Recently, someone asked me why those holding to a traditional view of marriage or gender identity are treated with such hostility; particularly, the question was, “Why do they care what I believe?” After all, our society is built on the principle that people have the right to believe what they want, even though we might disagree with them and try to persuade them otherwise. Thus, many Christians, including myself, thought at first that reformers in these areas were primarily seeking to change our nation’s laws to ensure that gays and lesbians and others would be fully accepted into society and allowed to marry, etc. However, these reforms now target not just policy but also beliefs – so much so that a number of authors and thinkers spoke out against this approach earlier this year, noting, “The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away.”

The sexual reformers, however, seek not to persuade but to silence opposing ideas. A couple of years ago I was talking with someone about the definition of “homophobia” and learned that they believed that it is homophobic and wrong to believe that homosexuality is wrong, regardless of motivation. Despite the root of the word, phobia (fear), by their definition one could be homophobic without fear. Simply believing homosexuality is wrong was enough. Nevermind that Christians believe that many acts that we ourselves commit are also sin (lying, coveting, lust, certain types of anger, etc.) – it’s homophobic, I’m told, to believe that homosexuality is wrong; this belief is the moral equivalent of racism. In this view, those who think homosexuality is wrong ought to be treated as dangerous, hateful, and harmful.

My point today, though, is not to look at homosexuality, but to look at why people are concerned about our beliefs. The other day, I was listening to James Hong’s podcast “The Surpassing Value” and in his episode “On Darwinian Evolution and Scientifically Validated Racism”, he summarized something Nietzsche wrote in his book, “On the Genealogy of Morals”. Hong explained that Nietzsche taught that the greatest impediment to human progress in history was the Jews and the Jew, Jesus of Nazareth. Our happiness and prosperity requires rejecting the Jewish notion of morality and creating our own morality, Hong notes. Per Nietzsche, we resist doing this only because of our entrenchment in slave morality originating from Jewus and the Jews, but we must throw this off.

For example, Nietzsche wrote, talking about following this morality (p34 here):

… beyond a doubt, the intoxication did succeed. The redemption of mankind … is making excellent headway. Everything judaises, christianises, or vulgarizes in full view… The progress of this poisoning, throughout the entire body of mankind, seems irresistible…

Here, Nietzsche uses “redemption” to refer to the work of Jesus on the cross, which he says serves as a type of bait to entice people to this “slave” morality. Nietzsche was partly arguing that our problems and guilt come because we’ve bought into these ideas. In other words, getting rid of these ideas of morality could rid us of our problems and guilt.

This line of thought helps me understand one reason why the modern-day sexual reformers care so much about what Christians believe. By sexual reformers, here, I mean those who want to ensure that everyone believes homosexuality is good and right, and adheres to the latest in LGBTQ+ ideology. Why, then, are Christian beliefs so important? Some feel guilt because of their choices, and blame this guilt on the Judeo-Christian morality they believe is still present in our society. If only our society had a different view of morality, some believe (as Nietzsche apparently did), then those who feel guilt about their lifestyles would be able to cast off all guilt and find peace in living as they see fit.

Unfortunately for the guilty, guilt cannot be abolished via this route. As Paul explains in Romans 1-3, God’s existence and law are sufficiently clear through creation so as to leave everyone without excuse – and our consciences bear witness to our guilt. In other words, the Bible teaches that guilt is from God; we can’t do away with it. At some level, we innately grasp some aspects of right and wrong and would feel guilt even without being taught of it (see e.g. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity”).

Thus, I believe current concerns about Christian moral views trace partly to this problem; Judeo-Christian morality is seen as the source of guilt. The sexual reformers find that changing our society’s laws hasn’t done away with guilt, so they want to go further and change our beliefs. Some believe, like Nietzsche, that they feel guilty because of entrenched Judeo-Christian morality, and if that morality could be driven sufficiently far out of our society, then guilt would be abolished. If that’s the case, the problem is not just what Christians do but what they believe. If I hold to a traditional view of marriage, for example, then in this view, I’m part of what’s contributing to lingering guilt.

I write this not as an argument against today’s sexual reformers, but because it helps me understand one reason why Christian beliefs may matter so much to them. I’ve been perplexed by the level of hostility directed towards those who express doubts or concerns about modern sexual reform because I couldn’t identify the personal offense which would draw such ire. For example, I make a great many decisions in parenting which people around me think are wrong, and I know they think I’m wrong, but I don’t take it as a personal offense. The same happens to most of us in many areas every day; we make a decision that some would disagree with, but it doesn’t need to be a big deal because our society tolerates such disagreements. Christian views on sexual morality, though, cause more anger, in part because of guilt. Understanding this helps me be less likely to respond with anger, but instead with sympathy, and provides an opportunity to offer hope. I, too, feel guilt, but I’ve found a great Savior who takes away the guilt for all my sins, past, present, and future. No amount of social reform can do away with guilt; only Jesus the Savior can take away my sin and atone for my guilt.