Category Archives: Libertarianism

Christian conservatives are often the subject of study by academics, who seem to find their culture as foreign as that of Borneo tribesmen. And this is a particularly interesting time for brave social scientists to put on their pith helmets and head to Wheaton, Ill., Colorado Springs or unexplored regions of the South. They will find a community under external and internal cultural stress.

It is fair to say that some cultural views traditionally held by evangelicals are in retreat. Whatever the (likely dim) future of political libertarianism, moral libertarianism has been on the rise. This is perhaps the natural outworking of an enlightenment political philosophy that puts individual rights at its center. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy described this view as the right to define ones own concept of existence.

Whatever else traditional religious views may entail, they involve a belief that existence comes pre-defined. Purpose is discovered, not exerted. And scripture and institutions a community of believers extended back in time are essential to that discovery. This is not, to put it mildly, the spirit of the age.

It was not, as far as I can tell, really the spirit of any age. But many evangelicals believe it was, subscribing to the myth of a lost American Eden. There has certainly been a cultural shift in the United States on religion and public life. But it has largely been from congenial contradiction to less-sympathetic contradiction. There is more criticism of the (thin) veneer of Protestant spirituality in public places. There is also a growing belief that individual rights need to be protected, not only from the state but also from religious institutions that dont share public values. In the extreme case, this means that nuns who dont want to participate in the provision of contraceptives are interfering with conceptual self-definition.

The reaction of evangelicals to these trends can (and does) vary widely. They can accommodate to the prevailing culture, as many evangelicals have already done on issues such as contraception, divorce and the role of women (without talking much about it). Or they can try to fight for their political and cultural place at the table, as other interest groups do.

A recent study, Sowing the Seeds of Discord, by a group of scholars associated with the Public Religion Research Institute, describes a mix of reactions. There is some evidence that younger evangelicals are more socially accepting of social outgroups, including gays and lesbians. A higher proportion of evangelical millennials (more than 40 percent) support gay marriage than do evangelicals overall. But there is no evidence this shift is changing political allegiances. White evangelicals remain reliably and monolithically Republican.

My interpretation: Even as some evangelical cultural views change along with broader norms, the Democratic Party is still viewed as a hostile instrument of secularization a perception reinforced by the health-care mandates of the Obama era.

But the most interesting finding of the study concerns where disaffection with conservative politics is developing among evangelicals. On a number of questions Should under God be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance? Does religion solve more social problems than it creates? evangelical millennials expressed more negative views on the social role of religion according to an unexpected pattern. Those who lack friends and ties outside evangelicalism are more critical of traditional evangelical views. Millennials, according to the study, react more negatively and see less value in religious socialization when they have more homogenous networks . The authors believe this small but significant shift represents a rejection of the embattled, political subculture of their parents.

My interpretation: A desperate, angry, apocalyptic tone of social engagement alienates many people, including some of the children of those who practice it.

Conservative evangelicals, like other religious people before them, are responding to a culture that does not always share their values. But a purely reactive model of politics is not attractive, even internally. And the problem is not only strategic but theological. A Christian vision of social engagement that is defined by resentment for lost social position and a scramble for group advantage is not particularly Christian.

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Introspection time for evangelicals

Christian conservatives are often the subject of study by academics, who seem to find their culture as foreign as that of Borneo tribesmen. And this is a particularly interesting time for brave social scientists to put on their pith helmets and head to Wheaton, Illinois, Colorado Springs or unexplored regions of the South. They will find a community under external and internal cultural stress.

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WASHINGTON Christian conservatives are often the subject of study by academics, who seem to find their culture as foreign as that of Borneo tribesmen. And this is a particularly interesting time for brave social scientists to put on their pith helmets and head to Wheaton, Illinois, Colorado Springs or unexplored regions of the South. They will find a community under external and internal cultural stress.

It is fair to say that some cultural views traditionally held by evangelicals are in retreat. Whatever the (likely dim) future of political libertarianism, moral libertarianism has been on the rise. This is perhaps the natural outworking of an enlightenment political philosophy that puts individual rights at its center. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy described this view as the "right to define one's own concept of existence."

Whatever else traditional religious views may entail, they involve a belief that existence comes pre-defined. Purpose is discovered, not exerted. And scripture and institutions a community of believers extended back in time are essential to that discovery. This is not, to put it mildly, the spirit of the age.

It was not, as far as I can tell, really the spirit of any age. But many evangelicals believe it was, subscribing to the myth of a lost American Eden. There has certainly been a cultural shift in America on religion and public life. But it has largely been from congenial contradiction to less-sympathetic contradiction. There is more criticism of the (thin) veneer of Protestant spirituality in public places. There is also a growing belief that individual rights need to be protected, not only from the state but from religious institutions that don't share public values. In the extreme case, this means that nuns who don't want to participate in the provision of contraceptives are interfering with conceptual self-definition.

