Nonconformity Is a Sin
Some people who have commented on my blog think I am unjustly prejudiced against liberals. Though normally I choose not to use prejudice in my personal vocabulary, I cannot deny that I have very little good feelings towards those who throw lies and anger at anyone who chooses to be different than the average liberal. Somehow those who believe in liberalism and feminism have adopted the belief that all must conform to one way of thinking, and that those who don’t have either been led astray, or are just stupid. And it’s not just an idea a few full blown liberals have adopted; it’s an attitude most of America has taken on. Nonconformity to the secular way of thinking and acting has become a sin; despite the fact we live in a free country. Well, some people have decided to take advantage of that freedom, and I, as a home schooled, Christian Conservative, have chosen to live differently.
This makes some people mad. Don’t ask me why my personal choices should be of such concern to a perfect stranger, but one way or another, anonymous commenters find their ways to my blog and begin to accuse me of living differently; attempting to make me conform to their ideas by way of insulting remarks, rude accusations, and intrusive assumptions about my life. Check out some of the posts that gained such attention: Why I am thankful for my father's authority, Daddy, To end all wars, Staying determined...
What they wanted
What do liberals and feminists want from such heated debates? First, we must wonder why they choose to target people such as me; young (preferably female) teenagers who write in Christian, conservative manners, to hold such degrading debates with? Is it that they have no older, more mature opponent with whom they can converse, and convert? It really makes one wonder when they have nothing better to do than pick on young, “vulnerable” teens time after time.
What they want, to be sure, is to make us conform (without question) to their ways of thinking. Competition obviously is not appreciated by liberals, and most Democrats. Only those who are ready to defend their faith by reason and discussion can truly appreciate challenge, and competition.
I cannot tell you what the liberal commenters that I have encountered expected me to do with our discussions, though I’m sure that if they had never talked to a home schooled teen before, they may have been surprised that I did not back down or accept their theories, simply as a way to get out of the debate. I may not ever know exactly how they wanted me to react, but you can bet they didn’t get what they came looking for.
What they got
I must agree that a child who is schooled at home seems an easy target for those wishing to expose and impose the pleasures of the world upon the “isolated”. But as many bloggers have proven, very few of us are so isolated as to latch on to simply any silly idea that comes our way. We can think for ourselves, and it is my hope that my guests have recognized that through our discussions. Their aim was to make me depressed, angered, and dissatisfied with my life and family. What they got, however, was quite the opposite. The most recent discussion I had with an (of course) anonymous commenter was in the comment sections of fellow blogger Anna’s post on motherhood. The comments to Anna, several other home schooled ladies, and myself were filled with contempt and suspicion at our willingness to serve our families by staying home and playing the role of a future mothers. Not only were we questioned as sane people, but our parents were accused of having “isolated”, “sheltered”, and even forced us into doing something a woman, apparently, should never have to do (work).
Every time I begin a discussion with such a commenter, I always get excited, eager… and often, I do get rather depressed; mostly because of their inability to listen to my reasons and respond rationally. However, my discussion with the anti-motherhood commenter only encouraged me as I looked around at my home, my role, my family… and especially my father. This time, I was able to take delight in saying “no” to anonymous; I have always appreciated the fact that I have the freedom and ability to not conform, but for some reason now more than ever I have delighted in that fact. Not in retaliation, but in thanks and realization of my blessings was I able to walk away from the computer and into my family life, taking pleasure in doing the opposite of what they want, in loving and honoring my family. I cannot express the feeling of refreshment I experienced, as I decidedly said no to conformity, and yes to authority.
How they got it
How is it that we have the ability to give the world the truth, instead of the lies they desire? The only way we ever have or ever can have the strength to say no, is God. It is easy enough to yes; to fulfill and feed our earthly, fleshly desires, but it takes unnatural strength and character to say no to our desires, and without God’s intervention in our lives, we would be like all the rest; conforming to the world, and falling prey to the desires in it. We can take no credit for having resisted the lies from our media, nation, or blog guests. We can, however, give all thanks and praise to the One who grants us true delight, pleasure, and happiness through, most of all, the blessing of a Christ-filled home.
Posts
11 comments:
Wonderful post Jen! I can totally relate with all of the attacks, as I've had them happen to me, and seen them happen to you. It is so sad how people think that we ought to do things certain ways... I feel the same emotions you've mentioned when confronting an anonymous. I've come to realize that it doesn't really seem to matter what you say, they don't usually listen. Well-thought out post as usual! =)
well, it doesn't seem to matter what anyone else says either....because you so-called-patriot, don't really listen either.
and the intent is not to make you change your lifestyle, the intent is to make you open your eyes, realize that people live differently than you do, and for you to just maybe stop judging them and stop being so self-righteous.
She hasn't judged antone on here.
At least not unfairly anyway.
The only thing I've seen her do is point out inconsitancies and voice her own opinion.
Last I check,
That's a constitutional right.
of course she judges. she judges "feminists" and "liberals" and "the media" and "non-christians" and those who don't support this war.
and funny you should talk about constitutional rights...
of course its her right to voice opinions. and in an open public forum, the "marketplace of ideas," it is anyone elses right to challenge, comment, or in your case agree with those opinions.
"well, it doesn't seem to matter what anyone else says either....because you so-called-patriot, don't really listen either.
and the intent is not to make you change your lifestyle, the intent is to make you open your eyes, realize that people live differently than you do, and for you to just maybe stop judging them and stop being so self-righteous."
