Well, I obviously do not see it as
the Reconstructionist sees it. I don't believe that we are going
to convert every soul on the planet and then rule as a Christian
Theocracy for 1000 years before Jesus comes back.
"Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of
what's good for people than people do is a swine."--P. J. O’Rourke
On 11/21/2011 6:52 AM, [email protected] wrote:
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.
DRB: Odd, but I have not heard this from Libertarians, but rather
leftist Democrats. The same ones who see Christianity as a problem
and not Islam. This also sounds as though one was hearing a sermon
at a Fundamentalist Christian separatist church.
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.”
DRB: This is more along the lines of what I have heard and read,
except from a few radical Atheists.
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.
DRB: REFRAIN??? Really??? I haven't heard the first note. Coercive
conversion is objectionable. You know, like "Convert or die,
Infidel!!!" They realize that folks are "converted" to
Libertarianism as a political ideology and they're not against that.
Catholics and Southern Baptists together on a libertarian e-mail
list. OH MY. Meanwhile the pushy Atheist gets pummeled.
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.
DRB: THERE'S the word!! "Coerced." Exactly. If one wants to take a
religion that forces them to surrender a personal liberty, that is
their prerogative. When I think "coerced," I'm thinking gun-point,
knife-point, thumbscrews and the rack, cat-o-nine tails, etc. What
do you consider to be "coerced?"
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 ).
DRB: So we should not tolerate pedophilia, homosexuality, adultery,
and many others, but should immediately kill them all and let God
sort them out?? If we let them live, aren't we tolerating it?? Can't
tolerate them is what i"m hearing.
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.
DRB: Like what? Smoking weed?
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.
DRB: That's right, let's let government destroy our freedom. SIEG
HEIL, BABY!!!
--
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
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