Freedom..?
14 Sep 2007
What freedom do we really have?
As a Christian I am led to believe by some of those around me that I am weighed down by the heavy burden of following Christ.
Christians are often called hypocrites; we say one thing and do another…
These actions wound the Body of Christ in more ways than I think we can imagine. The rules and regulations that we have to live by are constantly questioned…’why on earth would I want to do that?’ ask my friends ‘why not just be free to do your own thing?’
‘My own thing’ now there is a thought…what is my own thing?
Before I became a Christian I did do ‘my own thing’, it was ‘my choice’ and ‘my freedom’ that made ‘my life’.
I was into heavy metal and hard rock. I still like it but it plays that soundtrack to my life and is not as all encompassing as it once was but I was growing up and this was my choice wasn’t it?
My brother introduced me to the world of heavy metal at the tender age of 13. I started going to gigs, we all did that. I mean you wanted to go and see your bands, they advertised, they said come and we came, we all did that.
I grew my hair long, at that time in rock history it was fashionable to have long hair and I was to no exception, we all did that. Then we would buy albums of the latest bands featured in the fashionable rock magazines, we all did that.
We all had leather jackets and denim jackets over the top with the sleeves chopped off, to this we would add woven patches, these usually went with a pair of tatty blue jeans and then as fashion changed we all wore tight black jeans, we all did that…
In fact we all followed rules of our fashion, that led us into sex, drugs and rock’n’roll… clichés are maybe the obvious rules but there are many more that we follow that we are unaware of….
I have known friends who have had sexually transmitted diseases, friends who have had a breakdown from drug use and dependency and friends who have died who lived fast and hard…
Is this freedom?
Is this fashion?
What is the word that describes people like me who claimed all sorts of freedoms but were actually just following the rules of consumer freedoms…that is, the hidden rules of others who will have you buy a product, the hidden rules that engage you into following a fad?
Isn’t this hypocritical?
Claiming freedom and yet following rules?
Isn’t there more freedom in knowing who you follow?
12 comments
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Comment by ttm
2.36 pm on 14 Sep 2007
Following Christ is filled with paradox. Scripture speaks of an easy yoke AND a cost we must consider. Scripture says Christ gives us freedom AND that we are slaves to God. Scripture tells us to keep his commandments AND that we are no longer under the law.
In my opinion, the only way our human minds can even begin to consider/balance/hold all of these seemingly contradictory (yet they are not) concepts at once is to do what you suggest and focus knowing the one we follow. He will lead, guide, and carry us beyond the fine lines we attempt to draw.
Thank you for your thoughts and questions about freedom. They will continue to churn in my own thoughts today.
Comment by marc
3.46 pm on 14 Sep 2007
Hi ttm
Being a christian can be incredibly confusing…I think its also senseible not to try to run before we walk…
We can learn about Christ and God in out own time…
Comment by Helen
4.01 pm on 14 Sep 2007
Hi marc,
I understand what you’re saying. I think it’s quite Biblical; it’s why the Bible talks about being slaves to sin or slaves to Christ and doesn’t present ‘freedom’ as an option, except in the context that to be a slave of Christ is to be free.
I think the only free people are people who can say ‘no’. That’s why the Bible says being a slave to Christ is being free indeed – because it says he gives people the power to say no: no to temptation, no to being driven to do what gains the approval of others and no to being driven by my desire in this moment to do what makes me feel good, no matter what the consequences may be.
I think there are people who can say ‘no’ who don’t self-identify as followers of Jesus; I think such people have freedom even though that may not be a theologically correct thing to say.
Comment by Paul
8.55 am on 15 Sep 2007
interesting helen, thank you. maybe it’s a no to self obsesion and a yes to loving others?
Comment by Roxie Dufault
5.37 pm on 14 Sep 2007
Hi Jason , I love your site or blog whatever it is ;-)
I found it doing a search on Clark family history
My grandmother was a clark on my father’s side ;-)
Just begiining to learn on that irish celtic side stuff .
I love you are a great thinker .
I am very close to my pagan roots / ancestors and it is very hard discerning at times but I am so happy when I am brought back to One God Creator of all ;-)
Many saints like St. Francis , St.Brigid , Blessed Kateri help me remember being close to nature is ok because it truely is being close to ONE ;-)
i OF COURSE HAD TO SMILE WHEN i LEARNED cLARKS TENDED TO BE WRITERS LOL
Comment by Roxie Dufault
5.43 pm on 14 Sep 2007
Hi Jason , I love your site or blog whatever it is ;-)
I found it doing a search on Clark family history
My grandmother was a clark on my father’s side ;-)
Just begiining to learn on that irish celtic side stuff .
I love you are a great thinker .
I am very close to my pagan roots / ancestors and it is very hard discerning at times but I am so happy when I am brought back to One God Creator of all ;-)
Many saints like St. Francis , St.Brigid , Blessed Kateri help me remember being close to nature is ok because it truely is being close to ONE ;-)
I had to smile when I learned clarks were readers & writers .Guess we are of the same clan ;-)
Comment by Roxie Dufault
5.52 pm on 14 Sep 2007
oops I realized I wrote to someone elses article lol anyway I like this site ;-)
Comment by Helen
8.03 pm on 16 Sep 2007
Paul, yes, that makes sense to me!
Comment by James Prescott
1.47 pm on 17 Sep 2007
Good post Marc, so insightful. I find there is a great irony in that people run away from God becuase He apparently limits their freedom, when actually the opposite is the case. Even more ironic is that the things that people give themselves to which give them more ‘freedom’ than God supposedly does end up limiting their freedom.
However I think there’s some challenges here as Christians.
Are we living as a free people?
Are we merely religously following rules that God sets?
Or, is there a change in our hearts which influences how we live?
We need to show people that God isn’t about our lives.
God isn’t about religion and rules and doing the right thing because we have to. He’s about freedom and changing our hearts so we want to follow Him.
Comment by James Prescott
1.51 pm on 17 Sep 2007
Ooops, sorry guys. Ignore the ‘God isn’t about our lives’ comment, bit of mis-type!! JP.
Comment by marc
2.33 pm on 17 Sep 2007
Indeed James ther eis more to being a christian than rules and regulations.
This is clear when we look at the bible. Sadly some people see it as rule book…follow the rules and get to heaven
heads down, see you at the end!
Comment by Paul
5.54 pm on 18 Sep 2007
the irony being ’slaves to Christ’ rather that slaves to ourselves?
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