>> Readers must understand that I use the term “liberal” not in the usual sense ...

sellick is a tendentious moron, in the usual sense.

The author says:
"The ethics of liberalism is the line of least resistance. This is why harm reduction is the favoured excuse of governments who legalise abortion to reduce the deaths from backyard operators, prostitution to reduce disease, drugs to reduce the criminality of the drug culture. Harm reduction takes the place of morality and the evils that we seek to control quickly become industries that are to be respected.

Abortion, prostitution and drugs have been traditionally managed by the informal and/or criminal sectors of the economy. It seems to me that the author is referring to these activities as throwaway examples of behaviour that are widely regarded as risky and/or undesirable, and yet government interventions prior to developing and implementing "harm reduction" policies have had no effect on the traditional economic structure.

The traditional economic structure, with its law enforcement approach to abortion, prostitution and drug sales and distribution, involves transactions which I consider corrupt and corrupting. Corrupt police and legislators gain rewards for attending and defending the system as they have for centuries - and well before what the author describes as "the implosion of Christianity".

If the author takes these three social problems seriously, what does he propose to do about them beyond theorising on the topic of liberalism?

Right life is ecstatic mindless participation in unboundless feeling-radiance.

Poor Sells-stuck in the 19th century--or rather the premodern world of medieval superstition---or even in his case the ancient "world" of Israel, wherever and whenever that was.

There is zero spiritually informed intelligence in any of his writings (rantings)

Neuhaus was essentially a proponent of catholic fascism. If you check out the journal he was associated with they dont have much tolerance for anyone who doesnt accept their right-thinking interpretation of the "authority" of the "magisterium".

Indeed they assert that there is NO truth to be found outside of the "catholic" church. Which obviously includes Sells too.

It also had strong links with Opus Dei too.

Anyone for sado-masochism?

1. http://www.matthewfox.org/sys-tmpl/htmlpage7

Evangelicals are a dangerous joke. They are very much a product of modernism or the culture formed in the image of scientism, or rather left-brained LITERALISM. Just like Sells. And have nothing whatsoever to do with Reality, Truth or The Beautiful.

Anyone for a theocratic state?

1. http://www.richardheinberg.com/museletter/144

And what has theology got to do with Reality, Truth or The Beautiful? It is all just pretentious and manipulative mind-games. Its fundamental asana is doubt of the Divine Radiance that IS Alive as quite literally everything.

Left-brained towers of babble/babel---ashes and dust.

In contrast the Process that IS True Religion only begins to begin when the left brained mind that wants to do theology (and thus control both the Living Divine and other people) falls away.

Real Spiritual Intelligence is tacit, silent and wordless.

And isnt it completely obvious that most of the Bible should be thrown away with both hands.

1.http://www.jesusneverexisted.com

Especially the genocidal bits of the "Old Testament". And the bits that advocate execution for various social "sins"!

It (the Bible) is claimed by right-thinking religionists to be the infallible word of "god", and by extension applicable and binding on ALL human beings, in all times and places.

Either ALL OF IT IS BINDING, or which bits?

What kind of fact based evidence does one need?

The emperor of traditional religiosity really has no clothes

Peter, unfortunately for you, you are about as convincing as a Mormon on my door step interupting my otherwise "liberal" enjoyment of the Sabbath watching grown men chase a football.

The term that keeps coming to mind is "prolix". You are an uneconomical user of words and this always rings alarm bells for me.

Hiding behind verbosity is usually someone who is not at all convinced of their own position.

Put simply your thesis appears to be that post-enlightenment, we really have lost our way and should be thankful our creator has not laid waste to our undeserving souls, so get down on your knees and start praying for salvation you heathens.

...or words to that effect.

Peter, why don't you just allocate some of your personal time (you appear to have plenty to spare) to getting your hands dirty and actually do some (secular) community work.

The cure to your obvious frustration with the modern world may be that simple.

Sir Vivor
Good post. I was conscious of using my three examples as throw aways and that each deserved a treatment of its own in more depth. The point I was trying to make is that liberalism has left an ethical vacuum at the centre of our society which means that we can no longer hold, as a community, that prostitution, abortion and drug taking are injurious to all concerned. Harm minimization automatically gives these activities a legal and hence a moral status and the ethical sense of the community is further blunted. Any solution to this dilemma that I would suggest must sound fanciful, it entails the broad sharing in the community of a common story that truthfully articulates the content of what "human" means. Obviously I regard the Christian tradition as being that common story. My suggestion may provoke derision, given the low stocks of the church in our society, but that does not stop me believing that it is true.

Bushbasher.
What is the point of your post? You have reached the lowest level of childish abuse. Do you think you might be admired for it?

Ho Hum,
Pushing your old and tired bandwagon again at the cost of my discussion space. Would you please desist, no one is interested.

Peter Sellick

<<Liberalism is not so much an ideology but the vacuum left after the implosion of Christianity.>>

Christianity (the church kind) has imploded because it had no substance. The vacuum was always there.

<<Liberal Christianity has been aided by modern biblical criticism because it robs the text of its authority and power.>>

The text never has had any authority. It only had the illusion of authority of those who claim to have the ability to speak on behalf of God.

If there is a God it will not be found following the Sellick system. That is nothing and always has been. The real problem of the Sellick system is that it blocks and side-tracks people who are genuinely seeking. It creates an illusion of authority where there is none.