Do those worshippers of government believe that free persons will cease to act? Does it follow that if we receive no energy from the law, we shall receive no energy at all? Does it follow that if the law is restricted to the function of protecting the free use of our faculties, we will be unable to use our faculties? Suppose that the law does not force us to follow certain forms of religion, or systems of association, or methods of education, or regulations of labor, or regulations of trade, or plans for charity; does it then follow that we shall eagerly plunge into atheism, hermitary, ignorance, misery, and greed? If we are free, does it follow that we shall no longer recognize the power and goodness of God? Does it follow that we shall then cease to associate with each other, to help each other, to love and succor our unfortunate brothers, to study the secrets of nature, and to strive to improve ourselves to the best of our abilities?
Frédéric Bastiat, The Law (1849)
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10 responses so far ↓
1 Josh H. // Nov 3, 2008 at 6:18 pm
This is a great quote. In fact currently the government is totally hands-off concerning anything that smacks of religion (esp. Christianity) and yet still there are Christians.
We don’t have forced charity (not yet) and yet there are folks giving to charity all the time. “worshippers of government” is the right term to use for people who think that we need the gov’t to even make us charitable.
2 AMW // Nov 3, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I love that you’re posting from Bastiat, but I take issue with the title of your post. Conservative politics presses for government support of various institutions and behaviors as well.
3 Steve // Nov 3, 2008 at 6:58 pm
@AMW:
Thanks for your comments.
No argument. But my point was that a lot of Christians act incredulous that Christians could be “Christian” and have Christian social concerns without being a statist. I make a tripartite distinction between conservative, liberal, and libertarian. I’m not saying “conservative politics” as defined in America of late are necessarily “more Christian” in every way either, although I do believe that libertarian politics lead to a better environment for Christianity.
4 AMW // Nov 3, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I do believe that libertarian politics lead to a better environment for Christianity.
Ditto. I appreciate you posting excerpts from The Law, by the way. It takes me back to my freshman year of college, when I was first introduced to classical liberal thought. Good times.
5 Steve // Nov 4, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Thanks for the thumbs up, AMW!
Out of curiosity, the fact that it hearkens all the way back to your freshman year, where do you stand on this stuff now? It implied that you’ve moved on in some sense, but you may have just been referring to when it seemed new to you.
How would you characterize yourself, including but not limited to political/economic philosophy and your key influences, etc.? You have two hours to complete the exam. When you’re finished, please turn in your blue book along with the exam questions up here on my desk.
6 AMW // Nov 4, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Oh, I’ve not moved on. I’m still a libertarian. In college I flirted with anarcho-capitalism. I’d still be up for trying that out, but I’m probably more of a minarchist now.
I came across classical liberal thought in a college political economy course. That changed my politics pretty well, and I decided to major in economics. My early influences were the Austrians: Mises, Hayek, Rothbard. I chilled out on that in grad school and now I’m into the experimental side of things. Vernon Smith and the like. So I now take a different approach to economics, but my conclusions are fairly similar.
By the way, is this going to be on the test?
7 Saige // Nov 5, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Hey, Steve. Nothing to do with your post–sorry–but Leah and I have discussed it, and have about decided to reconsider our partial Preterist/Augustinian amillenialist way of thinking. Instead, we are leaning toward a belief that will require the utmost vigilance to make sure no one puts a number on our foreheads. That crowd last night was glossy-eyed enough to make me start rapture-practicing again.
8 Steve // Nov 6, 2008 at 12:54 am
Saige,
Heh - now just picture the Hitlerjugend (”Hitler Youth”), singing their songs while on the march. I bet anyone would have thought the same thing about them.
This reminds me, though. This morning at work, I asked my dispensationalist coworker friend what he thought about the election results. He just smiled and said, “Well…I’m not a preterist.”
9 Mike Beidler // Nov 8, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Scriptural proof that God is a conservative: Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV).
Mike Beidler´s last blog post..The Evolution Creed
10 Josh H. // Nov 8, 2008 at 10:21 pm
@Saige: Saige, you’re hilarious.
What is involved with rapture practicing anyway?
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