FREEDOM LOST

[John81]

FREEDOM LOST

October 6, 2011 NewsWithViews.com

By Chuck Baldwin

Many times I hear the ostriches among us exclaim, "What freedoms have we lost? America is the freest country on earth." We have all heard that, right? Of course, part of the problem is that, thanks to our education system, media, and churches, many Americans do not even know how to define liberty and freedom. The truth is, America's Founding Fathers were willing to pledge their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" and fight a bloody revolutionary war for far fewer abridgments of liberty than we Americans endure every day of our lives today. FAR FEWER!

To answer the second part of the ostrich argument first: no, America is not the freest nation on earth. According to the Index of Economic Freedom, which is produced by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, the United States just barely makes it in the top ten, ranked at number nine in the world.

According to Deroy Murdock, "Among the 179 countries examined in the Index, Hong Kong is ranked first, followed by Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Canada, Ireland, and Denmark. These nations all outscored the U.S. across ten categories, including taxes, free trade, regulation, monetary policy, and corruption.

"America barely made the top ten. Bahrain was tenth, with 77.7 points, one decimal point behind America's 77.8 score. Chile reached No. 11 with 77.4, just 0.4 points behind the United States.

"Even worse, with a score below 80, the U.S. is spending its second year as a 'mostly free' economy. As it departed the family of 'free' nations in 2010, it led the 'mostly free' category. Even within this less-than-illustrious group, America now lags behind Ireland and Denmark."

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See

Murdock's report

Just ask any small businessman how free the United States is! The regulations, restrictions, prohibitions, assessments, fees, taxes, surcharges, permits, licenses, etc., are worse than almost any industrialized nation in the world. Remember the CEO of Coca Cola recently saying that it was easier doing business in China than in America? Well, he was telling the truth!

Thanks to political correctness, environmental wackoism, and socialistic/fascist ideology running rampant in Washington, D.C., and even many State capitols, "the land of the free" has become "the land of the oppressed." Being able to drive a car, have a job, shop at a mall, watch sports on television, or even vote, is NOT the mark of a free people. Folks in China and other oppressed nations routinely do all of the above.

Virtually every activity once considered a "right" is now regulated or prohibited by either the federal or State and local government. Few states (thankfully, my home State of Montana is one of them) recognize the right of people to marry without getting a State marriage license. And can anyone imagine Paul Revere riding throughout Boston with a license plate and registration on his horse? And can anyone further imagine Sam Adams or those militiamen at Lexington and Concord registering a gun or being asked to get a concealed carry permit? Yeah, right!

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In most urban settings, one cannot build a shed on their own property, add a room on their house, or even pour a driveway without asking a variety of government bureaucrats for permission--and paying them hundreds of dollars in fees, of course. And did you know that the federal government even tells your local plumbing contractor how many gallons of water your toilet can flush? Well, they do! You call this freedom? Our Founding Fathers wouldn't have!

To answer the first part of the ostrich question, the freedoms we Americans have lost are literally too numerous to count. A recent report at the American Dream web site makes a very salient argument as to just how many freedoms have been lost in the good old U.S. of A.

The report states, "Once upon a time, our founders thought that they were guaranteeing our freedoms by adding a Bill of Rights to the Constitution.

"But today there are a lot of freedoms that we simply do not have any longer.

"In America today, you do not have the right to say whatever you want. If you say the wrong thing on a blog or a website it can have dramatic consequences.

"In America today, you do not have the right to do raise your own children as you see fit.

"In America today, you do not have the right to grow whatever food you want and you do not have the right to eat whatever food you do grow.

"In America today, you do not have the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

"In America today, you do not have a right to privacy. In fact, you should expect that everything that you do is watched, tracked, monitored and recorded."

The report then goes on to list several real-life examples to prove the assessments listed above.

.

See

the American Dream report

And, of course, the ultimate symbol of a free people is the right to keep and bear arms. And while most states theoretically recognize a citizen's right to own and possess a gun, the vast majority of them only do so--not as a right guaranteed to a free people by their Creator--but as a privilege granted to approved subjects by the limited benevolence of the State. At last count, only four states recognize the right of their citizens to keep and bear arms without any kind of State license: Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, and Wyoming. (For clarification, the State of Montana allows open carry Statewide and concealed carry in unincorporated areas, but people carrying concealed in incorporated cities, must have a CCW permit. We passed legislation this year to expunge the incorporated city CCW requirement, but our Democrat governor vetoed it. But Montana will be the fifth State soon!)

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To view a current map of Constitutional Carry states,

click here

So, the next time you hear someone say, "What freedoms have we lost? We are the freest nation on earth," why not give them a copy of this column? And then tell the ostrich to get his head out of the sand and his rump off the couch before the little remnant of freedom we have left is also completely eviscerated.

