True
Independence
Charlie Earl
A constant
theme of my writing is the desirability of personal freedom versus government-
or collective-mandated subjugation. I’ve often stated that I firmly believe the
thirst for personal liberty was implanted into our DNA by Almighty God. He
knows, as should we that simple obedience is not enough – fear or the threat of
force can secure obedience. Our God wants us to willingly and purposely obey.
Our compliance to His will has more value and more legitimacy when we do it
voluntarily. Hence individual liberty is a vital component of Biblical theology
and Christian-centered political theory. Personal liberty is the cornerstone of
each and an absolute starting point for the development of systematic analyses.
Contrary to
an ever-growing belief system freedom from fear or want are not critical
components of a systematic philosophy of liberty. The use of state power or
force to wrest assets from one individual in order to satisfy the “wants” of
another is the antithesis of liberty. It is coercion. True liberty can only be
exhibited by forgoing the use of force to achieve one’s goals. The pre-emptive
use of force necessarily denies the object the opportunity for expressing her/his/their
liberty. When one nation conquers another, the sudden loss of liberty for
fallen country is obvious and dramatic. When our liberty is taken or
surrendered incrementally, we may fail to express our alarm. The ancient
Chinese torturer, Ling chi, favored the method called “death by a thousand
cuts.” Each sword prick would not lead to immediate death, but the cumulative
effect would lead to a mortal end. So it is with our submitting to the
governments’ increasing and unending rules, regulations, laws and assaults on
our freedom to choose for our own best interests. Every tiny erosion of our
liberty ultimately leads to our enslavement. It doesn’t matter whether or not
our freedom is taken from us or if we voluntarily surrender it, the end result
is a violation of God’s cosmic principles. Freedom to choose liberty is just as
difficult to embrace as is freedom to follow the will of God. Both designs are
uplifting, but our carnal, venal natures lead us to take the lower road.
Courage and
commitment are required if we seek to staunch our loss of freedom. Cowardice
and confusion are the telltale signs of those who are willing to surrender. Courage:
the quality of being brave; valor. Courage involves the willingness to
withstand public opinion when the common desire is for compromise or
appeasement. The courageous ones in the Wilderness did not create the Golden
Calf. Undoubtedly there were many Israelites who were uneasy with the clamoring
for an idol while Moses was on the Mount, but they flinched and succumbed and
the Hebrew Nation defied the will of God. They forfeited their freedom for the
fast, the easy, and the short-cut. Consequently they spent many more years circuitously
wandering the Sinai lusting for the Promised Land. Nearly 3500 years ago an
entire people suffered the consequences of their disobedience and cowardice,
and here we are today observing the same type of behavior….plus similar
attitudes. Compromising for the idol at hand rather than laboring for the
liberty that attends the Truth is a recipe for being trapped in the wilderness
and forfeiting the promise of freedom.
Liberty must
be cherished, nurtured and advanced at every opportunity, or it will shrivel
from neglect. When one forgoes liberty for a short time to take the expedient
route, one soon discovers the chosen path does not intersect with freedom’s road.
One must climb, scramble and dig cross country toward the original direction
and pathway. The effort is infinitely more difficult and less achievable than
if one had never strayed. My father used to caution me to “do it right the
first time.” The same wisdom holds true for freedom.
Charlie Earl
How is it that the masses don’t get it? But of course as your analogies stated…..it’s impossible if you don’t know truth.
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