“Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.” John Adams

I am often at a loss as to why people are so seemingly willing to give up their freedoms. Maybe it’s because of the way I was raised. I remember the seatbelt campaigns of the late 60’s and early 70’s. My Dad warned at the time that it wouldn’t be long before it was a law that you had to wear your seatbelt whenever you were in the car. I didn’t think much of his “prophesy” at the time, but now I do. Now it’s hundreds of dollars for no seatbelt, and multiple times that for improper child restraint.

What’s the big deal, you might be wondering. Aren’t seat belts good? Aren’t child seats wonderful safety features? Doesn’t it make sense to wear your seat belt when traveling? Yes, yes and yes, is my response – but that’s not the point. The point is that Americans feel that their government has the right to force you to wear your seat belt, and the right to charge you money when not doing so. They forfeited their personal obligation (take care of yourself) and common sense (buckle up for safety) as well as their general knowledge of constitutional restraints (limited government), by allowing big brother to step in and decide for us… and it takes away our freedom to live and choose as we see best for our own families.

Al Capone had a similar scam in the early part of the last century. His boys would sell businesses “fire” insurance. What’s so bad about that? Well, Capone wasn’t insuring businesses against loss in case of a fire. He was extorting money from American businessmen: If they didn’t buy the insurance, they generally had a fire within the next day or two.

If you don’t think that giving up freedoms in a minor area like seat belts is a big deal, then how about this: How about no prayers in public schools? How about no Bibles in the work place if you are a boss? How about being forced to take part in promoting sexual immorality if you bake cakes or sell flowers or take pictures or make T-shirts? How about being forced to buy “insurance”? It was good enough for Al and the boys, why shouldn’t it be good enough for all the President’s men? It goes something like this: You buy our insurance, and we won’t fine you or put you in prison!

When you start trading your freedoms… for freedom, you start down a slippery slope towards a deep pit that can be very difficult to climb out of. Some days I fear that we are already in that very pit.

“They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to depravity.” I Peter 2:19, NIV

That’s the bad news about the current laws of our land that are rapidly choking any freedoms we as Americans used to enjoy. The good news is that there is a perfect set of laws that promise a freedom that wicked men can never take away.

“But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it –he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:25, NIV