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Americans Get Failing Grade in American Civics
2007-09-19 09:53:32
And now, I bring you more proof that American s don’t really care about the liberty they claim to enjoy. The Acton Institute Blog brings attention to a study commissioned by Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s (ISI) National Civic Literacy Program. The study found that colleges and universities are doing a horrible job in teaching students about basic American history and civics. No school scored higher than a D+. (Harvard was the highest, with an average student score of 69.56%.) Since the largest weapon against tyranny is a well-educated populace, this doesn’t exactly bode well for our so-called freedom. Of course, with the government worship that goes on in our society, it doesn’t surprise me. You can take the test yourself right here. I scored an 83.33%, getting 50 of the 60 questions correct. So apparently, the education I get by wasting countless hours on the internet has prepared me better than a Harvard education, at least in this particular topic. I find
Read more: Americans , Grade

The Easiest Way to Prick Someone’s Heart
2007-09-18 10:47:15
It is only the rare work of entertainment or culture that can deeply move me. Years of the refining of my particular tastes, combined with ever increasing demand for high standards have created a thick filter that hardly anything gets through. So when something is created that does have the power to touch my heart, I am grateful beyond words to the creator of that work. Bridge to Terebithia was the last movie I saw that touched me, brining up a nostalgic longing for childhood innocence and friendships like nothing else ever has, then hitting me with a real sense of loss. It was so well crafted, I thought that I was personally losing a close friend of mine from my youth. The last Harry Potter book did something similar, by having having us look at the nature and power of love without sinking to sentimental banality. Many tears were shed because the story was real, perhaps shedding light on why some people do the things they do. And there is this video that was recently brought to
Read more: Heart , Prick

Government in Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:10-22
2007-09-17 11:23:14
After Israel commits a form of idolatry in asking for a king, God decides to give them one more chance to change their minds. God, in his mercy, warns the Israelites about what having a king, a formal government like the other nations, really means. Let’s break down the list. And remember, God is trying to essentially scare the Israelites into changing their mind. Verse 11: “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.” Modern Day Equivalent: There will be military drafts. Verse 14: “He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants.” Modern Day Equivalent: The best land and resources will be given to his political cronies, either to buy support or reward past support. The current abuses of Eminent Domain come to mind. Verses 15-17: “He will take a tenth of your grain an
Read more: Samuel , Government , Scripture

Government Tyranny Roundup September 14, 2007
2007-09-14 13:57:30
It’s always important to shed light on evil, especially when perpetrated by those in power. When it comes to modern government, however, people tend to turn a blind eye because they are under the delusion that government is a good thing and really exists to “serve and protect.” Many of the evils of government are performed in broad daylight, so these roundups are meant to draw attention to these despicable acts so people can’t ignore them. These aren’t just a few bad apples spoiling an otherwise good tree. This is the natural fruit that the current establishment grows, thanks to it’s worship of power and violence, and a system of messed up incentives that implicitly encourages tyrannical behavior. The rot tends to spread even to the good-hearted. Some of these might not seem as bad as I’m making it, and you may be tempted to consider me a melodramatic nut-ball. But I ask you to think about the underlying thought processes involved in the se
Read more: September , Government , Tyranny

Ron Paul an Adolescent Child?
2007-09-13 12:03:46
Joe Carter from The Evangelical Outpost posted one of the most uninformed articles I’ve ever read. He accuses Ron Paul , and libertarians in general, of holding to Utopian ideals, but does very little to actually refute them, other than to throw ad-hominem attacks like “they should grow up.” Is this argument from an economic or philosophy textbook that I don’t know about? Joe himself might want to grow up a little bit and learn how to do some research before making some of his own childish claims and assumptions. Let’s go through them one by one. “Third, she is dead wrong in saying that the candidates should engage his views in a serious way. The last thing that they should be doing is wasting time treating his bizarre utopian libertarian beliefs as if they were politically tenable.” And what bizarre “beliefs” would that be? That government bureaucracy is inefficient? That lowering taxes promotes economic growth? That free trad
Read more: Adolescent

