Liberty is spiritual, but man-made government is the root of all evil ... true or false?

Before you dismiss such a question as far-fetched, stop to ponder the full meaning of the words of Jesus: "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21) Think about what it would mean if man-made government was able to seriously block you from acting upon guidance from your Holy Spirit.

Dwell on the words of Ezra Taft Bensen, former President of the Mormon Church, talking to BYU students:

The gospel of Jesus Christ can prosper only in an atmosphere of freedom. As members of his Church, we have a major responsibility to do all in our power to see that freedom is preserved and safeguarded. I pray that God will bless you to see communism for what it really is: the greatest system of human slavery that the world has ever known.

Another notable counterfeit system to the Lord's plan is collectivized socialism. Socialism derives its philosophy from the founders of communism, Marx and Engels. Communism in practice is socialism. Its purpose is world socialism, which the communists seek to achieve by revolution, and which the socialists seek to achieve by evolution. Both communism and socialism have the same effect upon the individual--a loss of personal liberty.

Why is socialism incompatible with man's liberty? Socialism cannot work except through an all-powerful state. The state has to be supreme in everything. When individuals begin to exert their God-given rights, the state has to suppress that freedom.

Of course a phrase like "God-given rights" needs some clarification. If you listen inside and hear the Voice for God as taught in A Course in Miracles, then it is right for you to follow the instruction you hear. In fact, if you are a 100% dedicated student of Jesus, then the only thing that is right for you is to listen inside and do as told.

But a nearly omnipresent, omnipotent man-made government waving laws, rules and regulations in your face every direction you turn hardly even gives you a chance to quiet your mind and hear spiritual guidance, never mind carry out instructions heard inside. In fact, a man-made government run by egoistic politicians and keeping you in slavery by means of oppressive taxation makes it a painful struggle to even keep your head above water, never mind learn what the Holy Spirit would really have you learn and create what the Holy Spirit would really have you create.

"But doesn't socialism take from the rich and give to the poor? And isn't that what Jesus practiced?"

No, it's not what Jesus practiced! Consider again the words of Ezra Taft Bensen:

Americans have always been committed to taking care of the poor, aged, and unemployed. We have done this on the basis of Judaic-Christian beliefs and humanitarian principles. It has been fundamental to our way of life that charity must be voluntary if it is to be charity. Compulsory benevolence is not charity. Today's socialists--who call themselves egalitarians--are using the federal government to redistribute wealth in our society, not as a matter of voluntary charity, but as a so-called matter of right.

Let's look at a "matter of right." If what is right is listening inside and doing as told, then voluntary charity certainly would be a matter of right, since such giving is an extension of spiritual impulses. But there can be no spiritual benefit to either giver or receiver from people being forced by a man-made government to give to the poor. In fact, that would be not right, but wrong.

In this respect, President Bensen quotes the great social commentator Edmund Burke warning of the threat of any political attempt to create economic equality:

A perfect equality will indeed be produced--that is to say, equal wretchedness, equal beggary, and on the part of the petitioners, a woeful, helpless, and desperate disappointment. Such is the event of all compulsory equalizations. They pull down what is above; they never raise what is below; and they depress high and low together beneath the level of what was originally the lowest.

You might wonder if politicians like Barack Obama or Harry Reid would even let go of their arrogance long enough to read Edmund Burke.

Certainly the American Revolution was a spiritually guided attempt to put an end to (or at least severely limit) man-made government and replace it with "in God we Trust." But it starts inside each of us.  Each of us would do well to repeat the following statement from A Course in Miracles and ask God to help us make real in our world it's truth:

"I am under no laws but God’s

Here is the perfect statement of my freedom.

I am under no laws but God’s.

I am constantly tempted to make up other laws,

and give them power over me.

 suffer only because of my belief in them.

They have no real effect on me at all.

I am perfectly free of the effects of all laws,

save God’s.

And His are the laws of freedom.”

To understand the insane psychology of modern "liberal progressives," read Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged."
 

"God's laws will keep your minds at peace, because peace IS His Will, and His laws are established to uphold it. His are the laws of freedom, but yours are the laws of bondage. Since freedom and bondage are irreconcilable, their laws CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD TOGETHER. The laws of God work only for your good, and there ARE no other laws beside His. Everything else is merely lawLESS, and therefore chaotic." -Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles
  "I think of myself as a freedom zealot."

"We the people of the United States, in order to ... secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." 

It didn't work.

