Jesus Is a Libertarian
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JESUS IS A LIBERTARIAN
by Mike Hurley
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Part I, Introduction: Christians are Libertarian
"Whoever will introduce into public affairs the
principles of Christianity will change the face of
the world." (Benjamin Franklin)
Jesus is a libertarian. (Is that the sound of eyebrows arching?) Certainly when Jesus walked the earth as a man, he utterly rejected the initiation of force to achieve his mission. His ministry was to individuals, and he taught his disciples to achieve and share spiritual salvation apart from the religious and political systems of his day. Our founding fathers understood this. In their writings they attributed their concept of self-government to the Bible and to Christianity. However, many people today, far from seeing Christian principles as the well-spring of individual liberty, fear Christianity as a source of oppression and social fascism. How do we square this with the following statement from George Washington?
"Do not let any one claim to be a true American if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics."
Let Patrick Henry, a powerful opponent of the establishment of religion illuminate that sentiment. He said, "It can not be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!"
To me there are two contrary views of Christianity: one as the fount of human freedom, and the other as just another vehicle for oppression and control -- another brick in the wall, so to speak. Henry seems to be saying the key to sorting out these two views is the distinction between a religionist and a follower of Christ.
Let's use an example from my experience to contrast religiosity with Christianity. In Kansas City a municipal "health" levy was placed on the ballot. Fashionable suburban churches offered flyers for the tax increase saying, "We have the opportunity to express our faith by voting ... " Express faith in what, I asked, transfer payments to the government health care establishment?
Jesus calls us to minister to the sick, not tax some to benefit others. The title of the flyer was "Love Thy Neighbor." Voting to tax the poor and elderly to feed the City's health care bureaucracy does not satisfy that Biblical charge (or any other). The sentiment expressed by the flyer seems to be: Express your faith by sending tax money downtown so you won't have to deal with the un-lovely and unfashionable. Levying taxes is not the ministry to which Jesus calls us. When Matthew the tax collector became a disciple of Jesus, he left that profession forever.
Contrast the words of Jesus recorded in Luke 11:46. "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." (NIV)
I must here point out that pseudo-Christian religiosity (the worldly church) is not the dominant religiosity of our day. Anti-Christian secular "philosophy" dominates the institutions of our society today. A good example of a modern religionist is Madelyn O'Hare, the atheist. Her son the Christian (the one who exports Bibles and salvation to the former Soviet republics) decidedly is not a religionist.
How can I say this? Matthew 7:16 "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?" (NIV)
The rule is: Christians are self-governors who relate to individuals as such. Religionists are others-governors who relate to individuals as parts of a collective. Therefore, the best way to understand the Christian-right vs. Godless-left conflict, is as a battle between religionist factions. Or, to borrow from Ayn Rand, a battle between two factions of witch doctors.
Ms. Rand correctly identified religion as an institution for controlling peoples hearts so their bodies could be dominated by government. The institutions and "worldly" systems built by religionists, comprise what the Bible refers to as "powers and principalities." Ours is not a battle of flesh and blood, but a spiritual one. It is a battle for hearts and minds.
Today, libertarians know we are locked in a struggle with collectivism. Clearly, moral principles are our chief weapons in the struggle against the slavery and oppression of collectivism. Historically, the most powerfully liberating moral principle is Christianity.
Christian libertarians feel the affinity between Christian (spiritual) principles and libertarian (political) principals. Yet until we learn to verbalize this affinity, we are neglecting our most powerful weapons.
Also, until non-Christian libertarians understand this affinity, many in the libertarian movement will continue to overlook its largest and most important block of natural constituents.
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posted by Job @ 5:17 PM
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