Can a Christian be a libertarian?
Libertarianism treats man’s sinful nature realistically. James Madison famously quipped that if men were angels no government would be necessary. Christian libertarians take this a step further, saying that it is precisely because men are not angels that government must have extraordinarily limited powers. God does not show favoritism nor does he give special privileges of position. Everyone is accountable to the moral law in the same way. When governments and politicians extend their power so that they can abridge people’s natural rights with impunity, they have crossed the line into immorality. Rep. Paul’s message is that the United States government has been far across this line for decades and the remedy is to follow the Constitution. The Founders created the boldest attempt in history to limit state power, yet presidents and congresses, both Republican and Democratic, have repeatedly refused to adhere to their own rules. True, lasting change can only be found in reducing the power of the federal government…
Libertarians think that everyone should be free to do as they will provided they do not infringe upon the rights of others. Christians can recognize the importance of this principle by simply observing history, recognizing how often that other Christians have been prevented from practicing their religion as their conscience requires of them. If we do not afford others the freedom to live their lives as they choose, how can we expect to receive the same freedom to do as we choose? Rep. Paul explains that government does not make people good in The Revolution: “The law cannot make a wicked person virtuous… God’s grace alone can accomplish such a thing.” God created us to be free to carry out the dictates of conscience. We cannot continue to demand state control to restrict people’s personal activity and yet assume our liberty is safe.
Blowback
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One word: subsidiarity.
steebo77 on December 28, 2011 at 8:26 PM
Yeah, it’s pretty easy. Just don’t believe the government has anything to do with God and you’re pretty much there.
The Holy Spirit lives in dictatorships and empires and republics and anarchies and gulags. The institutions men set for themselves on Earth are of Earth, and fictions, and none of God’s concern; He endorses none of them.
HitNRun on December 28, 2011 at 8:26 PM
“God does not show favoritism nor does he give special privileges of position.”
Better tell that to the people who think God has been showering his blessings specifically on the US, but will stop because of abortion and gay marriage.
theodore on December 28, 2011 at 8:29 PM
Actually yes. God gave people a free will, why shouldn’t the government…
Of course, just like with God that doesn’t mean we SHOULD exercise it in negative ways but he does give us a choice.
Firelight on December 28, 2011 at 8:30 PM
If they ignore Romans 13 among other things.
jp on December 28, 2011 at 8:31 PM
If you uphold the right to life & the true definition of marriage, I suppose so.
itsnotaboutme on December 28, 2011 at 8:32 PM
A Christian can and should be a libertarian. The old school pioneers who settled the west stuck to themselves for the most part. Unfortunately, most today are not like that. A libertarian doesn’t care what choices other people make in their lives. A modern-day American-style Christian, however, is very much interested in what choices other people make that are not parallel to their own. They, by nature, worry about you and your eternal soul and would like to change your choices – by fiat – if necessary. You know, for your own good.
keep the change on December 28, 2011 at 8:33 PM
I tried asking one about that but he couldn’t talk. Seems the man had a bunch of straw in his mouth…
Hannibal Smith on December 28, 2011 at 8:34 PM
modern Libertarianism is just as Humanistic and man-centered as Socialism. It makes the individual god instead of the group.
In both cases you end up with Cults with a central figure, “The One” in Obama or “THe Only Man who can SAVE America” Paul.
modern libertarianism was birthed out of the 1960′s anti-Authority rebellion. This is the twin cousin that Russell Kirk long warned of.
jp on December 28, 2011 at 8:37 PM
Laws have always been used to educate people on virtue. Of course they can’t “make” a wicked person virtuous, but then neither can a parent make his wicked child good.
philoquin on December 28, 2011 at 8:39 PM
No.
DanStark on December 28, 2011 at 8:43 PM
You’re mistaking libertarianism for anarchy. A libertarian does not (intrinsically, anyway) disobey the law – they vote for less of it.
Also, given that writing that very same Roman epistle was an express violation of Roman and Jewish law, you would have to believe that Paul was a complete idiot to assume he meant it in that sense.
