Saturday 1 December 2012

Secular position is not neutral

There is no genuinely secular state, no secular argument, and no secular motivation, even among those who consider themselves secular. There is no neutrality. On questions as ultimate as the existence or nonexistence of God, or the binding or nonbinding character of His dictates and commands, or the objectivity or subjectivity of morality, or the absoluteness or nonabsoluteness of truth, there are no mediating positions. There is no neutrality.
  -- p17 Culture Shift by Albert Mohler Jr.

Mohler's point is clear and simple. I've left out the context, but he isn't saying that we cannot or should not have a secular society. He is saying that we cannot be ultimately secular, or think secular position is some kind of a neutral ground. What people often regard as secular position is ultimately anti-religious position, which is hardly neutral. Until people realise this, the religious in our secular society will always feel like outsiders and feel the burden of hiding their religious motivations when attempting to build a better society together. They will be cast as second class citizens who do not have a place in public debate because they hold to a religious outlook of life. Christians (and to a large degree, people with most other religions) should not feel that their views are particular biased, because their really isn't any neutral grounds.

(Image credit: ABC)

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