Dinesh D'Souza

The November issue of Imprimis, the monthly newsletter of Hillsdale College, features an article adapted from a speech delivered by Dinesh D’Souza. Dinesh is a conservative author, thinker and speaker who worked as a policy analyst in the Reagan White House. His articles currently appear in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, Vanity Fair, The New Republic and National Review to name a few.

His speech draws heavily from the research he did for his latest book called: What’s So Great About Christianity.

Dinesh uses the example of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence to connect the dots between what American’s believe about “self-evident” freedoms, and the roots of that idea in Christianity. He further strengthens that connection through writings of Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and others.

In contrast to the earlier Greek and Roman democracies, Christianity contributed a much higher view of human life, worth and dignity that radically affected slaves, women and children, and in more recent years, African-Americans for the good.

When it comes to our own history as a country, the First Great Awakening set the religious and spiritual groundwork for our nations Independence. Historian Paul Johnson writes that the War for Independence was,

“inconceivable… without this religious background.”

Likewise, John Adams wrote,

“What do we mean by the American Revolution? The war? That was no part of the Revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The Revolution was in the hearts and minds of the people… a change in their religious sentiments.”

Dinesh points out that Christianity played a vital role in establishing a new concept of freedom based upon it’s assertion that humans are created in God’s image and are moral agents, with the ability/responsibility to be the architects of their own lives.

In conclusion Dinesh points out that it was Friedrich Nietzsche who said that the ideas that formed Western civilization were based on Christianity and that if we remove Christianity, the ideals will also fall. Nietzsche also warned that with a decline in Christianity, new and opposing ideas would arise.

We see this decline happening today with the redefinition of family, marriage, the revival of eugenics, and even arguments for infanticide. These are all signs of the gradual extinction of the foundational principles that uphold human dignity.

I agree with Dinesh that if we cherish the distinctive principles of Western civilization – no matter what our own personal religious views – we would do well to better understand, appreciate and respect, rather than denigrate our Christian roots.

I have been an Apple Macintosh user since 1997 when I purchased my first Mac Plus, with 1 MB of RAM and a 20MB serial hard drive, a dot matrix printer and some software for about $3,500. I love the company’s products, design sense and innovation. There is literally no other computer or operating system that I would rather use. Apple is clearly a leader in our world of technology and communication.

However, when it comes to issues outside of their core competency, Apple seems to lose its way.

Today, Apple posted this on their Apple Hot News feed:

No on Prop 8

October 24, 2008   12:18 PM

Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.

Perhaps Apple is not aware of the fact that virtually ANYONE in California already has “the right to marry!” In fact, this is the case throughout the United States! Any person, no matter if they are male or female, as long as they are sane, of legal age, and meet the health requirements of the marriage license, can get married! Even if a person is confused about their sexual orientation they can still get married. You don’t have to declare your sexual orientation to get a marriage license!

So why is Apple touting their spending of $100,000 on a a non-issue?

I just don’t get it.

Barack Obama and Pastor Jeremiah Wright

There is one more big reason why I cannot support Barack Obama in good conscience. It is because of his stance on issues related to marriage, the family and sexuality. A friend of mine recently compiled the following list of positions that Barack Obama favors, from the public record.

Barack Obama Favors

• “the full and unequivocal repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act,” which protects states from forced legal recognition of same-sex “marriages” performed in California or Massachusetts.
• Homosexual civil unions (the legal equivalent of marriage with respect to childrearing, adoption, inheritance, tax and hiring law and freedom of association, requiring costly new government and insurance benefits that natural, traditional families and the rest of society must subsidize).
• He seeks to “ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits” of natural, traditional marriage are extended to same-sex couples.
• State-by-state homosexual marriage (by way of Supreme Court orders to override legislatures as necessary, dignifying what we once called “sodomy” with religious legitimacy)
• Condom distribution in prisons (de facto facilitation of “safe sodomy” )
• Full, open homosexual integration into our military. Our military women aren’t required to bunk and bathe with male soldiers; is it appropriate to force any of our troops to bunk and bathe with declared homosexuals? What about the morale of our troops?
• Automatic “same-sex citizenship” for foreign homosexual “permanent partners” of American gays.

