The Clueless Conservative

The Raleigh News & Observer has published an entertaining piece of liturgical philosophy. 

By way of reply…

In Texas and Florida where the backlash has been strongest, governors have signed legislation banning state universities from even having departments devoted to spreading the DEI gospel.

What exactly is this author’s standard for morality?  In FL & TX, the same people who object to DEI policies are also the same people who have made it clear via FL law that if/when a business owner dares educate his or her employees about FL’s history concerning race and what constitutes a hostile work & commercial environment, if as a consequence the employees or potential employees feel guilty about their participation in the sins of their fathers, this constitutes an actionable offense.

The rhetoric surrounding these laws centers on CRT. However, if I as a teaching elder in a theologically Evangelical Presbyterian church in the APC, work with a rabbi in a Conservative Jewish temple in SFL to put together a teaching module for my parishioners who own the business or chain of businesses, basing the module exclusively on what the Judeo-Christian Scriptures correctly exegeted, exposited, understood, & applied teach, then - because FL law doesn’t specify CRT - my parishioners could lose the lawsuit, which means the law suppresses not only philosophical speech but also speech that finds its epistemic warrant in the Judeo/Christian Tradition itself - which is religious speech. 

What exactly does the author of this facile piece of liturgical philosophy think is a morally acceptable way to deal with DEI?  What is his epistemic warrant for his opinion, especially in view of the fact that he’s cited 2 State Governments with Governors who are known to be ciphers for the angry religious & irreligious bigots in their states? 

As a reminder, not only has Ron DeSantis modeled his rhetoric on that of Viktor Orban by way of his views on LGBTQ issues, he has also gone to war with Disney, & he admitted to having (presumably with Governor Abbot of TX’s approval) sent two stoolies to TX a few months ago to case a Roman Catholic Church for easy marks, persuading them to sign a release (because that makes it all legal & therefore moral, right?), then trafficking them to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, CA.  He subsequently admitted openly that he did it as a means of using his legislatively approved political slush fund in order to engage in politically motivated human trafficking.   

Maybe the author of this opinion piece ought to pause before deploying TX & FL as models for the rest of us to follow.  In NC, our State Constitution clearly states that all of our rights come from God.  It was adopted in 1971, when that meant that certain classes of people were protected classes, & when HB2 was passed, the General Assembly prohibited the inclusion of sexual orientation & gender identity from the classes protected while including the classes protected under the Civill Rights Act of 1964 & the ADA, which means State Law agreed then  - & presumably today - that businesses & other institutions cannot do as they please in matters of employment & public accomodation.    

Instead of asking TX & FL what they think about it - thus continuing a historical trend in NC in which we look to others then join their bandwagon - we ought to ask God what God thinks about it.  It isn’t as if our State Constitution doesn’t state that if we are to enjoy the blessings of liberty & fruits of our labor, we ought to we ought to abide by the principles enshrined in the State Constitution. 

Sodom & Gomorrah went down because of witchcraft, warmongering, cultic sexual behavior, & EPIC levels of biblical gluttony, along with - when Gen. 19, Judges 19, & Acts 19 are harmonized - radicalized angry religious bigotry. How do DEI programs facilitate those sorts of systemic problems?   Nobody ever talks about DEI’s effect on these sorts of problems.  Rather, they are vilified as “divisive” and at times made to sound as if they negatively affect a business’ bottom line - which is what Demetrius used to justify his radicalized bigotry in Acts 19.

Just because DEI initiatives make people feel guilty & angry, it doesn’t make the initiative “divisive,” any more than hearing the truth from God Almighty & His prophets through the ages was “divisive.”  Isaiah was told that his message would winnow the people. Jeremiah was thrown into jail & his words burned by the king.   Calling DEI divisive is like saying God & the prophets were the problem rather than the recipients of the message. 

Instead of dropping anvils on the heads of DEI & their supporters the same way that Conservatives have historically targeted LGBTQ people & others, we ought to be in the business of working with & within communities who are the historic targets of oppression, & we ought to be looking for ways to curtail the systemic gluttony at work in American Society. 

DEI’s ought to be reformed - not eliminated. Elimination is what the gluttons & bigots who are running Sodom & Gomorrah would do.