No Religion

This essay was first publisehed August 1996 in the shortlived Christian Libertarian Fellowship e-newsletter, "View from the Hill."

No Religion? No Way!
by Mike Hurley

Many people claim to have no religion (sound the opening chords from Lennon's "Imagine" here). Others indicate certain institutions are, or ought to be, free of religion or religious values. Popular notions aside, there is no such thing as no religion.

Everyone defines their religion by their very actions and words (or lack of the same). Everyone answers in some fashion the basic questions about faith and existence, right and wrong, addressed by religion. Some struggle with these questions and make positive choices. Some fail to examine these questions and choose by not choosing -- by happenstance. Still, our choices define our religion.

The matter of religion is just as Ayn Rand discussed in regards to philosophy. She pointed out everyone has a philosophy defined by their choices -- or lack of choices. Either you decide your philosophy on purpose or by default -- by failing to think. We either act a certain way in a particular situation, or choose not to act. Choosing not to choose is itself a choice. The sum of your choices defines your philosophy.

When someone says they or their organization have no philosophy, they are simply lying -- either in ignorance or obfuscation. Similarly, when they claim to have no religion or to represent no religion -- say in a government school or in consideration of public policy issues -- such a claim is patently false. Take K-12 government schools, for instance.

What is excluded from the curriculum or included there, and what is discussed or not discussed in the class room, defines the religion and philosophy (educational and otherwise) of the school. Perhaps as important in portraying religion to the children is what is treated as normal and accepted, versus what is discouraged or hushed-up. The sum of the above speaks volumes to young minds.

When a politician or activist claims religion must not enter public life, they are really saying they don't want YOUR religion influencing public policy. What they are hiding is what their religion is, and their determination to implement it, in government, at your expense.

You see, a collectivist philosophy of government cannot admit to any rivals. As advocated by most Repro-cratic politicians from Bill-Hillary on down, it is not compatible with Christian principles. Individual liberty sprang from Christian culture because Jesus relates to each of us as individuals. He places each of our consciences on equal footing with all others.

The political doctrine of universal sovereignty is the inevitable consequence of the religious doctrine of the priesthood of all believers and of free will. If Christ is sovereign, no man may be sovereign over any other. The depth of these roots is shown by the origin of free-market economics with the Christian clerics of the Late Scholastic Period (1350-1500 AD).

Our nations founders derived their understanding of self-government from their Christian heritage. It may be that some who claim the Cross of Christ would today, as in the past, use the state (and anti-Christian collectivist philosophy) to encroach on the personal moral decisions of others. Even so, such politics runs counter to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. It is a fact, the Tories (a right proper name for the Repro-cratic politicians) are not afraid of libertarian atheists and agnostics.

It is the Christian religion, which gave birth to libertarianism, which the political establishment fears. So they must marginal-ize, coopt and/or dilute faith in Christ with the big brother approved secular-collectivist religion. For the Tories to succeed in overthrowing individual liberty, they must substitute the state for God and state-ism for Christian faith.

This is why Christianity is so heavily attacked culturally and governmentally. It is not possible to exclude religion from political discourse. It is, however, essential to the triumph of the Tories to disarm the American people not only of their firearms, but also their faith.

Hence the aim of political correctness is to exclude ideas and viewpoints from political discourse which run counter to the growth of the secular-collectivist state religion and the triumph of the Tories over constitutional government. It is largely up to thinking Christians, along with our libertarian allies of all other faiths, to thwart the Tories. Together we must advance the cause of self-government and the Constitution which protects it.

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Davy Crockett and the Constitution

If Davy Crockett showed up on capitol hill he would take a bull whip to the scurrilous curs who have replaced him in our time (with an exceptions or two).

Read this story, David Crockett, Charity, and Congress, and weep for our late departed republic.

Blast from the Past: LP News October 1994

Mike Hurley, LP candidate for state representative in Kansas City, is in a heated two-way battle. His opponent is an unknown, but was handpicked by the Democratic incumbent.

Hurley is focusing on three issues-health care, education, and public safety. He is using the national party's Project Healthy Choice and Operation Safe Streets in his campaigning.

"I think we can win," said Hurley. "Send money."

For more information, write Citizens for Mike Hurley, 3810 Bell St., Kansas City, MO 64111-3916, or e-mail MikeHurley@ aol.com, or call 816-561-1514.

Beyond the Matrix

Take The Quiz

Problem In Iran?

TEHRAN -- More than 400 young men and women have volunteered to carry out suicide-bombing attacks against Americans in Iraq and targets in Israel, a militant group said Wednesday.

