Why Ron Paul has Me Confused
Ron Paul is an anomaly. A politician seemingly above reproach. I’ve followed his campaign from the beginning, watching the grassroots efforts begin to grow into saplings.
I had also heard rumors for years of this strange dark horse in Congress named somewhat derisively as “Dr. No”, because he votes “no” on nearly every bill put before the House.
As far as I can tell, he’s a rock solid libertarian who love the ideas of liberty and personal responsibility, and his ultimate goal is to cut back the Federal government’s power, to trim the wild overgrowth that makes it a lumbering, inefficient behemoth that does more harm than good and keeps whacking honest, responsible people in the face.
This is a worthy goal. In fact, it should be one of the natural side effects of the people losing faith in government, which is one of the main agendas of this blog. So it would seem natural that I would throw my whole-hearted support behind this Dr. No and do everything in my power to see him elected.
But this is where the confusion comes in.
I consider myself a peaceful Christian anarchist in relation to earthly governments, a citizen only of heaven. Once I came to this realization, I vowed that:
- I would never run for political office. Politics is about using violence to get people to do what they would not normally do voluntarily. This is done either directly or with implicit threats. It is my opinion that Christians should not be involved in forceful coercion. There are better, more Biblical ways, of getting things accomplished.
- I would never vote again. This flows from the first. If I voted I would be implicitly giving my consent to be governed, and voluntarily giving authority and approval to our “tyranny of the majority.”
But again, Ron Paul is an anomaly. Politics is usually the last refuge of the incompetent, but Ron Paul is not a career politician. He was a doctor for many years before being elected to office.
He has also shown himself to be pure water when dealing with the oil of the lobbyists, to the point where they now almost ignore him and don’t even try anymore. There probably isn’t a better thing you could say about a politician.
But it is still politics. And Ron Paul, at this moment, is still a politician who is seeking power. And if elected, he will have to compromise and pander like the worst of them in order to get anything done.
I don’t think he’s going to win. In fact, I hope he doesn’t, because I don’t want the libertarian tension that is building in this country to release until its truly ready, and the hearts of the people are not ready yet. We still wish to bow down prostrate before the gods of government and rely on them for as much as we can mooch off them.
There are decades of propaganda, revisionist history, opportunistic Bible reading, and various other bad habits to break down before we recognize the value of liberty once again, and realize that we are not supposed to be slaves to this idol.
It’s very tempting to try and take this easy way out, and fight fire with fire. But I don’t want to see what happened after Reagan was elected happen if Paul is elected. Reagan was simply used as the pressure valve to release the pent up libertarian sentiment that had been building in the late 70’s, and ended up doing more harm overall than good, because all of that energy was depleted.
Libertarians got lethargic and lazy during those eight years, and it takes a long time to build up momentum again.
With all of that said, I have still decided to do my part to publicize his campaign, because it is bringing more attention to the ideas of liberty, and because it’s fun to watch other politicians squirm and make fools of themselves when in the same room as Ron Paul.
But I must add that a Ron Paul victory is not THE victory for liberty. It is not an excuse for rest. Paul himself probably knows this well, because Washington is still full of politicians, and he will face steel door after steel door of opposition. And let’s face it, he’s not exactly Superman.
This is just a skirmish in the larger war. Be strong and courageous, because it is an important one, but there will be many more after it.
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I appreciate your information of Ron Paul. I have been following him to some degree myself. It is ashame that not more publicity is given to him when it is obvious that the democrats and republicans are doing a horrible job of leading this country.
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Glad to here it. It’s funny that the establishment is so scared of him, when his platform fits firmly into the Republican Party platform of over 100 years ago.
But history doesn’t seem to be a popular subject these days.
If Dr Ron Paul isn’t elected we might need a real revolution to have any say in what goes on here. If your sad sack crap is a slight you can leave if your a wuss and don’t want to help fight for freedom continue to accept the crap they throw you. I’m in it with RP all the way, work hard and let the chips fall where they may!
Hello Friends and Brothers,
Recently I have been re-reading the book of Judges. How often in the past has the Lord graciously raised up leaders to rescue His people from the pits they had gotten themselves into?!
It is my hope and prayer that the Honorable Dr. Ron Paul may be such a leader in our lifetime, and so I am laboring and praying that may happen!
You can find a few more of my thoughts here:
BTW, you can read a comment there from another anarchist, namely Larken Rose - a man who has stood against federal tyrrany and paid the price for doing so.
Blessings!
[…] post that put me “on the map”, or at least began the process, was my collection of thoughts on Ron Paul, and why he had me confused. My thoughts have evolved somewhat since then, and I hope to revisit […]
No-one denies that there are greater battles yet to come. In Reagan’s era we were limited in our understanding by the mainstream media and therefore became complacent over time. That form of news no longer dominates our lives anymore. We now have the internet and what a powerful tool it has become. For the first time in American history the populace has the capability to make decisions based on sound information. And we are doing just that in supporting Ron Paul.