The reaction of evangelicals to these trends can (and does) vary widely. They can accommodate to the prevailing culture, as many evangelicals have already done on issues such as contraception, divorce and the role of women (without talking much about it). Or they can try to fight for their political and cultural place at the table, as other interest groups do.

A recent study, "Sowing the Seeds of Discord," by a group of scholars associated with the Public Religion Research Institute, describes a mix of reactions. There is some evidence that younger evangelicals are more socially accepting of social "outgroups," including gays and lesbians. A higher proportion of evangelical millennials (more than 40 percent) support gay marriage than do evangelicals overall. But there is no evidence this shift is changing political allegiances. White evangelicals remain reliably and monolithically Republican.

My interpretation: Even as some evangelical cultural views change along with broader norms, the Democratic Party is still viewed as a hostile instrument of secularization a perception reinforced by the health care mandates of the Obama era.

See original here:
Michael Gerson: Now is important introspection time for evangelicals

In this Jan. 28, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, campaigns in Freeport, Maine.

Robert F. Bukaty, Associated Press

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After years of political obscurity, libertarianism is finally having its day, at least according to The New York Times Robert Draper.

Libertarians, who long have relished their role as acerbic sideline critics of American political theater, now find themselves and their movement thrust into the middle of it, he wrote as part of the August cover for The New York Times Magazine.

According to Draper, shifting attitudes toward issues such as same-sex marriage, government surveillance, marijuana decriminalization, foreign intervention, military spending (though, attitudes seem to be swinging back toward interventionism in the weeks since Drapers article) and even reduced sentencing for minor drug offenders prove that the ideology once reserved primarily for third parties is emerging as a major force in American politics.

But while Drapers story focuses almost exclusively on the trends of national politics, as Tip O'Neill famously said, all politics is local. So whether or not Drapers assessment of the Libertarian Moment is correct (The Atlantics David Frum certainly doesnt think so), its worth considering the prospects of libertarianism in the state of Utah.

Regional politics

As far as definitions are concerned, libertarianism is typically understood to be the belief that government should interfere as little as possible in the lives of citizens. As an ideology, libertarianism can manifest itself in more organized capacities for example, an official Libertarian Party was founded in 1971 or as simply an ideological leaning within either of the existing major parties. Either way, those who claim libertarianism in either form are often uncomfortable with increased federal or state power, and hold self governance up as the standard for societal success.

In many ways, Utah seems like a prime state to accept a place in Drapers emerging libertarian America. In a 2013 article by The Washington Posts Reid Wilson, historian Colin Woodard outlined what he thought to be 11 American nations identified according to the unique political landscapes of all the major regions in America. The far West, according to Woodard, encompasses the Great Plains and the Mountain West, which includes Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming and Montana, as well as much of Colorado, Washington, California, New Mexico, the Dakotas and Nebraska.

Originally posted here:
Join the discussion: How libertarian is Utah?

Conservative Libertarianism the Transformation of First Amendment Jurisprudence
In observance of Constitution Day 2014, Professor Steven Heyman presented a lecture on the impact of conservative libertarian ideology on the First Amendment...

By: IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law

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Conservative Libertarianism & the Transformation of First Amendment Jurisprudence - Video

Enjoy a 40oz and Discuss Constitutional Libertarianism
Shoutouts to Tiffany Madison, Libertarian Girl, Julie Borowski, and Rachel Liberty Texas.

By: Mr Met 40oz

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Enjoy a 40oz and Discuss Constitutional Libertarianism - Video

LIBERTYFEST!(And why true libertarianism isn #39;t around)

By: Oliver Stein

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LIBERTYFEST!(And why true libertarianism isn't around) - Video

Ron Paul and Tom Woods: Libertarianism and Its Critics
In this interview, Ron Paul and VOL Voice Tom Woods discuss the barrage of attacks on libertarians made by "big media," and what Tom Woods and others are doing to fight back. More at VoicesofLibert...

By: Voices of Liberty

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Ron Paul and Tom Woods: Libertarianism and Its Critics - Video

VIDEO: Ron Paul Interviews Tom Woods on Libertarianism and Its Critics
VIDEO: Ron Paul Interviews Tom Woods on Libertarianism and Its Critics.

By: Paytr121

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VIDEO: Ron Paul Interviews Tom Woods on Libertarianism and Its Critics - Video

Noam Chomsky educates AnCap about Libertarianism
Noam Chomsky explains to Stefan Molyneux what libertarianism is really about, and that the ultra right-wing ideology that Stefan subscribes to is just a call for corporate tyranny.

By: Right-libertarianism exposed

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Noam Chomsky educates AnCap about Libertarianism - Video

Libertarianism: Why I #39;m a libertarian.
Government have been encroaching and infringing on our personal rights for hundreds of years. Why aren #39;t most people concerned about this issue?

By: Sami Al-Suwaidi

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Libertarianism: Why I'm a libertarian. - Video