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P.S. I want to introduce my readers to a very informative web site produced by my friend Jim Babka. It's called DownsizeDC.org.

I recommend you take a look

http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin669.htm

[swathdiver]

It's past time to do what our Founders did. With the end seemingly so close it seems most of us are looking up instead. :rolleyes:

[John81]

Most people don't even realize the level of servitude they are under. It's believed that being able to shop and play makes them free. Never mind plethora of laws and regulations one must submit in order to even do these things.

Few today remember any real freedom so they don't miss it. They have grown up with the government making demands upon them while promising to take care of them. The masses want handouts and entertainment. In exchange they are willing to settle for the appearance of freedom.

[swathdiver]

Few today remember any real freedom so they don't miss it. They have grown up with the government making demands upon them while promising to take care of them. The masses want handouts and entertainment. In exchange they are willing to settle for the appearance of freedom.

A glaring example of this is our friends in England. Generations now have grown up under national healthcare, they think nothing of waiting months for procedures when we can schedule them today and have them done tomorrow.

We've both said that we suffer far more under this Statist government than our Founders did under King George.

[JerryNumbers]

My freedom comes through Jesus, & no one can steal it or take it away, & no matter what goes on around me in this world, I will keep that freedom, & at the right time I will have Victory, them graduate to Glory.

In the mean time I have a very important work, its not rebelling against rulers of this world, its to be about the work Jesus has ordained me to do at that point in time I was saved from my sins, & if I fail, there is no one else at all can do the work Jesus has for me, no matter how humble the job Jesus has given me may be.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Besides, perhaps tomorrow, or maybe this evening, will be when Jesus comes for His own. If so the only thing that will matter is if I did my work or not that Jesus ordained me to do. For you see all the worldly stuff will no longer matter. For shortly after that the 7 years of tribulations will start, them the 1000 year rein, & at last the judgment at the Great White Throne, while over the shoulders of those being judge the earth & everything on it shall be destroyed. So all that will matter is my work for Jesus.

My Work

If I should fail to do the work,
Which God designed for me,
In all the world there's not a soul,
To do my job, you see.

Some may accomplish what I could not,
And gather much fame and wealth,
But no other creature which God has made,
Can do my work but myself.

So, however humble my task may be,
And how much tempter to quit,
I'll remember each day as I press along,
That nobody else can do it.

[John81]

My freedom comes through Jesus, & no one can steal it or take it away, & no matter what goes on around me in this world, I will keep that freedom, & at the right time I will have Victory, them graduate to Glory.

In the mean time I have a very important work, its not rebelling against rulers of this world, its to be about the work Jesus has ordained me to do at that point in time I was saved from my sins, & if I fail, there is no one else at all can do the work Jesus has for me, no matter how humble the job Jesus has given me may be.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Besides, perhaps tomorrow, or maybe this evening, will be when Jesus comes for His own. If so the only thing that will matter is if I did my work or not that Jesus ordained me to do. For you see all the worldly stuff will no longer matter. For shortly after that the 7 years of tribulations will start, them the 1000 year rein, & at last the judgment at the Great White Throne, while over the shoulders of those being judge the earth & everything on it shall be destroyed. So all that will matter is my work for Jesus.

My Work

If I should fail to do the work,
Which God designed for me,
In all the world there's not a soul,
To do my job, you see.

Some may accomplish what I could not,
And gather much fame and wealth,
But no other creature which God has made,
Can do my work but myself.

So, however humble my task may be,
And how much tempter to quit,
I'll remember each day as I press along,
That nobody else can do it.

Amen!!!

The main point we should consider when it comes to the loss of freedom in America, and the likley loss of much more, is that in noticing this we should be moved all the more to be about our Father's business while we still have the freedom to do so.

The day may come when all preaching, all "spreading of the Gospel", all things truly Christian, are deemed only allowed within the confines of a church. From that point it will be a small step to only allow certain "government approved churches" to legally exist.

If we won't live for Christ today, how many of us will live for Him then?

Today is the day to share Christ, to put out Gospel tracts, to support missionaries, to support our local church, to become rooted and grounded in His Word, to pursue personal holiness for His glory and honour. If we do these things, not matter what the future holds, we will be all the more useful to Him than we otherwise would likely be.

[JerryNumbers]

Yes, & if we take notice in the early days it was persecution that caused the Gospel to spread over the face of the earth, not the freedom that so many now days brag about & worship more than they worship the Savior.

Of course if we lost our freedom here in America I suppose the fair weather Christians would drop by the way side for they seem to believe that Christians are not to suffer for the sake of Christ, but have only the good life..

[irishman]

Yes, & if we take notice in the early days it was persecution that caused the Gospel to spread over the face of the earth, not the freedom that so many now days brag about & worship more than they worship the Savior.

Of course if we lost our freedom here in America I suppose the fair weather Christians would drop by the way side for they seem to believe that Christians are not to suffer for the sake of Christ, but have only the good life..

