written in such a way that, if I were to “tell it like it really is” certain groups would be offended, and it may not be able to be printed.
Is political correctness the answer to being loving toward others, or is there another source from which this idea originates? What or who is the source of the current “politically correct” concept?
Satan has a counterfeit for everything that God does. A few examples of these include:
his holidays replace God’s holy days
heaven and hell replace the Kingdom of God and the lake of fire;
immortality of the soul replaces a resurrection from the dead to eternal life
his idea of success (riches, fame, accumulation, “get all you can” regardless of how it affects others, etc.), replace God’s way of give and humble service toward others
disobedience, law breaking, and rebellion replace obedience to Him
lying to get ahead replace being truthful (truthfulness actually works against you in Satan’s system)
If you sit and ponder everything in this world, there is not a single part of the society we live in that isn’t tainted in some way by Satan’s deception and his counterfeits (Revelation 12:9).
Is political correctness God’s way? Or is it just another one of Satan’s counterfeits used to mask deceptive lies that come from the father of lies (John 8:44)?
Within the society in which we live, what is the stated purpose of political correctness? What is it intended to accomplish?
I typed the two words “political correctness” into my Firefox browser and this is the first thing that came up in big bold letters:
po·lit·i·cal cor·rect·ness
noun
noun: political correctness; noun: political correctitude
the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against. [1]
Another definition was provided by Wikipedia:
The term political correctness (adjectivally: politically correct, commonly abbreviated to PC; also abbreviated as P.C. and p.c.) in modern usage, is used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended primarily not to offend or disadvantage any particular group of people in society. In the media, the term is generally used as a pejorative, implying that these policies are excessive. [2]
On the surface, these definitions seem harmless don’t they? In fact, they may seem like a good idea. There are indeed those in our society who are marginalized, disadvantaged, taken advantage of, and inappropriately discriminated against. There is no question about that. So creating a “safe” environment where these people can be protected, and can be heard, would truly seem like a good idea wouldn’t it? Let’s take a closer look.
Who decides which people or groups get protected? In today’s world, it is those that scream loudly enough, those who consider themselves to be “marginalized, disadvantaged, taken advantage of, or discriminated against,” that get the most attention. Examples in our current society within the United States of America include: those of the Islamic “faith”, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons, people with disabilities, people of certain ethnic classifications, gender distinction, military veterans, and many more.
Often these people or groups get the attention and/or the assistance of an attorney, a person in government, or a governmental agency who takes it upon themselves to be a champion for them. When enough noise is made, sweeping laws often end up being created to “protect” the “offended”. Has this been all bad? No, it has not. Some few people have gotten relief from very real oppressive situations as a result. But what happens when helping those who need it is taken to the level of an entitlement created by law?
Let’s look at the fruit hanging off of the tree “political correctness”. There is a problem when broad legal protections are created for one group. In almost every case, freedoms for another group are deeply marginalized or even removed, or undue financial hardship is placed on, another group by the “protections” created for the “offended” group.
A few examples of this are:
Political correctness demands that a those who believe in the religion of Islam, created by claims of discrimination, inhibit a Christian’s ability to practice their beliefs openly because it is offensive to them. Christians must alter their practice, or in some cases cease to practice their beliefs altogether due to the “offense” it causes the Muslim. Is that loving? It seems to work out pretty nicely for the Muslim, but where does that leave the Christian?
Within the confines of political correctness, the LGBT agenda with its “rights” attempt to demoralize and force those who: a) are heterosexual, and b) believe in a traditional concept of marriage (which consists of one man with one woman), to not only accept, but to put aside their beliefs. Why? Because that view offends them. When those who practice the gay lifestyle sue non-gays, forcing them to do things against their beliefs because those beliefs offend the gay population, that is not love. Yet political correctness then steps in demanding that the non-gay person legitimizes the lifestyle of the gay person against what the non-gay person believes. That is not love, it is coercion!