Matthew 7:1
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
That goes for everyone here.
But Christians do need to be narrow minded to ways of the world. Titus 2:12 says;
It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
1 Corinthians 3:3
You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
She judges people by their actions, which is what people deserve to be measured by.
Btw, to many annons on here. Make a name for yourselves people!
I find it amazing that only two days after posting this blog, already there have been two fairly caustic personal attacks on The Patriot.
I am personally inclined to believe the Patriot, not from anything that she personally does, or by her beliefs, but rather for her ideas and her tact in voicing them. She never openly attacks the "liberals and feminists" as she is accused of, but instead points out the various problems with their way of thinking.
The Patriot's posts have been very enlightening, often times pointing out dangers on both sides of the spectrum. The liberals are not always right, but the conservatives have had their mistakes too.
It does amaze me that even though she has not personally attacked anyone, and even though she has kept her comments pointed at the ideas and not towards the people, so many are willing to instantly turn their words and actions into biting remarks designed to make her recant her ideas and beliefs. She posts her opinions, and others are welcome to do the same, (as I myself am doing,) but at the same time I am not sure that even I would have the fortitude to stand up to the personal criticism she has received numerous times. She deserves more respect and courtesy than most are willing to give her.
So with that being said, this blog page helps me understand that there are often many different people in this world, many of whom do not care what others think or what others believe, as long as it does not interfere with their ideas or make them feel uncomfortable living them.
Non-conformity is not a sin, but a basic constitutional right. No one ever said that if you did not believe in a certain way that you would be tried and sent to prison. Many take toleration to an extreme, and in a majority of cases while they are tolerant of others, they are only tolerant as long as the beliefs do not cross their own ideas.
The Patriot is no more self-righteous than a commenter determined that they are right and she is wrong. She says what she believes, and they say that she is self righteous, even though they are doing the same by saying so on her site. Maybe the best course of action would be for the commenter to look at what they post before they post it, examining themselves to see if what they are saying is judgmental, and I think that they will most often find that their accusations are in themself judgmental and extremely self-righteous.
Keep up the site, and don't get depressed. A person willing to be so judgmental is generally someone with something of their own to hide.
"Be an example to your men, in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself and let your troops see that you don't in your endurance of fatigue and privation. Always be tactful and well mannered. Avoid excessive sharpness of voice, which usually indicates a man who has shortcomings of his own to hide." German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel
Hey...
How do you know that one?
I was just teaching that to my freshmen this morning...
She never openly attacks the "liberals and feminists" as she is accused of, but instead points out the various problems with their way of thinking.
Uh - yes, she does, repeatedly. Repeatedly talking about how they are negative, their thoughts and beliefs are wrong.
And "problems with their way of thinking?" As you said yourself - everyone is free to not conform. and certainly, one's thoughts are his own. Who is the so-called-patriot to voice judgment as to the "problems" with their way of thinking. ONe might consider that the "problem" with patriot's way of thinking is that she sees everything her own secluded view of the world on a farm in Nebraska - never really experiencing much of life beyond there, yet judging people who are go to public schools, who choose to dress differently, who do not practice her religion, who oppose this current Administration, who support the troops yet oppose this war in Iraq. Maybe her thoughts are "problems"?
YOu forget that the right to not conform does mean that you are right.
For example,
If I hate somone,
That may not be right,
but so long as my actions cause no one any harm,
I will not be forced to conform.
But at the same time,
This doesn't mean you can't tell me I'm wrong.
And would you mind putting up a refrence to back up your claim?
The Patriot is not guilty of anything except the same thing her accusers harshly accuse her of. Apparently her freedom of speech has no apparent meaning to those who are so willing to judge her. Before one can judge a person, one must first see if they are judging by accusing the other of judging. The argument is so full of fallacies that it would never stand in court.
By not openly attacking the "liberals or feminists," I was speaking of specific personal attacks against them. Such petty things as calling them "secluded," "close-minded," and other such specific attacks against their intelligence. Her posts are very well written, well thought through, and even if they don't conform to a specific point of view as other would like, they still are not specifically directed towards one particular person. Also, just saying, "Uh - yes, she does, repeatedly.", is not sufficient evidence to argue with. If one is to make such a statement, please back it up with at least some specific lines and evidence against the accused, otherwise it is just your opinion, and while you are entitled to it, it does not mean that it is necessarily correct.
The problem with accusations that call the patriot secluded and infer that she has never left the "Nebraska Farm," is that the accusation itself is based in secluded thought. Many people are not willing to actually realize that no matter where one is, no matter what one has experienced, there is so much more to experience. There is no way that a living person could experience everything there is to experience in this world in one lifetime. The typical person will never leave comfort for poverty, will never take a lesser paycheck for a worse job, anything like that, because they are comfortable in their own little world. Therefore, no-one has any right to accuse anyone of being secluded, no matter what they have experienced, because whether or not they are willing to admit it, they are in a secluded world too.
Finally, what has anyone else experienced that they think that the Patriot should experience to leave her own "secluded little world?" I can think of many things that I have experienced that have brought me to the view of the world that I have, and I would not wish most of it on anyone but myself. Many times to see the world from a cynical viewpoint, it takes large ammounts of pain and hurt to do so.
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