Since at least the Reagan era, Republicans have treated most serious ideological differences as the moral equivalent of war. This has been especially true since the ascent of Newt Gingrich.
We see this in the battles over abortion, the Culture Wars, Obamacare, gun rights, etc., ad nauseum.
What does it do to us when we treat these disputes, these deeply-felt arguments, as the moral equivalent of war?
It ruins our judgment & distorts our moral compass. It convinces us that compromise is evil. It plays to our self-righteousness & pride, the worst demons of human nature.
We go to war, not against some foreign aggressor or a terrorist wearing a suicide vest, but against our fellow citizens.
We go to war, and in war we escalate what is permissible. We lie, and we excuse the lie. We’re at war.
We accept lies & propaganda that plays on our fears and overcomes our sense of decency. No amount of horse manure is too much for us to swallow and spread on Facebook if it makes our enemies look bad.
It’s all permissible, because we have convinced ourselves that we’re at war. Against other Americans. THEY’RE the enemy, and nothing is acceptable but total victory.
Circleslide 
I agree with what you have said about going to war with our fellow citizens but we need to stand up to the evil Satan is calling good. I am nearing 70 years of life and have seen changes in the American culture that I just don’t understand. As a young adult with children I didn’t have to worry about about the language on TV shows because there were restrictions in place but now those words are almost common place. The thought of aborting a baby who was ready to be born was abhorrent but now sane people are accepting any abortion as part of a woman’s right. Sexual sin is no longer behind closed doors but out in the open and being accepted as ok. I am guilty of sinning and as I age become more aware of how sins like these have changed the moral compass of our world. We are at war with ideologies, values, lifestyles, and moral degradation. If we don’t take a stand with Christ in loving kindness we have failed our fellow citizens.
LikeLike
Sure. The problem is HOW we take a stand. It’s easy to tell ourselves, “The Democrats (or whoever) are EVIL, they need to be destroyed before they destroy us.” That’s a lie from the pit of Hell. If we believe it and act on it, we’re doing the devil’s work for him, regardless of how good our intentions are.
LikeLike