Secularism’s New Creed

Signs have begun popping up in front of houses, which seem to list several core doctrines of secularism. The signs say, “In this house, we believe black lives matter, women’s rights are human rights, no human is illegal, science is real, love is love, and kindness is everything. It reads like an apostles’ creed of progressivism. A summary of the ever-changing faith that has, at least for now, been delivered to the secular saints. It is the creed for which they must contend. Yes, much of it is different from the secular dogma of 20 years ago, and there will be a different creed in the future. How could it not? “Progressivism” means change. What are considered the core tenets of secular faith today will soon be regarded as unorthodox and prudish in the future, but for now, these signs are a helpful guide to the dogma of the day. Let us take a quick look at each phrase.

In this house, we believe

The articles of faith are introduced with the words, “In this house, we believe.” There is not much to say about this other than it is strangely familiar. As Christians, we have been doing this for years. Most of us grew up with Joshua 24:15 posted somewhere around their house, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” It is as if secularists have written their statutes on the doorpost of their house and their gates (Deuteronomy 6:9).

Science is Real

I know I am taking this out of order, but this seems to be the foundational statement. For Christians, we believe God is real, and he is the center that holds all things together. Truth, morality, and logic are expressions of his mind. Even science is possible because of the created order. Everything we believe is grounded in God, but where do you go when you deny God and his revelation to humanity? Apparently, science is your foundation. Science alone is progressivism’s authority for its faith and practice. It is the lens through which they must evaluate all things. Some who embrace this new creed believe in a god, but secularism leaves no room for religious thought in political life. Therefore, their god must be left out of the discussion and science must take up the mantle. As we move through the rest of the creed, we will see how well this holds up.

Black Lives Matter

Of course they do. For Christians, humans of all ethnicities are made in the image of God and deserve dignity. God loves black people so much that he gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to die for their sins, just as he did for every tribe nation and tongue (Revelation 7:9). Black lives do matter. Based on this, if there is a group of people facing oppression and racism, it is time to stand up and end it. The problem is, secularism does not have this foundation, so let us turn to science; can it prove that black lives matter? Can it show that any lives matter? Unfortunately, it cannot. It may attempt to ascribe a utilitarian value to human life, but so did slaveholders. Secularism is unable to offer a foundation for the intrinsic worth of a human being. It already appears as if secularism’s creed has lost its footing.

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights

Yes. Yes they are. Progressives seem to like truisms. Women are human, so it makes sense that women’s rights are human rights. For Christians, we believe our Creator endows us with human rights. It would be interesting to see how science provides us with human rights, but I digress. We all know this statement is about abortion. Women’s rights are human rights; unless you are a woman in the womb, then you have no rights. To hold this position, the secularist must deny the science they claim is real. Science has unequivocally shown us that the child in the womb is human, and it is alive. It is a living human being in the ordinary course of development. Still, they continue to deny science and pretend they are taking a stand for human rights while ending human lives in violent ways: even black lives.

No Human is Illegal

Clarity is an apologetic, and this secular doctrine is deficient. Is this simply an argument over the use of words? If so, It is always interesting when postmoderns, who believe that human language is merely a social construct and is ever-evolving, attempt to force others to use words with precision. However, if we take this doctrine in the context of the cultural narrative, it seems they are arguing once again for human rights. The best that can be made of this is it seems they believe borders are a violation of human rights. Of course, they have this sign outside of their homes, which they do not want anyone to enter without permission, so it is hard to take them seriously. If you walk into their home uninvited and start living there, they will have you arrested as a trespasser. As already stated, to the Christian, all humans are made in the image of God and worthy of dignity. Are there areas of immigration that need serious improvement? Of course, and we should work on those. Still, the intended meaning behind this statement is irrational, which makes it unlivable, as seen in the inconsistency of its proponents with locks on their doors.

Love is Love

Ahh, another truism. Lust is lust, and equivocation is equivocation. I guess it is what it is. This statement in itself offers nothing new or interesting to any conversation. What they really mean is the love they approve of is love. They would rightly reject pedophilia. At least, I hope they would. The problem is the word “pedophilia” has the word love in it. That is what “philia” means, yet they contradict themselves by correctly arguing that it is not love. They cannot live by their own precept. Still, it gets worse for them because everyone knows this statement is about LGBTQ+, and this is another area secularism denies its core doctrine that science is real. Science has been perfectly clear how the x and y chromosomes work, but progressives have gone ahead and created 50 new genders out of thin air. In the end, I guess we would need to see science’s definition of love to see if secularism has any consistency on this one. Of course, if love is merely an emotion caused by chemical reactions and firing synapses, so are hate and lust, and who is to say one chemical reaction is better than another?

Kindness is Everything

Kindness is important. For the Christian, it is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians, and it is an honorable aim. Kindness is closely associated with benevolence. It is a form of love; true love as defined by God. After all, God is love (1 John 4:8). The problem is that in the secular universe, love has no objective meaning. Science cannot establish it or define an objective standard of goodness, which means kindness is also an empty term for them. This secular article of faith should come to mind every time we see protesters hurl profanities in the face of police officers, or when they destroy property in the name of progress.

Secular humanism is an empty religion. Progress can only happen when there is a fixed standard of good and evil. When we move toward goodness, we make progress. When we walk away from it, we digress. Since progressivism cannot provide this fixed standard, it loses all ability to define progress. Progressivism makes progress logically impossible, but this is what happens when we suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness. We become vain and futile in our thinking, and our foolish hearts are darkened. (Romans 1:21).

-D. Eaton