Culture wars

I have read through all the comments on here with interest. All sides have made some very thoughtful, well considered points. Having taken some time to consider it I would like to add my own thoughts 

First of all, I don't believe we are a Christian country anymore although I also believe that is a bad thing. Being a Christian country doesn't mean everyone is a Christian and goes to church, what it means is that the basic structure of society and it's moral values are based on the teachings of Jesus. These teachings are basically love God, love everyone else, put other's needs above your own, care for your family and those who can't care for themselves, be loyal and faithful, don't seek revenge, don't lie, cheat, steal or murder. When I look out at the broken society in front of me I don't see those values represented anymore.

Modern society is individualistic, it is all about "what do I want?", "What makes me feel fulfilled?" "What's best for me?" whereas true Christianity has always been about what is best for others and putting them above yourself. 

What I would ask as a genuine question is are we now happier in our individualistic society than we were in the days when society followed these values? I honestly don't think we are

On to the issue of "culture wars" and "woke", I think it is an oversimplification to say that the opposition to these things is based on a dislike of minorities or a desire to preserve perceived privilege. I think the key issue is that any society that wishes to function cohesively needs a framework on which to operate. Once anybody can be anything they want and anybody can do anything they want as long as it makes them happy then we lose the ability to function. To put it another way if everyone has their own truth then there is no truth. 

The trans issue is one I don't intend to get into here as it is a minefield on this site but I will say this, I don't believe that all opposition to gender identity issues is motivated by simple prejudice in the way many of the Trans Ally community seek to frame it. As a former school teacher, I could speak for hours on the damage done to young children by teaching them about things like the Genderbread Person in Year 8 and below. Many young people have been caused great emotional damage by some of these lessons and then pushed down a path to transition by organisations such as Stonewall without proper time to consider whether this irreversible path was truly what they wanted. I have so much evidence of this. 

I think freedom of speech is also a key issue. If we truly believe in an inclusive society then that must include people with a variety of opinions. If someone believes they identify as a different gender and that is their right, then it is also the right of another person to believe there are only 2 genders. Freedom of opinion must be for everyone or it is for no one, that is something that I think has been forgotten. 

Peter said:

If somebody elses feelings deprives me of the liberty to be myself and forces me to wear a mask then to me that's oppresion. If I have to walk on eggshels for fear of being expelled from X, Y, Z if I say the wrong thing I'm living with a metaphorical gun against my head. I hate no one, no race, no gender, no sexuality. But people who are over sensative, who try to tell me what I can or can't find funny or what topics I can or can't express opinions on, well these people fill me with rage. This is especially true when it happens in spaces created spicificly for weirdos like me to be ourselves.

I think Peter sums this up perfectly, I couldn't have put this better myself 

I think immigration is a tricky issue. I grew up in a multicultural area with friends of many different races and nationalities. I didn't even see colour, maybe that was just me, but it never occurred to me whether my mates were black or white, Polish or English, they were just my mates. All I really noticed is that Caribbean mums did the best cooking! 

However, in recent years immigration is a hard thing to ignore. I think this is because the demographics have changed, more and more immigration now is from cultures not only different to ours but violently opposed to ours on almost every level, which creates fractures in society. One only has to look at the state of Germany, previously the model of social cohesion, since Merkel's decision to allow 1 million undocumented migrants into the country in 2016 to see the effect this can have on a society. I know areas of my previous home town that white people are now afraid to go in, that's not racism it's a fact. My wife was verbally abused in the street for being a "white woman" in one of these areas. We had migrant gangs target our flat and neighbouring flats to the point where we were calling the police almost every night and had to move in with my parents for safety, again these sort of things don't get reported much in the media but they are regular occurrences in many British towns. Calling everyone who is concerned about these things "racist" as some do does no one any favours. 

Summing up, I think the worst thing we can hear in society is "You can't say that". The stifling of free debate and indeed, as Peter alludes, of humour as well has been one of the worst things of the past 10 years. Only by discussing our differing views and perspectives openly can we truly move forward and find some common ground. Even if we can't then at least we can say to each other "I may disagree with what you say but I will always defend your right to say it"

Billy87 said:

We had migrant gangs target our flat and neighbouring flats to the point where we were calling the police almost every night

I think you will find this is a failure of the law and order organisations to enforce the law rather than it being inherently an immigration issue.

Any group allowed to flaunt the law with impunity will end up with this sort of over-reach.

I recall groups of foodball hooligans in my home town growing up were like this, harrassing people they didn't like and turning the area into a lawless zone until the night the police arrived en mass and beat the snot out of them - some ended up with prison terms and others never had the guts to do it again.

I can't condone the violence used (even if it gave outstanding results for the specific group in question) it does highlight that it is now the enforcement of the law which is failing.

Responsibility for that lies firmly at the feet of whoever is in power in government.

Stop blaming those who are exploring the boundaries of what they can get away with and start blaming those who are not enforcing the laws designed to prevent it.

All criminal groups are doing the same thing, but because you see one group then you naturally develop an opinion that they are the most important ones who need to be stopped.

I respectfully disagree with you on this. Firstly, the police told us on numerous occasions that they had arrested these young men several times but that the magistrates and courts always let them off so it got to the point where the police felt powerless and stopped even trying to enforce the law. 

Iain said:

because you see one group then you naturally develop an opinion that they are the most important ones who need to be stopped.

Secondly, I don't think this point is true. I said in my earlier post that I am not just speaking about my own experiences but that there are many areas like this across the country and it is a genuine concern. 

I think the police are unable to enforce the law in many areas because their hands are tied. The point you make about football hooligans and how that was dealt with is certainly interesting and thought provoking though. I used to work with some former police officers from the 1980's and 90's who told me similar stories 

TheCatWoman said:

I don't know that people were happier when people allegedly held more "christian values"

That's an interesting question. The society we lived in was built on Christian values. Most Western societies used the Bible and Gospels in particular as a starting point for the laws and values that were instituted. Almost all of our societies can trace our laws and values back to this. 

For me, true Christian values will always show compassion to everyone. This doesn't mean validating everyone's actions and beliefs but it does mean meeting them where they are and showing love to them. Anything else isn't true to the message of Jesus. 

TheCatWoman said:

I don't know that people were happier when people allegedly held more "christian values"

That's an interesting question. The society we lived in was built on Christian values. Most Western societies used the Bible and Gospels in particular as a starting point for the laws and values that were instituted. Almost all of our societies can trace our laws and values back to this. 

For me, true Christian values will always show compassion to everyone. This doesn't mean validating everyone's actions and beliefs but it does mean meeting them where they are and showing love to them. Anything else isn't true to the message of Jesus.