Pluralism in today’s vernacular means that we, in America, can be “multi-cultural”, and we are told that along with diversity are our strenghts.

So, let’s examine those assertions. Firstly, the opposite of diversity would be unity. One as opposed to many. Secondly, multi-cultural implies many things – some of which are reasonable and good, and others that conflict. One nice thing about a multi-cultural society is the diveristy of foods, music, dance, art and other things. One bad thing about a multi-cultural society is that there is no common language. No common language leads to people segregating themselves joining in with those they can understand.

In the founding of America, that was quite common, although by the youth of those people learned to assimilate; they learned the language and the culture both. America’s culture was not only unknown to newly arrived immigrants, but it was in some ways contradictory to the old culture, and those people did not want to let go of the old culture.

Because their children wanted to assimilate, ultimately the parents had no choice but to adopt the new culture. As a result, Italians, Irish, French, German, African, Greek, Dutch, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian etc. etc. have all been able to assimilate into one culture. They speak English, get educated, have jobs, own businesses, go to the movies, listen to the radio, watch the TV, go grocery shopping, wear clothes from the popular stores, or whatever.

In the 1970’s, you could not look at somebody who was first generation American and say he’s a foreigner! America was, as it has been said, “The Great Melting Pot”! In 1970, America was a peaceful and prosperous society. America was probably at the peak of its wealth and influence worldwide. We had just demonstrated that we could put a man on the moon. America had either invented, or perfected and advanced, the automobile, telephone, television, radio, transistors, rocket ships, air travel, and much more.

Things do not make people nor cultures. They are the fruit of the people’s ingenuity, work ethic, and desires. A culture is much deeper than things and places and foods etc. A culture is a bond that holds society together in times of feast, famine, disaster, tragedy and war. Culture gives a commonality that provides a comfort of identity.

In 1970, if you went to Rome Italy, you would more than likely have been recognized immediately as an American. Your language would have been immediately recognized when people heard you talk. More than likely, your attire would have given you away, and for sure when you whipped out a dollar bill to pay for something, you would have been the envy of anyone looking on.

So, what makes for a culture? There are, in this writer’s opinion, four key ingredients as follows: 1.) Identity, 2.) Language, 3.) Government, and 4.) Monetary System (Currency). Identity is not racial, as we know the Islamic, Jewish and Christian cultues are worldwide, and they include every race. People have an identity which says who and what they are. The who starts with immediate family, those who share common values, neighbors, friends, and distant relatives. Those are the foundation of any culture. Language is critical if people are to be able to communicate with each other and to set and accomplish tasks. Sadly, there are a lot of people who don’t know how to get along with each other – starting all the way back in the beginning with Cain and Abel. Therefore, it is necessary to have a way of governing everyone in such a way that objectives can be accomplished; agreements can be made and upheld, disputes may be resolved peacefully, and criminals may be addressed appropriately.

Lastly, a monetary system is necessary for ease of commerce (trade). Here is a real conundrum which the founders of America tried to address. They established gold and silver as money. Why? For one reason, gold and silver met the definition of money – a store of wealth, difficult to come by (limited in supply), easily divisible, durable, desireable, can’t be counterfeited, and portable. Additionally, they had a multi-thousand year history as money.

A well respected monetary system allows for streamlined commerce which leads to peace, prosperity and happiness. Again, sadly, there are people who would like to obtain money through illegitimate means such as deception, stealing and coercion through government taxation. This is of course where the need for government comes into a functional being to adjudicate the miscreant behavior of those people.

Let’s go back to identity now. Identity is important, because above all else, it is what makes you feel comfortable and secure in your surroundings. The most foundational of all identities is religion. Religion is a very personal matter, and is a basis for a lot of fighting and breaking up of cultures and other sub groups. Religion is that belief and behavior system to which someone ascribes, and chooses (ideally) to live by. So, we get down to the question presented at the beginning. Can a pluralistic society survive?

If a culture must have government, then that government must manifest and enforce the law system that fulfills the religion’s determination of what is right and wrong. After all, all religion is, is a form of behavior that is acceptable to all who participate. Everyone is religious as everyone has a view of what is acceptable and unacceptable to themselves. Religion gains strenght and credibility when a substantial number of people set agreed upon standards for what is acceptable and unacceptable.

What is acceptable or unacceptable to a Jew, Muslim, Christian, Hindu etc. will definitely vary. As a result, in any given government, there will be jockeying for position by those and other religions to set those acceptable and unacceptable standards. This causes a conflict which is not easily resolved. Most people and religions would like to avoid war and blood shed. On the other hand, they also believe (feel?) very strongly about their religion, and it is the basis for their lives and existence.

Of course in America, we have become quite secular, so that there are millions of religions – each one customized to suit the person who started it. How often have you asked someone why they think, say, or do what they do? And, their answer is “that’s the way I feel”. Of course, with rare exception, no two people “feel” identically. This conundrum has led to 50% of all marriages in America leading to divorce (not saying 50% of all people).

Religion, when organized (something people have come to hate), provides a basis for understanding and conforming to certain norms of behavior. Most people would tell you that it’s wrong to murder, steal, commit adultery etc. What most people can’t seem to figure out is that people still do that stuff – so why is that? That “stuff”, in the Christian vernacular, is sin. At one point in America, all of the major sins were illegal. Over time, and with the help of infiltrators into government, sin has been legalized.

It’s true, although you may not see it that way. Go to a Gay Pride Day parade, and watch as men and women engage in public same-sex acts. Go to south Chicago on a Saturday night and watch people shoot each other to death – most of the time with impunity. Check the statistics on Planned Parenthood and all of the tax funded abortions taking place. Watch any adult movie and see adultery pursued with zeal. Listen to the foul language and the taking of the LORD’s name in vain on the big screen and on the public street corner. Watch as welfare recipients steal from producers. Watch in big cities as people openly take drugs in public. See how people walk into retail stores and walk out without paying, and there are no consequences! The list goes on and on. Sin has either been legalized or decriminalized in America today.

But wait, isn’t this pluralism? Isn’t this diversity? Isn’t this multi-culturalism? Yes, in the mind’s eye of the people pushing this nonsensical and impossible agenda, it is! It will never work! It will self-destruct at some point in time, and that point in time may be getting pretty close. People talk of the pendulum swinging back, but could it be too late for that? How many civilizations of the past have sunk into the abyss of unrecorded or poorly recorded history?

If society doesn’t have a common standard of morality and behvior, it will not be around long. There is a saying; “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” What is in the past? Mistakes! A mistake is an unintentional sin. The author of the quote was being kind, because intentional sins are the real culprit. People don’t repeat unintentional mistakes (sins) that often.

The all time greatest history book is the Bible. It is proven true time and time again – not only on the facts, but on the principles and laws that make for a difference between a just, peaceful, prosperous and pleasant society and an evil, vile, degenerate miserable society. It’s just a matter of time when society turns a blind eye to the realities around it and accepts the decline from that higher standard known as the Bible. History and its ashses are replete with examples.

Pensiamento Peligroso