Last month, a couple of columns discussed the “Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated.” passages that refers to the vast difference in God’s feelings about the twins in Romans 9;13 and Malachi 1;3.
Some researchers have studied the political leanings of several thousand sets of twins. They suggest that differences in political leanings may be genetic. The thought that some people are born “left” and others are born “right” is an intriguing one.
There is often a similarity in appearance among liberals. It’s hard to define the exact differences, but one can often make a pretty good guess as to whether or not a person is a liberal just by looking. There are sometimes indications in the way less wealthy liberals dress and do their head and facial hair that indicates their political positions. Rich liberals are better camouflaged, and have to give opinions before we can tell what they are.
The difference between the left and the right may be a totally intellectual difference. Many on the right have come to believe that liberals are actually less intelligent. They point to a long history of liberal ideas, philosophies, programs, and predictions that simply haven’t worked, and conclude: “Liberals are just plain dumb.”
Liberals have the opposite opinion of their own intellectual abilities. They usually reply, “Yes, many of our ideas have failed, but only because they haven’t been properly implemented.”
Conservatives usually answer: “Well, they weren’t properly implemented because you people aren’t smart enough to do anything right.”
The above conversation, in various forms, takes place millions of times a day. Telling liberals that they’re both stupid and damned does not usually motivate them to want to be nearer to God. Neither do liberals help in the cause of salvation when they tell conservatives that they are inevitably cursed by their own shallowness and greed. It is futile.
No matter where any of us stand within the intellectual bell curve, we each have a mind and a soul. It’s sane to want to save our own soul, and to get credit for helping others to save theirs.
A more productive comment may be, “We were each given unique gifts and abilities. If we use the gifts that we were specially given to get closer to God, we are using our gifts the way He wanted.”
