Freedom is a major theme in Christianity. The First Commandment begins with the words, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." The Israelites' Liberator did not simply free them from Egypt to set them free, however. They belonged to their Liberator now.
In thinking about freedom theologically, Augustine defined two different kind of freedom. Negative freedom he defined as a freedom from restraints, what we might call liberal freedom. More significant to Augustine's thought was positive freedom, which was the freedom to do a particular thing, in his case, to live for God. To illustrate, I am free to play a Bach concerto on the piano, because nothing is stopping me, but I am not free to play a Bach concerto because I do not have the prowess to do so.
To acquire a freedom often requires a great deal of servitude and dedication.
The Israelites were not free in the libertarian sense. They still had many restraints, including their 613 laws. But these restrains were in service to a truer, positive freedom. The freedom to become the people of God. The same is true of the church. That is why Paul could say to the Galatians, "Christ has liberated us into freedom... You were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge yourself; rather, serve one another in love."
Living as we do in a country that styles itself as the "land of the free," defined negatively as freedom from outside interference, I sometimes worry that the church is in danger of ignoring what our freedom is for. Even our images of what heaven is are often projections of an undirected freedom.
The last thing being a Christian is about is freedom from obligation. Being a Christian is about dying to yourself and living in service to a better master.
What do you think? What is our equivalent of a Bach concerto, and what kind of dedication and servitude are required of us to be able to play it? What is our freedom for? Food for thought - What is undirected freedom really worth?
- Is America the land of the free in the positive sense of freedom? What could that mean?
- What about the free market? It's free from government intervention, but does it have positive freedom?
- What about free will? It's free from predetermined choices, perhaps, but what is the will free to choose to do?
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What about the free market? It's free from government intervention, but does it have positive freedom?
Freedom from government means freedom from oppression. Oppression is the antithesis of freedom.
The market is where a free people can get filthy rich by loving their neighbor (providing goods and services at the cheapest price).
Filthy riches can then be used to take civilization to ever greater heights.
That is an example of positive freedom.
You have attempted to redefine "freedom" to mean the very opposite of what it means. You seem like George Orwell, "Freedom is slavery."
Now, perhaps you're right that freedom is overrated---it's not clear to me that the freedom to do evil is a worthwhile thing to have, but it surely is freedom by definition. The laws of the Israelites were restrictions upon freedom---and since most of them were arbitrary and foolish, these restrictions were clearly unjust. (The law "don't kill people" is also a restriction on freedom, but it's more plausibly just.)
Your notion of "positive freedom" is more like capacity---you can't play a Bach concerto because you don't know how, not because you are not free to do so. Yet there are so many things we lack the capacity to do, mostly by the laws of nature... how can we blame government for this? (If anything, we should blame God!)
As for free will... if the freedom to do good is the only freedom that matters, then why would God give us the freedom to choose evil? By your own argument God should never have given us the capacity---and then, whence cometh evil?
@pnrj@xanga - You have attempted to redefine "freedom" to
mean the very opposite of what it means. You seem like George Orwell,
"Freedom is slavery."
It's only not the poster nor George's idea...
1 Peter 2:16
You are not slaves; you are free. But your freedom is not an excuse to do evil.
You are free to live as God’s slaves.
As for free will... if the freedom to do
good is the only freedom that matters, then why would God give us the
freedom to choose evil? By your own argument God should never have
given us the capacity---and then, whence cometh evil?
When it comes to the life of a Christian, the freedom to do good ought to be the only freedom that matters...
Galatians 5:13
For you have been called to live in freedom- not freedom to satisfy your sinful
nature, but freedom to serve on another in love.
@subSacred@xanga - Nail on the head.
"Is America the land of the free in the positive sense of freedom?"
I've heard freedom defined as the ability to do the right thing, but this presupposes that we can tell right from wrong. We in the USA are being increasingly enslaved by the things we possess -- that is, they start to possess us.
The man in the Gospel asks Jesus what else he should do, and is saddened to hear reply: it's hard to give up what we have... all we posses... all that possesses us... we are held back... can't follow. All because we are free (well, free in a selfish way).
Where are all the Bach's? Who put such a low ceiling on the arts in America?
Great Post.
and
@subSacred@xanga - Great Job at following up and supporting a great post!
This is a great blog. I would just like to add one thing from a Buddhist perspective. Giving up our so called freedoms to take a higher road is actually gaining freedom and leaving the chains of our self imposed slavery behind. Our society has come to view freedom as being able to give someone the finger but in truth giving someone the finger is not only a sign that you are enslaved by arrogance, stupidity and anger but is yet another cause to fetter yourself (not meaning the author of the blog) more. It's like...oh yeah I can't play anything Bach wrote but I can flip you the bird and that makes me a free man.
As for the free market? Anyone who wants a free market economy should move to Somalia where it's truly every man for himself. In the summer of 2000 a female investment banking executive, speaking at an internal meeting said the government is finally leaving us alone and allowing us to do what we do. How's that working out for us? Freedom mixed with the ignorance of selfishness and irresponsibility is a bad combo. As a society we need laws because of people who will steal from others and commit murder if given the slightest chance. It's naive to believe that a lawless land will prosper. It's like trusting the devil and handing him the keys to the Kingdom. Good luck with that. Greenspan, the man considered to be the spreader of holy economic gospel until September 2008 even admitted that he had failed to take into account the flaw of human nature. Unfortunately he only saw it after the economic collapse.
@subSacred@xanga - @TheSutraDude@xanga - You are right on. Exactly right.
@SirNickDon@xanga - Thank you. So are you.
But dude; the theme is freedom IN CHRIST. Not as you write. A great loss to our understanding to lower it ito materialism like this. and also a misundertsanding and dilution of buddhism.
Old verse.. "Whose service is perfect freedom.." We are in Christ and so are only free if we live that. And then are totally and utterly free, Outside Jesus there is no freedom.