There has been a lot of criticism directed towards the articles posted by Students for the Founders.  It has become increasingly harsh and mean-spirited in recent weeks though.  In light of this, I think it is time we took a step back and looked at the situation objectively.  I believe it is always important to try and look at the situation from the other side’s perspective as well as ours.  So, I will take my own advice, and I will do my best to come out of my own perspective.  I will attempt to see things from the side of Students for the Founders, in hopes that perhaps we can come to a mutual understanding and respect.  Please feel free to correct me if I make any errors in this attempt.

Sometimes we fail to realize that there are human beings behind these posts too.  They are people just like us with views and beliefs that are just as sincerely held.  We all fall prey to confirmation bias, so it should not be a shock when they do as well.  I must commend them first off for their unwavering faith in their views of the Bible and how it relates to politics.  We must recall that since the Bible says that the Laws of God are higher than the laws of man, this means that the laws of man must conform to their particular interpretation of the Laws of God.  I do not mean this as an insult, so please do not take it that way.  I’ve seen this line of thinking before and while I know it has flaws, it is a sincerely held belief nonetheless.  They really do think that they understand it themselves and that their interpretations (like the Bible itself reportedly) is given to them by the Holy Spirit.  Since they interpret it not through vanity, pride or their own mental conjectures, but right from God Himself, it must always be correct.  Now, because clearly these guys are modest, they will always say how they never made such claims (even when they have).  Therefore, we must keep that in mind when we call them out on it.  There could be a chance (no matter how small) that their humility is actually genuine at times (with a few notable exceptions).  

Now, arguments about what the Laws of God are aside for the moment, the inevitable consequence is that eventually, the Church is supposed to become the State.  Ideally, Church leaders (or former ones) should be the ones holding political offices in the government itself.  Honestly, the people posting for Students for the Founders might be on to something.  After all, it seems to be happening to a certain extent in Russia already.  Clergy allowed hold in public office while still being clergy.  There are many (such as myself) who would justifiably (and correctly) argue that this is against Scripture, Church teaching, canon, tradition, etc.  However, maybe I could be wrong, and maybe this was what Students for the Founders was trying to tell us all along.  That there is a model out there that could work where the Church rulers and teachers are members of the government as well.  All we need to do is look at how Putin does it.  As we all know, Putin never has done anything wrong in the past, so he is a model that we all should follow.  I think, as true Americans, Students for the Founders would agree that the Russian model is the way to go.

Speaking of faith issues, we all get really upset when some of them tell us we must repent or go to hell.  I can understand this completely and the indignation that comes from this is not unjustified.  However, let us try to understand where they are coming from too.  It is not that everyone from Students for the Founders hates you (although certain members might be notable exceptions), they actually do think this is done out of love.  We must not forget the analogy of telling a kid not to put their hand on a burning stove representing telling a homosexual not to be a homosexual lest they burn in eternal damnation.  When you sincerely equate the idea of being a homosexual = doing homosexual acts, then the two become inseparable.  As they see telling the child to be safe being a loving act, they see telling a homosexual to stop being a homosexual a loving act too.

Granted, since most of us in their eyes are either unsaved, heretics, or cultists, it is of course a “different kind of love”, but we of course should be happy anyway.  Sure, it is not the kind they have for friends and family (such as doing anything and everything for them no matter what), but it is better than nothing, right?  That is after all, how the belief goes in their interpretation of “loving your enemies”.  

Speaking of which, let’s take an aside real quick and talk about how they understand the “unsaved”, “heretics”, and “cultists”.  I know I have had many an argument with some of their more outspoken members about this.  Again I shall try to understand said members from their own perspective and explain it to everyone else.  You see, there are many definitions of cult out there.  Two of the most common definitions are a Cult of Christianity and Cults from a sociological/psychological view.  The former being a group that claims to be Christian but is so far out there that it isn’t considered an actual Christian group.  The latter is one where, regardless of beliefs, they engage in underhanded, dangerous, abusive, or just outright psychotic practices.  Of course, any true apologetics expert will tell you that all three major categories of Christians (Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants) are all valid Christian groups since they are not cults in either sense of the word.