Government in Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:1-9
2007-09-12 11:21:58
Israel asking for a king is a dramatic turning point for the chosen people of God. While things eventually turned out well (the coming of Christ), this has more to do with God having the uncanny ability to make the best out of a bad situation. Because rest assured, asking for a king was a foolish request, and if this post doesn’t convince you, a cursory reading of 1 and 2 Kings easily shows that: The kings led Israel astray most of the time. Even the good kings couldn’t save Israel in the end. The whole sad story almost reads like a case study about how utterly incompetent earthly kings are, pointing the way toward the only worthy king. But more on this later. Let’s get to 1 Samuel 8. Israel asking for a king could only be a good thing if the following 3 things were true: God was not really a jealous god, after all. He just said that because he was in a bad mood at Mt. Sinai. God wished the Israelites to learn from the Canaanites, and emulate them in any way po
Read more: Government , Scripture

Creative Christians: Kristarella
2007-09-11 11:13:43
Part of what I want to do with this blog is promote Christians who answer the call to create, and so this series features various Christians who tell us, in their own words, how their faith molds and inspires their creative process. If you are a Christian who is a musician, writer, artist, photographer, inventor, engineer, architect, etc. who loves to spread the gospel and glorify God in their work, please consider telling us about it by contributing a Creative Christian post. Contact me at matt [at] newlibertycreation dot com. Today’s post is from Kristarella. ——————————————————————————————————————— Before Matt asked me if I would write this post I had not thought a great deal about how my faith in Jesus and my passion for creativity interact. Now


The New Golden Calf
2007-09-10 11:09:40
Jim Fedako of Anti-Positivist has a fantastic post describing the two groups that a typical state-worshiper falls into: the morons and the bobbleheads. Both groups like to forget (or never learn about) economics, and both like to ignore reality. The moron sees the problems in his life and automatically prays to the government to take care of it, without trying to think of any other solution, while the bobblehead constantly nods, giving way to the peer pressure and purely emotional appeals the morons attempt to affect. All the current presidential candidates simply have to focus on the morons. You got a problem? We’ll solve it! The bobbleheads will naturally follow. These are the groups that our education system creates with it’s preaching and government evangelism. And like Fedako, it took me awhile to strip off the layers of moron-mucus that public education had encrusted to the lining of my brain. If you have any of the same junk still weighing you down from your tru
Read more: Golden

Ron Paul Roundup September 8, 2007
2007-09-08 12:37:20
This roundup only has one item, simply because this item cannot be ignored. The following YouTube video is a mash-up of all of Ron Paul ’s responses during the New Hampshire Republican Presidential Candidates “debate”, or as I like to call it, the “the smart guy crashing a pajama party thrown for the popular girls who think their more important than they really are.” The jocks, of course, are the cookie-cutter neo-con candidates that the Republican and Media establishment are trying to push down our throats. And judging from the apparent camaraderie between the dumb oafs and the so-called debate “moderators”, they seem to be under the impression that they face a downhill battle. They must have even less respect for the American people than I originally thought. See for yourself. Make sure to notice the following so your blood can boil as mine has: The giggling, as if they were a group of girls running to the corner to giggle about somethi
Read more: September

Confessions Reflections 4: The Lowest Rung of Creation
2007-09-07 11:59:09
Book 1, Ch. 13, 21 Yes, I am still “reflecting” on the same section of The Confessions as the previous Reflection. Not my fault. Blame Augustine. He continues to lament that he wept for the characters in fictional stories while not regarding his own depraved state. For my own condition I shed no tears, though I wept for Dido, who “sought death at the sword’s point,” while I myself was seeking the lowest rung of thy creation, having forsaken thee; earth sinking back to earth again. The lowest rung of creation is, of course, death. Death, as Augustine points out, is man returning to the dust from whence he came, a dramatic reversal of God’s original creative action. Death is an abomination, the evil intruder into the otherwise good creation of God. The ultimate enemy, it is also the ultimate natural consequence of sin. Sin, literally “missing the mark”, is failing to live up to God’s original purpose for us, as his image-bearer
Read more: Creation , Reflections