Political correctness demands that people of certain ethnic classification, or gender distinction, should be given preference in the job market. Why? Because they are…well…them. It is not because they are clearly more qualified. No, it is because of their ethnicity or gender – period. That is counter-productive to the interests of the business being forced to hire the individual on that basis.
Let’s be honest here. As a former employer, it has never mattered to me what skin color, gender, disability, or any other classification that might be claimed, an applicant would fit into. At the end of the day, the person who had the best education and experience for the job is the one who got hired. Did I make that decision because I wanted only a certain class of person working for me? Sorry, I just wanted my business to succeed. It cannot do that if I am forced to hire someone who is not qualified because of a classification mandate!
Unfortunately, those whom protection laws are created for begin to broaden the definition of their protective policy. It isn’t long before their policy starts forcing the exact same discrimination upon others that they claimed existed when they demanded the protection be created. They will demonize any who object to the abuse of these protections with labels like: “haters”, “phobics”, “sexists”, “racists”, and so forth. It is by this means that a very small concentration of the population can create fear and repression, forcing their will on the greater population. In other words, the cycle becomes complete where the oppressed have now become the oppressor. These results, no matter how you package them, are not love for anyone but self.
God in His word tells us who it is important to Him that we take care of. They are: the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:17-18), those we would identify as the disabled (the deaf and the blind (Leviticus 19:14), and the poor (Leviticus 19:15). That is pretty much it.
He also tells us the attitude we should have while taking care of them. We are to take care of them out of outflowing love; first for Him, next our fellow man, and we are to do so from our hearts (Matthew 22:37-40). It is the way of give, not take. It is the way of self-less-ness, not self-ish-ness. If we do this, there are no negative consequences. Why is that?
If we love God, our heart seeks to please Him, and it will not be a burden to fulfill His will (Matthew 11:29-39). Rather it will be a joy to do as He says. It doesn’t cut into or take away anyone else’s “rights” when it is done from the heart, from a position of service and love. God tells us clearly not to esteem others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3), and it does not distinguish between those who are “advantaged” and those who are “disadvantaged”. God’s love includes a desire to take care of all in society, not just the privileged.
If you will notice, there is no classification or protection for any religion except His. In fact, there are curses pronounced on all who worship anyone but Him (Deuteronomy 11:28). God is the only God in the universe and there is no other! He will not accept being replaced by, or giving His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8).
You will also notice He offers no room for “sexual preference” either. Indeed, He states that any who practice a sexual lifestyle not ordained by Him will not be a part of His Family (1 Corinthians 6:9).
God’s ultimate purpose in creating man is to reproduce Himself (Genesis 1:26, Romans 8:14-17). Marriage between one man and one woman, the children they produce, and the loving family environment in which those children can grow and thrive, is a physical microcosm of what He intends for us spiritually when we are ultimately born into His Family. It is not physically possible for children to be produced except by a man and a woman. It is also not possible to have the proper balance that is required to raise emotionally healthy children without a father and a mother. And in accordance with God’s command (Genesis 2:24), this can only be accomplished within the family unit through the marriage union of a husband and a wife – one male and one female.
The remedy for the anger, excesses, and abuses created by the reckless policies of political correctness is wrapped up in loving God by keeping His commandments (John 14:15, 15:10. We must love living God’s way, and by His standards.
We should leave that which belongs to God with Him. What is right and what is wrong is determined by God, not us (Genesis 2:16-17). Our only responsibility is to decide whether or not we will follow Him. If we choose not to, we should expect to suffer the consequences. There are negative consequences that occur when we as humans decide that we are the arbiters of right and wrong. Our society has been in a downward spiral for several decades now because we have chosen to reject God and His ways as a nation. This world’s concept of political correctness places man’s approach higher than God’s Word. It places man’s way of get above God’s way of give.
Political correctness is not the way of love. It is just another one of Satan’s deceptive counterfeits which attempts to “wear the mask” of love. However, as with all of Satan’s counterfeits, it produces the rotten fruit of resentment, bitterness, and selfishness. Political correctness is not love. God and His commandments is love!