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I see that the modern conservative values are born out of ignorance of the past. Liberalism was born out of war. Out of the civil war of England in 1640's. Out of the religious clashes in Europe in the 17'th century.

When we look back to those days. It was Christianity at war with itself. Different sects seeing each other as harshly as the Southern Baptist and Taliban regime see each other now. Or even more so.

But the funny thing is, in a way the Southern Baptist and the Taliban now share more because they both are anti liberalism.

And what did liberalism give us? No more, no less than modern western democracy, which then was copied to most of the world and which in full bloom. Gave us modern times.

Had we stayed the way we were pre ideas of religious tolerance as preached by John Locke et al. Where would we be?

It was liberalism, it was tolerance that brought us modern times. It was John Locke that inspired the United States of America, even though he was not a perfect man as he had no problem preaching that children should work from age 3 and that slave owning was cool.

BUT

It has been a long way getting from there to here. It was incredible journey for western liberalism to be born out of its fundamentalist, Christians fighting Christians to the last - roots.

What happened?

Well, the echoes of 9 / 11 keep on echoing.

The day born out of decades of tensions in middle east.

Mind you that that Islam had a liberal concept pre modern fundamentalism called ijtihad in which religion would fit together with reason, with philosophy. With science!

Well, I guess liberalism has had many starts. Many births.

Many deaths.

So what is happening in the west? I had a weird feeling years back that USA could turn fundamentalist, despite its roots that go back to John Locke who inspired most of the founding fathers. I do not know why. Maybe my instincts were just honing in on keywords going around in media and online forums. I noticed how the beards were growing long on the soldiers sent to Afghanistan, how violence was creeping into online conversations more and more.

Rage and anger building up.

And that is the thing. The more rage and anger builds up. The less space is left for liberalism. because hate and liberal values shut each other out.

Both in Islamic nations and in west.

And then.

The politics changed. We went from eloquent and liberal politicians to politicians who openly hated on others. Claiming to speak as if they knew God. With a smile. And I am not just saying in USA but here in Europe too. Once those politicians began gaining votes. A new, even more extreme right appeared.

The problem being, John Locke preached separation of Church and state just because. He had seen what happens when you let religious leaders have full power. His father had fought in religious wars as a Parliamentarian, against the forces of the king who wanted to claim DIVINE RIGHT OF THE KING!

OVER 200 000 thousand people died over that silliness! 9 /11 would have been a drop in the pond compared to that. THAT IS WHAT INSPIRED LIBERALISM! And that was only one war like that over centuries.

Liberalism was a way to avoid wars over who knew God best!

WHO WANTS THAT?

Now, we are living in a world blessed by the fruits of liberalism.

A time where the word tolerance has grown from its humble roots to mean that we can live together in peace! Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Hindu's and so on alike!

We see Taliban broadcast their messages with fruits of western technology because they think it is pretty rad too!

We have had centuries of ever evolving liberal policies which have given us our highly evolved societies (if you compare to past). And are people amidst us thankful? Are they thankful for the medications, for the fact that they can live longer, for the fact that free trade has made us richer than ever before?

NO!

Why? Because their leaders have come up with divisive stories of how they are being oppressed? Why? Well, because there suddenly is general amnesia about what liberalism has given us.

Because we the people in the end are still simpletons. Simple creatures that are guided by STUPID INSTINCTS. On some level no smarter than horses on a field that herd together according to their coloring. No better than school children on a school yard that pick on each other based on their looks.

Our religious feelings can be about as smart as a child being suddenly keen of Indians if you tell him that you saw a Indian in a forest. After which the child goes into full delusion mode where he will talk about the Indians behind every tree.

These modern people in full delusion mode have not lived through times when their local priest can put them into stocks on the front of the church. They have not died in wars where their sect of Christianity has decided to attack against another branch (well except for in Ireland).

They have not lived through times of ignorance where their faith is being actively used by people who may suffer from mental disease or who are just power hungry and want to grasp on to the end of the string that makes them walk like a army of Pinocchio's.

When I see what Q-anon unraveled, when I see the anti vac sentiment, I see anti liberalism and even though I am Christian. I see that the religious networks are being actively hijacked by all sorts of unscrupulous folks who sometimes are mentally ill, sometimes deeply traumatized. Sometimes just plain power hungry.

Trying to dream up a world in which they know what God wants. Remind you of any place? Somewhere in the east? Anyone? Bueller? A place certain large army just left.

My name is Mrloop and I am liberal.