Let Me Apologize.

It is has been often stated, among a certain class of libertarian-leaning conservatives, that social conservatives will cost the Republicans this election.  Most particularly over statements made by Rick Santorum, which will not specifically be discussed here.  As one of the Social Conservatives, however, I feel it is my duty to enlighten and inform, so that we will be less misunderstood.  To do so, we have to get to the heart of why we are conservatives in the first place.

You see, anyone can claim conservative means: lower taxes, balanced budgets, small government, but without some sound foundational principles, it's just one of two competing camps.  Without a logical explanation for why we believe government should be smaller, there is no reason we can give that people should support our positions over those of the Liberals.  We promise them hard work, and pain, and failure.  Liberals promise them little or no work, no pain, and no chance of failure.  Why should they like our position better?

And so Conservatives find themselves in the same conundrum Christians have for centuries (millenia, really): We need to give an explanation of our beliefs, and we need to show why they are true.  In fact, we need to apologize, in the classical sense.  And, as with any good piece on apologetics, we begin with the most fundamental question: What is truth?

For, you see, either universal truth exists, or it does not.  If it does not, then there is no use saying our beliefs are truer or better than the Liberals'.  Next we must settle the question of if Truth- assuming it exists- is knowable.  For, again, even if Truth exists, if we cannot know it, we cannot act on it, and therefore there is no reason for people to accept our ideas over the Liberals'.

So we'll embark on a new series here at Dedicated Tenther: Conservative Apologetics, or, as I like to call it: Let Me Apologize.

There are 11 steps we'll go through.  They'll probably average about a post per point.  Some points may take multiple posts, some posts may cover multiple points.  In the end, I believe I will have established the logical foundations of Conservatism- foundations which some may find uncomfortable, but that are no less true for that.

The steps we will go through:

I Truth
    A Does Truth Exist?
    B Is Truth Knowable?
II Some Assumptions
    A Mankind is Created
    B Creation assumes a Creator
    C A Creator means a Moral Law
III Moral Law is Truth
    A The Moral Law Exists
    B The Moral Law is Knowable
IV  Moral Law informs Social Policy
    A Preserving the Moral Law in Civic Law
    B Moral Law is not the same as Religious Law
V   Moral Law informs Fiscal Policy
    A Responsibility is part of the Moral Law
    B Government has a Moral Responsibility to the Governed.