Human Nature and Political Differences

What is the most basic difference between the political left and right in America?

I believe, very generally, it comes down to our views on human nature. Are we basically bad as individuals, resulting in flawed and corrupt institutions, cultures and governments, or are we basically good and innocently suffering as victims under the oppression of a few in positions of power?

The answer will affect our entire world view as we try to find a working paradigm that can explain all the chaos and turbulence of our times. If we believe that evil oppressors are to blame, then we might trust in human government to rescue us from their oppression, making us victims needing to be saved. This seemed to be the view of a young man and fellow teacher I spoke with at the park, named Alexis, though he said that lately he was growing increasingly pessimistic with politics.

I, however, had an opposite view from Alexis, that evil originates in the human heart and in our will as individuals, and that each of us needs to take personal responsibility for our share of the mess we’re in. We need to focus on our own shortcomings rather than those of society, and we can't trust the government to fix things, because it too is made up of flawed and evil people whose power needs to be kept in check.

This difference between political conservatives and progressives is also reflected between conservative and progressive churches. Those that see Adam as being "very good" when he was created tend to have an idealistic paradigm about man's goodness and God's love that many Bible passages simply contradict, so progressive Christians tend toward a more liberal and symbolic understanding of scripture.

Those who see man as created "very good" in Genesis 1, but then read on to understand that we are now sinful and rebellious since the fall in Genesis 3, are more likely to read the Bible at face value, since it confirms this underlying assumption throughout. Both the Bible's historical record and that of modern history confirms the results of this corruption of human nature and it's results in society.

Conservative Christians tend to understand that it is ourselves as individuals who need to be saved from the consequences of our sinful behavior and our broken relationship with God, while liberals are more likely to say that it is human society as a whole that needs to be saved from the evil hands of oppressors. Those who are able to reflect on the evil within and begin to change it by the grace of God are able to see themselves as overcomers, while those who blame evil oppressors for their problems tend toward self-righteousness in their victim status.

Jesus told a' parable in Luke 18, in which a tax collector and a Pharisee went to the temple to pray. The tax collector beat his breast saying "God have mercy on me, a sinner", while the Pharisee focused on the problems of others, saying "God, thank you that I'm not like that oppressive tax collector over there." One saw the problem inside himself, the other saw only the problems in others. The gospel is good news for both liberals and conservatives, right and left, because while it must begin within each of our hearts, before long it will spill over and begin to benefit society.