Thursday, October 7, 2010

Morality, Hatred, and the Geert Wilders trial

In one discussion group I'm in there is a discussion of morality. I admit to not paying it proper attention because it seems to me the term followed the examples. A debate pitting dueling philosophers over the establishment of morality strikes me as missing the history -- that is, what really happened -- at least in Western Civilization.

"Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Later on the term "morality" was applied to these commandments. If you believe in and obey these injunctions then you are moral. If you violate them, especially if you are a serial violator, then you are immoral.

If we attempt to build "foundations" of morality without crediting the Christian history of our Western Civilization, then we may fail to make sense. Take what is going on in the Geert Wilders trial. In brief, Wilders has offered his opinion about Islam and about the dangers of Dutch immigration policies. He is accused of inciting his fellow Dutchmen to hate Muslims. It seems to me that these Dutch jurists have gone rather far from their Christian roots. "Hate," is a word that has been forced out of its traditional meaning and applied by the Politically Correct as modern means to achieve Modern, Leftist-Liberal ends.

If we return to our Christian tradition we see that Hate is a neutral term. We are not to hate our brother or God, but we are to hate evil. We learn that God hates all sorts of things. For example, He hates a double-minded man, wrong paths, sin, those who hate him, falsehood, and those who hate peace.

So hatred isn't wrong if it involves hating evil, falsehood, wrong paths, etc. So if the Dutch Jurists don't want to completely make up a new set of laws based on Leftist-Liberal fancy, (and setting aside for the moment the question of whether this trial is based on anything in Western tradition) they need to deal with what it is that Wilders hates. If he can show that he hates those who hate peace and advocate murder, for example, then surely he is being correct in his hatred. Consider just a couple of examples of this peace-hatred that we find ready to hand:

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and

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Is Wilders wrong to hate these Peace haters? A better question to ask is why the Dutch Jurists don't hate them as well.

COMMENT: Is not any man that moves into our West and consequently into our Western Tradition compelled by the very contract he has made during the immigration procedure to live at peace with our Western tradition? Is he not a "double-minded" man if he promises to live at peace with this tradition but once he has become a citizen declares this tradition anathema and a violation of Sharia? Notice the signs in the above photos. Do they not violate our Western traditions of tolerance and free speech?

If the people in the above photos stood on enemy soil and voiced those sentiments, they might be logical "single-minded." But to come to the West, enter into it, and then hate it and want to "behead," "slay," "butcher," and "exterminate" those of the West who are not violating Western Standards is "double-minded." "Deceitful" is another term for what they are doing.

So what should we in the West do in the face of such people? Should we give in to their rage and to their threats of violence? Many Western leaders would answer in the affirmative. Yes, they would say, let us give in to them. They wouldn't like my leaving this so baldly. They would want me to add their "reasons" for giving in to them, the reasons they repeat to themselves and each other, but I see no need to do that. They are, even if we listen to all their reasons for doing so, giving in to them.

I applaud Geert Wilders for hating what is evil, and as such times as these, during the Dutch trial of Wilders for hating evil; I am reminded of some things I was told by my Drill Instructor during Boot Camp. He said that we should not expect "civilians" to understand us. They spend their time engaged in peaceful activities and neither understand, nor (often) appreciate what the warriors in our society have to do to keep them at peace. This peace is a gift that the warriors of each generation fought to give them. What a shame it will be if Leftist-Liberal "Civilians" give in to our enemies without a fight.

Wilders is behaving as a warrior in regard to the Islamic threat facing the Dutch. The Dutch Leftist-Liberal "Civilians" who want to put him in jail for his courageous words (in the opinion of this former Marine) ought to be ashamed of themselves. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'd lay a good amount of money on the liklihood that most if not all of those people shown in the photos are second or third generation immigrants and that most if not all have been radicalised since 2001.