Guest Post featuring Chuck Burns

(I'd like to welcome my first guest blogger! Thank you for your post today, Chuck!

Here's a scripture reference I'm including, per Chuck's permission:
John 2:14-18 (King James Version)

And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?)

Generally, when most people think of Christians, they see loud, passionate
people, clutching their Bibles, and shouting about sin, morality, and whatnot.
When those same people think of Libertarians, they see dope-smoking hippies,
saying "yea man, do whatever you want, it's all cool man." By the end of this
article, you will be able to understand how these two seemingly different
groups of people can, indeed, be one in the same.

These two completely different groups of people, are the perception that most
in the mass media have of each group, and it's the image they project onto
their viewers. What they fail to consider is this: me, and people like me.
We're proud of our Christianity, we just don't stand on the street corner and
tell every passerby they're going to burn. We believe in freedom of choice,
as long as that choice does not interfere with another person's freedoms.

I have some Christian friends, and family, who really don't quite understand
it all. Let me lay it all out, plain and simple. Jesus taught several
principles, but his underlying teaching was personal choice. You either chose
to follow him, or you didn't. No laws, no government saying "These are things
you must do." None of that. "Follow me, listen to my tales, and learn from
me." Jesus Christ did not enter government service. He was not born into
politics, and then pass laws requiring this and that.

What did He do when he came upon the money-changers in the temple? He made
them leave. He did NOT tell them to completely stop doing it, nor did he try
to implement laws to make their practice illegal. He simply said "This is my
Father's house, and you will not do that here." Think of the significance of
that act. He showed his displeasure, and removed them from his Father's
house. That was his right to do so.

Consider the prostitute who approached him, He blessed her after she repented
for her sins. But did He then try to make prostitution illegal?

Your morality is your own, society does not become depraved because of a lack
of laws, but by a lack of morals, and you simply cannot legislate morality.
Oh sure, you can pass laws banning this, that, and the other thing. But those
things still continue, and our government wastes precious resources on
policing crimes that have no victims other than the criminal. In most cases,
you are supposed to incarcerate the criminal, and give counseling, thoughts
and prayers to the victim. What if these two are the same person?

We will be tempted, and we will sometimes fall. Do we, as Christians, punish
others as they fall, or try to help them back up?

Judge ye not, lest ye be judged. People can do evil things to themselves, and
to others. Libertarians only stop them from doing the second. Morality is
not forcing your own morality on others. We should look at someone doing
something against our Christian beliefs, and tell them "I pray for you,
brother/sister." Not look at them and say "I see you doing that, but minding
your own business, so I'm calling the cops to have you arrested for it!"

Remember that, the next time you hear someone trying to put a square peg like
me, into a round hole.
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Chuck Burns, is the main high-tech redneck, at The Southern Libertarian.
He blogs about politics, liberty, and freedom.