No Liberty for the Libertines

In light of the Islamic Terrorist bombing in London today, I thought I'd take a few moments to pen my thoughts on the issues of freedom.

We all know freedom isn't free--the cliche holds true. However, I'd like to focus further on what we actually do with that freedom. Rousseau wanted to force freedom upon the masses, however, his was a freedom of "action without restraint." This is not freedom. This is the way of the libertine. When we are free to do anything (or nothing) we are enslaved to our passions.

Many paint the Puritans of our past as black-wearing, dour, self-flaggelating haters of all things fun. Nothing could be further from the truth. They were a very passionate people. Passionate about their families. Passionate about their political freedom. Passionate about their spouses (just read some of their poetry--and be ready to blush). The were very passionate about their worship of God.

We could learn a great deal from the Puritans when it comes to freedom. They loved it. So should we. But they also knew that their freedom was no excuse for license. The very passions that drove them to create literary, political, and religious treasures could overwhelm and lead them into evil. Yes, I used the word "evil"--get over it.

We too face the challenge. Will we abandon all good sense in our pursuit of slavery to libertine "freedom" and lack of self-restraint or will we subdue our passions and enjoy true freedom within the limits of common sense? All men strive for freedom, but which kind we choose determines much about our families, churches, politics, and society.

Freedom without self-control is slavery to depravity.

Make Up Your Minds

I was just forced to listen to two tea-sipping twenty-something hippy-wannabees go on and on about how their sexuality isn't something they choose, yet it is. I couldn't tell from the conversation if this was a personal issue for them, or just something to drone on about, but it made me think about something. Don't we always hear from the secular left (yes, I'm generalizing here) that people don't make choices? You're born gay, you didn't choose it, right? Isn't the mantra of the homosexual lobby, "Who would choose to be gay in our intolerant society?" Yet, here these two are also wanting to justify their respective place in the universe by saying choices matter: I choose, I act, therefore I am (see J.P Sartre).

Amazing. Those who want to deny God's Sovereignty (because that obviously means we're just robots, right?), and strengthen their own, must at the same time deny their choices have meaning. Then, when that turns out to lead to despair and a lack of self-esteem/meaning, all of a sudden their choices have tremendous importance.

Make up your minds. Oh, wait, self-deception leads to double-mindedness. Check out some ancient guy's letter to a bunch of Romans. I think he talks about this in the first chapter or two.

...in His Hands

So, things might not be working out as I had planned. You know, that's actually okay. I mean, let's be honest, the Almighty's not going to exactly reach down and ask my permission, so my opinion of it doesn't really hold any sway. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm finding it a bit easier these days to rest in God's providence. I don't know why that sounds so comforting or profound--it really shouldn't, nothing's really changed. Except, perhaps, me. I hope it's permanent, I've not been happy with the angry version of Self 1.0 (actually, I guess it's Self + 2.0, if you get my drift).

Anyway, today begins a new adventure. Raise the sails.