Liberal-Progressives overgrazing and over-exploiting in order to create their version of Utopia have been degrading and eroding away our liberties year after year after year until we now live in a wasteland. What was the fatal flaw of the U.S. Constitution that allowed these Utopians to ruin a once vibrant country? The answer is simple. The U.S. Constitution as originally created, before the Bill of Rights was added, was a blueprint for dictatorship, allowing for three enemies of liberty: taxation, the legislation of man-made laws, and voting.

Conservatives spend their time, money, and energy championing the Constitution when they should be focusing solely on the Bill of Rights, the device intended to limit the Frankenstein Monster which the Constitution created.

Or better yet ... Conservatives ought to be joining with libertarians to create a 21st Century Constitution which eliminates the tools of dictatorship that were written into the original U.S. Constitution.

Let’s suppose a few brave individuals joined their efforts and created a new constitution to market to people for adoption in their state. And let’s suppose this constitution changed the complexion of governance in their state so that there would be no more taxation, no more man-made laws which offer the illusion of serving the public good but actually violate the rights of a portion of the public, and no more mechanisms for one group to gain power and abuse power by forcing their Utopian ideas on others. Can we make guesses as to what might be in such a constitution?

FUNCTION AND INTENT OF GOVERNANCE
(An important part of this Constitution would be an exposition of natural law and a clear statement specifying that the only function of governance is to respond to and adjudicate and/or arbitrate apparent violations of the natural laws specified in this Constitution. These laws are so fundamental to successful life in society that no person can opt out by claiming he or she has not agreed to these natural laws.)

NATURAL LAWS WHICH ARE TO BE UPHELD
Governance will apply only to the natural laws specifically listed in this constitution. This governance structure is forbidden to make any new laws not herein specified. (The list would include, for example, laws prohibiting murder, theft, fraud, assault … basic laws aimed at protection from harm to any individual’s life, body, or property … a minimum requirement for peaceful society.)

FUNDING OF GOVERNANCE
All funding is voluntary. Those who donate money do so with the understanding that, as with church donations, many people may benefit from the governance which their donations help to fund, but nobody is forced to pay. It is specifically stated in this constitution that everyone does not have to pay their fair share.

Each branch of governance must operate with separate voluntary funding and separate income and expense accounting disclosed to the public on a monthly basis. All funding must be via general voluntary donations to the specific branch of governance or by voluntary payment of suggested fees for services rendered.

Taxation is expressly forbidden. No branch of governance may in any way force a person to pay for any program or service. In this system of governance there are no elections. People vote by supporting or not supporting the branches of governance with their voluntary donations. The branches of governance each have an incentive to remain efficient and uncorrupted so as not to lose their support in voluntary donations.

STRUCTURE OF GOVERNANCE
Executive Branch
(This branch of governance maintains an infrastructure for responding to apparent violations of the natural laws specified herein, and constitutes the “teeth” in these laws. Basically this branch operates police and security functions. Recruits are hired based on outstanding achievement in police academies. Leaders are chosen from those with outstanding service records.)

Judicial Branch
(This branch of governance provides an infrastructure for arbitration of disputes and adjudication of violations of the natural laws listed in this constitution. Arbiters are hired based on outstanding achievement in arbitration school. Judges are picked from those arbiters who have a substantial record of highly praised arbitration outcomes.)

Monitoring Branch
(This branch of governance monitors and audits the other two branches as a “watchdog” against corruption and abuse of power. Monitors and auditors are hired based on outstanding achievement in monitoring and auditing school.)

SUMMARY

Of course such a constitution would have to be "fleshed out" with many more details and even more safeguards. But this form of governance does eliminate the three biggest problems with the original U.S. Constitution: legislatures, elections, and taxation; and this form of governance offers safeguards against corruption and the abuse of power.  Liberty, thus better secured than ever, needs only salespeople ... missionaries knocking on doors for liberty.


To understand the insane psychology of modern "liberal progressives," read Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged."




"God's laws will keep your minds at peace, because peace IS His Will, and His laws are established to uphold it. His are the laws of freedom, but yours are the laws of bondage. Since freedom and bondage are irreconcilable, their laws CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD TOGETHER. The laws of God work only for your good, and there ARE no other laws beside His. Everything else is merely lawLESS, and therefore chaotic." -Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles

"I think of myself as a freedom zealot."

On the new Facebook-like online social networking service created for freedom lovers, Tea Party Community, a poll was published which asked respondents: Which of the following major changes would most curtail tyranny?