Ron Paul Roundup September 28, 2007
2007-09-28 13:05:51
Here’s some of the best Ron Paul news and information to come up since my last roundup. Hannity Lies to Discredit Ron Paul - When Ron won the poll after the NH debate, Hannity says it was because of spammers repeatedly voting. But it was impossible to vote more than once from the same phone number. Ron Paul addressing officials of the Federal Reserve about their immoral policies. More Ron Paul Secrets Revealed - A good overview of how Ron is the only candidate who is trying to look out for us common people. Interview with Chuck Baldwin - A good overview of some of the key points on his platform. Guiliani’s Worst Nightmare - He went on a ferry ride and discovered that everyone else on board was a Ron Paul supporter. Bill Maher says Ron Paul is the best out of the Republicans on CNN - and the host stumbles over what to say next. The Mainstream Media really doesn’t like anybody mentioning Ron. Government, Ron Paul
Read more: September

Confessions Reflections 5: Ancient Rhetorical Spin
2007-09-27 13:22:20
Book 1, Chapter 17, 28 After Augustine tells how he wasted his talents on vanities such as reciting poetry (not because it was poetry, but because it was pagan fiction), he offers an explanation as to why he did so. But it is no wonder that I was thus carried toward vanity and was estranged from thee, O my God, when men were held up as models to me who, when relating deeds of theirs - not in itself evil - were covered with confusion if found guilty of a barbarism or a solecism; but who could tell of their own licentiousness and be applauded for it, so long as they did it in a full and ornate oration of well-chosen words. Form over substance. It was no less a problem in the past than it is now. Today, many people decide to choose their favorite preachers or favorite politicians based on how they make them “feel”, or how well they speak. Substance is often ignored, and we just enjoy getting caught up in the sweeping emotions that are engorged by choice words and phrases
Read more: Reflections , Ancient

Jesus not Political? Impossible!
2007-09-26 13:00:27
Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Dish posted this response to a statement that Jesus would vote Libertarian. Sorry: not buying it. Jesus has no politics. He has a message of individual salvation. No political system is necessary for it; none can ultimately prevent it. First of all, the Jesus of the Bible hardly has anything to say about individual salvation. He’s mostly concerned with Israel as a people, albeit reshaped around himself rather than Temple and Torah. His basic message can be summed up with the following: “Israel has lost it’s original vocation. Instead of being the light of the world and the salt of the earth, they have turned inward. Not only that, but Israel is trying to bring the Kingdom in with violence, and if things don’t change, she will be judged.” Now his actions tell us a different, but related, message, but that’s the topic of another really long series of articles. Let’s continue to the topic at hand. Excluding the f


Are you Subscribed to our Full RSS Feed?
2007-09-25 10:07:42
Just a reminder to our readers that New Liberty Creation provides a full RSS feed that you can view from your favorite feed reader. You can subscribe in the top right corner by clicking on the “Entries” link, or at the end of any normal post. Not sure if you want to subscribe or not? Or are you just wondering what the heck RSS actually is? RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. It’s a way to get updates to a website without having to give out any personal information like your name or email address. No possibility of spam! Not only that, but you get to choose how you read the content, using any feed reader you want. What’s a feed reader? I’m glad you asked. You may already be using a form of feed reader, and not even realize it. If you use personalized home page services like My Yahoo, My MSN, or iGoogle, you’ve got RSS capabilities built in. That’s how syndicated content like news, weather and stock quotes appears on your personal page. You can
Read more: RSS Feed

The Questionable Morality of the Religous Right
2007-09-24 11:26:40
(Christians would rather use this than the more effective weapons of the gospel.) I was reminded about the absurdity of so-called “value voting” when I read a recent article about Dr. James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family and one of the most politically influential Christians in the country. Dr. Dobson has made a big fuss about the issue of Gay Marriage in the last few years, so his diatribe against Fred Thompson is simply the latest. From the article: “Isn’t Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won’t talk at all about what he believes, and can’t speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail?” Dobson wrote. I’m no supporter of Thompson myself. In fact, I don’t support any politician and only cover Ron Paul because he represents a dramatic shift away our current
Read more: Morality , Right

