Oppression, Liberty, and Christianity - Getting to the Heart of the Matter
“My political opinions lean more and more to Anarchy (philosophically understood, meaning the abolition of control not whiskered men with bombs)...”
- J.R.R. Tolkien -
Simplifying my thinking...
My life has seemed one long struggle, ever striving toward clarity of thought and comprehension. I think I can finally sum up my political views in a very few words. However, it may take more than a few to provide the context that explains how I came to this understanding.
Oppression ~ Image courtesy of PublicDomainPictures
Not that you'd ever make the connection from listening to your preacher in church, but the Christian bible speaks volumes about oppression, and it roundly condemns human government.
But what is "oppression?"
To answer that question, we need to go back before the beginning.
As I understand scripture, the very first sin ever to appear in the Heavenly Places took form in the mind of Lucifer, God's most magnificent created being. Lucifer became Satan when he began to turn his attention inward, to his own beauty and splendor. Consequently, he began to believe he was equal to God, and decided to elevate himself to Godhood.
“How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
“But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’”
- Isaiah 14:12-14
It is no coincidence that this poem in Isaiah begins with a discussion of how the LORD has put an end to the oppression of human rulers.
At it's core, my simplifying insight is this:
Like Lucifer, humans are created beings. We reflect the image of Jesus/God who created us, but we are and always will be creatures of his, like him in significant ways, but lesser.
As our Creator, God has every legitimate right to rule us, to control us, to dictate to us how we must live. The Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans is very clear about this, though simple logic should reveal the fact upon thoughtful reflection.
A corollary of this observation is that, as fellow humans, we are all peers. We are all creatures, though we are capable of creating lessers of our own. Therefore, no human—or group of humans—has any innate right to rule other humans. All philosophical theories of "divine right" are in fact no more than echos of Satan's original arrogance.
To be sure, there are limited exceptions to this that are also logically obvious. Parents must need govern the lives of their own children until they are capable of self determination. And there is the somber reality of individuals with mental deficiencies, those who absolutely need the care, provision, and guidance of others. Finally, and perhaps most problematic, are the sociopaths who actively seek to harm others, who must be decisively dealt with.
To our great and everlasting shame and misfortune, human government as we have known it all of our lives, inherently violates the truth that Jesus/God is the only rightful sovereign over mankind. Like Satan, virtually every human government that I am aware of arrogates itself to Godhood by presuming the right to coerce other humans into submission by decree and the initiation of force. Like Satan, the ultimate tool of this misguided belief is violence.
Thus, despite all pretense to the contrary, human government as we know it is the diametric opposite of liberty. True liberty is the exercise of free will in the service of good, and in the absence of all external coercion.
Liberty ~ Image courtesy of Matt Collamer
I will close, then, with the simple, distilled essence of my current "political views."
“Voluntary cooperation among men to form a society is legitimate.
Men initiating force by any means against others is illegitimate, oppressive, and to be soundly condemned.”
I suspect this can be seen as a slightly expanded expression of the classic libertarian formula, "Don't initiate force."
The astute observer will understand this to be a subset of Jesus' opinion as to the second greatest commandment.
Do you extol liberty by living what you believe in this regard, or do you support the oppression of human government over yourself and your neighbor?
I ask you to consider and respond in the comments below.
~FIN~
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A thoughtful reflection on human liberty. It seems to me that the classical anarchists were right when they said, that government is best that governs least -but that did not imply no government. You alluded to instances where communal needs necessitate some form of order, a social contract, if you will. So, it seems to me a matter of degree and I would go as far as to say that I see you espousing a philosophy of Individualism more than a political theory of governance, at least that's how it seems from my perspective. A good post, my friend - you always challenge the reader to think.
Thanks, John...
I am not at all opposed to "some form of order, a social contract"--but never at the point of a gun. Always voluntary on the part of the participants.
That is my sole complaint with "presumptive government" as we know it; the egregiously false assumption that some man or group of men have a right to initiate force against me in their rush to "govern" me. Abominable, unbiblical, inherently evil.