However, since certain members (yes, I do mean members, not just one particular member) of Students for the Founders clearly know better, we should defer to their wisdom instead.  They do not want us to spurn the nuggets of truth that they provide, but rather we should look to them instead of “the wisdom of the world”.  This is especially the case when it comes from others who have beliefs similar to their own.  Despite their Christian status and the fact that their research comes from an evangelical Christian perspective, it is not the perspective of Students for the Founders and therefore it is of the world.  We have to be understanding of this when we see them reject anyone else’s expertise other than their own.  They are of heavenly status, we are not.  Jesus Christ imputed his righteousness on them and them alone.  Sure, others who hold that belief have that too, and it is exactly the same as what these guys would have I suppose.  However, that just isn’t the case though.  Maybe all that righteousness got lost when they began to learn what cults actually were.  Intelligence and knowledge seem to be barriers to holiness as far as certain members of Students for the Founders are concerned and we must respect this.  We must also remember that in their modesty, they would once again remind us how they never said or claimed this.  It is imperative that we keep in mind that this is simply what God said and who are we to challenge it?  These guys are His messengers and in their eyes they are simply doing the work that other prophets like Elijah and John the Baptist did before them.  We Christians do not spurn those prophets, so why should any modern day prophet from Students for the Founders be spurned either?

Now, what is this expertise that I keep talking about?  Well, simply put, if you do not believe exactly as certain members of Students for the Founders think, you are definitely outside of “mainstream American Christianity” and therefore a Cult in both senses of the word.  You see, there is no distinction in this case.  If a group has been declared a cult of Christianity, it is also by default an abusive cult in the sociological/psychological sense.  Remember, all of this holds true, even when it is false.  Therefore, no matter what happens, I and those like me will always be cultists.  Sorry Colin, but you and I are some of the greatest sinners of all because of this, even worse than the homosexuals.  No matter how false the accusation of being a cultist is, it will always be true.  It has been decreed by the (obviously humble and not self-glorifying) truly righteous Christians here.  Again, they may act modest and say they never claimed this, but this is the case nonetheless.  You and I should repent, because we have sinned greatly.

Speaking of sins, we must also understand that, while all sin is equal in God’s eyes, some are more equal than others.  The four that are the most equal are not just homosexuality, but abortion, believing in evolution, and above all, not believing in Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, etc.  It is especially sinful to not to believe them at all, but even those who do not hold specifically to the Calvinist version of them could be suspect (such as Lutherans ironically enough).  Just remember though, that they do not hold to these beliefs because they are just 100% unthinking conservative drones.  I am sure they gave some kind of thought to them.  However, we must keep in mind that, like some of our own cherished beliefs, a lot of their other views are dependent on them.  If you have wondered why certain people do not wish to understand why they don’t back down in regards to a particular belief, it may be because of this.  The idea is that this truth MUST win and be 100% true, even when it is not.  Take the Bible for instance.  There is so much rich history behind it but because of the belief that the current version of the Bible is the one we originally were given in the first century AD, this area cannot be explored.  The belief is always 100% true by default, even (and in some cases especially) when it is not.  Granted, for things like faith there can never be 100% proofs either way and people should not be demanding such things (such are the limits of human reason).  However, there is still a difference between demonstrating something to be potentially true (via plausibility structures, metaphysics, apologetics, etc.) and holding to stuff with no basis in anything at all.  When the latter has become somebody’s MO, faith no longer becomes a trust in something (even if it cannot be fully perceived) but a blind devotion to a mere idea that may or may not be made up.  When this is done by certain members from Students for the Founders, we should not be angry and condemning but understanding.  This can after all, happen to the best of us.  

Last but not least, when we hear what might SOUND like personal attacks, keep in mind that this is merely stating the truth.  When you hear someone telling you what amounts to saying that you are a waste of space, useless pile of human flesh, or an unholy, unregenerate dog, this is only stating a blunt fact.  These are meant as objective observations based on sound apologetics or empirical studies and nothing more.  As much as it looks like an assault on your character, sound like an assault on your character, and have all the properties of one, trust me, it isn’t.  Just because something looks like a duck, walks like a duck, swims like a duck, quacks like a duck, and is the same genus and species as a duck, does not necessarily mean that it is a duck.

I sincerely hope this has been helpful.