Page 53 - Liberating Liberals V2

Liberating Liberals
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Yet even the liberal idea that society can change for the better is in some sense a religious one. Our only certainty is what concretely is. That is one of the great conservative strengths. Conservatives appreciate what actually is. On the other hand, great changes have occurred in the recent past including the beginning of the liberation of about 9/10ths of humanity.
Yet future change may happen or not. Thus hoping for change is hoping for something that isn’t, and may be an effort to escape reality. Though liberals believe this is not the best of all possible worlds we should nevertheless greatly respect what has gotten us to this point. To not do so is to risk being swallowed up by lack of appreciation of what is — by nihilism and pessimism and negativity. We should try to affirm what actually is and so gain a type of license to work for what may be.
And while we’re expanding our awareness
of meaninglessness, we need to also expand
our acceptance of the meaning that Christian fundamentalists have determined. The fact is, no one absolutely knows how or why the Big Bang occurred, or where the matter involved in the Big Bang originated. Whether you choose the Big Bang or God’s creation may be six of one, or a half-trillion galaxies
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