It Can't Happen Here

The Separation of Church and Church-State

Picking up where my post She is Not Taught by Laws regarding John Locke’s A Letter Concerning Toleration ended, I’d like present the following bit from one paragraph in that same document for your consideration:

We have already proved that the care of souls does not belong to the magistrate. Not a magisterial care, I mean (if I may so call it) which consists in prescribing by laws and compelling by punishments. But a charitable care which consists of teaching, admonishing, and persuading which cannot be denied unto any man. The care, therefore, of every man’s soul belongs unto himself, and is to be left unto himself. But what if he neglect the care of his soul? I answer: What if he neglect the care of his health or the care of his estate, which things are nearlier related to the government of the magistrate than the other? Will the magistrate provide an express law that such a one not become poor or sick?

What seemed like reductio ad absurdum to Mr. Locke has become the order of today’s absurd America. He goes on to say,

Laws provide in as much as possible that the goods and health of subjects not be injured by the fraud and violence of others; they do not guard them from the negligence or ill-husbandry of the possessors themselves. No man can be forced to be rich or healthful whether he will or no. Nay, God himself will not save men against their wills.

He expands upon this ridiculous notion by saying that then everyone must become a victualer because victualers make good money and that everyone must get his “potion” and “broth” from only a specific shop as is deemed so by law.

But it may be said that there are a thousand ways to wealth but only one way to heaven. It is well said, indeed, especially by those that plead in compelling men into this or the other way. For if there were several ways that lead thither, there would not be so much of a pretense left for compulsion.

Is he talking about the church’s need for compulsion, or our current church-state’s need for compulsion?

The Bastardization of Our Founding Fathers

Beyond the wisdom of Locke which informed our Founding Fathers and which has all but disappeared from modern America, today I was alerted to this post from the White House Briefing Room blog (via RationalJenn on Facebook) dated yesterday:

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov. [emphasis mine]

Let me re-emphasize that:

These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

Worse than reporting your neighbors for disagreeing with the President’s proposed massive government takeover of the healthcare industry euphemistically referred to as "healthcare reform" is the sickening use of the words of John Adams to put a veneer of liberty on this disgusting perversion of it: Facts are stubborn things. (Perhaps the writer of this post was inspired by Adams' passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, but that would assume a certain appreciation of the history of this country.)

My only solace in this back door attack on the freedom of speech is that facts are, indeed, stubborn things.

Feel free to send this post to the Whitehouse. Let's see what constitutes sedition today.