Liberals and Liberalism

The very definition of liberalism, or being a liberal, is "liberty" or freedom. I find it so incredibly paradoxical that most "liberals" have no idea what their label means, first of all, and that they take the utmost extremes in silencing anyone who is opposed to their view point. The big question is, "why?" Why, if you espouse "freedom" in almost every avenue of life, would you not want to give the other individual or group the "freedom" to put forth speech, discussions, plans, arguments, whatever? At the very least to test one's own theories? And yet, what I have found most often, is a critiquing, a looking down on that person or persons who do not agree--sometimes vehemently looking down, with no reason to sustain their own liberal thought--they walk away, or shout, or throw insults. I think I know the reason. Truth. One cannot have real "freedom" without coupling that with "truth". And I have found that most people, including myself at one time or another, are afraid of the "truth". Why? Because it involves change. When one comes to the truth of anything, one normally has to change at the very least his thought process and at the worse his actions. It becomes a struggle of our definition of "self-hood". If we have to leave our preconceived notions behind, somehow we have to also leave our self, sometimes what we believe to be our very core being. And that involves pain.

Yet the adage that "the Truth will set you free", is in itself freeing. Once one knows the truth, to stray is to go back to the darkness, the past, the yesteryear when we thought we had it right. But we didn't.

Truth is what all human beings were designed to seek out, and once found, to follow. To turn away or deny that is to seek darkness and even greater pain; with the final caveat of never seeing the light.

But Christ has resolved that. We do occasionally turn from truth, from light. G.K. Chesterton was once asked why he became a Catholic at age forty-four. He replied that he wanted his sins forgiven. And he wanted to know for sure. Christ does that. He forgives us turning away from truth, which is ultimately Him, to put us back on the path to "Truth" and ultimately to "Freedom"!