Our Threatened Freedom

Are Fake Menaces Being Promoted

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Political Studies

Lesson: 90-169

Genre: Conversation

Track: 090

Dictation Name: Vol. G - Part 12 - Are Fake Menaces Being Promoted

Location/Venue: Unknown

Year: 1980’s – 1990’s

[Dr. Rushdoony] Are fake menaces being promoted? This is R.J. Rushdoony with a report on our threatened freedom.

We are regularly told by the press of various cults which are supposedly sweeping the country, capturing countless numbers of youth, fleecing people out of money and generally creating problems. Among these groups, regularly attacked are the Unification Church, or {?}, the Church of Scientology and {?}. Now I emphatically disagree with the beliefs of these, and other like groups, but I strongly disagree with the idea that they are a menace.

First, in spite of the exaggerated reports about these people, they are numerically small. The Moonies{?} in the United States number about 7,000. The Church of Scientology has a membership of between 5 and 10,000. The Herakrechian{?} are about 1,500.

Second, if these or any other groups are out of line, we have more than enough laws on the books to take care of such cases. For example, Jim Jones and the Peoples’ Church existed with state and federal cooperation, complaints against the group went unheeded. When the tragedy took place, all kinds of laws were proposed by the people who had done nothing previously. Those new laws were to control the rest of us more than the cults. The same is true of today.

A number of states are framing legislation to control the Moonies{?} and others.

These proposed laws are so worded that they would easily control all of us, but this is not all. All too often the courts have permitted the kidnapping and deprogramming of members of these cults. Now I would consider it a tragedy if a member of my family joined the Moonies{?}, but would that make it right for me to have them kidnapped? We are seeing people now kidnapped for turning Christian, using the same legal precedence. Will we see people kidnapped in the years ahead for Democratic, or Republican? In other words, if we use the law to punish dissent, we are outlawing freedom.

A free society requires the possibility of people doing some foolish things. The freedom to makes mistakes is an essential part of freedom. While sin is anathema to God, God allows us the option of sinning. He does not alter the fact that sin is sin, but neither does He try to make it impossible for us to sin. What some people are trying to do is to be wiser than God. They want to legislate so as to prevent man from doing anything but the prescribed thing, however well intentioned, such legislation is a stepping stone to totalitarianism.

Freedom does mean that things we disagree with, and even regard as evil, can exist. But freedom also means that truth and man alike have an opportunity to grow and develop.

This has been R.J. Rushdoony with a report on our threatened freedom.