Dipping Deeply Into Freedom: Freedom (Part 9)
I want to end this series on freedom by digging deeply into a very big question I have grappled with for years. We all have deep questions which most often cannot be answered, like “Who created God?” or “Where did God come from?” These are questions referred to as metaphysical questions, or questions that extend beyond the physical realm.
I may be a bit weird in this respect, but I have been entertaining some of these questions since I was a lad. I think I may have been enlightened on one of these questions as I wrote this series and while going through some deep personal pain, the type of pain that begs these types of questions. Let me explain.
The question I am attempting to answer today starts with my limited understanding of what may have taken place long before any of us were around. To the best of my knowledge, satan, or Lucifer was once an angel in God’s realm of heaven. There is some Biblical support for this story, in particular Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. Otherwise, there seems to be a lot of folklore regarding satan, such as he was an archangel, or in charge of music, or very beautiful, and that he had, or shall we say has, quite a following. These things may indeed be true, but I would not know where to go to find support for these claims.
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Freedom’s Definition Expanded: Freedom (Part 8)
Throughout this series, I have consistently defined freedom as having both choice and control. I stated that the more one has freedom, the less one has fear, which in turn means having a greater sense of peace. I also mentioned that being ignorant of the truth is often what leads to fear and loss of freedom.
A simple formula would be:
Misinformation = Fear = Insecurity.
On the other hand, the more informed one is, the less fearful and the more secure and peaceful one is.
Truthful Information = Less Fear and More Peace.
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Freedom Needs to Be Defended: Freedom (Part 7)
Edmond Burke has often been credited for saying, “All that needs happen for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.” There is a lot of truth to this statement.
Even though freedom is God given and inalienable, there are a lot of opposing forces at work to rob us of these freedoms.
To start, it is important to understand that most people in a democratic society are tricked into surrendering their freedoms in exchange for rights. We have already discussed that while God’s freedom is unchanging, it can be taken away or given away in exchange for rights. What most people do not understand is that this is a matter of who is in authority. While we are in possession of our freedom, we stand in the authority given to us by God. When we acquiesce to others claiming this authority, we deny our autonomy and embrace the claims of others as legitimate.
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Freedom Is Being Contented: Freedom (Part 6)
We all desire to be free, even if we don’t think about it much. We are born free, even when born in a despotic or dysfunctional society. Freedom is a given. It is a gift. It is what actually defines us as human beings. However, freedom can be taken from us, either by force or insidiously through coercion and manipulation – big words that mean we can be tricked into giving up our natural born freedoms.
I have always questioned the authenticity and practicality of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Not that I disagree with having something in place to protect us from government overreach, but I question how “rights” and “freedoms” can be included in a single document. If we are born free, how it is that we need rights? Could it be that we are tricked into believing the God-given freedoms granted us at birth are protected when exchanged for government- or man-given rights?
Animals have decision making powers, but they are limited in keeping with how they were created or programmed. Blue Jays are free to do what they want, but only within the limited realm of being a Blue Jay. Humans are the only beings that are free to choose within a moral framework that allows them to do good or evil. This is not to say a cat cannot do evil; it does not know better, which is not true of human beings.
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Freedom Robbed by Ignorance: Freedom (Part 5)
Freedom is having choice and control. If either is missing, you are not free and you are likely living in fear regarding the issue at hand. When fear is present, there is no peace. And we all know how peace often eludes us because life seems to provide everybody with challenges to keep peace at a minimum in our lives. This is largely done by restricting freedom.
I ended last week’s blog with a statement that likely caused a bit of consternation or confusion. I said that the greatest threat to peace in your home education program, or your life for that matter, is you. Let me explain, but before I do, let me be clear: this is not to lay blame and it is certainly not intended to fan the flames of guilt.
Everyone is their own worst enemy because we all make bad decisions. Why do people make bad decisions? It is rooted in a chronic, universal “pandemic” called ignorance. Although this word is often used to disparage people, it is not a bad word. It is actually a description of reality. We are ignorant because we just don’t know; we are “ignorant of the facts”.
