On American Freedom and Independence

American Freedom
Photo: Ella Christenson on Unsplash

Some Europeans say that Americans fetishize freedom. I counter that we give it the respect it deserves. Freedom is our God-given right. Our exercise of our American freedom expresses our humanity and is integral to our relationship with each other and with God. God did not create puppets. He created free, independent men and women in his image.

Every single person on our incredible planet is endowed with the right to freedom, and acts such as slavery, indentured servitude, unjustified imprisonment and the like are acts against God himself. Conversely, we glorify God by encouraging each other to indulge in our freedoms while still expecting these choices made of one’s free will to follow the law and to reflect a strong sense of morality, purpose and community.

The nature of these indulgences ought to be related to the limitless range for individual expression. The soldier poet, the ballet dancer hunter, the blue-collar worker writer, the doctor priest, the activist nun, the rock star evangelist, the professor novelist, the artist programmer, there is an endless combination of selves to be claimed by the next bold soul willing to declare to the world, “I define myself; I will not be defined by others.” (See, S.E. Cupp on ballet and hunting and Roman Baca on war and dancing.) That is freedom – American style. I would argue that American freedom is freedom as it ought to be: boundless, surprising, imaginative, rebellious even irreverent.

American Freedom is closely linked to independence. The link between the two might or might not be immediately apparent, but I assure you that they are inextricably intertwined. A country’s citizens who come to depend on their government too much risk both their freedom and independence. One might argue that Americans have too much distrust, dislike and not enough dependence on their government. This might be true. However, one can both strengthen the safety net and governmental institutions so that they work better for the people while, simultaneously, giving them more personal freedom and independence.

American Freedom and Hunting

We have a tradition in this country of hunting and fishing. Although I am opposed to the NRA and trophy hunting, I believe that hunting and fishing are traditional aspects of American life that we should preserve. They are not just sports. They are also practical skills. Hunting and fishing also reflect a fiercely independent American streak, which has characterized the country from the beginning.

Slavery, the genocide of the native people and exploitation of the country’s enviable natural resources was an evil violation of their freedoms and dignities and an abuse of our planet. A respectful relationship with the land, such as Native Americans had and still have, preserves a divine, either Christian or non-Christian, relationship with the earth and with God. It is an explicit understanding that our lives depend on our planet’s life. Any extended contact with nature is rejuvenating for the soul, and when exercised correctly, the act of hunting and fishing is also an acknowledgement of our dependence on God’s creation and each other.

As the beautiful, diverse, complex creatures with whom we share our planet die in a manmade mass extinction, let us use the right to hunt and fish to remind ourselves that all life is precious and interdependent. There are no crops without bees and butterflies. There are no waterfowl without clean bodies of water, and there are no deer without fields and forests. Our planet is not optional. It is absolutely essential to our survival. When we hunt and fish, we assert our freedom, reestablish our independence while simultaneously becoming one with God and the world he created. Defy the stereotypes and labels. Define yourself and with it, American freedom and independence.

Our Self-Defeating Jealousy

Jealousy
Photo: Adam Bixby on Unsplash

God gave us everything. We have the most beautiful planet. It teems with unimaginably diverse life. It dances with the sun and the moon to a divine rhythm. From bold ocean waves to timid creeks, water traverses the planet, carving into rocks, sustaining life, with a music that is a reminder of our beginning. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, we will return to the earth from whence we came. One would think that until then, we would bask in our great, unmerited gift, glorifying God at every opportunity.

Instead, we take it for granted or even seem to have no reverence for it. We think we can do better. We are men and women after all. We can create technology, buildings, cars, factories, and more, weapons. We can destroy each other. We can destroy our planet to the point that it is barely habitable. We think we can do better than God. We think we are more powerful than God. However, it is a false sense of power, buttressed by narcissism and self-delusion. After all, it is so much easier to destroy than to create.  

We make a mockery of ourselves, and yet we persist in this self-defeating jealousy, forever repeating the original sin. Why? Evolution is a myth. There has been no real evolution. True evolution is understanding and accepting that God is God, and we will never be God no matter how hard we try, no matter what we create.

If we could genuinely humble ourselves, we could then love him as he deserves to be loved and appreciate the undeserved gift of abundant life that he gave us. We would then cherish it because we would understand that no matter how great we think we are, no matter what we think we can create, we cannot recreate our planet. Like our entire universe, it is God’s creation and God’s alone.

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