Freedom!!!!!!!

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I was reading a few things recently and came to understand something from a new perspective.

In the current situation sometimes I will hear someone say or imply that people wanting their freedoms are just being selfish. They are just fighting for their own freedoms. But I don’t think this is actually true.

I believe that when someone fights for freedom, whether they know it or not, they are actually fighting for freedom for everyone.

In Ethan’s post “Lessons from the Gulags” there is a very interesting quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn:

From that point of view our torturers have been punished most horribly of all: they are turning into swine, they are departing downward from humanity.

You can usually see the impact of the loss of freedom on the oppressed person quite easily. But what’s easy to miss is the impact this has on the oppressor. As Solzhenitsyn states, when you look at the soul, they receive punishment most of all.

In the Guest Post “Vaccine Mandates – A Small Business Perspective” there is a closing quote from Rosa Parks:

I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be also free.

Rosa Parks fought for freedom for herself. She also fought for freedom for black Americans.

But what did she, and others, actually gain?… Freedom for the whole of America.

Rosa may not have intended to include those who oppressed her in the group of “others” she was wanting to be free. But in regard to the “soul” of America, that is exactly what she helped to achieve.

How’s That Line in the Sand Going?

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GUEST POST – Scott Kennedy

It’s been over a week now since I went public with the article “My Line in the Sand”. What a rollercoaster ride! In this time I’ve been inundated with messages some supporting my line in the sand, some suggesting I smooth over the sand and choose a new location for the line, and others questioning my character, sanity and motivations. So in this piece I will share my reflections on the reaction to my article.

The Positives

Firstly let me reflect on some of the positives. A highlight for me has been realising I am not alone. There are a lot of us out there. Never before in my life have I received so many encouraging messages about what I am doing most of them from complete strangers. Thank you to all of you who shared messages of support. Our family was blown away with the support and humbled to see the care and concern of many for our plight, and the plight of many good citizens in New Zealand.

A number of supporters have been extremely generous. There have been suggestions and practical tips to help deal with stress and anxiety (thanks Juana from The BFD), multiple offers of financial assistance should we require it, offers of a holiday spot for the family this summer, offers of work, offers of help setting up a small business and many new contacts and alliances formed. Frankly, I’ve been astounded by the love and generosity of these people many of whom have come from the Christian community, and most who do not know me personally.

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Love Your Neighbour and Get Your Vaccine?

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One of the most common arguments that has been repeated again and again across the last year and a half is that we should all get vaccinated to protect the vulnerable. Or in Christian circles, we should get vaccinated as an act of love for our neighbours. The expanded version goes on to talk about how we might not be worried for our personal health with respect to COVID, however, if we are unvaccinated and gather in groups, we place others at risk. We should not stubbornly hold on to our personal rights and preferences at the expense of others. To do so would be unloving and selfish. If we can reduce the risk that others face from COVID why would we not get the vaccine? Some even go further and suggest that because of these considerations, it is right and just for the government to mandate vaccines for large swathes of the population.

While I can see the appeal of this kind of argument, I am convinced that this reasoning is massively inconsistent with the Biblical framework for ethics.

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Vaccine Mandates – A Small Business Perspective

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The Sojournal asked, following Scott Kennedy’s post, if anyone else had their own experience to share, so I thought I may offer a few cents.

I must start by saying that I have a confession to make.

For quite a number of months now I have been struggling with the question of when it is time to take a stand. Without getting bogged down in the detail, I love freedom, and I believe we have God-given freedoms as image-bearers of God, that to some degree are covered by our Bill of Rights. But I also know that God is the ultimate authority that installs Governments and does so for our good. There are sometimes circumstances that require the government to use extreme measures and I do want to think well of the intention of my government, even where I disagree. There is a balance with these things, but with a balance, there is also a tipping point, or as Scott put it in his post, a “line in the sand”, where you no longer can sit back hoping for the best but have to start putting yourself into uncomfortable positions.

While thinking and struggling with this I was often reminded of the well-known quote by German Pastor Martin Niemoller:
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

My confession is that I think I left it too late.

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Are you Affected by the Vaccine Mandates?

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As a result of our recent guest post, My Line in the Sand, we have been inundated with views and comments.

To follow up on this, we at The Sojournal, are trying to collect and publish stories from people who are affected by the COVID vaccine mandate. We are keen to publish respectful articles or videos that address your personal situation. If you wish to remain anonymous, that is fine too.

If you would like to be involved, please use the contact form and we will get back to you. If you know of someone affected, please alert them to our plans.

Let’s show our overlords that we are free and principled people.

A Diagnostic Test for Deity

What is the functional god of a society? This struck me as I was driving somewhere recently. The news came on, and every single item in the bulletin related to the state. I was informed that the government was doing this or that, or in a few cases told what the government ought to be doing but was currently not doing.

This got me thinking. News bulletins are a reflection of what is considered newsworthy. What is newsworthy is a reflection of what a culture considers to be important. What a culture considers to be important is indicative of its worship – or its functional idol if you will. In our case, as I have argued previously this is the state.

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