The Slavery of Secular Freedom

Introduction

America was an experiment whose formation defied most of the current political systems at the time of her founding. A group of former colonists found themselves with opportunities and fundamental rights that they otherwise could never have imagined under the strict social class system of Great Britain. For example, the right to vote was formerly held only by those who owned land and considerable amounts of money, but in the newly formed America, land was readily available. That alone turned the political system into one in which many voices were heard, instead of only a privileged few. The founding principle at the very bedrock of American society, held more important than these new rights and opportunities, was the concept of a free people, a people who could govern themselves as they saw fit, insofar as to overthrow the precepts of a tyrannical government, if necessary.  Freedom was the foundation of the American dream, and that dream was accessible to everyone.

The religious paradigm of America was largely Anglican at the time, with other deists and Protestant denominations mixed in. Catholics were few and far between, and faced various persecutions. The American concept of freedom was strongly tied to one’s ability to worship as deemed fit, a strong sense of duty to participate in the political process, and engagement in activities designed to strengthen the common good. An active citizenship who heavily participated in politics and made their voices heard was uncommon, so therefore freedom was rooted in two things: a strong understanding of the concept of God’s law, and a strong sense of civic duty. It is important to note the heavy influence of Protestantism/Anglicanism in the religious thinking of the time and how that paradigm affected the concept of freedom in America.

We can acknowledge the struggles and triumphs of our nation as it grew into a very rich world power, fought wars, and gradually led to where we are today. The purpose of this article is to examine the concept of freedom according to the teachings of the Catholic Church and to apply those principles to the now over-regulated, secularized concept of freedom that prevails in modern America. For indeed, once the concept of freedom becomes secularized, having removed God from a functioning, free society, a desperate form of slavery is created, one that is difficult even for those enslaved to recognize.

Freedom in the Beginning

In order to discuss the degradation of freedom in modern America, it is first necessary to establish its essence in the way it was first bestowed upon humanity by the Creator. When God created the Heavens and the Earth, He created Adam and then Eve as the pinnacles of His creation. He gave them the Garden of Eden to care for, as well as dominion over all the animals. The essence of their human freedom being unawareness of the knowledge of good and evil, the two humans’ existence was freedom in its purest sense, completely connected with God, the Source of all love and life. They were blissfully ignorant of existence outside of God’s perfect law, and the grief over the loss of that bliss has reverberated throughout the history of mankind. Unashamed of even their own nakedness, Adam and Eve lived completely connected to the Source of their very existence without any improper desires, pride, or even knowledge of anything outside of the love of God. It must be noted that even though the two were unaware of the knowledge of good and evil, God did not take away their free will. The tree with the forbidden fruit still grew in the garden.

Adam and Eve forfeited their freedom due to the deception of the serpent, who lay cunningly in wait in the garden. Gaining the knowledge of good and evil did not, in fact, liberate them more, but gave them the false sense that they too could be like God. The knowledge of evil presented them with all its seductive allure, and twisted their own natural desires for true goodness into desire for apparent goodness.  The perfect connection with God was severed as they hid themselves from Him as He walked in the garden. They discovered the shame of their own nakedness, covering up what God had fashioned and called good. Eating of the fruit resulted in God proclaiming that mankind would work hard for food and eventually die, for eating of this fruit tainted their very bodies with mortality. The essence of freedom was lost.

After briefly analyzing the freedom that was first experienced by the parents of humanity, it is important to note that freedom, in its truest sense, comes from a close connection with God. He gives us the freedom to choose to do good or evil, but as can be plainly seen by the actions of the first humans, the choice of acting outside God’s Law results not in an improved existence, or even more happiness, but in a loss of self and a bondage to the actions of evil. The definition of evil at this point is the desire or committal of actions that do not align themselves with God’s Natural or Spiritual Law. Slavery to our sin develops as we persist more frequently in it, until we are no longer even able to distinguish good from evil. Adam and Eve chose this path when they decided to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and thus subjected humanity to an existence much in need of Redemption, an existence in which humanity must fight against the slavery of its own sin.

Monarchical Slavery

Throughout the centuries of humanity’s existence, various forms of governments were set up to create and preserve order. Before the founding of America, most governments were monarchies, often believed to have been ordained by God Himself to rule, or concentrated power in various chieftains or families. Freedom, therefore, slowly became not a right inherent to all people by the grace of God, but a privilege granted and taken based on the whims of a single person. Some monarchs were good and served well throughout history, but others wrought terrible suffering upon the people they ruled. Power was held in highly concentrated measures, by very few people; consequently, the masses had no say whatsoever over their rulinggovernment.

