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EDITOR:
Brian Waldsmith’s letter labels the “Wake Up” letter writer and all follow-ons as “fringe” and “misinformed extremists,” who build a “theory of conspiracy” and lend a “veneer of legitimacy to absurd paranoia.”
My wise father says you must choose between belief in God or belief in Government (yes, capital G). I disagree, and stand firmly behind my libertarian philosophy, which is secular, individualist, and most importantantly, prays for a much smaller government (at all levels). Mr. Waldsmith, from my reading, has chosen the God of Government.
Despite our philosophical differences, I’d like to wholeheartedly concur with the last phrase of Mr. Waldsmith’s last (incomplete) sentence: “…delusions of righteousness.”
FRED ROUSE
Placerville
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cookie65March 22, 2013 - 7:38 am
Secular Individualism is based entirely on the concept of Free Will. The concept of Free Will is rooted in Christian Theology. Free Will competes with the philosophy of Government being God. I think you totally misunderstood what your wise father was trying to help you understand. God is not the enemy of free will, government is.
cookie65March 22, 2013 - 8:08 am
2Ths 3:10 "If a man will not work he shall not eat." I defy you to make a more libertarian statement than that.
Brian WaldsmithMarch 22, 2013 - 9:53 am
"Gnothi sueton" is what Aristotle would have us remember as written above the door of the long-destroyed temple at Delphi. It means, 'know thyself'. I don't think this notion is possible without a concept of free will, and I'm pretty sure the ancient Greeks pre-date Christianity... Our government is an expression of Enlightenment-based, rational expectation. The idea that secular government can improve our lives has always been at odds with religion. The market at stake, afterall, is hope itself. If people can find hope here on earth, then they might not turn to God. It is simply in the economic interests of religions to undermine any and all attempts at good government. This isn't meant as a sinister charge. It's just an appeal to clear away the smoke and mirrors. Libertarianism means different things to different people, but foremost it is a substitute trying to thread a path between morality and ethics. It is neither. That's the beauty of the philosophy. Utterly self-sufficient and self-sustaining. Like being stranded on your rooftop during a flood and magnanimously calling out to your neighbor, "you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone". Congratulations on your independence. But is it civilization?
cookie65March 22, 2013 - 10:32 am
Brian, I made no mention of religion. And not that you would understand but the concept of Free Will is undertaken in the story of the Garden. The Greeks were post-garden. Don't confuse what I said with religion. If you have proof of "good government" in all of human history I would love to hear about it. The truth is self-government not religion is what competes with governments of man. Do you disagree that Christian theology is based on self-government? This country was founded on self-government.