Democracy raped and abused

THIS is not meant to alarm people, or to engage in some exercise of sensationalism.

This is simply to clarify the true character of democracy. Especially now when many people think democracy is purely a matter of exercising the right of suffrage -- just in any way.

Because of this frame of mind, some say it is just okay, for example, to have same-sex union or worse, to equate it with marriage between a man and a woman, or to have contraception, abortion, divorce, etc.

According to these persons, as long as there is some kind of agreement or consensus among the people, precisely through the democratic exercise of suffrage, then these proposals, actions or situations would just be okay.

This view is, of course, wrong -- completely and rottenly wrong. This is actually a mockery of democracy, a democracy raped and abused, a democracy whose substance of freedom is shamefully violated.

It's amazing how perverted certain things have become; what were held before as clearly immoral and harmful would now be considered as good and helpful.

This is the real problem. It's not, as what some say, that the problem is we have a population bomb. The problem is not in the numbers. It's in what many people hold as good for them that which in fact is bad.

What before were unquestioned principles indicating what good and bad things are, are now an object of intense questioning. What has happened? Has human nature mutated? Is this real progress?

This, of course, happens once the concepts of freedom, of rights and duties, which underlie democracy, are twisted and misunderstood.

And they get misunderstood once they are used without reference to an absolute law, like the natural law, but rather are made an instrument to rationalize people's subjective positions or situations.

That's when the concepts of freedom, rights and democracy get detached from their foundation in what is right and what is wrong, in what is good and what is bad.

They become a dangerous mine floating aimlessly at sea. In themselves, and as long as they are still undisturbed, they can be okay. But the moment they touch other people, they explode, wreaking great damage on many and on society.

History tells us of many sad episodes involving vast crises when distortions of basic concepts about us, together with the consequent decadent morality, were made to fester and remained unchecked.

Nowadays, it is very appalling to see thinly disguised cynicism among those who aggressively justifying their wrong ideas and evil ways, all done with intense appeal to apparent democratic values.

We are told to be tolerant with others, and not to impose our ideas and ways on them. Sounds fair enough, right? But they actually lead us to some kind of relativism where objective right and wrong, good and evil, disappear.

Such brazenness is truly incredible! Not only some nameless people are involved, but also big, prominent men and women, leaders in some fields of society, are voicing out justifications for what are clearly known as aberrations.

The world, it seems, has gone mad. It's not only the physical acts of violence and terrorism that are harassing us. It's some serious spiritual disease that is developing into an epidemic that is threatening us.

The external acts of violence and terrorism are just a symptom of a very deadly internal malady that is afflicting many of us.

Even in the area of politics, while it is true that there is valid autonomy where a variety of positions and options can be accommodated, there clearly are cases also of manipulation and deceit and even criminal acts to further not the common good but rather one's personal interests.

This is when politicians again invoke the principle of democracy and freedom and rights and all that jazz to pursue their goals, using means that are even outside of what can be held as morally acceptable.

This is a shameful phenomenon. Many politicians appear to exempt themselves from the Christian need for sacrifices and self-giving, for humility and selfless service for the common good.

They weave webs of intrigues, poison the air with hatred, etc. There is a lot of arrogance and unbridled ambition.

Many signs indicate that all they want is simply power for themselves. These clearly are cases in which democracy is abused and raped.

We need to pray, definitely. But we need to understand the true essence of democracy, and imbue it on us first, and then on all the others, so we can develop a society worthy of our dignity as persons and children of God.