[B-Chan]

You're missing the point. The whole idea of individual liberty is rooted in rebellion, in the idea that "No one has the right to tell me what to do!". Evil began when Lucifer cried out his eternal non serviam to God in Heaven, and to this day human beings follow in his footsteps, refusing to submit their own wills to any authority.

Rebellion is pandemic in our society; everywhere, people cry out for freedom from Church, State, parents, teachers, or anything else that denies them the satiation of the senses or the deification of the Self. The worship of the goddess Liberty has become our national cult; piety towards our Creator and loyalty towards our ancestors (i.e. traditionalism) have been cast aside by our culture. Confronted with the majesty of God and His Law, we turn instead to the worship of the golden calf of that makes us happy -- our own selves. But there is no happiness there. There is no freedom there. There is only us, enslaved to our nerve endings for all eternity.

The freedom promised by this world is an illusion. Every man who "liberates" himselves from the Yoke of God only chains himself to the millstone of his own desires. The way of Self, as both Our Lord and the Buddha pointed out, is the most abject slavery of all. Only by dying to Self -- by renouncing the illusion of individual liberty and submitting our wills to God -- can we hope to live. In a very real sense, the only way to be free is to become a slave of Christ. "He that loses his life for My sake shall find it."

Only by acknowledging Jesus Christ as our LORD -- not our buddy or our peer but as our absolute Master -- can we ever be free. Christianity is a religion of humilty, not pride; of submission, not of independence. Only by throwing away our pride, by humbling ourselves before God and the authorities he institutes here on Earth (even when it hurts!), and by dedicating ourselves to obedience, order, and our duty can we ever cast of the shackles of unquenchable desire and truly be free.

"Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is liberty."

[f.Christian]

Very good ... protestant -- Christian -- republican -- hawaiian --- any questions !

[DannyTN]

Ignoring God's commands is sort of like declaring "liberty" from obeying an automobile manufacturer's suggested maintenance.

You can refuse to change the oil. Insist on letting the timing fire at it's own convenience. And assume generally that as long as the car moves your ok.

But when you find that you have a worthless wreck on your hands, you can't very well blame the manufacturer.

[steve-b]

How prolix. Orwell managed to fit your whole post into three words.

[DWPittelli]

You would have a point if only we would all agree on which is God's True Church, what are His teachings, and who is to be the Pope of said Church. Unfortunately, unanimous agreement on theological questions is not to be found, except at the point of a sword.

[CDHart]

"Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is liberty."

Yours is a reasonable and eloquent reply.

Carolyn