The Illusion of Freedom
I wish I understood this at the beginning of my ministry instead of the end: I think my ability to see things (and my dismal ability to communicate things) would’ve benefited tremendously.
And it isn’t all that complicated.
In a sentence, it’s this: all our perceived American freedoms come only because we’re rich and powerful, like Roman aristocracy. That’s all.
It’s not terribly profound I’m sure, but it’s quite disorienting for me because I always believed our freedoms came from the Bill of Rights and because America was the world’s first modern democracy. This was the standard doctrine taught by the WWII generation to their kids, and my parents were fiercely patriotic like the rest of their generation. Their views were shaped by the terrible wars they fought against dictators in Germany and Japan, and all the Public Service Announcements, the education system, the churches, and even Saturday morning cartoons taught this doctrine: “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” was the slogan for Superman, as I recall. And Superman was — well, Superman.
My hero! He taught us the American Way and then committed suicide -- what trauma my young mind suffered!
But I’ve always been uncomfortable with this American legend because its power rested with “the god of this world,” I could see that much: guns, tanks, stockpiles of nerve gas, and the H-Bomb all made it possible. America really wasn’t a Christian nation, nor was it based on anything Christian that I could see, despite the hype that America’s “founding fathers” were Christians (there were a few, but not many), and the mistaken notion that all our freedoms were based in the Bible.
This popular view ignored the historical facts: democracy was a Greek invention, not Judeao-Christian, so where’s the Bible in that story? The Constitution and Bill of Rights were the direct descendants of the Magna Charta and British politics, not the Bible. Robin Hood played a bigger role than Jesus Christ in that story. The New Testament church actually reads more like Communism in its ideal form, not democracy (see Acts 2:4sff; Eph. 4:1; Phil. 2:1-10); and the Old Testament reads more like a Theocracy–a monarchy–not a democracy.
Learning from liberal democrats like C.J. Craig?
Incredibly, it was The West Wing that helped clarify the issue for me. The Chinese ambassador tells the White House Chief-of-Staff:
You have always taught us that ‘liberty’ is the same thing as capitolism: that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness cannot be crush by greed. Your American Dream is financial, not ethical.
Bippo, bango, there it is: any freedoms we enjoy are certainly the product of wealth and power, not anything moral or spiritual. That’s why a rich guy can murder a poor guy and draw only a month’s jailtime (like the Cleveland Browns player who committed manslaughter while drunk). If you have money, you have “freedom”, if you want to call it that.
I think the better term is power, not freedom.
Wow – great post. I was just thinking along these lines! The freedoms that we expect and take for granted really aren’t rights at all. Throughout time, most of the human race did not enjoy them.
We’re worried whether we’ll have enough money to retire at 65, when most of the world is not going to make it until 65. The “freedoms” we enjoy are really crazy privledges, most of which are dosconnected from reality. We’re able to have them b/c we have the power and wealth, but that is such a fleeting thing! It is shifting – in fact it’s surprising the US has been able to maintain it this long.
Although I enjoy living in the US, I think that Americans who still expect the rest of the world to cower and stand in awe of our country’s “greatness” will be in for a shock sooner than later. Our country is diving deeper and deeper into debt. The believe our American-ness will get us out of the mess is dilusional.
Interestingly enough countries like China are buying up our debt as fast as they can – ie the USA owes China big $$$. This is a position that cannot be maintained for long.
I was struck by this tension while in D.C. recently: I feel very grateful for our privileges and freedoms, and also disgusted that our country is the most subtle and sublime construction of Satan’s Kingdom. And I realize that I enjoy “freedoms” not only because people sacrificially gave their lives, but also because people greedily exploit, corruptly rule, and violently destroy.