Defending the Normal
Sane people are responsible for defending the normal.
Every now and then I read headlines and stories with a renewed sense of shock and awe. It is stunning that a sizeable segment of our culture believes some of the things they do, and that it now takes effort to assert simple reality. When President-elect Trump promises that Federal guidelines will now recognize only two genders, we should be saddened that this needs to be said.
There are now laws on the books that reinforce a false, unscientific, and dysfunctional modes of human existence, which in turn generate a general cultural atmosphere in favor of these falsehoods. The fog of transgender mutilation, cancel culture, and ideological intolerance is created by the toxins spewed by irrational and immoral ideologies. The decay is real. Now, what we need more than ever are normal people who simply refuse to go along.
There are Two Genders
A Middle School student, Laim Morrison, wore a T-shirt with this message written on it during a “Pride Week” celebration at his school. The Alliance Defending Freedom article describes what happened next:
In March 2023, Liam came to school wearing a T-shirt with the message, “There are only two genders.” But during his first class of the day, Liam was removed by the school principal.
The principal told Liam that there had been complaints about his shirt and that he must remove it to return to class. Liam politely declined to remove the shirt, so the principal called Liam’s father and sent him home for the rest of the day.
Clearly censored for his beliefs, he changed the shirt and wore another one to school:
After this exchange, Liam wore a shirt to school with the message, “There are [censored] genders.” The principal again told Liam that he was not allowed to wear the shirt, and Liam agreed not to wear it so that he would not miss another day of classes.
Liam has been unable to wear either message on his shirt since that time, even though the messages caused no disruptions and simply stated his beliefs.
Like the kids say, that’s a baller move.
The ADF is now representing Liam before the Supreme Court.
What was his crime? Why did he need to be censored during a week in which, ostensibly, students are allowed to show pride in their chosen beliefs? Because, when a belief system disconnects itself from reality and an appeal to what is true, it inevitably resorts to power, propaganda, and intimidation.
But what the T-shirt said was true. And what is true is good for us, even if we do not like it. While the “Pride Week” ideology pushes unlimited autonomous expression on younger generations, they are doing serious and lasting damage.
One of the ways we know that this ideology – a version of Leftism and our own American form of cultural Marxism – is false is the way it deals with different ideas. Instead of arguing with them, appealing to evidence, and challenging ideas, it mocks, feigns emotional damage, and censors. This is fundamentalism – a mode of belief where an individual cannot deal with opposing beliefs and distances themselves from real conversation. This probably describes a lot of college classrooms right now.
Fundamentalism needs to be outlasted. In a few cases, people will find their way out of it, but it is more like coming out of a cult than it is being convinced of a new and better idea.
Your job is to believe in the goodness of the normal.
In the face of this cultural tidal wave, normal people need to stand on the shore, take what comes, and refuse to give an inch. We refuse to bend the knee for the sake of our families, our kids, and our neighbors. If our neighbors disagree with us, then we are standing for what is good and true on their behalf. We will all be better for it.
The Christian faith has stood on that wet and stormy shore for centuries. It refuses to let go of the truth, because it knows that if it does, it lets go of God and His gift of salvation. What do we gain if we give into the wave? Temporary praise and eventual death by drowning. On the other hand, when we hold to what is true, we endure the rising and falling of false ideologies. We remain a place of stability and security for a world that wants to tear itself apart.
Each of us can be a part of this. Know Christ. Love the truth. Stand firm. This too shall pass.