The only place for force in society is in defense against criminal aggression.
There is no "social contract." It is a philosophical dead end, and excuse to justify violence, no more.
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Thank you.
I am not a fan of government and believe less is better and none if possible is best. Yes your writing makes complete sense. Who wants to feed an ugly monster. LOL Thanks @creatr.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Troy! :D
You’re right Christians wrote the handbook on oppression. They have raped, murdered, and killed for 2000+ years. My culture and religion has been erased because of their liberation of oppression. 1000 years my ancestors have suffered under their rule. I hope every day that they return to the Middle East and leave us to our natural, Native religion as it was meant to be.
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Seriously?
The Christian Handbook (i.e. the bible) is a handbook opposing oppression.
Oppression is the specialty of Satan, the enemy of God. You will find oppressors from every religious background and tradition, no matter what they are called.
People who actually listen to and apply the teachings of the bible invariably turn away from their oppressing ways and are then able to live in peace with their fellow man.
Perhaps you should re-read (or actually read?) what I've written here?
God's message to mankind is to cease oppressing; to stop initiating force against others. This is also my message, and why I speak against human governments.
I speak to individuals, appealing to their conscience in the hope that they will remove themselves from the "groupthink" of any and all organizations that claim to have some sort of "authority" to absolve individuals of the moral responsibility for their crimes. The absolutely largest and worst of these criminal organizations are human governments, and the greatest lie believed by humanity is that those governments are legitimate.
To support the concept of "government" is to support oppression. It has nothing to do with your "religious tribe," and everything to do with your individual actions toward your fellow man.
No matter what they may be called or may call themselves, rapists and murderers are not Christians because they do not follow the teachings of Christ.
Thank you for stopping by.
Well let's see what Jesus himself has to say on the topic....
”But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill them in front of me.” Luke 19:27
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What Jesus himself said? Really?
Once again, if you were a careful reader, you would see that you have quoted what a character in a story that Jesus told has said, not what Jesus said.
Here is what Jesus had to say:
Don't misrepresent what you read. Don't misrepresent Jesus.
Very well. But what was Jesus trying to say with that parable? Can you please explain that to me? But he is a foreign god, not mine. I don't want eternity in heaven. I want to live on through my descendants like we always have. Thank you for your responses
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Hello again, and Thank You for pausing to see the difference.
You've asked an excellent question now, and I need just a bit of time to contemplate and answer you. Thanks for the great question, and for this discussion. :)
But now I am more curious: How does one "live on through... descendants?" And, who is your God? And if God were to offer you a good life, literally and personally, that never ended, would you be interested at all? Or would you rather die and only be a memory?
My gods are the gods of the Europeans. They are alive through me the same way my ancestors are. We are their descendants and they are reborn through us the same was the forest is reborn each spring, the same way the DNA of my Neanderthal ancestors helped create the man I am today.
Here I wrote a little bit about it if it interests you. https://steemit.com/pagan/@balticbadger/why-do-we-wear-talismans
To be honest, we do not overly concern ourselves with the next world. We live here and now, in this existence. If we live our lives and live them well (raise our children right) the next life will take care of itself.
I love religion and history but in the end, we must drink from our own well as they say. We can learn and benefit from others but we cannot find fulfillment in their cultures or beliefs that's why they are each unique and wonderful. I can practice the religion of the native Americans, Buddhists, Muslims, or Christians but in the end, they are just empty gestures and deep down inside you know that to be true as well.
We were made to be part nature, perfectly imperfect, there is no good or evil there just is. We do not need to be saved by worshiping a solitary idol we need to stand before our ancestors and our gods (highest versions of our inner self) and make them proud and preserve our future for our descendants, as this is our future as well.
Sorry to go on like that but I hope you understand.
I may make this comment into a post for others to see as well.
I really enjoy these conversations and sorry I can be a little passionate at times!
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