The recruiting effort was detailed during a ceremony organized by the Headquarters for Commemorating Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement -- a shadowy group that has been seeking attackers for nearly a year.

"Iran's government has distanced itself from the organization. The event, however, was attended by Mahdi Rahimian, the head of the Martyr's Foundation and the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee -- both quasi-government organizations run by hard-liners loyal to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Full Story

Jesus Is a Libertarian - Part 4

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JESUS IS A LIBERTARIAN

by Mike Hurley

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Part IV, A Call to Arms

"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." (John Quincy Adams)

In these essays, we first explored the natural fit of Christianity, a spiritual faith which informs, guides and directs the life of an individual, and libertarianism, a political philosophy based on the principle of non-coercion or self-government. Then we looked briefly at why authoritarians, especially utopian socialists who dominate the political establishment today, hate Christianity and seek to obscure Christian principles which affirm individual liberty.

The rule of individual conscience is the foundation of a free society. Society begins with individuals. Therefore, it makes sense that government officials, themselves only individuals, would be strictly subservient to the individual citizen. To many folks, this sounds like anarchy.

Not so: the rule of law only works where there is individual liberty. As our government officials become more given to tyranny, conflict in society rises, there is a break down in rule by law, and rule by men reasserts itself.

As a Baptist, I can appreciate this very much. Baptists hold to the "priesthood of all believers." No other's conscience or relationship with God can take precedence over yours. Traditionally, each congregation is free to set their own doctrine, even if it contradicts the Baptist denomination as a whole. Hence the historic defining phrase for Baptists, "a free Christian in a free church in a free country!"

This is a perfect model for our democratic republic, united under a federal government, with ultimate sovereignty residing in the individual. The Baptist church is a descendent of the same frame work of religious principle which gave rise to the War for Independence. In sharp contrast to this tradition, the current political establishment is intent on expanding its oppressive power over individual citizens. This they do in the name of helping or caring for people.

Hence, the continuous creation of new victims and new emergencies. Most importantly, Christian virtue (love and compassion) are replaced by political force (taxation and bureaucratic empire building). Subsequently our resources are consumed by the state, without helping people very much, and we are denied responsibility for ourselves, our families and our communities.

Today's PC ethic, together with the "Bi-partisan Party," stands in direct opposition to the Christian concept of charity as evoked by Abraham Lincoln:

"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing what they could and should do for themselves."

As I pointed out in Part I, Jesus calls us to minister to the oppressed, not farm out the job to government employees. Therefore we must recognize, with C. K. Chesterton, "If there be any value in scaling the mountains, it is only from them that one can behold the plains." In other words, the thinking about the truth is meaningless if we do not act on what we discover.

We live in a real world full of real people who hurt, bleed and suffer under the oppression of anti-Christian utopian socialism. It is up to those who hold the truth to share these tools with their neighbors. Only by relating directly with people in our community can the potency of our ideas be unleashed. The key ingredient is always self-responsibility. As government has gradually assumed our self-responsibility, it has also stolen our freedom and increased tyranny, oppression and injustice in our country.

We may reassert self-responsibility, and so redeem our country, by properly caring for ourselves and our immediate families first. Only then may we share our gifts through direct political action (finding candidates and supporting them for elected office, educating jurors, circulating petitions, lobbying), in business (providing goods and services people want and/or need, creating jobs, etc.), by helping other voluntary organizations (City Union Mission, Habitat for Humanity, The Lighthouse, etc.), or simply lending a helping hand to a neighbor, friend or relative.

Isn't it time Christians, together with other freedom loving people, put a stop to the growing injustice caused by the uncontrolled growth of government institutions and government power? It is time to renew the original freedom coalition which built this country and can still preserve it for our posterity. It is time for Christians to assume their rightful place (again) as leaders in this coalition. It is time for Christians to join the libertarian movement, support (or be) Libertarian candidates, and vote Libertarian!

Let us return full circle to the observation of Mr. Franklin: "Whoever will introduce into public affairs the principles of Christianity will change the face of the world."
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Mike has been active in the Missouri Libertarian Party since 1984. He has served as representative to the state committee, state chair, national convention delegate, county comittee chariman, and candidate to Congress and the state legislature. Mike is an evangelical Christian and member of Lee's Summit Baptist Temple, a Bible-based, soul-winning, discipling body of Christ.

Permission is hereby granted to freely publish or otherwise reproduce, as is and with attribution, this four part essay "Jesus is a Libertarian" in any manner deemed espedient by the user.

