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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posted by Job @ 12:58 PM
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