HitNRun on December 28, 2011 at 8:48 PM
“My Kingdom is not of this world” – some guy named Jesus.
Yeah, Christians come in pretty much every political flavor.
notropis on December 28, 2011 at 8:52 PM
A christian really should be nothing but a libertarian. Why should you imprison or sanction your neighbor for something that does not pick your pocket or break your leg? This is the biggest problem with this country. There are a lot of things that I do not like but I am not sadistic enough to ruin the lives of those that do them. We either subsidize it or make it illegal nowadays it seems.
LevStrauss on December 28, 2011 at 8:52 PM
I’m an atheist, but that was very well said.
Stoic Patriot on December 28, 2011 at 8:53 PM
Someone explain to me the difference between a libertarian and a conservative beyond legalizing drugs. Cause I got nothing.
jhffmn on December 28, 2011 at 9:00 PM
woah, woah, woah… this is getting way too complicated!!
You do realize that Paul explicitly qualifies which laws we are obliged to follow as those which reward good (i.e. allow freedom in achieving success through hard work) and punish evil (those who infringe on freedom)..?
Context – how does it work?
thirtyandseven on December 28, 2011 at 9:01 PM
-More open borders
-Less governmental social restrictions (i.e. ‘get gov’t out of the marriage business’)
-Less militaristic expenditures (i.e. ‘close bases in countries where we do not need them like australia’)
-Less social engineering (mandatory labels on video games/music/smokes/etc..
-More application of constitutional protections involving limiting police/state authority
I know some of this stuff is really conservative at it’s root, but just not always what mainstream conservatism looks like today in the U.S.
For the record, I’m mostly in between the two, leaning pretty libertarian.
thirtyandseven on December 28, 2011 at 9:09 PM
Generally libertarians will be opposed to conservatives on somewhere between some to all of the following:
- Abortion
- Gay marriage
- Illegal immigration
- Military interventionism
- Prostitution
- FCC regulations
- Mandatory criminal sentencing
- Gambling
- Sodomy
- Public decency laws
I’m sure there’s others, but that’s a good starting list where you can see the differences between conservatives and libertarians.
Stoic Patriot on December 28, 2011 at 9:11 PM
This is the foundation upon which our country was built and the premise for our system of government as codified in our Constitution.
single stack on December 28, 2011 at 9:15 PM
I’d say that’s a pretty good list. I’d quibble with the abortion thing, since it’s an ongoing debate within libertarian circles whether the pro-abortion is libertarian or not – after all, if the unborn are individuals, they have the right not to have their person infringed upon, even if the offender is their mother…
thirtyandseven on December 28, 2011 at 9:19 PM
Can a Christian NOT be a libertarian?
Live and let live.
Grunt on December 28, 2011 at 9:28 PM
This begs the question, “How many Ron Pauls can dance on the head of a pin?”
benny shakar on December 28, 2011 at 9:47 PM
Lew Rockwell is a Christian, so I suppose so. The better question is, is Christianity compatible with liberty? The answer to that isn’t so crystal clear.
rickv404 on December 28, 2011 at 9:50 PM
I can live with the libertarian positions on all but abortion and as someone pointed out that subject does bring a lot of discussion in libertarian circles. When an individual human dies I think government should be involved. I have to say your point about mandatory criminal sentencing is an interesting concern for libertarians that cannot even stand up for the most innocent.
CW on December 28, 2011 at 10:16 PM
Liberty does not make the individual “god”, as you put it. It asserts the primacy of the individual, over the social. It does not lead to cults. That is a form of socialism or tribalism, which liberty repudiates. Again the individual is the standard. It is, in fact, religion that leads to coerced socialization of people, with some president, king or dictator commanding them. Individual liberty was birthed out of 19th century classical liberalism. It’s roots go back to the renaissance, which was a repudiation of the dominance of religion. It is the religionists, as much as leftists, that seek dominance and collect control over people, denying and punishing their individualism, which they regard as selfishness.
rickv404 on December 28, 2011 at 10:55 PM
All too often when an individual human dies the government is involved.
Browncoatone on December 29, 2011 at 7:32 AM