4 Reasons Our Secular Worldview Has Failed Us
No one needs to be persuaded that current cultural events have left us in a difficult place. From all of the impacts and effects from COVID-19, the racial injustices in our country that have lead to the exposure of systemic racism and to the protests (many peaceful) and the riots that have sometimes followed all over our country.
To make matters worse, our secular culture has left us ill-equipped to pick up the pieces in any meaningful way. In fact, it has contributed to the political and social divide that seems to grow every day.
What is secularism? At its core, it is the principle that religion (i.e. any personal belief system) should be separated from state affairs. That it should not be apart of governmental affairs or a part of public eduaction.
And while I do agree that there should be no mandated religion and that, in particular Christianity, should not be tied to or overseen by the government, secularism as we know it today means all personal beliefs should be kept private and not have any influence in the public square.
Of course, all of us make decisions based on our private beliefs and thoughts, so it is impossible to keep your beliefs to yourself while trying to make any decision of importance. And because humans are beings that are created to worship something, a secularist belief system has emerged that has completely failed us for our current cultural moment.
Below are four reason in particular on why that is the case.
1. It taught us that we are never the problem
The ethos (the characteristic spirit of a culture) of our society today is the belief that all of us are basically good. Anything that causes you to make poor decisions isn't because you could possibly not be totally awesome, but because bad things have happened to you and you need to find your true self and remove all negative thoughts, people, and experiences from your life.
While it is true that many of us have experienced really hard things, it is also true that we aren't always the victim. And to claim that we are never the problem puts an impossible weight on us to find our "authentic selves" that will never let us down.
And yet, we know our authentic self is still broken. This leads in part to the crisis of anxiety and depression that is so prevalent within us and in our culture today. We are told being "the best version of ourselves" will produce everlasting happiness and fulfillment. But we can never seem to get there, or even get close.
So as we are faced with a current cultural moment that desperately needs each one of us to take personal responsibility for how we can pursue justice and love others well, and we can't do it. Why? Because we have been told none of the bad stuff that happens is our fault, it is always someone else's. But if we don't take responsibility for ourselves and how we behave, how can we expect positive change?
2. It taught us that we should always put ourselves first
Because personal fulfillment and happiness start within, "as long as we aren't hurting anyone else" we should do whatever makes us happy. There are many problems with this mindset, particularly the fact that all of our decisions impact other people whether we see it or not. But if our personal happiness is the most important goal, why should we worry ourselves with how others are feeling?
If a store is being looted, and we know won't get in trouble for joining in (plus the fact that someone else will take whatever don't take anyway), why not take part in it?
If a group of people is being discriminated against and you aren't, why put yourself in the uncomfortable position of standing with them? Why do anything that you don't want to do? After all, happiness is the goal, so why would you go out of your way to do anything that will stop you from achieving that goal?
Our secularist ideology gives no justification for doing anything that doesn't benefit you. Yes, we may not like people being treated unfairly, but nothing in secularism tells us we ought to do anything about that. Secularism teaches us that we should always put ourselves first. Therefore, it has left us woefully ill-equipped to face everything going on right now.
3. It taught us that virtue is oppressive
Virtue can be described as behavior showing high moral standards. And in order to be a virtuous person, you have to do a lot of things that go against putting yourself first. A virtuous person tells the truth even when it can hurt them, they the high road when people mistreat you, they do the right thing even when no one is looking.
Virtue takes discipline and integrity. And yet, the secularist spirit of our day says that anything that holds you back from pursuing what you want is oppressive. The only sin of our culture today is intolerance, and to suggest that there is some sort of moral behavior we should all strive for would suggest there are certain behaviors we shouldn't tolerate.
But who are we to tell anyone else how they should live?
What we desperately need today are people who are kind, compassionate, generous, trustworthy, self-controlled, and concerned not just about today but about the future. We need people and leaders of virtue, and regardless of how you vote politically, we can all agree that both Republicans and Democrats desperately need more virtuous leaders.
And yet, secularism gives us no justification for being virtuous. Discipline and self-control take work which restricts our ability to pursue personal happiness at the moment. Becoming virtuous means oppressing certain desires. Secularism can't have that.
4. It left us with no reason to fight injustice
In a culture driven by personal autonomy, who gets to say what is right and what is wrong? Just because you don't like something, who are you to claim that it's wrong? After all, someone else would argue that it is perfectly fine.
And yet, we know racism is wrong. We know sex-trafficking is wrong. We know people should be held responsible for the evil things that they do. But we know these things in spite of secularism, not because of it.
Secularism gives us no reason to fight injustices. If life is about personal fulfillment, why should we waste our time on things that don't personally impact us? Why should we lose any sleep over other people being mistreated? Why should we waste our time, energy, and even resources helping someone else instead of pursuing our own happiness?
That answer is because it is the right (you could even say virtuous) thing to do. But why?
Secularism gives no convincing answer to that question. And in a time where we desperately need unity and justice, our secular worldview has desperately failed us.
Jesus gives us what secularism never could
Where do we go from here? How do we become the type of society that cares for others well, fights against injustice, and is concerned for everyone, not just the individual?
We need a worldview that gives us a reason to care.
Christianity actually gives us what secularism cannot. It gives us a reason to care for others (Jesus cares for us). It gives us a reason to fight injustice (Jesus is righteous and will overcome evil). It gives us a reason to pursue virtue (Jesus cares about how we treat others). It gives us a reason to put others first (Jesus laid down His life for us).
Jesus gives us what secularism can't.
Secularism has failed us, and it's effects are being felt now more than ever.