On the other hand, Jerry, it doesn't hurt to glorify God in our freedom. To make it sound as if all who appreciate our freedom "worship" it instead of Christ is a judgment call that we have to make ourselves. Most hopefully, realize that it is because of Christ that we have these freedoms, and not in spite of Him.

[JerryNumbers]

On the other hand, Jerry, it doesn't hurt to glorify God in our freedom. To make it sound as if all who appreciate our freedom "worship" it instead of Christ is a judgment call that we have to make ourselves. Most hopefully, realize that it is because of Christ that we have these freedoms, and not in spite of Him.

And on the other hand, glorying Christ in freedom is quite easy, without freedom, under persecution, its a whole different matter, no doubt, that will separate the tares from the wheat, or true believers from the unbelievers. Oh, I call them fair weather Christians!

And yes, ALL of our freedom is a gift from Christ, yet few people really enjoy a full portion of this freedom. If they live for the world more than they do for Christ.

I might add, this freedom many Americas, even America Christians, worship, comes to them by men disobeying God's Word, by going to war against thos that were over them, that is if we are to believe every wrod of the Bible dividing the Word properly.

Jas 4:1 ¶ From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

The Bible is clear why wars come about, because of the lust men have, & there is no doubt many of us want, & want, & want, & cannot bet enough consume it due to our own selfish lust in order to keep our happiness.

[rancher824]

Reposted from posts 66 & 67



I thought about this while teaching class tonight (not the best idea, I am not sure if that is called multitasking or just trying to get yourself into trouble.) The lesson was on David and Goliath. As I taught and thought about how God decided the battle giving the underdog (drastically) the victory, it came to mind how that the patriots were also very much the underdogs. Logically speaking they should have lost the battle!!!! I then thought of the verses from Daniel:

Quote
Dan_2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Dan_4:17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.


Now who is it that sets up and removes Kings? God! Who decides the victory? God! What is my point? How can we say a group of men were in sin, but what they did brought about God's will?? Now I know you will go back to those who took Israel and how they were in sin but used to punish Israel. But we are not talking about Israel here, We are talking about England! With Israel we have the promise to bless those who bless, and curse those who curse. Neither England nor America has such a promise. I do not see America being punished for the war. I see her starting to be punished, but there are more than enough reasons without taking the war into consideration. Many OT nation fell because of sin. Did God decide that England had sinned enough that she deserved to loose the US as her holding? Only God can answer for sure! But we can all agree (or disagree about God setting up kings) that God was behind the new nation (USA) being formed.

Now to the verses in James

Quote
Jas 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.


I feel these verses are talking about fightings within the saved (among YOU) not fighting political wars. But I will look at them through your eyes. Where do wars come from? Lust.

Quote
lust

LUST, n.


1. Longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoy; as the lust of gain.
My lust shall be satisfied upon them. Ex. 15.
2. Concupiscence; carnal appetite; unlawful desire of carnal pleasure. Romans 1. 2Peter 2.
3. Evil propensity; depraved affections and desires. James 1. Ps. 81.
4. Vigor; active power. [Not used.]

LUST, v.i.

1. To desire eagerly; to long; with after.
Thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. Deut. 12.
2. To have carnal desire; to desire eagerly the gratification of carnal appetite.
Lust not after her beauty in thy heart. Prov. 6.
Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her,hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matt. 5.
3. To have irregular or inordinate desires.
The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy. James 4.
Lust not after evil things as they also lusted. 1Cor. 10.
4. To list; to like.



Websters 1828

Now looking at the definition, would not the King of England be guilty of lusting after the money of the patriots? One of their cries was about "taxation without representation." From my understanding, they were being bled dry by a government that refused to give them the things the law required. It seems to me that as far as the lusting, the English Government was lusting. They caused the war. Now considering it back to applying to the saved, many a church (and more than likely most to close to all) has had fighting go on within her. This is caused by lusting after something, be it money, power, or something else. Now the actual war may not be started by the one lusting, but rather by the one who sees the lusting and the harm it will cause. But the one lusting will have to answer to God, and I feel the one who "starts" it will be given a special reward for standing true to God. The same would be true here. Let's figure out who was lusting before throwing those stones.

[Covenanter]

It is right to recognise freedom to live & witness as a Christian, freedom to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ crucified & risen, & freedom to turn from false religion to Jesus. That freedom is denied in many countries.

On a human level, I'm not concerned about the need for planning permission or the freedom to carry a gun. I prefer a freedom where I don't need to carry a gun. Basic freedoms are to have a home, sufficient income to provide food, clothing & shelter to raise a family, freedom to work to provide such a living, & at the end, freedom to die in comfort & care.

