Aren’t these specifically things necessary to accept the gifts of the past, keep them, and pass them on to others?

We don’t need to bring in Christianity, Conservatism, or Patrimony to understand that. Gratefulness, affection and loyalty are not necessary to make your eminently reasonable point.

I think we can get along as humans without invoking filial and tribal obligations at every turn in our politics.

Where Larison says, “This is how we are now, but this is not how we were created” perhaps that holds your answer. Of course, there is the possibility that he is claiming that before the aboriginal catastrophe sexuality did not exist. When he says, “none of us would be here at all had our first ancestors not disobeyed God” he might be referring to the condition here (not how we were created) though it is possible the emphasis is on would not be. Larison?

I agree with the heart of this, though. We are flung into the world at a particular place in history, culture, and the cosmos. Claiming autonomy (which we never possess) is “free riding”, arrogant, and ungrateful. Everything we have is inherited–good and bad, and as a gift, it should be received with corresponding gratitude. Liberalism treats history as a whore and moves on to the next with as much ingratitude.

Can you explain what you mean by this?

Thanks,
Avarachan