Lions and Eagles

“...Of course having “recreational drugs” be legal is a great selling point I’m sure for some folks….” Drugs For some folks, recreational drug use may be a selling point. For myself, I have no desire at all to use drugs recreationally, and I only reluctantly use them even under doctor's orders. But I still support the Libertarian position on the drug war. Namely, that it is ineffective, unfair, and immoral. If you read what I had to say on prostitution, you shouldn’t be surprised by what I have to say here, either. When you make the sale of any given thing illegal, you don’t end that sale. You drive it into black markets, where bad people profit because bad people are the ones selling. People who might actually want help out of their situation are scared out of seeking it, because they are afraid of being thrown in jail. Theologically, I believe that careless drug use is a sin against the self and against God, but I do not believe it should be treated a crime. The body is a...

I am a Christian. I am a Libertarian. This is not a contradiction. In fact, I believe that Libertarianism is the most Christian political worldview. I understand that there are many Libertarians who are not Christian, and many Christians who are not Libertarian. But I believe that these two worldviews fit together. Please let me explain. As a Christian, to use the words of Ravi Zacharias, I believe that the supreme ethic that God has given to us is Love. Love for God, love for each other. That is why He gives us free will, and why freedom and liberty are so precious. Without freedom, you can have obedience, but you can't have love. With freedom, you can love, and you can choose to give obedience and love to one who is worthy. The political Left says, we need to care for our fellow humans. And indeed we have that obligation. When we care for each other, we are following God's commandment to love one another. But the political Left's solution is to create a syste...

Written to a friend: Good sir, you've done good, and you have done it well. To answer your questions: We are definitely called upon to love and serve those in need. Opening up to people in a very personal way, getting into their lives and letting them into your own, is scary and difficult, and it makes you very vulnerable. But it's the only way to truly know what they really need. There are some people out there really are just looking for a handout, and giving it to them does no good. There are others who really do want a way out of their situation, but for some reason or other they just keep hurting themselves. And then there are the folks who have just had really bad luck. It takes getting to know a person to know whether what they need is simple material help, or a new perspective on how to get past their stumbling blocks, or whether the best love for them is tough love. It's a calling that we all have, that most of us fail at least sometimes, but some are blessed w...

So one person gets a need fulfilled, and another person pays for it. If the payer is paying willingly, it's charity. Otherwise, it's theft for a noble cause. But the Bible doesn't say "Thou shalt not steal unless it's for a really good cause". It says "Thou shalt not steal." Sorry, sometimes the Bible is hard that way. What it means is that we have to save lives without stealing. But let's ignore the theft aspect for a moment. Let's focus on charity. I like charity. Charitable actions bring a multitude of spiritual rewards, both for the gracious, generous, and loving giver, and for the humble receiver. Throw government into the mix, on the other hand, and all spiritual rewards are lost. The givers (taxpayers) lose the chance to be lovingly and personally invested in the well-being of their fellow man, because the government's in the way. And the receivers lose any reason to be humble. Why offer up humble thanks for a government "righ...