Guilt and Worse

Bad behavior precipitates a vague guilt on its own, but apparently many feel that the Christian religion, just by existing, causes the guilt, even if the sinner doesn't believe in it.  The attacks of conscience are behind the anti-Christian movement. 

Separation of state and church, which is not of the constitution but from a later date, does not mean eradication of history, eradication of Christian symbols in our government buildings, or eradication of Christianity itself.  But some people willfully distort the meaning  to justify their anti-Christian mission.

Now, interestingly, the same persons interested in eradicating Christianity are bleating about freedom of religion, but not of course, in regard to the Christianity they want to eradicate.  No, this is in defence of a religion that believes in forcing their idea of law onto the state.  No separation of state and church for them.

I'm all for freedom of religion, but it does not justify everything. 

If a new religion sprang up that believed you would go to heaven if you killed a neighbor and you were that neighbor, would you be crying freedom of religion?  If that new religion believed in slavery, would you condone it because of freedom of religion?  If that religion believed in castrating their children and eliminating all homosexuals, would you defend that as freedom of religion?  If that religion harbored violence and destruction within its ranks, would you defend that in the name of freedom of religion?

Shari'a law will do more than just instill the guilt that so enrages the anti-Christian.  Women are castrated and forced into life under a burka, which is merely a symbol of their slavery status.  Homosexuals are not only unacceptable clergy, but punished.  No more bikinis and no more gays.

"Death to the Infidel" is more than a battle cry; it is a belief.  Who is the infidel?  Not just the woman or the homosexual or the civilian lawbreaker.  Oh, no, it is the non-believer neighbor. 

"Thou shalt not kill" seems like a better idea.

The Christian church may resist the gay clergy and look askance at the outrageous sinner, but when is the last time they castrated a woman and put her under a burka?  When is the last time they physically punished a gay?  When is the last time they stoned anyone? 

OofDah!

Big Government

I'm reading Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith, a book I would recommend, by the way. I'd like to share a short excerpt from early in the book:

While it was easy to comfort yourself that you would never steal or rape or murder, no one could ever be sure they weren't guilty of anti-Soviet agitation, counterrevolutionary activity, and espionage, since no one, including Leo, could ever be sure exactly what these crimes were.

Importantly, Leo is not just a common guy but is an enforcer, and even he couldn't be sure of guilt because the crimes were only loosely defined, likely by design. So how could he enforce the law? Easy, just arrest or kill the suspect on the grounds that if you were a suspect you were guilty. Unfortunately, becoming a suspect was as simple as a cranky neighbor casting aspersions and even minor officials were not immune to accusations.

Since big government and government control are hotly debated issues in today's political clime, the foregoing excerpt is relevant to us. The scenario described in Child 44 is a result of out-of-control big government. This is what people fear in our government.

If government controls all, it becomes out-of-control. When they are in control, they may expect you to do things you don't wish to do. You may live in fear of your neighbor as well as your government.

"Oh," you say, "I trust our goverment to take away my concerns and make my decisions for me. They'll make everything even and fair - level the playing field. I want to grant them control."

Ah, so perhaps you trust the present administration. Fine. This administration is not forever. Who or what comes next? They will inherit control over you. You have party affiliations? Maybe the next administration will decide to interpret the control laws in a different way. Maybe they'll decide that former party affiliations are punishable by death. Who's to question it? After all, you've granted the government total control over you. And as Lord Acton, historian and moralist, said in 1887, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Make government a servant of the people, or people will be slaves of the government.

OofDah!