Business as Mission: Spreading the Kingdom through Capitalism
2007-09-21 13:09:23
The Business as Mission Network is a blog that every Christian should keep up with. Not only does it provide great tips and encouragement to entrepreneurs who are trying to spread the Kingdom of God, it’s also a definitive example of showing of what an encompassing Christian world-view is supposed to look like. I really appreciate how they attempt to break the myth and improper stereotypes of the greedy businessman. In a recent post, they discuss the profit motive: The wide-standing perception is that business is primarily about maximizing profits. However, the true purpose of business is to provide a vehicle for serving others through efficient delivery of useful goods and services. When this objective is pursued, there will be an opportunity for profit. Profit is like oxygen—it allows a company to grow and continue to serve others effectively. Another prevailing notion is that nonprofit organizations are inherently nobler than for-profit organizations. But there is no direc
Read more: Capitalism

5 Tips: How to Read the Bible the RIGHT Way - MY Way
2007-09-20 08:13:37
(This is a guest post from our good friend, Mr. Fundamentalist.) The world is descending into a pit filled with unimaginable horrors, such as terrorist attacks caused by homosexuals, Democrats in public office, and comeback performances by Britney Spears. And let’s face it, Christianity itself isn’t that far behind. Like a sick puppy, we run after the world in it’s depravity, and beg for our fixes of video games (aka, murder-simulators), the Rock and Roll “music”, and the witchcraft training manuals called Harry Potter. We need to wake up and start taking a stand! But we need a firm foundation to make that stand on. And what better foundation is there than complete conformity in all of our thinking? This starts with how to read the Bible. There are too many different sects of Christianity out there, and too many sects within those sects. Each one has their own interpretation of the Bible. Frankly, it’s sickening. We all know that God personally


Peace: The True Christian Calling
2007-10-02 11:35:46
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9) Jesus begins his sermon on the mount with a list of blessings that would have shocked his contemporary Jewish audience. These oppressed people, who believed they were still in exile, longed for the coming kingdom of God, when YHWH would finally become king and vindicate his children. And they were prepared to help bring it about with violence and deadly struggle. So when Jesus says that the poor in spirit would have the kingdom, and that the meek would inherit the earth, it would have been something they had never heard before, and a direct challenge to the prevailing revolutionary agenda of the time. When Jesus says that the peacemakers are the ones who will be called the sons of God, it would have resonated with a core belief. Were not the people of Israel already sons of God? Were they not God’s firstborn by default? (Deut. 14:1, Ex. 4:22) Was not this status already solidified by To
Read more: Peace , Christian , Calling

Government Tyranny Roundup October 12, 2007
2007-10-12 13:21:41
A lot has happened since the last Government Tyranny Roundup. Serve and protect? Sure… For our own good? Right… A woman in a wheel-chair is murdered because she was tasered 10 times. Did all that initial voltage give her the ability to walk again? Is that why they had to use it an additional 8-9 times?! Music Scholar Barred From U.S., but No One Will Tell Her Why. A good read about how any secret government process will ultimately be used for harming the very ones it is meant to “protect.” Plus, her treatment by government officials during the process is absolutely despicable. In a written account of the next eight hours that she prepared for her lawyer, Ms. Ghuman said that officers tore up her H-1B visa, which was valid through May 2008, defaced her British passport, and seemed suspicious of everything from her music cassettes to the fact that she had listed Welsh as a language she speaks. A redacted government report about the episode obtained by he
Read more: October

