Exactly! The Christian conception of freedom, in philosophical terms, is that the ability to achieve any positive effects in this world only comes from obeying God in one's actions and intent - for Christ is the vine and we are but the branches. The ability to obey God itself only comes from God through the gifts of the sacraments and the Holy Spirit. In other words, in the absence of God there is no morality, there is no community ("church") of believers, there is no order upon which to build, and all human actions are ultimately chaotic and meaningless. What Mark is describing as Libertarianism is an example of that chaotic, individualistic, search for meaning and context that will never be satisfied.
I do believe this is the belief about morality held by many of the founding fathers when they stated that the form of government they proposed could only succeed for a "moral and religious people." I don't think they properly anticipated the potential clash between the idea of Christian freedom and the mistaken idea that individuals might have regarding themselves as being "free" to do whatever they want (essentially Libertinism).
Thank you for this.
Richard C. Cook
https://www.claritypress.com/product/our-country-then-and-now/
https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/category/agi/
https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/2024/02/netanyahu-and-biden-priests-of-satan/
Exactly! The Christian conception of freedom, in philosophical terms, is that the ability to achieve any positive effects in this world only comes from obeying God in one's actions and intent - for Christ is the vine and we are but the branches. The ability to obey God itself only comes from God through the gifts of the sacraments and the Holy Spirit. In other words, in the absence of God there is no morality, there is no community ("church") of believers, there is no order upon which to build, and all human actions are ultimately chaotic and meaningless. What Mark is describing as Libertarianism is an example of that chaotic, individualistic, search for meaning and context that will never be satisfied.
I do believe this is the belief about morality held by many of the founding fathers when they stated that the form of government they proposed could only succeed for a "moral and religious people." I don't think they properly anticipated the potential clash between the idea of Christian freedom and the mistaken idea that individuals might have regarding themselves as being "free" to do whatever they want (essentially Libertinism).