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Barr adds: “Among the militant secularists are many so-called progressives. But where is the progress? We are told we are living in a post-Christian era, but what has replaced the Judeo-Christian moral system? What is it that can fill the spiritual void in the heart of the individual person? And what is the system of values that can sustain human social life?”
The attorney general said of the moral problems we are facing, “This is not decay. This is organized destruction. Secular forces and their allies have marshaled all the forces of mass communication, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and academia, in an unremitting assault on religion and traditional values.”
I believe Attorney General Barr is absolutely right. Here’s why we are here: Many in our culture believe the lie that all truth claims are subjective impositions of personal power on others. Tolerance of all viewpoints must therefore be mandated, except, of course, for viewpoints deemed intolerant.
According to this agenda, the freedom to express religious beliefs ends where such freedom is deemed harmful to or by another person. Any person. Of course, the harm done to the person expressing his or her religious beliefs is ignored.
Seventeenth-century theologian John Owen: “There is no duty we perform for God that sin does not oppose. And the more spirituality or holiness there is in what we do, the greater the enmity to it. Thus, those who seek the most for God experience the strongest opposition.”
One of the tragic ideas of our culture is that ideas are subjective statements of personal preferences and cannot be expressions of objective truth and morality. This was the idea Attorney General William Barr addressed in his remarkable speech to the law school of Notre Dame University last Friday, a message I hope you’ll read in its entirety.
Mr. Barr noted: “Religion helps frame moral culture within society that instills and reinforces moral discipline.” He added: “Scholarship suggests that religion has been integral to the development and thriving of homo sapiens since we emerged roughly 50,000 years ago. It is just for the past few hundred years we have experimented in living without religion.”
As a result, due to the “growing ascendance of secularism and the doctrine of moral relativism,” we are seeing “the wreckage of the family” and “record levels of depression and mental illness, dispirited young people, soaring suicide rates, increasing numbers of angry and alienated young males, an increase in senseless violence, and a deadly drug epidemic.”
The response of secularism is tragic: “We have the State in the role of Alleviator of Bad Consequences. We call on the State to mitigate the social costs of personal misconduct and irresponsibility. So the reaction to growing illegitimacy is not sexual responsibility, but abortion. The reaction to drug addiction is safe injection sites. . . . The call comes for more and more social programs to deal with the wreckage. While we think we are solving problems, we are underwriting them.”
Response by Mr. Barr’s critics has been swift and angry. Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin spoke for many when she claimed that “the attorney general has no business preaching about faith to the American people.” (Of course, he spoke not to “the American people” but as an invited speaker at a Catholic university.) However, as with other critics, she focused entirely on the alleged evils of the Trump administration and the Republican Party. She did not devote a single sentence to engaging Mr. Barr’s address on its merits.
Perhaps that’s because the facts are not on her side. The Wall Street Journal‘s William McGurn noted: “Mr. Barr’s argument has been echoed throughout American history: ‘Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people’ (John Adams). ‘Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith’ (Tocqueville). ‘In teaching this democratic faith to American children, we need the sustaining, buttressing aid of those great ethical religious teachings which are the heritage of our modern civilization. For “not upon strength nor upon power, but upon the spirit of God” shall our democracy be founded’ (FDR).”
We could add President George Washington’s Farewell Address: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.” The “Father of His Country” added: “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
What’s noticed the most on job interviews:
1. How you meet and greet them: body language, charisma, confidence.
2. How passionate you are. The word passion is derived from the word pain. Translates into hard work, innovation, and loyalty. Disruption creates opportunity.
3. How self-aware and flexible you are. To be constructively critical of yourself, to be confident and understand your own struggles and be adaptable.
4. How respectful you are – of others and yourself…the first step toward social connection and collaboration. Being on time and prepared.
5. How comfortable you are, in your own skin, in your ability to perform. A strong yet humble sense of self. It’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance that many don’t realize they’re stepping over, though it’s evident to those around them. Make eye contact.
6. How to answer the “what’s your weakness?” question – you can’t cop out. Be honest: “I dig into the details too much” or “I don’t take enough time for myself.” Those unable to find fault with themselves won’t be as receptive to on the job criticism. Companies are looking for applicants who will take risks, make mistakes and learn from them, and be humble.
8. How specific you are, what steps you took to achieve results. Better than theoretical answers. There are a lot of smart people who know the answers but have never achieved the results.
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