Ron Paul at the 10/9/07 Republican Debate
2007-10-10 17:30:25
If you’re like me, you didn’t get a chance to watch the actual 2 hour debate on CNBC because you have the most minimal cable package possible. CNBC was supposed to stream it live and have it available afterward, but I couldn’t find it anywhere on their site, and the clips I did find were encoded in cringe-worthy windows media and didn’t work at all. So thank God for YouTube. Posted above is everything Ron Paul had the opportunity to say. Notice it’s only 7 minutes out of the 2 hours. I was very pleased when Ron Paul came out passionately swinging at Romney’s remark that he would have to “consult his lawyers” about pre-emptive war with Iran. It’s rare you see a politician have the courage and conviction to show a little outrage and anger. You can also find the full transcript of the debate here. Once again, Giuliani takes “Most Incompetent Smug-Faced” award. Let’s see what he said. “And the point of &m
Read more: Republican , Debate

Obama and the Kingdom
2007-10-09 11:43:52
Obama speaking at an evangelical church this past Sunday (from the Evangelical Outpost): I just want all of you to pray that I can be an instrument of God in the same way that Pastor Ron and all of you are instruments of God….We’re going to keep on praising together. I am confident that we can create a Kingdom right here on Earth. If you really want to be an instrument of God, Obama, then you have a higher chance if you get out of Federal politics. Getting into bed with an idol usually limits your options when dealing with the Judeo-Christian God. And did he really just say that about a Kingdom? Isn’t that precisely what Jesus rejected when he went to the cross? A Kingdom based on earthly politics is simply a Kingdom brought about and sustained by forceful coercion and violence. One of the main criticism Jesus himself had of the Jewish leaders and revolutionaries of his time was that they were missing the whole point of what it mean to be the chosen “people of Go
Read more: Obama

Nominated for 2007 Blogger Rookie of the Year
2007-10-05 10:38:11
Blogging the Movie is currently holding nominations and voting for the 2007 Blogger Rookie of the Year. And New Liberty Creation is #41 on the list. So if you find any value in what I’m trying to do here, please hop on over and vote for me. All you have to do is leave a comment with the number of the blog. I appreciate all the support you have given me so far. In just it’s second month, New Liberty Creation pulled in over 2,000 unique visitors. Many people are hungry for the message of liberty, and I think many Christians are realizing their hunger for it as well. It’s difficult to break the typical, idolatrous Romans 13 training that is drilled into most Christians, but with your help and support, we can slowly break it’s enslaving stranglehold on the Christian psyche. The RSS and email subscriber count has been stuck at around 24 for the past 2 weeks, so if you haven’t subscribed yet, please do so. It simply makes things easier for you. meta


Open Primaries have been Secretly Closed!
2007-10-04 11:58:48
Do you still think that government has your best interests at heart? Let’s take a look at the latest despicable thing to come out of this group of established crooks and liars. Many people are holding out hope that Ron Paul will attract many votes in the primaries, and this hope is bolstered by the fact that some states have open primaries. Typically, once has to be registered as a Republican to vote in a Republican primary, but if the primary is open, anyone can vote. (There are some nuances, but that’s the basic idea.) And it’s not a naive hope. Considering that the Ron Paul campaign raised 5 million dollars for the 3rd quarter, and has over 10 million dollars in the bank, it’s safe to assume that the grassroots support is bigger than most mainstream media outlets are reporting. The ideas of freedom are popular, and many who are not registered to any particular political party or people who normally don’t care for politics are beginning to open thei
Read more: Closed

Government in Scripture: Matthew 4:8-10
2007-10-03 13:54:22
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ Many times when dealing with this passage, Christians tend to shrug it off, thinking that Jesus really didn’t want the kingdoms of the world anyway. After all, didn’t he really come to establish a new religion, or to give us a set of universal truths so we could get to heaven? Jesus only carried about a “spiritual” other-worldly kingdom, right? This perspective couldn’t be further from the truth. At the very end of the same book in Matthew 28:18, Jesus himself says: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” In other words, he has been set over the kingdoms of the world. Notice also i
Read more: Government , Scripture