Depending on what part of history we examine, we can find many instances in which the common people powerless in government, especially regarding the decision of which religion they practiced. Many a monarch declared a specific denomination to follow, or even declared themselves as divine and worthy of worship. We can apply the term “hard slavery” to this existence, as we recognize that people were controlled and used for the pleasures of those who ruled over them. There are more than enough examples from world history to support the theory of hard slavery, and we can examine them for a lifetime.

This pattern was disrupted when something new and unexpected happened in 1776. A group of colonists in a far off land decided to do something drastically different from the pattern of government thus far. They wrote a Declaration and changed the course of government from that point forward. The British subjects living in their colonies decided to break away from the historically all too familiar monarchy and start something completely different. They had an entire continent at their disposal and finally had the opportunity to govern themselves as they saw fit without the dictates of a man an entire ocean away. They set up a government that was directly responsible to the people it governed and spread the power of government among three different branches that checked and balanced each other. No one person or small group of people would hold immeasurable power over the many. Because of the small size of the fledgling nation, people were able to participate greatly in the running of their government by voting, a new concept to so many, and by actively seeking the advancement of the common good.

The Land of Opportunity

America was a country based on the concept of freedom, where the people could practice the religion of their choosing, pursue the careers of their dreams, build businesses, and conduct themselves as they wished. Many nationalities immigrated to America, but the American identity was rooted in freedom, a freedom that was alluring to people from all over the world. It is important to note that while American history is not perfect by any means, many injustices and deeds having marred the developing country, the basic idea of freedom, the idea of a people who could govern themselves, was always a guiding principle.

America’s religious identity was always Christian in nature, but never Catholic. We can course through the emergence of the W.A.S.P. (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant), the preachers of fire and brimstone, the severe nature of America’s Protestantism at times, but we must keep in mind that America was never Catholic. That strong Christian identity was deeply embedded in the people and also, at least on the surface, in those who were elected to office. An understanding of God as the Source of freedom was held by most of the American people throughout the history of the nation, and abiding by the teachings of Christ in the Bible was important to the national culture. Obviously we can course through the ebb and flow of active Christian beliefs in America and find numerous instances of less than ideal adherence to those beliefs, but for the purpose of this article, the point is that Christianity was the overall religious ideal of the people.

It is in the twentieth century, especially in the late twentieth century, that we can find the anchor of Christianity starting to slip from the national scene. Vocal secularist groups emerged and made a lot of noise over the so-called “separation of Church and state”, and through that constant hounding, Christianity was edged more and more from the political scene. A divide emerged in the country between a still large majority of Christians and those who wished to remove Christian teachings and morals not only from the law, but from public discourse. The constant barrage from these noisemakers is what led to a different understanding of freedom in America. This new concept of freedom was purely secular and removed God as the Source of freedom. As we discussed previously, the removal of God as the Source of freedom is the sure path to slavery.

Do What Feels Good

The modern, secular understanding of freedom in America today, the one that is repeated the most often, is the idea that we can do whatever we want as long as it doesn’t “hurt anyone.” This is a dangerous concept indeed, as it is hard to define what actions actually hurt others. This “anything-goes” attitude towards freedom has shaken America to its foundation and left us in a dire situation. A juvenile, instant gratification attitude towards freedom turns a mature citizenry into one akin to a group of children who want to eat too much candy even though it will give them a tummy ache. No longer is the ideal to serve the common good and participate in government as an informed populace. We are distracted by Hollywood celebrities and their lifestyles, and by what free things we can get from the government. Elected officials have become the real elite ruling class, using taxpayer money to live extravagant lives of luxury and vice, all at the taxpayers’ expense. The “do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone” concept of freedom has taken very deep root in the American mind.

Many of our selfish actions seem harmless to others, but let us take a moment to analyze some things a little closer. Our actions can affect others and society in ways we may not be able to imagine. Take food, for example. We have, in the U.S., such a plethora and variety of foods, of which we can eat as much as we wish. That’s freedom, right? But eating too much of the wrong thing can lead to many health problems, including severe obesity. If we experience severe health problems due to our “freedom” to eat whatever we want, we impose a heavy cost burden to our families as we fight these health problems. Our medical bills inflate, along with our waistlines, and we require special equipment that costs more because we are too large for the regular equipment. Even a funeral for an obese person can cost more, as an expensive, specially fitted casket is required. Our choice to eat whatever we want can affect our families greatly. How could it affect society if a great number of people chose to exercise their self-declared freedom in this manner? What other actions do we take which lead to severe consequences that directly affect our loved ones?

