Regular readers will be familiar with the Pop Cult and the Death Cult. The Libertarian hysterics in response to rising Christian nationalist calls for a porn ban suggest we need a third entry in our unholy trifecta.
For those who’ve just joined us recently, I and others have made the observation that contemporary political and cultural movements operate like cults. You have the Death Cult, which Progressivism has been all along. It worships unfettered personal indulgence and fanatically seeks to destroy any impediment to its members’ self-defined self-expression. The biggest obstacle in the Death Cult’s way is the truth, so it’s their most hated enemy.
Another cult that’s emerged more recently is the Pop Cult. This is the phenomenon of mostly younger adults–particularly generations X, Y, and Millennials–attempting to fill the God-shaped hole in their lives with Hollywood, Big Two comics, and AAA gaming product. “Don’t ask questions. Just consume product and get excited for next products,” is the Pop Cult’s creed.
One thing both cults have in common is their elevating of personal preferences over the good. Fundamentally, they do away with the concept of objective value altogether and seek validation solely from their choice of weird sexual hangup or entertainment product. Nor will they countenance neutrality. You must join in their liturgies and partake of their sacrifices. Just try pointing out that transsexuals are mentally ill or that Big Brand X is a shame ritual that bilks money from paypigs for the pleasure of insulting them.
Libertarianism is a cult for the same reason. It tries to uphold freedom per se as the highest value. Never mind that freedom lacks intrinsic value and its worth depends wholly on the objective value of what it grants access to. Again, go tell a Libertarian that the purpose of liberty is to pursue the good, and there’s no such thing as freedom to do evil. Then duck.
The crowning irony is that the current dustup arose over porn. It’s truly a case of God making His people’s enemies ridiculous, since Libertarian political aspirations can only be called masturbatory. But for whatever reason they feel the need to cloak their arguments in the fig leaf of free speech instead of just admitting they like to fap.
What we’re dealing with here is a group of people reacting to the dawning knowledge that their ideology has become totally irrelevant. The Left has amply shown that victory comes from gaining government power and ruthlessly wielding that power to reward their friends and punish their enemies. Libertarians and Neocons endlessly tell us that such methods are evil. Yet they never explain their moral criteria. Instead they harp on dissenters for wanting to “Censor speech they disagree with,” all the while assuming there can be no sound cause for disagreement. That’s cult mentality 101.
In reality there’s nothing wrong with government exercising its authority to secure the common good. That’s what government is for, and that’s what Christian nationalists like Nick Fuentes advocate returning to. Question the motives of anyone who vehemently opposes pursuing objective good on the grounds of dubious freedom.