Three changes which would admittedly be very major were listed:
(1) Amend the U.S. Constitution to expressly forbid the practice of taxation (thus eliminating one of the alibis politicians use to justify extortion).
(2) Amend the U.S. Constitution to eliminate legislative branches (thus eliminating the possibility of new man-made laws which go beyond simple self-evident natural law).
(3) Amend the U.S. Constitution to expressly forbid voting (thus eliminating the possibility of tyranny by a majority of voters).

A simple hypothetical question any professor of political philosophy might pose in a classroom, right?

However, not all respondents took it hypothetically. Some of the supposedly freedom-loving respondents reacted as if their very being had been threatened, leaving comments like:

"If you are serious about the second and third choices you are scary."

"Absolutely no tampering with the constitution!!!!"

"Not one of those is acceptable to me."

"This is stupid."

Such comments, and others like them which all tend to defend the U.S. Constitution in its present form, show an almost insurmountable obstacle which libertarians would have to overcome to make progress toward the true political freedom of mankind: the U.S. Constitution is widely worshiped as an idol.

Nonetheless, remember ... the entire population of the Roman Empire were idol worshipers before Christianity took hold. So nothing is impossible.

And just as some Romans were willing to hear the possibilities which Christian evangelists offered, so some respondents to this poll were willing to actually consider the question. Which of the following major changes would most curtail tyranny?

The poll is still open and the numbers might change, but as of this writing those willing to consider these three possibilities for eliminating tyranny have answered as follows:

(1) Forbid the practice of taxation ....................... 60%
(2) Eliminate legislatures ...................................... 33%
(3) Forbid voting .................................................  7%

It seems voting is still an enormous sacred cow, even among those open to change. The human ego likes to think it has an input in matters, and voting offers at least such an illusion of individual influence if not a modicum of actual input. If libertarians in their eagerness to promote the progress of mankind toward true freedom spend their time arguing against voting, they will not create much success at this time in history.

Maintaining legislatures is probably not so much an ego-vested interest as a perception problem. People just cannot yet see another way.  They are not yet able to "wrap their minds around" how things would work without needing new laws.

The results of this poll seem to be showing that if libertarians really want to be effective in nudging the human race toward true political freedom, their most likely chance of success will be in selling the idea that society would be much more prosperous and fulfilling for everyone if the practice of taxation were eliminated.

And while working , as a possible lead-in to opening the minds of others, consider using this very effective answer to yet another question which people might pose:

"Why are you a libertarian?"

"Because I'm not an idol worshiper!" 




To understand the insane psychology of modern "liberal progressives," read Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged."




"God's laws will keep your minds at peace, because peace IS His Will, and His laws are established to uphold it. His are the laws of freedom, but yours are the laws of bondage. Since freedom and bondage are irreconcilable, their laws CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD TOGETHER. The laws of God work only for your good, and there ARE no other laws beside His. Everything else is merely lawLESS, and therefore chaotic." -Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles

"I think of myself as a freedom zealot."

Ayn Rand believed that if political liberty and free market capitalism were to ever take another step forward in the history of mankind it would require a revolution among intellectuals. She convinced herself that intellectuals governed the political direction of a society.

Certainly intellectuals are influential.  Many present day libertarians are too young to remember days when there were literally no libertarian influences on campuses, no libertarian magazines, no libertarian think tanks, no libertarian commentators in the media; days when one never heard the term "libertarian."  So libertarians have since Rand's day made great progress in the realms usually thought to be intellectual realms.

But intellectualism cannot do the job completely, because human beings are much more than their intellects, and most people do not operate only intellectually.  The continuing revolution toward greater political liberty can only finally succeed by reaching the vast majority of people on a spiritual level.

You are a spiritual being.  Experiencing yourself in a physical body, you develop a self-identification known in modern times as your "ego."  To state it simply, your ego is who you imagine you are, your spirit is who you really are.

To the degree you identify yourself in a physical body, you have concerns from the body's point of view ... food, shelter, etc. ... or stated most broadly "safety."  To the degree you identify yourself as a spiritual being, the freedom to listen to and be guided by your spirit becomes paramount ... "liberty."

Libertarians sometimes refer to a statement which has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."  Of course, Benjamin Franklin would not have used those exact words because he knew both liberty and safety were deserved by everyone in spite of what their egos might think needs to be given up. But whoever did use those words was certainly sensing the difference between ego-vested interests and true interests in reality.