These basic freedoms are now being denied by our governments & their rulers - the bankers & multinationals. The basic menas of production & employment have been exported to where labour is cheaper. The poor have been robbed by the rich, giving "bank robbery" a new meaning. Such legal robbery is far more vicious than street robbery.

Micah 2:1-2
Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Hab. 3:2
O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

[John81]

Reposted from posts 66 & 67



I thought about this while teaching class tonight (not the best idea, I am not sure if that is called multitasking or just trying to get yourself into trouble.) The lesson was on David and Goliath. As I taught and thought about how God decided the battle giving the underdog (drastically) the victory, it came to mind how that the patriots were also very much the underdogs. Logically speaking they should have lost the battle!!!! I then thought of the verses from Daniel:

Quote
Dan_2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Dan_4:17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.


Now who is it that sets up and removes Kings? God! Who decides the victory? God! What is my point? How can we say a group of men were in sin, but what they did brought about God's will?? Now I know you will go back to those who took Israel and how they were in sin but used to punish Israel. But we are not talking about Israel here, We are talking about England! With Israel we have the promise to bless those who bless, and curse those who curse. Neither England nor America has such a promise. I do not see America being punished for the war. I see her starting to be punished, but there are more than enough reasons without taking the war into consideration. Many OT nation fell because of sin. Did God decide that England had sinned enough that she deserved to loose the US as her holding? Only God can answer for sure! But we can all agree (or disagree about God setting up kings) that God was behind the new nation (USA) being formed.

Now to the verses in James

Quote
Jas 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.


I feel these verses are talking about fightings within the saved (among YOU) not fighting political wars. But I will look at them through your eyes. Where do wars come from? Lust.

Quote
lust

LUST, n.


1. Longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoy; as the lust of gain.
My lust shall be satisfied upon them. Ex. 15.
2. Concupiscence; carnal appetite; unlawful desire of carnal pleasure. Romans 1. 2Peter 2.
3. Evil propensity; depraved affections and desires. James 1. Ps. 81.
4. Vigor; active power. [Not used.]

LUST, v.i.

1. To desire eagerly; to long; with after.
Thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. Deut. 12.
2. To have carnal desire; to desire eagerly the gratification of carnal appetite.
Lust not after her beauty in thy heart. Prov. 6.
Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her,hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matt. 5.
3. To have irregular or inordinate desires.
The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy. James 4.
Lust not after evil things as they also lusted. 1Cor. 10.
4. To list; to like.



Websters 1828

Now looking at the definition, would not the King of England be guilty of lusting after the money of the patriots? One of their cries was about "taxation without representation." From my understanding, they were being bled dry by a government that refused to give them the things the law required. It seems to me that as far as the lusting, the English Government was lusting. They caused the war. Now considering it back to applying to the saved, many a church (and more than likely most to close to all) has had fighting go on within her. This is caused by lusting after something, be it money, power, or something else. Now the actual war may not be started by the one lusting, but rather by the one who sees the lusting and the harm it will cause. But the one lusting will have to answer to God, and I feel the one who "starts" it will be given a special reward for standing true to God. The same would be true here. Let's figure out who was lusting before throwing those stones.

God uses wicked sinners to fulfill His will even though they be in sin. Consider God sending the wicked Assyrians to conquer the Jews and Habbakuk's shock and complaint that the Assyrians were worse than themselves.

Consider the wicked Stalin and Hitler, Ahab, Alexander (the Great), and others who have came to power in wickedness, in their sins, yet God used them for His own purposes.

God doesn't only place godly men in power. God doesn't only grant victory to the godly. More ungodly men have held power than godly. More ungodly armies have been the victors.

Just as God used the obviously wicked Satan in the book of Job, God also uses wicked men to bring about His will. That was true in ancient times (Assyrians, Babylonians, etc.) and it is true today.

[Covenanter]

We've seen this in Iraq - relative Christian freedom under the evil Saddam Hussein, & extreme persecution of Christians under the "democratic" regime set up by his "Christian" conquerors.

It is about time we learned that a true democracy acts for the good of ALL it's citizens, including minorities.

[John81]

We've seen this in Iraq - relative Christian freedom under the evil Saddam Hussein, & extreme persecution of Christians under the "democratic" regime set up by his "Christian" conquerors.

It is about time we learned that a true democracy acts for the good of ALL it's citizens, including minorities.

Actually a true democracy works for the best interests of the majority that can vote for things their own way. This is why a true democracy is the worst form of government for a minority group to live under.

If anything, this shows that man's best efforts are extremely flawed and his best attempts to make a perfect world tend towards more evil than good.

[JerryNumbers]

1Ti 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

Living quite peacful lives & being honest sure is the opposite of going to war against those in authority over you.

It does not say go to war with those over you if they don't do as you please & this is acceptable in the sight of your God.

And yes, wars come about because of lust of mankind while they refuse to live peacful & quite lives, just as God word states.