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• Jesus Is a Libertarian: Part 1


• Jesus Is a Libertarian: Part 2


• Jesus Is a Libertarian: Part 3

Jesus Is a Libertarian - Part 3

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JESUS IS A LIBERTARIAN

by Mike Hurley

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Part III, The Anti-Christian Mentality

"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1:25, KJV)

Jesus is a libertarian. In the first two parts to this series we examined what it means to be a Christian. We explored the natural fit of Christianity (a spiritual faith which informs, guides and directs the life of an individual) and libertarianism (a political philosophy based on the principle of non-coercion or self-government). Now I would like to focus on the enmity between today's politically correct establishment and Christian principles.

Morality is the set of rules by which we govern ourselves. As John Adams wrote, "There is no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Hence, the enemies of the Constitution struggle to deprive us of the tools of self-government. Then they bring in "armed power" to fill in the vacuum they have created.

Witness the current politically correct fashion which condemns any form of philosophy or religion (mainly Christianity) which dares to posit absolute truth. Of course, the function of gravity is not a matter of opinion. Neither are the laws of atmospheric dynamics. Never the less, the Denver city council once passed an ordinance forbidding the wind to blow through the city's streets without a permit (they were kidding, that time). In any case, you can see how the PC crowd must discredit the entire sweep of western culture, including the ascendancy of reason and attendant scientific accomplishment, and especially the teaching of and about Jesus which laid the foundation for it.

Throughout history religionists of various stripes have sought to use the individual's own conscience to oppress and control him. From early Hindus to the New Age movement, religionists have dominated people on behalf of their rulers. Once upon a time a Roman emperor found donning a cross expedient to recruiting soldiers. Subsequently, the sword became a preferred method for "converting" people, a procedure which reached its nadir under Charlemagne.

Of course, that same emperor (Constantine) also embraced every heresy condemned by the Apostles, substituting a gospel expurgated by secular Roman philosophers (neo-Platonists, basically). He established a "church" which spent a millennia torturing to death those who kept alive the recorded teachings of those same apostles -- until they finally broke out during the reformation.

This legacy of using the church to dominate and control represents an alien influence superimposed on His church. It continues to this day in the form of religious abuse. I define religious abuse loosely as oppressing folks through guilt trips and intimidation, using their own conscience against them. This is also a favored tactic of today's "secular" religionists: utopian socialists and other authoritarians. (I have found many of my Libertarian Party friends to be the product of Christian religious abuse. Paradoxically, this often seems to make them less sensitive to other kinds of religious abuse.)

Today, we're seeing the results of a similar move to suppress religious truth, and especially its application to government, under the guise of the "separation of church and state." Tom Jefferson must be spinning in his grave. Question: if the religious and moral principle of honesty is excluded from government, what is left? The real reason religious people must be silenced, is because virtue must be denied. First, virtue must be denied so governmental, political and other secular leaders may do as they will without ethical limits.

Second, they must deny virtue to the people in order to justify their oppression. Lets put this in terms of the socialist-authoritarian thrust of government today. Today's political leaders have bought into the socialist utopian doctrine that the government, in substituting for God, has as its real purpose the perfection of mankind. I guess if you aspire to the mantle of pragmatism you say "the betterment of mankind."

This reminds me of the old fellow who went to testify in court. He was asked to "Swear to tell truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God." He replied, "If I could do that I would be God!" Clearly, when we take from the people, responsibility for their actions, we are bucking the natural (created) order. God has chosen to distribute the talents and knowledge needed for the proper function of society to the whole people, not those few who run the government.

When we substitute government for God, and "professional" judgement for individual conscience, we focus decision making into fewer hands. The hands of people no more knowledgeable, intelligent or ethical than you or I. In fact, regarding matters close to us, politicians and bureaucrats are less capable and knowledgeable -- and often less ethical.

It is precisely because of human limitations (no one man can possess all the truth, all men possess some of the truth), that freedom works and freedom is right. In part IV, I will expand on the uniquely Christian origins of the of individual liberty, and how this moral framework is the basis for removing utopian socialism from our government.

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• Jesus Is a Libertarian: Part 1
  


• Jesus Is a Libertarian: Part 2
  


• Jesus Is a Libertarian: Part 4
  

Pope John Paul II in a Nutshell

I'm certainly not a fan of the Roman Catholicism, however, the late beloved leader of the Roman Catholic Church leaves behind an impressive record of leadership. This article by International Herald Tribune columnist Roger Cohen sums it up wonderfully: Globalist: A personal glimpse of the pope's belief in life Cohen examins the late Pope's legacy while recalling a story of a 24-year old seminarian, Karol Wojtyla, who saved the life of a 13-year old jewish girl in January 1945. The girl was Cohen's mother-in-law.