We have to start running for office ourselves. All of us do. That’s the answer… We must BECOME Ron Paul.
Joseph,
Excellent point. The internet does indeed change everything. The more people who are educated with good information, the better.
But I don’t agree with running for office. More good can be done at the grassroots level, like affecting your neighbors, families, and friends. More good can be done engaging the culture than running for office. There are just so many more things that are more efficient and affect people’s hearts better than simply running for office.
A well written book, a well made movie, artful music, are things that can have more impact. Why do you think Ayn Rand is still read today? Or George Orwell. These things have the power to change hearts, for both Christians and libertarians.
And like I said, government is the institutionalized use of violence, and personally, getting involved means condoning that violence.
I have a similar thought process going on. I do not choose to participate in a system that raises some men to rule over others. (Calvin’s commentary on Genesis 6:4 was a bit of a start on this line of thinking for me). I have been thinking that Ron Paul is the best chance to move toward freedom in this country and so I have been thinking about registering republican and voting in the primary election. I still would not participate in the final election but I am toying with using my very small vote to influence the primary. I am not decided yet and would appreciate any thoughts.
Thanks for the article.
I have yet to read Calvin. It’s a gaping hole in my knowledge, I must admit. Is there a summary of his argument you can point me to?
I also toyed with the idea of registering for the primaries, but finally decided against it, for the reasons stated above. I can’t do it and stay consistent with my personal philosophy. But I can encourage others who feel it is worthwhile, as I certainly understand where they are coming from, and see the value in it.
There is alot to read by/about Calvin (and I am not an expert) but I use his commentaries (and Matthew Henry’s) when preparing for Sunday School (I sub for the adult class every so often). You can find his commentaries (and many other resources) linked from reformed.org. (here is a direct link to chapter 6 of Genesis http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom01.xii.i.html )
Here is a snip from Calvin’s comments there:
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The same became mighty men which were of old. The word ‘age’ is commonly understood to mean antiquity : as if Moses had said, that they who first exercised tyranny or power in the world, together with an excessive licentiousness and an unbridled lust of dominion, had begun from this race.
…
the sum of the whole, however, is, that they were ferocious tyrants, who separated themselves from the common rank. Their first fault was pride; because, relying on their own strength, they arrogated to themselves more than was due. Pride produced contempt of God, because, being inflated by arrogance, they began to shake off every yoke. At the same time, they were also disdainful and cruel towards men; because it is not possible that they, who would not bear to yield obedience to God, should have acted with moderation towards men.
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Nevertheless, under the magnificent title of heroes, they cruelly exercised dominion, and acquired power and fame for themselves, by injuring and oppressing their brethren. And this was the first nobility of the world. Lest any one should too greatly delight himself in a long and dingy line of ancestry; this, I repeat, was the nobility, which raised itself on high, by pouring contempt and disgrace on others.
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I think he was either reading into this text a bit or using another source to supplement his thoughts here but I think it is consistent with the passage.
I have recently read “By This Standard” by Greg L. Bahnsen and I would very much recommend it. I do disagree with the view that the state is necessary and I think we can see that by the absence of it during the time of the Judges. Although it had many problems due to the sinfulness of man, anarchy, of a republican nature (by that I mean based on the written laws revealed by God), was the form of gov’t God instituted for His people. I don’t think the form is as important as the basis (the laws given by God) but I do think the form should not be disregarded out of hand as it usually is.
Sorry to go on. I just stumbled upon this through digg so I might not check back too often but I appreciate your thoughts and will be back. Thanks.
It seems like he is reading into it a bit, but it does fit, as you say. Jesus even says to not be like the Gentiles, who lord power over their subject, and then call themselves benefactors. Benefactors, heroes, public servants, etc.
There isn’t anything inherently wrong with people rising as natural rulers. It’s just when they claim a monopoly on the privilege where we get our modern day forms of government.
Necessity of the State is something I disagree on with a great many people and writers, particularly NT Wright, but with the expansion of the internet, and the proliferation of information, the arguments for the State grow weaker and weaker with every passing day.
Thanks for stopping by. And if you want to better keep abreast of what’s going on, you can just subscribe to a comment thread with the check box, or subscribe to my RSS feed.
BTW “By This Standard” can be found here for FREE: http://s155777461.onlinehome.us/docs/2c6a_47e.htm
(you gotta love that)
Ha! Just another example of how much information we have at our fingertips. Thanks.
Matt,
My pastor just sent me this link that I thought would interest you:
http://www.whchurch.org/content/page_721.htm - this is the page for A Myth, a Cross and a Sword
Here is a link to and 14 page excerpt from The Myth of a Christian Nation:
http://www.whchurch.org/whchurch/pdfs/Myth-of-a-Christian-Nation-excerpt.pdf
I hope you find it interesting.
Thanks again! I’ll check them out.
And be sure to tell other people you know about this blog? You would have my eternal gratitude.