Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
That is the first amendment to the constitution. The amendment was thought necessary because when the convention was convened, the basic law a mess. When asked what form of government was established, Franklin replied “a republic, if you can keep it...”
Immediately Hamilton and others had begun to strangle baby freedom in the crib, So in alarm the Bill of Rights passed in 1791 in defense of freedom. I would argue it did no good.
But it is instructive that freedom of religion is the first of four freedoms addressed in the first amendment.
The problem with the european model that was to be corrected by the american model was after the struggle between divine right of kings and divine right of pope ended with the divine right of the state, if the state was Lutheran, you were lutheran. If Catholic, you were catholic. if you disagreed, life would be dicey.
That was to end in USA. But If there is no state in which to invest a common set of standards, then whencesoever does one derive a common standard?
The deists, many of whom had a romantic understanding of eastern religion, arrived at the idea that since all religions had a common ethical foundation, then freedom of religion would provide that very common set of standards. And for those who fail to appreciate ghost stories, rational thought also brings one to the same conclusion: lying stealing killing and so on are wrong, and to be spurned. We could have unity by embracing diversity.
The anarchists detest hierarchy... to be sure, hierarchy is to be spurned, since submitting to false authority denies the rest of us the good of your freedom and the creativity inhibited by submission to false authority.
The worst kind of false authority is master over slave. WE can arrive at slavery as a good by rational means, and slavery is forbidden in revelation (thou shalt not steal, the truth shall set you free, and to be a follower of Jesus you must give away all things, and the rich lad undoubtedly had slaves.)
We have noted that slavery has been a feature of all cultures and societies since the dawn of man. It took 1800 years before some people began to think of eliminating it, as an imperative in light or revelation.
Similarly, it may take another 1800 years before those same Christians begin to think of eliminating the state, as an imperative in light of revelation.
In the meantime, the laity must get busy. We abhor false hierarchy, which is immediately discerned by whether or not the organization is voluntary. Obligatory submission is slavery lite, and to be abhorred.
There is government in skiing, and government in international letters off credit, and in the law merchant, all emerging from practice and none in relation to the state.
It is a simple matter of fact that in life the important matters are not under the purview of the state: love, food, taste and friends. And when anarchists get together to play baseball, someone emerges as a leader, the rules of the game are obeyed, and government occurs. This happens at all place and all times, only to be interfered with by state action. The key is voluntary association.
Being rational beings, anarchists are very suspicious of the claims of the religious.
But we cannot expect people to refuse to respond to the religion to which they are called in deference to a lower order activity, such as the state. Especially those who recognize their weakness and in their pain draw liberally from the opiate of the masses. To deny anyone to self-medicate is to place oneself in authority and defy the voluntary principle.
The american adventure in achieving unity by embracing diversity yields the result of no state, yet a common ethical foundation.
Anarchy assures people are free to act on their conscience. Even the rational will agree the conscience is a pupil, not a tutor, and it is like a compass which must be calibrated before it can offer correct direction. Religion may propose standards, but like the state never Impose. the largest religion in the world, Catholicism, is a purely voluntary organization, as is Islam, Buddhism Hindus and so on. States are not voluntary, and back their demands with violence.
A popular controversy is “gay marriage” Setting aside the fact it crowds out the space where thinking people would ask “Is this war in Afghanistan just?” the “gay marriage “ debate is over state definitions, and being obligated to behave according to “public policy” that flows therefrom. With freedom of religion, each religion would define marriage for its members, making the state pronouncements on “gay marriage’ as impertinent as Jewish pronouncements on “goy marriage.”
As with all human endeavor, the cop in society is all the rest of society. We cannot, in good conscience allow our power and will aggregated by the state in order that it fight our battles for us. That "getting the king to fight our battles for us" is the end sought in 1 Samuel 8. That leaves us with the involuntary servitude and submission, something abhorred in religion and reason.
The “cop” in life is all other members of a community, and their sanctions can run from rebuke to excommunication. That may seem ineffective in the context of religion, but a killer will find his life short in anarchy. With the state, the killer is kept alive and a constant threat.
Emma Goldman said society gets the criminals it deserves. Too true. especially when it votes them into office.
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
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