The Truth About Freedom 4-27-08
On Saturday, April 19, 2008, the Pope spoke to an audience of 25,000 at a youth rally in New York. One of the topics was freedom. He argued that freedom flows from the truth, not in opposition to it.
“Some today argue that respect for freedom of the individual makes it wrong to seek truth, including the truth about what is good … But what purpose has a “freedom” which, in disregarding truth, pursues what is false or wrong? How many young people have been offered a hand which in the name of freedom or experience has led them to addiction, to moral or intellectual confusion, to hurt, to a loss of self-respect, even to despair and so tragically and sadly to the taking of their own life?” *
America is called “the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave” because it is the champion of freedom throughout the world and is often the only force against tyranny and injustice. This was the view of the Founding Fathers, who saw that America was to be founded on Godly principles, and as such had to be committed to freedom. Our Declaration of Independence boldly proclaims all men to be equal, and that God endowed man with rights that cannot be lawfully taken away by the government. In short, all men are supposed to be free. The Founding Fathers saw freedom as a state of self-determination, not as an anarchist protest against religion.
In America today, however, many are led to believe that our country was founded by enlightened social reformers who were escaping the clutches of religious oppressors. These are very often the same people who believe that the Constitution is a living document, that a lie told to cover up personally embarrassing and destructive behavior is perfectly justifiable, and that a man who rapes a little girl should be protected from the cruelties of prison life but that a unborn child is an affliction that should be eliminated. These morally relativistic humanists likewise believe that the Constitution protects the State from the Church, an that they have the right to say any despicable thing that they want, but that we should be limited in our expression of religious beliefs.
The Bible is not silent on the topic of freedom:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19 NIV)
For the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:21 NIV)
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Corinthians 8:9 NIV)
“Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. (1 Corinthians 10:23 NIV)
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV)
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13 NIV)
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12 NIV)
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:25 NIV)
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, (James 2:12 NIV)
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16 NIV)
They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. (2 Peter 2:19 NIV)
You see, true freedom comes only from Jesus; the world would have you believe that freedom is living anyway that you want, but that is an absolute lie! All of the problems of the world come down to human refusal to acknowledge the Almighty God and to obey Him.
-Charles Peterson
*Portion of transcript obtained electronically from
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_042108/content/01125113.member.html