I like the way you tie religious legalism in with the way that liberalism ends up working when it is applied to real world situations.

The concept of free will is eroded in both systems — either by religious rules or by government mandate.

I liken liberalism to legalism in religion. It’s one thing for a person to make a decision not to attend R-rated movies, for themselves … personal conviction due to possible inappropriate material or whatever … but an entirely different thing for a person to try and force others to make same committment “or else.”

I find that small people, who don’t believe in the human spirit want to use church in the case of legalism to control others. They want to use the power of the pulpit or public humiliation to force those around them to agree with their choices in life.

Liberalism is similar, I agree with you that a liberal is typically someone who has a heart and wants to help others. They may be willing to pay more in taxes and talk to bad people in hoping that they can be turned to good. But, sadly liberals tend to decide to band together and use the force of government to “mandate” their feelings on others.

They mandate higher taxes because they feel they should be paying more, so they want everyone to be forced to

They mandate an elimination of Christian heritage in our society, because they have walked away from their creator by choice, and want to force the stupid other people to do so too.

They mandate political correctness, limiting free speech, because they feel a sense of guilt that can only be mitigated by everyone being forced to feel guilty with them.

See? having a heart, helping others, caring … all great things for an individual or family. Forcing others to do the same is just another religious legalist in political clothing.