We Attack Them so They Attack Us so We Attack Them so They…
2007-10-17 08:59:10
I wanted to highlight and respond to a comment by Sailorcurt because I think it is a good summary and representation of the general argument for preemptive war, and in particular, the case for staying in Iraq and going into Iran. This is not a private conversation between me and Sailorcurt. I encourage everyone to respond to either side if you feel moved to do so. If you would like to respond with a whole blog post, I’ll link to your article here and start an impromptu blog carnival. Please do not resort to personal attacks or immature remarks. Those comments will be deleted. All quotes are from Sailcurt’s final comment from the Ron Paul at the Debate post. In regard to why we are so worried about Iran getting nuclear capabilities when Pakistan already has them: Pakistan’s government is not calling for the extermination of the Israeli people or the pushing of the Israeli state “into the sea”. Making threats and actually carrying them out or even having the ability


Confessions Reflections 6: Puberty
2007-10-16 09:40:45
Book 2, Chapter 2, 2 Still I did not keep the moderate way of the love of mind to mind - the bright path of friendship. Instead, the mists of passion steamed up out of the puddly concupiscence of the flesh, and the hot imagination of puberty, and they so obscured and overcast my heart that I was unable to distinguish pure affection from unholy desire. Both boiled confusedly within me, and dragged my unstable youth down over the cliffs of unchaste desires and plunged me into a gulf of infamy. In case you were wondering what Augustine thought about his own sexual awakening, fear not. Your curiosity has now been appeased. And no one can accuse him of understatement. It might be easy to jump to “melodramatic.” But maybe his example can help us learn about the true gravity of the situation. It’s interesting how perilous Augustine considers this time in his life, as if he’s tiptoeing on the edge of a cliff and the slightest wind will push him over the edge. Have
Read more: Reflections

Start Praying for Southern California
2007-10-23 14:40:55
It seems that Bush is sending in FEMA. Now things are going to get really ugly. I wonder when the reports of incompetence, missed opportunities, and ignored dangers will start rolling in. Thanks to the Lew Rockwell Blog for the heads up. Government
Read more: Start , Southern , California

Government in Scripture: Luke 22:24-26
2007-10-22 09:21:17
24Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. Jesus sums up the entire problem of earthly governments right here. The Gentile rulers lord their power over their subjects. Why? Because it’s for their subjects own good, of course. They like to call themselves our benefactors. In fact, doing something for “the greater good” or “the common good” is the easiest way to gain power and commit atrocities, because you can get the public’s assent. And kings have known this since the beginning of time. In the context of the passage, Jesus’ disciples are still thinking that the kingdom he is going to establish is going to be a
Read more: Government , Scripture

Do You Have What it Takes to be a Business Missionary?
2007-10-25 13:03:33
Traditional avenues of missionary work are continually being closed off to those who wish to preach the gospel. The Business as Mission Network has been promoting what they call tentmaking, which, from what I can gather, pulls from the example of Paul and expands it to fullest potential. The apostle Paul traveled the Roman Empire and supported himself by making tents. So in some way, you could say that his tentmaking was critical in preaching the gospel, as it was a key enabler. I wonder how many extra markets and areas Paul had access to by having a legitimate, money-making trade? Now expand on this concept. What if your particular brand of tentmaking could give poor people jobs, or in many cases, give them the tools and training to become tentmakers themselves? What if your brand of tentmaking had the potential to plant the roots of prosperity in an impoverished land? And all the while, you could preach the kingship of Jesus Christ to people who would not have heard it through


Government Tyranny Roundup November 1, 2007
2007-11-01 10:05:34
Here’s the Government Tyranny Roundup for November 1, 2007. A great way to kick off the third month of the existence of this blog. Police try to shut down a dangerous pumpkin trafficking booth. When there are no true criminals to catch, the government will always create some out of thin air so it can continue to justify it’s existence. “When one of the officers turned to me and said ‘we have some bad news’ I naturally thought a loved one had been killed.” Nope. Just that your sons are about to be “protected and served”. And that indeed is bad news. Man Arrested for Feeding the Homeless - And people still think government actually helps poor people? Well, it certainly likes to give money to poor people who are able to vote. But if a poor person has no vote to sell, like these homeless, this particular government actually makes it a CRIME to help them. Wow. Jesus wouldn’t be very popular in Orlando. In fact, he’d pro


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