Take the heroin addict who overdoses in his mid-twenties and renders himself unable to care for himself the rest of his life. His family is then burdened with the responsibility of caring for this loved one who decided to selfishly abuse a non-existent freedom. What about those who are promiscuous and have sex with whomever they wish? Not only do they risk contracting and then spreading sexually transmitted diseases, but they also risk bringing children into a world where they may or not be cared for by the two parents, and have a much higher likelihood of living in poverty and engaging in risky behavior later on in life. The manner in which we conduct our lives, and the choices we make, are not always as inconsequential to others as we may want to think. The responsibilities we have to our families and society cannot be ignored, lest we all suffer.

Engineered Slavery

America became the richest nation in the world, where most people live lifestyles with amenities and comforts that can only be dreamed about in other parts of the world. Even those considered to be poor in America live a lifestyle that is practically luxurious compared to the poor of the rest of the world. They typically have some kind of housing, televisions, cell phones, as well as a vehicle. Granted, these circumstances may change, however this is an overall analysis. The United States Government developed many programs to help the so-called poor, but instead of helping them out of poverty, it has created an alternate form of dependency akin to slavery.

As Christians, we can certainly appreciate the responsibility we have to take care of the poor, but what we have allowed to happen in America is something quite different. It is good to have a certain system in place to help those who fall upon hard times or are disabled, but we have created a dependency culture that lives off of the scraps thrown to them by the government.They are living a lifestyle that is not one of freedom, but of abject slavery. There are all too many examples of people who abuse the American welfare system and find as many waysas they can to get the most money out of the government for the least amount of work. It is possible to buy frozen lattes, certain subs, chips, candy, soda, and iced mochas, to name a few things, while receiving food stamps. It is also possible to use the cash assistance portion of the food stamp program to buy cigarettes, or simply withdraw the cash from the ATM in order to buy lottery and alcohol. The government has subjugated these people in assistance programs for the sole purpose of ensuring a voter block who will only vote to maintain their standard of living.

Even the poor in America can live extravagantly off of the work of others. Slavery engineered by the government has an especially evil quality about it in its disregard for the dignity of the human individual and their right to a life of true freedom. Large groups of people are held down when all they do is live off of the government dole, blindly scrambling for the scraps thrown to them. They go on like this day after day, year after year, not realizing that a better life is possible, not even informed enough to realize what exactly is happening to them. The insidiousness of the government officials responsible for this servile state is truly reprehensible. Let it be noted at this point that the author is not condemning anyone who finds themselves in need of assistance, or who currently receives,  or has received benefits. The points raised about government welfare relate more to those who abuse it and to the government officials who use it to manipulate the people into voting for them.

The Slavery of Desire

When God is removed as the Source of freedom and the very concept of freedom is reduced to a puerile, self-serving, secularized motif, a deep slavery settles in that originates in the hearts of individuals and spreads like a virus throughout society. What is this slavery of which we speak? Who are the slaves and who is the master? When God is out of the picture, we become slaves to ourselves, specifically our fallen nature and all its vices and wayward tendencies. When we don’t have God, we create our own, and the god we create is most commonly rooted in that which our sinful side tells us is right and proper to indulge. The slavery of secular freedom resonates with the selfish ego, inwardly seeking the satisfaction of all our desires in the most disordered manner possible.

As we move along this path of wanton impulsivity, our desires devolve into a more progressively evil routine. We can never eat enough food, have enough sex, earn enough money, etc, in order to satisfy our inner fallen selves. When God has been removed from consideration, we try to fill the void with that which can never truly satisfy. The slavery created by our own desires focuses on ourselves and renders it much more difficult to be able to care for the good of another. If an entire society is filled with a majority of such people, inwardly focused and blinded to the needs of others, that society as a whole is set on a collision course with its own collapse. As we can never satisfy our own desires through this material world, society functions in the same way. The overall group conscience of society becomes poisoned with selfishness, and seeks that which is evil in the name of good.

Conclusion

We established in the beginning of this piece the fact that God is the Center and Source of true freedom. Humanity was initially created in the essence of this freedom but through their own sin, gave it up to an existence that battles with the possibility of slavery. Humanity, in its fallen nature, can still live in a sense of freedom as long as God is honored as its Source. The fact that we, as humans, have sinful tendencies gives us a particular vulnerability to giving over our lives in slavery to our fallen desires. America was the first nation that established freedom as one of its founding principles. Never before had the system of government that the United States created been seen, and her founding resounded throughout history. America prospered through the years for many reasons, but one of the primary reasons was that God was seen as the Source of freedom and prosperity. It is the secularization of freedom in America that has led to the formation of a people in bondage to their own desires, living in slavery to themselves and in some ways to the government. It is only through the reemergence of God as the Source of freedom that America as a nation can be saved.