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Freedom Means Being at Peace: Freedom (Part 4)
So far, we have discussed how freedom is having choice and control and that freedom only exists when there is no fear. Today, I want to show you how being free of fear leads to being at peace with oneself and the world.
Before I proceed, I want to be abundantly clear that everything being discussed regarding freedom, what it is and how one knows they are free, is hypothetical. This old world has no end of tricks and traps to rob us of both choice and control and therefore, our comfort (fearlessness) and peace. My experience has shown me that no one is truly free, unless Christ sets them free, which, I believe, is not an event, but a process which takes a lifetime and can only be perfected in God’s everlasting Kingdom on “the other side” of life.
Peace, therefore, seems to be as elusive as being without fear. In fact, one can be fearless in one area, yet fearful in another. I believe peace and fear are proportionately related. That is, the more fear one has, the less peace one has. Conversely, the less fearful we are the more peaceful we are. Therefore, it is easy to associate peace with freedom and, obviously, the greater the freedom one has, the greater the peace.
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Freedom Means Having No Fear: Freedom (Part 3)
What does it mean to be free? In the last blog I said freedom requires having both choice and control. When either is missing, freedom is but an illusion. So how does one know they are truly free? I believe having choice and control – being free – is demonstrated by a lack of fear on the part of the individual toward the thing they are free from. Conversely, if one is fearful, they are not likely free.
To demonstrate this point, let’s take the recent discussion regarding the Covid vaccine mandates. Although it is pretty clear that the population is not only divided, but truly polarized regarding this, my point is not to take a side, but rather to show the power of fear and how fear robs people of freedom.
Everyone has a choice as to whether or not to “take the jab”. This is good and it does appear to be advancing freedom. However, how much control does one have in this matter? If one’s decision not to take the jab results in losing their job and livelihood, how is that being in control? That is not freedom as it involves surrendering either the choice of whether or not to take the jab or the control over keeping or losing one’s job. It is brilliantly deceptive, but deceptive all the same. If choosing “to jab or not to jab” is fraught with fear, there is no freedom.
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What Does Parental Freedom Look Like? Freedom (Part 2)
There is usually much excitement when parents first make the decision to teach their children at home. Unfortunately, rather than starting with a commitment to avoid the pitfalls of school-based learning, it is usually a matter of bringing school home with the children.
This is not unusual. In fact, it is perfectly natural, as most parents have had limited, if any, exposure to what home education is all about. Most do not understand what parental freedom looks like, having only experienced some form of school-based education themselves.
First, let us begin by defining freedom. The dictionary provides three definitions for us. Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. This is what we usually think of when describing freedom. The second definition is really more a qualifier of the first which is that freedom must be in the absence of subjugation to foreign domination or despotic government. The third definition is easy to understand as we are not free if we are imprisoned or enslaved. We are all born free, unless we are “citizens” of a “despotic” government or “enslaved”. However, that does not mean we stay free.
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Freedom (Part 1)
We all want to be free. We yearn to be able to do what we want, where we want, when we want, how we want, all within reason, of course. Ever notice how many songs are about freedom? Next to love, freedom is probably the most sung about theme or topic. That is because love and freedom are probably what life is all about.
I have always been a freedom fighter. I have gained a reputation for standing for what I know to be the truth. Not that I know everything and certainly not that I cannot change what I have come to believe with time and experience, but I will not back down when told to do something that is questionable.
I recently read that to take a stand is to provoke an answer regarding an issue at hand. This is essential. There should be a good or reasonable answer for what is being demanded or advanced. If there isn’t one, something has to be changed. For instance, how often is the question “Why are we doing this?” answered with “Because that is the way we have always done it” or simply “Because” without elaboration? These responses are not acceptable as neither answers the question as much as insinuates that to question is itself wrong. If questioning is wrong, how can anyone come to knowledge of the truth? And, if we do not know the truth, it cannot set us free. Back to freedom.
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