Please tell me why you are a liberal...
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My favorite answer! 
missjasmine
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I'm liberal because I believe that each persons spiritual path to God should be personal, and other than the basic rules my Father has outlined for me in the bible (10 commandments, way to salvation, etc). And I personally believe that people try to impose too many man made rules to reflect their personal moral beliefs.
SO I'm liberal because no one should tell me how I have to worship my Father, how I choose to get close to him is entirely up to me and him =]
SO I'm liberal because no one should tell me how I have to worship my Father, how I choose to get close to him is entirely up to me and him =]
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spinningtutu
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I'm "liberal" in a very cultural-social way...
Bizarre goth music, piercings, tatoos, fetish clothing, being environmentally conscious, eating at health food outlets, going green and organic, that sort of thing.
I would say that I've taken the basic concept of a *restricted* (this being the KEY word) relativism found in Romans 14 and updated it to modern cultural-social views. So much more than people would like to admit - though certainly NOT some things - are social constructs and are thus "neutral". The sooner we get over it, the better.
From a theological perspective, I believe that God's love for us is very "liberally" administered. No matter what, all people, deserve God's unrestricted love, acceptance and nonjudgment. God defines our eternal fates, and for that, we should ALL be thankful.
Also, Jesus' message of how we are to live on earth means a radical new social vision. But hey, I'm one of those freaks who says we can and should endorse both the social gospel movements and the fundamentalist movements.
I believe in a *version* (I say version, because I don't want to give the impression that my precise views are just like so-and-so) of a queer-affirmative Christianity.
A strong impulse of liberation theology runs through my veins when it comes to racial reconciliation, minority rights, women's liberation, fetus liberation, animal rights, etc.
Basically, for lack of a better way of stating this...
I'm a younger, gothier, gayer, sexier version of Tony Campolo.
Bizarre goth music, piercings, tatoos, fetish clothing, being environmentally conscious, eating at health food outlets, going green and organic, that sort of thing.
I would say that I've taken the basic concept of a *restricted* (this being the KEY word) relativism found in Romans 14 and updated it to modern cultural-social views. So much more than people would like to admit - though certainly NOT some things - are social constructs and are thus "neutral". The sooner we get over it, the better.
From a theological perspective, I believe that God's love for us is very "liberally" administered. No matter what, all people, deserve God's unrestricted love, acceptance and nonjudgment. God defines our eternal fates, and for that, we should ALL be thankful.
Also, Jesus' message of how we are to live on earth means a radical new social vision. But hey, I'm one of those freaks who says we can and should endorse both the social gospel movements and the fundamentalist movements.
I believe in a *version* (I say version, because I don't want to give the impression that my precise views are just like so-and-so) of a queer-affirmative Christianity.
A strong impulse of liberation theology runs through my veins when it comes to racial reconciliation, minority rights, women's liberation, fetus liberation, animal rights, etc.
Basically, for lack of a better way of stating this...
I'm a younger, gothier, gayer, sexier version of Tony Campolo.
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LovebirdsFlying
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Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your thoughtful answers.
As many of you have alluded to, I myself am either a conservative or a liberal, depending on who you ask or who I'm being compared to. I suppose, politically, I'm liberal compared to Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, but conservative compared to Timothy O'Leary and Abbie Hoffman....
Religiously I fall squarely on the conservative side. And I just realized, here I go violating my own rule about not saying the c-word. Oops.
But I do want to say this, since I said it in the CC thread as well. I'd like to consider myself a conservative, but there is one thing holding me back. If there is some sort of unwritten rule that says a "true" conservative has to ridicule liberals, I don't want to be one. Nor would I have any desire to show how liberal I am by taking aim at conservatives. I am just as offended when liberals flame conservatives, as I am the other way around. Theologically and politically, as I said in CC, we can say what ideas we do or don't agree with, and not disrespect the holders of the opposing view.
Now I'd be interested in knowing who agrees more with the statement I just made.... liberals or conservatives. Hmmmm.
As many of you have alluded to, I myself am either a conservative or a liberal, depending on who you ask or who I'm being compared to. I suppose, politically, I'm liberal compared to Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, but conservative compared to Timothy O'Leary and Abbie Hoffman....
Religiously I fall squarely on the conservative side. And I just realized, here I go violating my own rule about not saying the c-word. Oops.
