The Thinking ‘Kat: Silence and Selfishness
In one of my recent posts, I referred to a post by my buddy Bruce Gerencser, and the question put to him by one Dr Arv Edgeworth. This got me thinking about the wider context, or certainly a possible wider context. There have been a number of objections to Bruce’s Black Collar Series, and also objections to him telling the story of his de-conversion. Indeed, to listen to the conservative religious right, there are a great many complaints about anyone who is not a deeply religious conservative having any sort of voice.
In the eyes of these people, it is selfish for anyone they don’t agree with to speak. It is selfish of them to wish to have the same freedoms as the devout. It doesn’t matter that no one is impeding the religious conservative, it doesn’t matter that they can still do all the things they usually do, if anyone who is not of their ilk dares to speak, to share their views and opinions, that is apparently a selfish act. How dare someone who doesn’t adhere to the rigid conformity of the conservative religious right have a voice in society! It’s obscene to them, so they do whatever they can to impede the rights of others.
In the case of Dr Edgeworth, he is clearly worried that Bruce’s voice might sway people from the flock. The introduction of an individual line of reasoning, a person sharing their unique and personal experiences, is a danger to the uniformity the religious right craves for the sake of power. People are less-easily coerced when they think for themselves. It’s intriguing that a pastor often refers to their congregation as a flock, because a flock of like-minded, easily-controlled sheep is what a lot of conservatives desire.
It isn’t selfish to tell one’s story. It is not selfish to share one’s experiences and beliefs. It’s not selfish to desire equality. The ones who are telling you otherwise are the selfish ones, who desire power and control, and you will usually find this attitude is prevalent among the religious right, more so than elsewhere. These are the ones who want anyone they don’t agree with to be silent, and in some cases, they are prepared to be manipulative, and even nasty, to gain that silence. Resist this attitude, don’t be a sheep!
