By Daniel L. Gardner

Contributing Columnist

Reviewing 2015 through weekly columns, I saw an interesting pattern emerge from the warp and woof of topics. The overall theme pitted traditional American values against politically correct progressive values. Three religious views played prominent roles: Evangelical Christians, radical Muslims, and politically correct secularists.

After observing President Obama at the helm of America for six years, I noted that America was more divided and unstable than she had been since the 1960s. Roots of this divisiveness were fed by progressive elites in government, media and academia.

As our nation moved progressively to the left, our economy got progressively worse, our education system got progressively worse, and traditional marriage and families were no longer revered. Is there a correlation here? Are extreme progressive values transforming America into an amoral socialist nanny state?

Counterintuitively, in 2015 progressives rose up to protect Muslims and the “religion of peace” after every terrorist action. These two groups have polar opposite views of women’s rights, same sex marriage, and religious tolerance among other issues.

Those holding traditional American values were blasted for clinging to Bibles, guns and the Constitution. Coordinated attacks on American patriotism completely undermined a new generation of Americans who believe sexual perversion is natural and noble, abortion is a political choice, and religion and traditional American values are out of date for the modern world. Bedrock mores of church, family, community, service, responsibility, and patriotism are no longer valued.

Videos documenting Planned Parenthood doctors and administrators discussing abortion techniques designed to harvest babies’ organs intact shocked those with traditional values. Swilling wine and munching cheese, these doctors and administrators dickered over prices of baby parts. If prices merely covered shipping and handling, why were some parts priced much higher than other parts? If someone had been doing this to puppies, pigs, or porcupines, politically correct progressives would have been up in arms about the inhumanity.

As politically correct progressives continued to talk about everybody receiving his or her “fair share,” conservative taxpayers wondered how much of the money we earned was someone else’s fair share.

Everybody was offended about something, and in our litigious society when someone is offended enough he or she will sue the offending party. Across America Christian businesspeople were threatened with violence and lawsuits for standing up for their religious views and values. Interestingly, businesspeople of other faiths did not receive similar threats. Why were Christians the only targets?

Those with traditional American values wept with black and white believers in Charleston when they turned hate into love, praying that the young white man who chillingly murdered nine church members would trust Jesus as his Savior. This story of love and forgiveness played briefly until politically correct progressives changed the story to hatred and ascribed that hatred to a flag. We literally witnessed God work a miracle of Love in Charleston that could have otherwise become another racial bomb; and yet many turned our attention to a flag as the problem.

The Bible teaches Christians to obey God when man’s laws contradict His law. The Supreme Court forced all Bible-believing Christians to choose between supporting man’s law or following God’s law with respect to homosexuality.

In 2015 police were criminals, criminals were victims, a man was woman of the year, some lives mattered more than others, Christians were hateful and intolerant, and Islam was the religion of peace.

What will 2016 bring?

Daniel L. Gardner is a syndicated columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PJandMe2@hotmail.com, or interact with him on the Clarion-Ledger web site http://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/