The following is reprinted in its entirety by permission from The Imaginative Conservative
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Barbara J. Elliott
This was
presented on April 15 in a debate between conservatives and progressives,
co-sponsored by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies of Grand Valley
State University and the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal.
Conservartive Credo
by Barbara J. Elliott
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Conservatism
seeks the Truth that has emerged over time, drawing from the deep wellsprings
of human experience, and builds anew on foundations that have withstood the
tests of time. It fosters order and the flourishing of human beings as they
live in relationship with one another. We are united in the eternal contract
between the dead, the living, and the yet unborn.
Conservatism
is rooted in the acknowledgement that God is our Creator and that the human
soul sojourns through this realm toward its eternal transcendent fulfillment.
We are all flawed human beings in need of redemption, capable of great evil as
well as great good.
Because man
is fallible by nature, the conservative seeks to limit the damage that can be
done through the abuse of power by limiting its concentration.
The
conservative fosters the fullness of human potential by protecting the freedom
and dignity of each person, acknowledging that responsibility comes with
freedom. Rights and duties are always linked.
For the
conservative, each man and woman is equal in dignity and equal before the law,
but gloriously individual and unequal in talents, aptitudes, and outcomes. The
conservative celebrates the uniqueness of individuals and does not level to
eliminate differences.
The
conservative honors the family as the essential building block of civilization,
the house of worship as the locus for forming culture, and the community as the
matrix for human interaction. Culture and community grow from
relationships and affinities over time, rooted in place. Conservatives value
the rich diversity of relationships, organizations, and private associations
that make up civil society and intermediary institutions.
The
conservative values subsidiarity because we know many of the best solutions to
human problems are found at the level closest to the individual person. We
foster personal, local care for persons in need, preferably face-to-face with
someone whose name we know. We believe that human transformation occurs best in
the context of a personal, loving relationship, with accountability, over time.
The
conservative is more concerned with the culture than politics, because the
political realm is a derivative one, not primary, in human existence. Political
problems are at their root moral and spiritual problems, which blend into the
economic realm. Political change is rooted in cultural change.
Conservatives
believe that caring for our neighbor is so important that it should not be left
to the government. The one thing government cannot do is love. That is what we
are called to do in the private sector, with our own time, talent, and
treasure.
The
conservative believes that that the True, the Good, and the Beautiful are
interrelated, and that all things are measured against these three
transcendentals.
We believe
that there is Truth, that it is knowable, and that it is our duty to seek Truth
and live it throughout our lives. The conservative believes that the virtues of
Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance should be practiced in both
private and public life. We believe that virtues, not values, define the
human soul.
We believe
that Love is the highest motivation of the human person and that the purpose of
life itself is to know God, to love Him and serve Him, and to love our neighbor
as ourselves. Our ultimate fulfillment is in the transcendence of love.
Barbara J.
Elliott is a Senior Contributor to The Imaginative
Conservative and the President of the Center for Cultural Renewal.
She is Adjunct Professor in the Honors College of Houston Baptist University
and the author of five books, including Street Saints: Renewing America’s Cities.
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