Political Correctness; A Gate of Hell Trying to Prevail

[HKHaugan]

It is quite necessary to read the following quoted statement very carefully. It contains the elements of what is taking place in our country and in our Western Civilization right now. It's history repeating itself. Germany went through a tectonic shift between World Wars 1 and 2. A ruler named Adolf Hitler arose. His strategy was to divide and conquer. Define cultural enemies, make people afraid of them and eliminate them using the judicial system. For discussion's sake I'm underlining a few of this statement's words and phrases. The statement written over 50 years ago has current significance. It is an excerpt from the German jurist Ernst Janning's speech in Judgment at Nuremberg 1961 movie (played by Burt Lancaster). The movie chronicled the trial of German jurists after the war. The question it raises: “Is the 1933 to 1939 fever that swept Germany begun in 1923 arising again?” Is the social and political condition of Rome and Greece repeating itself?

“There was a fever over the land, a fever of disgrace, of indignity, of hunger. We had a democracy, yes, but it was torn by elements within. Above all there was fear, fear of today, fear of tomorrow, fear of our neighbors, and fear of ourselves. Only when you understand that can you understand what Hitler meant to us,.....”
The fever of fear tears from within fomenting a vast social and relational paranoia. After you read what follows could the Dachau trains of a new holocaust be waiting at a nearby station for those who would call themselves disciples of Jesus? Will Christians be the new threat to society? This is not to engender more fear but to recognize our calling to be witnesses for Jesus in a new and exciting way. Please continue.

I suggest we are feeling the symptoms of that same fever of fear. One has only to read the headlines and listen to the news commentaries on TV. There is a wave of 'fever' sweeping over every level of government and private sector leadership.

That present 'fever of fear' is called political correctness.

Political correctness is a spiritual fever that spreads a social and relational fever. Political correctness has arisen from the ashes of history to threaten us. It's from the spiritual pit of darkness where the devil reigns. Political correctness is the infection induced by of the spirit of fear who attacks man's weakness, his fear he feels when his social and relational identity is threatened. This is where each of us has tried to find meaning and purpose for ourselves in order to feel good within and look good to others without. I think we've all been there at one time or another.

Political correctness has appeal. It's an easy and quick way to assert yourself when you need a cause to give you meaning. Being racially tolerant without understanding tolerance, or anti authority, or anti corporation, makes you feel good about yourself even if you know that's why you get involved. If you can't find a cause, make one up. If you haven't been accomplished in some area that others find 'in', immediate approval is available. Political correctness lubricates your needs. It becomes your lifestyle and your means of communicating who you want others to think you are. Because I hate 'them, whoever 'them' is, I'm good. Add to this the technology that caters to our impetuosity and immediate reaction.

Actually political correctness is the deepest form of self-centered indulgence presently operating in the larger fever of society's lostness. You get people to feel guilty about a past they had nothing to do with. It takes the 'heat' off of an individual's feeling of inadequacy. The 'occupy' movement, animal rights activism, climate change fanatics, global warming 'experts', 'tree huggers', and the hordes of other self-indulgent strategists who storm corporate offices and attack international summit meetings populate themselves with 'no-questions-asked' membership (only a person's presence is required). Even the extremists from religious zealots like ISIS to civil agitators have only a superficial value structure. Find a cause and let emotion rule the moment. The only requirement is to have the desire to join in. Thinking and acting hostile looks inviting to the unfulfilled self. It's the stuff out of which riots spring. It's our fifteen seconds, minutes, hours of meaningless self-defined fame.

If you could dig into the minds and hearts of many who espouse activistic ideas you would find no sense of long term life purpose. Rather, they look for momentary fixes and allow a secular movement to identify themselves, movements that eventually die out. They are simply the attitudes and opinions of others behind which their meaninglessness hides. Self-justification is the method of telling the world they have purpose and self-worth. There is no real communication of hearts only a conformity to what others want you to think and say. See what I mean about political correctness? Yet, so many have been deceived by its influence. And why? Aren't we are all guilty, guilty of something, guilty because we exist. Fear, guilt, unfulfillment rule the moment.

Political correctness is a spiritual invasion of lives that have no deeper sense of who they are spiritually. The politically correct spirit attacks individuals where they are weakest and that is in their fears. There are different kinds. Besides physical fears, there is the fear of not being accepted, fear of appearing intolerant, fear of rejection where intimidation and manipulation by others comes from stronger personalities, fear of losing a sense of belonging, fear of losing profits, fear inherent in image consciousness, fear as appearing weak, fear of being alone, fear of failure, fear of exposed inadequacies and on and on. Get somebody afraid of something and encourage their momentary emotions to react.

The deepest of these self inflicted fears is that it may all be for naught. What the activist most desires may not be happening right away so he's got to act to get the ball rolling. The activist (political correctionist), wants it all now. Thus the only means is violent attack. Storm the barricades, break down the doors, taunt the authorities, tear up whatever is in your path, take over their buildings, halt public transportation, sabotage, kill the perceived offenders. That's the ultimate result of political correctness. Riot. That'll show 'em.

The subtlety of political correctness is that it attacks from hidden places and the attack is against a perceived offense that has gained acceptance regardless of whether or not it is an actual offense. Notice how a minority opinion can become a majority fear of how we are perceived. What is the real threat to being perceived? Is it personal, interpersonal, social, physical, economic, religious?

Again, political correctness arises out of spiritual weakness, the weakness of those who can tell what is going on but see nothing, hear nothing and do nothing. They form what we call 'the silent majority.' It's composed of those who know what is happening but feel overwhelmed and under equipped to speak and act.

Then the minority who seek to satisfy the moment of their discontent go wild. It's called anarchy and anarchy is sin on steroids. Evil spirits are attracted by sin and its weaknesses, fear and pride. Weakness emits a scent drawing them. Temptation exploits that scent. Weakness becomes the need of the moment seeking help. Emotions seize the moment. The devil seizes the same moment to distract us from the Lord and His will (Gen.3). This is where the world gripped by the devil moves in to offer whatever will satisfy the need he wants us embrace. Paul identifies the vulnerability of the sinful nature: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like (Gal.5:19-21).” There are spirits to agitate those sin reactions.

If that quote didn’t grab you, read how The Message Bible paraphrases it. “It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.” If this doesn't seem real to you, all you have to do is read reporters' accounts of what really happened during the 'occupiers' activities.

For the 'correctionist' it is the opposite of Jesus' call to make a friend, be a friend and bring a friend to Him. It's define an enemy, be their enemy, get others to join and destroy the perceived enemy no matter the cost.

We can either continue to let spirits overtake and deteriorate us or take up the shield of faith, discern them, expose them and rebuke them in the name of Jesus.

Political correctness is a spiritual issue and it has to be dealt with spiritually. As I said early on this writing “This is not to engender more fear but to recognize our calling to be witnesses for Jesus in a new and exciting way.” We'll take that up next.