But I do want to say this, since I said it in the CC thread as well. I'd like to consider myself a conservative, but there is one thing holding me back. If there is some sort of unwritten rule that says a "true" conservative has to ridicule liberals, I don't want to be one. Nor would I have any desire to show how liberal I am by taking aim at conservatives. I am just as offended when liberals flame conservatives, as I am the other way around. Theologically and politically, as I said in CC, we can say what ideas we do or don't agree with, and not disrespect the holders of the opposing view.
Now I'd be interested in knowing who agrees more with the statement I just made.... liberals or conservatives. Hmmmm.
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Izdaari Eristikon
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I agree quite a lot with that post, Lovebirds. And to me the answer is clear: you are a Bridge Builder kind of moderate, like me.
The basic Bridge Builder moderate is someone who is:
1) Theologically on the conservative side.
2) But politically not so much.
3) Very much in favor of dialogue and cordiality rather than confrontation and vilification.
We both totally fit the profile.
The basic Bridge Builder moderate is someone who is:
1) Theologically on the conservative side.
2) But politically not so much.
3) Very much in favor of dialogue and cordiality rather than confrontation and vilification.
We both totally fit the profile.
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LovebirdsFlying
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I agree quite a lot with that post, Lovebirds. And to me the answer is clear: you are a Bridge Builder kind of moderate, like me.
The basic Bridge Builder moderate is someone who is:
1) Theologically on the conservative side.
2) But politically not so much.
3) Very much in favor of dialogue and cordiality rather than confrontation and vilification.
We both totally fit the profile.
And that's why we're friends.
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I'm a liberal because I believe in tolerance, strongly support questioning authority (not unnecessarily!), I'm also a pacifist and just generally support liberty. Oh, and politically I'm a Socialist.
), I'm also a pacifist and just generally support liberty. Oh, and politically I'm a Socialist.
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QuakerOats
— ♥ — Living in Love — ♥ —
I'm a liberal, first and foremost, because I believe in progress and reform, and the general axiom of 'live and let live.' I believe in 'thinking outside the box,' and am not comfortable simply accepting things 'as is,' at least not without question. I believe God is bigger than any one religion, or label we put on him, and that truth, as a general rule, has many forms. Liberal theology 101?
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Texas Lynn
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Texas Lynn
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Wait, why not the opposite, theologically on the liberal side and politically more so...I'm thinking about the type P.J. O'Rourke called (including himself) "Pants-down Republicans"...why are they not also "Bridge Builders"?
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Texas Lynn
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As many of you have alluded to, I myself am either a conservative or a liberal, depending on who you ask or who I'm being compared to. I suppose, politically, I'm liberal compared to Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, but conservative compared to Timothy O'Leary and Abbie Hoffman....
I wouldn't personally call Leary and Hoffman liberals, but they both died 20 years ago or so. Leary was not political except when he was busted out of prison by the Weatrehmen including Bernardine Dohrn, the wife of erstwhile Obama assosciate Bill Ayres along with Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver, later a conservative Christian. Hoffman was more an anarchist except in later years he was a traditional liberal community organizer. Perhaps (since Limbaugh and Coulter are comentators) a more appropriate par of opposites would be Al Franken and Ellen Goodman, though Franken is about to become a lot more conservative now that he's almost Senator.
No, nor the opposite. Since the New Deal though much of conservatism has consisted of saying "No" to social change.
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Izdaari Eristikon
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I'm not saying they're not. I was just profiling what seems to be the majority of Bridge Builders founders and regulars. Of course there could be more liberal counterparts, and I'm sure there are.
I am myself a P.J. O'Rourke fan, and his brand of pragmatic libertarianism with a sense of humor isn't at all far from mine.
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SallyNow
Blame it on the SOCK GNOMES!
I believe basic education and healthcare are rights, not luxuries. I believe that when people are down a civilized society helps them get back on their feet and that this has been proven by history. I believe that new scientific, social, and medical discoveries sometimes require that a person sometimes re-examine their values and beliefs.
I think that about sums it up. Although, I know a lot of conservatives who believe the same things, I'm assuming we're using the American common usage of the word "conservative" and not the Canadian usage of the word "conservative".
I think that about sums it up. Although, I know a lot of conservatives who believe the same things, I'm assuming we're using the American common usage of the word "conservative" and not the Canadian usage of the word "conservative".
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NDNgirl4ever
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I became a "liberal" when I realised that there was more than one view point on issues and began to study those views. I am liberal because I respect the beliefs of others.
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