The Secular, Progressive Religion of the 21st Century (3/4) - New Commandments
Save the planet, don't eat meat, don't judge, accept everything, be yourself - the new commandments of secular religion. What does the Bible say?
In the previous part, I showed how the new religion redefines who man is. But no religion stops at dogmas. Every religion also has commandments - things required and things forbidden. The modern secular religion is no exception.
Commandment 1 - “Save the Planet”
What culture says
Ecology has become a quasi-religion - with its own eschatology (climate catastrophe), sacraments (recycling, reusable bags), sins (carbon footprint, flying), and prophets whom you must not contradict.
The issue is not whether the climate is changing. The issue is that concern for the planet has moved from the category of reasonable attitude to the category of moral absolute. The Earth has become an object of worship. The planet is “mother.” Man is a “parasite,” a “cancer on the planet.”
What the Bible says
They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
- Rom 1:25 (ESV)
“Worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.” Nature worship. Planet worship. Exactly what we observe.
But the Bible does not tell you to ignore the earth:
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
- Gen 2:15 (ESV)
“Work it and keep it” - in Hebrew abad and shamar - to serve and to guard. Man is God’s gardener - he is to tend the earth, but not kneel before it. And the present earth is not eternal - God will destroy it and create a new one (2 Pet 3:10).
Commandment 2 - “Do Not Eat Meat”
What culture says
Veganism has moved from the category of diet to the category of morality. You are morally inferior if you eat meat. You are complicit in an “animal holocaust.” Your sausage is “murder.”
What the Bible says
After the Flood, God personally gave man the right to eat meat:
Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.
- Gen 9:3 (ESV)
“I give you everything.” God gives - not “reluctantly tolerates.” This is a gift, not a compromise.
And now a passage that is a directly prophetic commentary on our times:
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
- 1 Tim 4:1-3 (ESV)
Paul warns that in later times people will appear who require abstinence from foods that God created. And what does he call these teachings? “Teachings of demons.” Prophetically accurate.
Jesus declares all foods clean (Mark 7:19). God tells Peter: “Rise, kill and eat!” (Acts 10:13). But the Bible also respects personal choice - you do not eat meat? That is fine (Rom 14:2-3). However, there is a fundamental difference between a personal decision and a moral doctrine. And the latter is precisely what Paul calls “teachings of demons.”
Commandment 3 - “Do Not Judge”
What culture says
“Do not judge” - this is modern culture’s favorite verse, ripped from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 7:1). Used as a weapon against anyone who dares to hold a moral opinion. Someone lives destructively? Do not judge. Someone destroys a family? Do not judge. Someone promotes lies? Do not judge.
There is just one exception: you may judge those who judge. Paradox? Yes. But the new religion thrives on paradoxes.
What the Bible says
Jesus did say “judge not” (Matt 7:1). But the same Jesus, a few verses later, said:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.
- Matt 7:15-16 (ESV)
“You will recognize them by their fruits” - that is a command to evaluate. Recognize. Distinguish. Judge the tree by its fruit. How do you reconcile this with “judge not”?
Simply. “Judge not” concerns hypocrisy - do not judge another’s sin while practicing the same one. “You will recognize them by their fruits” concerns discernment - distinguish truth from falsehood, good from evil.
For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?
- 1 Cor 5:12 (ESV)
Paul says plainly: you are to judge. The church has an obligation to discern. The Christian has an obligation to evaluate. “Do not judge” in the mouth of modern culture is not a biblical quote - it is a muzzle placed on the conscience.
Commandment 4 - “Accept Everything”
What culture says
Tolerance is the highest virtue. Intolerance is the gravest sin. You must accept every viewpoint, lifestyle, choice - with one exception: you may not hold the view that not all views are equally true.
What the Bible says
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
- John 14:6 (ESV)
The most “intolerant” statement in history. One way. One truth. One life. Jesus does not say “I am one of many options.” He says: I am the only one.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
- Rev 3:19 (ESV)
“Those whom I love, I reprove.” Love in the Bible does not mean accepting everything - it means speaking the truth, even when it hurts. Tolerance costs nothing - all you have to do is stay silent. Love costs everything - because it requires speaking the truth no one wants to hear.
I wrote about this at length in the article Tolerance Is Not a Biblical Virtue.
Commandment 5 - “Be Yourself”
What culture says
“Follow your heart.” “Be authentic.” “Express yourself.” “Don’t let anyone tell you who you are.” This is the gospel of modernity - the cult of authenticity and self-expression. Your feelings are the compass. Your desires are the truth. Whatever you feel - it is right, because it is yours.
What the Bible says
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
- Jer 17:9 (ESV)
“The heart is deceitful above all things.” The Bible does not say “follow your heart.” It says: do not trust it. The heart lies. The heart deceives. The heart leads astray.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
- Prov 14:12 (ESV)
“Seems right” - exactly. Feelings say “this is good,” but the road leads to death. That is why the Bible does not tell you to “be yourself” - it tells you to die to yourself:
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
- Luke 9:23 (ESV)
“Deny himself.” This is the opposite of “be yourself.” Jesus does not say “express yourself” - He says “deny yourself.” He does not say “follow your heart” - He says “take up your cross and follow Me.”
Commandment 6 - “You Are a Victim”
What culture says
Your problems are your parents’ fault. Your fears are the result of childhood. Your behavior is the consequence of trauma. You have no control - you are a product of circumstances. Therapy will explain this, and society owes you compensation.
What the Bible says
The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
- Ezek 18:20 (ESV)
God flatly rejects generational determinism. You are not a prisoner of your parents’ past.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
- 2 Cor 5:17 (ESV)
“The new has come.” Not “slightly improved.” Not “better managed.” New. The Bible does not offer therapy - it offers transformation. Determinism removes responsibility - but it also takes away hope. The Gospel gives both: responsibility for your life and hope that you can change.
I wrote about this in the article Does a Difficult Childhood Define My Life?.
New commandments - old bondage
The new commandments of secular religion sound “progressive.” But they lead to bondage:
- “Save the planet” - worship of creation instead of the Creator
- “Do not eat meat” - a moral mandate Paul calls “teachings of demons”
- “Do not judge” - a muzzle on the conscience
- “Accept everything” - tolerance instead of love
- “Be yourself” - following a deceitful heart instead of Christ
- “You are a victim” - bondage to the past instead of freedom in Christ
Each promises freedom but delivers chains. Promises progress but delivers regression.
In the final part, we will see where this new religion heads in its ultimate claim: the right to decide who lives and who dies.