As Cohen observes, Stalin once asked, "How many divisions has the pope?" Wojtyla, as John Paul II, fielded divisions of moral certitude against the cold brutality of collectivism, and in the company of his allies, won the war. It is a great irony, though inevitable, that the first Pope to lead the church without sovereignty over a single acre of ground, much less an army, has wielded such influence.

Jesus Is a Libertarian - Part 2

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JESUS IS A LIBERTARIAN

by Mike Hurley

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Part II, What is Genuinely Christian

"Sir my concern is not whether God is on our side. My
great concern is to be on God's side." (Abraham Lincoln)

Jesus is ... a libertarian. Libertarianism (also variously referred to as individual liberty or self-government) is the only political philosophy consistent with the tenants of the historic Christian faith. Until Christians recognize freedom fighting is part of being Christian, their positive influence in society at large will be blunted. Similarly, until libertarians learn to understand and utilize the essential unity between Christian and libertarian principles, the freedom coalition which built this country can never be reassembled to preserve it.

In Part I, we drew a distinction between the principles lived by Christians (Christianity), and the superficial works of what Patrick Henry called religionists. In first century Judea, religionists were exemplified by Pharisees and Sadducees. Today some good examples might be Hillary Clinton and Pat Buchanon. I hope my comments about the godless left vs. the religious right shed some light on the old Quail vs. The Media controversy.

Now it behooves us to move into a positive understanding of Christianity, the better to understand why Christians can only belong in the libertarian political camp. As brevity yields incompleteness, I recommend to the studious "Mere Christianity," by C.S. Lewis, to which I turned for inspiration in the following discussion.

Christians believe God is the creator of the universe and is not of the universe. Good is that in the world which is in right relation to God. Evil is that which is in wrong relation to God. Evil is possible because of free will. God's moral law presses in on us (conscience), condemning us when we abuse our freedom (sin).

Christians believe Jesus was God incarnate. He is fully human and fully God. This is the key to Jesus' role in history -- and in our lives. His death on the cross was the lynch-pin of creation, the ultimate defeat of evil. Through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection (the atonement), we are restored to a right relation to God (salvation). This is the central "mystery" of Christianity.

Through Christ we are freed from sin, and become new people. We are born again. This freedom we do not attain for ourselves, but through the power of God (Holy Spirit) working in us because of our repentance. Christ is still in the world because Christians are the body of Christ. Until that day when the arch of creation is broken, Christians are the organism through which God acts in the world, spreading this new Christ-life through belief, baptism and communion.

Spiritually, a Christian sees God as reaching down to us. We achieve salvation by allowing God into our lives. The religionist is seen to reach up to Heaven, seeking to get there on mere manpower. The religionist is primarily interested in appearances, and in the use of appearances to manipulate people. The Christian is motivated by a passion for righteousness (being right with God), of which objective truth is a necessary component. The religionist is motivated by the need to control others -- or to see others controlled.

The Christian sees others as individuals, like himself: needy, broken, and under the oppression of sin. The word "Christian" means, literally, little Christ. Reflecting the unconditional love which Jesus has for all individuals, the Christian wishes to provide healing for other individuals by introducing them to the Savior, Jesus. Only through Him can people be restored to a right relation to God and receive inner healing and the "peace which passes understanding."

The Christian approaches people with love and care, ministering to physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of individuals. Only then is the heart open to sharing the Gospel and the movement of the Holy Spirit. Please note that people do not win soles, only God does this. Christians are merely asked to share their own story, their witness. This entire process is purely voluntary.

Coercion, on the other hand, is contrary to this process. It increases spiritual, emotional, and physical oppression, making the salvation business more difficult. After all, Christianity, in a temporal sense, is all about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Meanwhile, the enemy is doing everything he can to side track Christians by separating church and state.

If he can't get rid of this powerful liberating faith, he'll isolate it. He'll get society to wall it off and quarantine its potency. More over, he'll get the followers of Christ to leave its precepts within the four walls of the church, and not even apply them to their own personal lives! In particular, he'll get society to teach them to never, under any circumstance, apply anything in the Bible to government.

Libertarians, especially Christian libertarians, must seek to phrase our political struggle in terms which harness Christian precepts, laying bare the moral perversion of the collectivists. This will not only tug at the latent Christian consciousness of the American people, it will show rank & file Christians that we are in line politically with their faith.

We must find ways to combat the powers and principalities of the world and liberate the hearts and minds of the people from the enslavement of the religionists. In particular, to abandon the world to the good graces of the current political establishment would be, well, un-Christ-like!

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• Jesus Is a Libertarian: Part 1
  


• Jesus Is a Libertarian: Part 3
  


• Jesus Is a Libertarian: Part 4