I think this is correct, Billy - and why Deism by so many other names is becoming more popular. It is the evangelism/supremacy aspect of all revealed religion that is most troubling to Deists. Our coupling at A Place for Possibilities, classical liberalism and Deism is onto something dontcha think?
As the article you sent earlier illustrates there was an earlier coupling of energies at the beginnings of libertarianism. Supremacists and anarchists found a home. Many of those folks are still around (and attracted to Ron Paul). The John Birch'ers for instance are Christian Libertarians for the most part. The anarchists and anarcho-capitalists, akin to Rothbard are also attracted to Paul. Objectivists, similarly. Each of these groups sees Paul as about the best choice out there right now. I like him because I believe a libertarian sensibility is what we need right now to unwind the inevitable statist buildup that happens in all systems over time. Kevin Christianity is a missionary religion. This statement ought to be non-controversial. Unfortunately, I think because of libertarian influence more than any other factor, this viewpoint is denied. That is, at least as I understand it, Libertarians tell us that religion should be a private affair, that no-one should seek to convert others, and especially should keep their noses out of non-Christian cultures because what Muslims or Hindus, etc, may do, is their own business and Christians should respect their rights to practice their traditional faiths. Indeed, some ( or most ) Libertarians go further and deny any value to religion whatsoever, and hence want religious believers not to proselytize at all. Murray Rothbard noted this kind of attitude at one time : "...I am getting tired of the offhanded smearing of religion that has long been endemic to the libertarian movement. Religion is generally dismissed as imbecilic at best, inherently evil at worst. The greatest and most creative minds in the history of mankind have been deeply and profoundly religious, most of them Christian.” At any rate, I have heard the refrain from Libertarians that seeking to convert others to one's religion is objectionable. Leaving aside the fact that Buddhism is also a missionary religion, as is Islam, the Baha'i Faith, that in the past so was Judaism, that sometimes Hinduism has a missionary dimension, etc., this prohibition effects Christians directly and is most relevant here. It so happens, of course, that the New Testament commands believers to seek to convert others AND to persuade everyone to follow Biblical morality. Here ( emphasis added ) is the quote : Matthew 28:16-20 So the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” Libertarians are fond of citing other verses, and while other passages are clear that people should not be coerced into religion nor in any way sacrifice their legitimate personal freedoms, the Great Commission carries special weight. Christians who actually believe in the Bible are supposed to convert others. Not only this, they are supposed to seek to bring about a massive social movement that converts the world to Biblical morality. That is, rather than being "morally libertarian" the New Testament commands Christians to seek a common morality for everyone. To make this clear all you need to do is read I Corinthians some time. The Apostle Paul criticized the Corinthian congregation for tolerating "anything goes" morality. To Paul such liberty was the exact opposite of what Christian faith should be all about. I simply do not see where actual Christian faith, or actual Buddhist faith, etc., can be compatible with Libertarianism. The foundation of Libertarianism is anything goes ( minus punching out the other guy ). The foundation of Christian faith is the over-reaching goal of converting the world to faith in Christ and to observance of a clearly defined set of moral principles. It is not OK by this morality to do or favor any number of things that Libertarians say are perfectly OK. In fact, Christians are supposed to oppose a number of the things Libertarians advocate. Such as anti-statism. The great model of society that we are presented with in the Bible is the Hebrew monarchy, after all. Jesus, furthermore, seeks to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the world and partly is justified as messiah because of his royal lineage, a descendent of King David. The subtext surely is that any state to which we give authority ought to be as well-conceived and well-managed as the Kingdom of Israel in Solomonic times. That, as model for political order, is a far cry from Libertarian preachments about a minimalist state with no ( or very little ) centralized authority. The entire book of Deuteronomy is about the necessity of establishing a centralized state with a virtuous and strong government. So it seems to me Billy -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
