This started many years ago and I considered myself quite liberal when I compared myself to many conservatives but the minute I happen to defend anything that sounded remotely conservative for even the slightest reason I was immediately thrown out of the group. They didn't hold a vote or anything but more just started labeling me as 'conservative' simply because I had no issue with creationist themselves. I didn't agree with them but I didn't care if they believed what they believed. I came to the conclusion that 'liberals' only care about one thing and that is the socialist agenda in this country and the more they did the less tolerant they became. I don't know if anyone else has had this experience of being expelled from the democratic party simply because you disagreed with them on anything at all.
Dear
SuperDemocrat if you can understand the Christian mentality and foundation,
the ability to invoke and enforce/compel with authority comes from adopting EMBRACING/EMBODYING
and agreeing to LIVE BY the principles given in the laws. So the laws/scripture become like a living contract
between fellow believers agreeing to follow those same scriptures and authority; they check each other that way.
Now, compared with Constitutionalists, you can see similar. Like police or military who take "sacred oaths"
to enforce the Constitution, this becomes a living contract that governs people who agree to live by the same.
the rebukes and enforcement process is similar to Christians checking each other and agreeing to corrections by the same laws as their common standard.
NOW compare with liberals who don't believe in such authority residing directly with the people.
The authority or will of the people isn't established until or unless it is run through Govt as the secular equivalent of church authority.
Somehow, the liberals who don't use their churches or scriptures/Constitution to invoke and enforce laws directly among the people,
RELY on govt to serve as that, and the party and political leaders, the lawyers and judges in court to serve as PRIESTS
interceding between the people and the COLLECTIVE authority that GOVT represents when they use that as the head of their church body.
This is comparable to when the Catholic church taught people to rely on PRIESTS to interpret and intercede between the people and the laws.
Until the Reformation movement when people were taught to READ AND ENFORCE the laws/scriptures DIRECTLY and not rely on priests/church as a third party.
The same movement is happening with govt, and teaching people to READ AND ENFORCE the Constitutional laws directly to govern their own democratic process.
But right now, if people are still depending on third-party PRIESTS to intervene for them,
they are not equal or free as the people who interpret and enforce laws directly
by invoking authority by agreement on laws among the PEOPLE as EQUALS.