I reality there is no difference between liberty and true safety.  Our spirit wants for us infinite peace and love and joy, the experience of unbounded happiness and prosperity.  So our spirit guides us in learning, inventing, discovering, adjusting to circumstances ... our spirit guides us in every way that leads to true safety.  But we cannot take advantage of all the amazing well-being our spirit would guide us to achieve if we are not experiencing political liberty.

Socialists and their liberal-progressive cousins cater to people's ego-vested interests.  Their petty little agenda has to do with providing for bodies ... food, clothing, health care, condoms and abortions ... even at the expense of getting in the way of people following their spiritual guidance, even reinforcing in people the ego's impulse not to look to spiritual guidance.

Libertarians offer much, much more.

But to be successful in selling liberty it will be necessary to speak to people's spirit, not their intellect, since their intellect is only an ego tool.  Think of it this way: people's being is like an iceberg in the sense that their ego is the 10% visible tip while their spirit is the 90% beneath the surface.  Success is assured if you can move the 90%.

Ayn Rand thought of herself as an intellectual.  But as a novelist she knew she was first and foremost seeking to reach and move her readers' spirit.  Yes, there are readers of her novels who are so trapped in their intellectually preconceived ideas that they block their own 90% and react to Rand with intellectual nastiness.  But the vast majority who read "Atlas Shrugged" feel inspired, meaning their spirit responds.

Don't limit yourself to the ego's intellectualism.  Let your inner being break free and be free. Whatever you do to promote liberty, let it be your spirit reaching the spirit of others!


To understand the insane psychology of modern "liberal progressives," read Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged."




"God's laws will keep your minds at peace, because peace IS His Will, and His laws are established to uphold it. His are the laws of freedom, but yours are the laws of bondage. Since freedom and bondage are irreconcilable, their laws CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD TOGETHER. The laws of God work only for your good, and there ARE no other laws beside His. Everything else is merely lawLESS, and therefore chaotic." -Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles

"I think of myself as a freedom zealot."

Brad Thor may not yet be every one's quintessential libertarian, but his fiction books are definitely waking readers up to the horrific potentials of widespread government tyranny.

His recent thriller novel "Black List" shines a bright light on the all-pervasive capabilities in intelligence gathering which the government already has in use.  If freedom lovers ever wanted a reason to be frightened, this might be it.

Thor warns us in the novel's Preface:

"If this government ever became a tyrant, if a dictator ever took charge in this country, the technological capacity that the intelligence community has given the government could enable it to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back because the most careful effort to combine together in resistance to the government, no matter how privately it was done, is within the reach of the government to know."

The story in the novel illustrates how there is almost no move anyone can make without the government knowing it.  But it's worse than that.  The novel tells how they now routinely predict that you "could be" be a threat to them:

"The NSA and Google were using the millions upon millions of Tweets, Facebook entries, E-Z Pass toll records, Amazon purchases, cell phone data, GPS information, search engine queries and other digital bread crumbs generated each day....  

"....to 'identify terrorist activity before it took place.' "

"It didn't matter if you were intent on carrying out a criminal activity today.  You 'might' at some point in the future and therefore the information collected now could serve as a baseline against which all of your behavior going forward could be prepared." 

But it's worse than that.  Government agencies have the capability to manipulate markets and create massive hidden funding for themselves.

From the fiction story, but totally possible:

"For years ATS [a government agency] had been using its technological superiority to conduct massive insider trading.  Since the early 1980s, the company had spied on anyone and everyone in the financial world. They listened in on phone calls, intercepted faxes, and evolved right along with the technology hacking internal computer networks and email accounts.  They created mountains of "black dollars" for themselves, which they washed through various programs they were running under secret contract, far from the prying eyes of financial regulators."

But it's worse than that.  Thor describes how by knowing everything about a person, government agencies can manipulate that person's perceptions and therefore that person's conclusions, so that person's conclusions become what the government agency wants that person to conclude.  And they are doing it right now with prominent leaders in politics and other fields.

It's not enough to read Brad Thor's novels and become personally more aware.  It's much more important to do your part in waking up others.  One way to help others wake up is to give this novel "Black List" as a gift to as many friends and neighbors as possible.



To understand the insane psychology of modern "liberal progressives," read Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged."




"God's laws will keep your minds at peace, because peace IS His Will, and His laws are established to uphold it. His are the laws of freedom, but yours are the laws of bondage. Since freedom and bondage are irreconcilable, their laws CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD TOGETHER. The laws of God work only for your good, and there ARE no other laws beside His. Everything else is merely lawLESS, and therefore chaotic." -Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles

"I think of myself as a freedom zealot."