By: A.B. Timothy

When arguing with anyone about anything, you need to be able to back up what you are saying. This support usually comes in the form of verbal or written citations, citing sources that are of a higher authority than the debator. In an academic setting, these sources can be peer-sources coming from colleagues or peers in the field, so that you can defend/attack the positions espoused in those papers. When debating online, in person, or at least verbally, the usual best practice is to cite sources that the other person would consider authoritative; that’s where authority comes in.

When I am debating a communist on the merits of their system, I might quote the communist manifesto, where Karl Marx describes the need for slaves in a true communist utopia. Communists usually are anti-slavery, and this revelation, from a source they consider authoritative, will throw them for a loop. This is, unless the communist I am debating is someone who has studied this line of argument and actually had a compelling counter to my attack. Similarly, as a Christian, often Atheists will cite my Scripture, the Bible, as a way to throw me off. I say God is good, they’ll ask, “What about the flood, or the razing of Caanonland?” I say God is just, they might throw the Problem of Evil in my face. I, however, have learned the arguments and can mount a defense against most assaults.

This is where things turn, however. In our modern, liberal society, subjectivity is king. People have decided that whatever they want is best for themselves and everyone around them. God says not to lie with men as you do with women? Liberal society says, ‘Do what feels good.’ God says, “Honor thy father and thy mother.” Liberal society says, ‘Do your parents make you uncomfortable sometimes? Tell us so we can affirm everything fleeting fancy you have.’

Society, for these people, is the highest authority. They don’t need God to preside over society, because they think modern society is a purely humanistic creation that God played no role in. However, humans are always slaves to something, if not God, then our vices and subjective takes. They think Christians are weird when we claim God as our authority, who forbids us from murdering, but the issue is, if they lived in a subjective society that said murder was okay, then, in their worldview, they would have no recourse.

That is enough religious/philosophical ramblings for today. Tomorrow I will be discussing how this applies to writing and literature, promise!

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