Kerby Anderson

The attacks on Western civilization have been coming from liberals on university campuses for decades. Therefore, it was encouraging to see a liberal atheist remind us of the value of our civilization.

On his TV program, Bill Maher complained about “progressives and academics who refer to Israel as an outpost of Western civilization, like it’s a bad thing.” He then added: “Western civilization is what gave the world pretty much every liberal precept that liberals are supposed to adore. Individual liberty, scientific inquiry, rule of law, religious freedom, women’s rights, human rights, democracy, trial by jury, freedom of speech.”

I was encouraged to hear him say that, but I was concerned about some of the people he credited for these advances. I was not alone. Jerry Newcombe (D. James Kennedy Ministries) also expressed his concern in his column.

For example, Bill Maher gave credit to Rousseau, Voltaire, and Locke for giving the world the foundational principles for human rights. The first two did not. But don’t take my word for it, read Rousseau’s The Social Contract or Voltaire’s Candide, and you find their writings became the justification for the French Revolution.

But he was correct by mentioning John Locke, who is best known for his Second Treatise of Government. That book was influential to the founders of this country. He references the Bible in many places (some say 22 times, others say 121 times).

We should also add the writings of William Blackstone, Samuel Rutherford, and Baron de Montesquieu. But the most important book Bill Maher failed to mention was the Bible.

I give Bill Maher credit for defending Western civilization, even though he left out some important influences.