If you are going to call yourself a Christian, you have to deal with the fact that from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is clear about God’s rejection of all sexual immorality in general – and homosexual behavior in particular. Does Barack hold that Moses (echoed by Paul in Romans 1) is merely offering an option from the Lord Almighty in Leviticus 18:22-23?

“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is an abomination.”"

“Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”

Barack Obama recently contested the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by declaring that “I do not agree with General Pace that homosexuality is immoral.”

I ask you then, Mr. Obama… on what grounds do you call yourself a Christian, yet reject publicly and categorically the position your historic faith holds on marriage, the family and sexuality? As a fellow Christian, I just can’t support you in this! I don’t see how any other Christian can either.

(Thank you to Steve for the compiling of public data)

I encourage you to watch both clips. They are unnerving to any Christian, or conservative, pro-family person.

You can also VIEW CLIPS here.

One cannot escape the obvious imposition of personal values and morality of the adults, teachers, and leaders in these clips, onto young, impressionable children. This is NOT the role of a school or a teacher in my opinion. These kinds of value/morality lessons are for parents to teach their own children. They do NOT belong in a school setting.

The one segment I found disturbing was the teacher who asked the group of teacher/administrators if they we actually going to try to communicate to children that the homosexual “gay or lesbian” lifestyle was OK, or if they were going to remain neutral? The answer was shocking and in my opinion revealed the existence of a “gay agenda.” The gay agenda propaganda machine is alive and well in the schools of America, as indicated by this film.

Parents… is it already showing in a school near you, and without your knowledge?

By comparison and contrast, also today in Turkey, 3 Christians were martyred (murdered) because of their faith in Jesus Christ. I received this chilling email through a friend today:

“…Today three of our brothers paid that price in Malatya around 1:30pm. Two Turks and one German working for a Christian literature distribution center were interrogated and tortured all night having their feet and hands stabbed. In the end, they were all murdered execution-style with their throats slit. All were clearly martyred “because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained” (Rev 6:9). The police have arrested 4 people in conjunction with this event.”

“I knew the German brother and one of the Turks. As far as I know all they were married and with children; the German, Tillman, has 4 children and Necati has 2. I don’t know if Ugur had any or not. Please be in prayer for their wives and children at this time.”

Get More Info

So, who really suffered today? How many supporters of the “Day of Silence” would also support international sanctions against repressive regimes and societies like Turkey, China and other countries that routinely commit murder and torture against Christians? I wonder.

Monday, April 30, 2007 – Here is a much more detailed update posted on the Voice of the Martyrs website. Warning: It is very graphic and detailed!

The article discusses the Ted Haggard situation and the various views of the causes of sexual orientation and the potential for change. The article includes several viewpoints including Dr. Throckmorton’s. Here are some quotes from the article:

“For people of the evangelical persuasion, they believe that the core of their being is about their relationship with God,” Throckmorton said. “If they’re truly being who they are, for them that means bringing their sexual feelings into alignment with their religious beliefs.”

And that, he added, could be the next step for Haggard.

“It appears he’s struggled with his feelings secretively,” Throckmorton said. “And now he has the opportunity, if he can be completely candid with some counselor or adviser, to sort out how he wants to live and what boundaries to place in his life.”

Here is one of the most insightful commentaries I have read on this unfortunate development, by a man who is no stranger to moral failure, yet a man that I highly respect because of how he has come through and handled his failures – Gordon MacDonald.

When Leaders Implode

As the news comes out regarding the gross sexual misconduct of homosexual Republican Representative (now resigned), Mark Foley (Florida), it is clear that the House Republican leadership needs to take responsibility and clean house. How long is the GOP going to flirt with the pro-homosexual agenda? There have been three homosexual Congressmen involved in sexual seductions of minor boys to date. yet ‘the “gay’ activists” continue to ridicule and denigrate anyone who suggests there is a predatory component to male homosexuality!

We need a change in GOP leadership! No more distortion of Ronald Regan’s “big tent” idea. The tent was never intended to include people who commit immoral, illegal and unethical behavior. No more double standards!

The same issue is true in Illinois and the ILGOP. Judy Bar Topinka’s candidacy for Governor is tainted by her open support of the gay agenda. She is now in a state of politically “owing” that powerful lobby. Any person who cannot see the foundational hypocricy here is not fit for the Republican Party, or to lead this state.

To the RNC and ILGOP… your hypocricy is evident to all, and you will continue to decline until you CLEAN HOUSE!