A logically competent defense of a free society requires divinely revealed information; all other defenses fail. Sennholz, almost alone among eminent free enterprise economists, rests his defense of a free society on revelation. -- Dr. John Robbins
By Charlie J. Ray, M. Div.
Utilitarianism.Since economics is a descriptive science, those interested in defending a free society must find their means of defense elsewhere. Ludwig von Mises chose Utilitarianism. It was an odd choice for a refugee from totalitarianism, for if Utilitarianism could justify any political regime, it would surely be totalitarianism. The “greatest good of the greatest number” is a slogan that has been used to justify all sorts of (at the time) politically correct murders and depredations in the twentieth century. But Utilitarianism, though it purports to offer ethical guidance, is an ethical failure. It can provide no ethical guidance, for the calculations of pains and pleasures that it requires are simply impossible.(1) Utilitarianism commits the naturalistic fallacy as well, for the fact that men are motivated to act by pain and pleasure does not imply that they ought to be. -- Dr. John Robbins
What most people do not get is that all this emphasis by the far left on helping the poor is not to help the poor. It is to get their way whatever the cost. The end justifies the means taken to get there. According to the late Dr. Gordon H. Clark, progressives are always moving the goal posts. In other words, they are never satisfied and really do not know what the end is which they have in mind. If they were ever to arrive at an end progressivism would cease to be progressive.
The gay/lesbian/transgender movement and atheistic socialism has made huge advances under the Obama administration, while conservative and fundamentalist religion has been openly attacked through blantantly obvious propaganda and even federal laws thinly disguised as "health care." An example of that was the attempt to make religious institutions, which inherently oppose both homosexuality and abortion, subsidize those very immoralities and ethical violations of God's moral law through forced insurance policies covering these deviations.
The agenda of the Democratic Party was made obvious in the last Democratic convention when for a brief time the party withdrew all affirmation of faith in God as part of their platform. In short, they openly admitted their socialist and atheistic agenda. The Declaration of Independence, however, contains an unproven axiom that is drawn from Holy Scripture. That axiom reads, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . ." When we throw out God's moral law and reject the Holy Scriptures as the basis for our democratic principles, totalitarianism, despotism, and communism are not far behind.
The political tactic of the far left is to demonize the Christian worldview and portray political conservative philosophy as "McCarthyism." Nothing could be further from the truth. The Stalinists of the left are brilliant at their propaganda. But logic seems to be lacking. The very basis of communism is the dialectical philosophy of Hegel adopted by Marx as "dialectical materialism." The Hegelian theory tries to synthesize polar contradictions into a new synthesis. Such is the approach of all who despise the law of contradiction.
What the majority of people in this nation do not realize is that the atheistic left will stop at nothing to silence the voices of conservative and fundamentalist Christians. They will openly lie, steal, corrupt and do whatever it takes to achieve their agenda. If you do not believe me, take a hard look at the advances they have made toward abortion, euthanasia, gay rights, trans-sexual rights, and socialistic atheism. Of course, religion is just an opiate of the people to be suppressed. The way to achieve this is to deny supernatural revelation and stress the "social sciences" as "general revelation" from God. Their view is that the Bible is not really special revelation or the plenary verbal, infallible and inspired Word of God. It is to them merely a human book with good advice. Religion to them is a human myth that expresses itself in multi-variant forms. You can see this through Bill Moyers and the PBS television program based on Joseph Campbell's book, The Power of Myth.
Dr. Gordon H. Clark tackled this question in his book, Religion, Reason, and Revelation:
[See also the three lectures posted at The Trinity Foundation: Is Christianity a Religion Part 1, Part 2, Part 3].Is Christianity a Religion?Is there such a thing as religion of which Christianity is one manifestation? This question is important for two reasons: Its answer will influence and reveal what a person believes Christianity to be; and on a broader scale it will determine the method that ought to be used in formulating a philosophy of religion. Therefore let us ask the question a second time in a slightly different form. Is Christianity a species of a genus? Whether this is answered affirmatively or negatively, certain further problems are introduced. If Christianity is a species of the genus religion, how is religion to be defined and what are Christianity’s differentiating characteristics? If it is not, what sort of philosophy of religion can there be, and what sort of philosophy of Christianity can there be? Apparently the first step in examining these questions must be the definition of religion. What is religion?
Gordon H. Clark. Religion, Reason and Revelation (Kindle Locations 262-271). The Trinity Foundation.
Since Christianity is not defined by the social sciences or philosophy, a better answer must be found. Christianity is defined by special revelation in Scripture, the only infallible rule for faith and practice. The Bible is without error in any part of the whole. (Acts 20:27). The best systematic summary of the propositional truths of Scripture is to be found in the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Moreover, the Bible claims that it is not myth, but that it is the very words of God in inscripturated form:
For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. (2 Peter 1:16 NKJ)All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJ)
Of course, Christianity cannot prove that the Bible is God's Word. Since all philosophies and worldviews begin with unproven axioms, the beginning axiom for the Christian worldview is that the Bible is God's written Word (2 Timothy 3:16). I am forever indebted to the late Dr. Gordon H. Clark for bringing this point home.
Even more to the point, the founding fathers knew their logic well. They understood that even democracy is founded on an axiom drawn from Scripture: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." In other words, democractic principles cannot be proved from so-called "science" or the "social sciences." Democracy itself is founded on God's Word, an axiom that is called "self-evident" by the founders of our nation. It is a supreme irony that President Obama quoted these words with the thinly disguised agenda of rejecting the very Bible upon which that axiom is based. Obama quoted it to endorse his godless and atheistic view that homosexuality is acceptable. (Cf. Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:24-28; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) Since he believes, in line with Joseph Campbell, that religion is a myth, his words that homosexuals are "created" equal rings hollow. It is merely a propaganda device used by the president to undermine God's moral law and to promote his secularism and his atheistic agenda.
We should never forget that before God humankind has no rights. There is only one King who can command absolute obedience. The Tri-Personal God revealed in Scripture owes no one anything other than eternal punishment in hell. That God grants mercy to the undeserving sinner is called "grace." True liberty can only come to a nation when that nation truly does submit to God. The irony is that such submission cannot come by any other means than by accepting the special revelation of God's Holy Scriptures. Homosexuals do not have the "right" to violate God's moral law. Any inalienable rights we have as humans can be and must be based solely on God's Word. Antinomianism leads only to totalitarianism. I am not a theonomist or a reconstructionist, but I do recognize that it is impossible to be free unless freedom is defined. The only freedom that is truly free is the freedom we have in Jesus Christ:
"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:18-21 NKJ)
A logically competent defense of a free society requires divinely revealed information; all other defenses fail. Sennholz, almost alone among eminent free enterprise economists, rests his defense of a free society on revelation. -- Dr. John Robbins
- See more at: The Sine Qua Non of Enduring Freedom
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