It appears that some readers think it is far fetched and fantastical that a society might be moral and religious — in need of little state intervention — and also that I am calling for the abolition of all government, and thus, anarchy.
To the first point, generally speaking, there is a plethora of faithful church communities that rebut their skepticism; societal groups that reflect the traits they seemingly scoff at as unattainable. Even outside of those circles, what sets the United States apart from much of the world is the residual capital of a Christian society. The waning scent of Christendom gives America the decent societal order it still enjoys. That’s why people flock here.
Additionally, the moral and religious society some discount was assumed by the founders of this country. The fathers established the colonies, states and constitutional republic with the understanding that apart from a moral people, this venture would fail, and it appears they were correct.
Regarding the second point, I do not wish to abolish government, but merely to put it back in its cage. The U.S. Constitution was designed to keep the federal government in chains and at bay; the state constitutions similarly so. Authority should be kept within its God-given bounds.
Government is necessary because men are sinners. Thus, the government is needed to punish those who do wrong, and reward those who do right. To carry out true justice, that is, to protect each man’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, God gives the sword of punishment to the government so it might do just that; deliver equal justice for all.
If government is to execute justice, what else should it do? Everything? No one believes government should oversee every thought and breath of all men, so the government must be limited somewhere. Where is the limit to government’s authority? What should it not do?
Simply put, the government should not encroach into family, church, business or any other area of private enterprise. This encroachment, no matter how well intended, will always lead to dependency, bigger government and poor results.
The government should not assist, interfere or give undue advantage to any man seeking life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness. Their job is to protect those God-given rights for all citizens and punish offenders.
Any involvement, other than justice, will necessarily infringe on one man’s rights and give advantage to another man. Welfare takes from the haves and gives to the have-nots. Mercantilist crony capitalism favors big business while shirking small business. Public schooling gives schooling to some, while burdening non-participants with the cost.
There is quite a hue and cry for separation of church and state, but why do we not also insist on separation of family and state, or business and state, or school and state? Maybe we should be consistent and keep the government out of the church and the family and business and school.
We all desire a moral society. We all long for the utopia of unbroken relationships and economic prosperity. Each of us believes our god will deliver, but there is only one God. Some trust in chariots of welfare or horses of education, funded by our neighbors’ money. We must trust in the Name of the Lord our God. More government programs is not the answer to government problems. That’s like putting more bricks in a heavy wheelbarrow to lighten the load.
Let me be redundant for emphasis. No government program historically, no strategy in existence today, nor any scheme which shall appear as a gleam in a bureaucrat’s eye, will ever stop mass shootings, or drug abuse, or mental health issues, or racial discord. No government contrivance will defeat poverty, heal family breakdowns, alleviate suicide, solve immigration problems, equalize incomes, or make the metric system a useful means of measurement. Government programs are broken cisterns and dumb idols.
Why can I be so sure? First, because the problems all spring from sin, and money cannot pay for or defeat sin. Secondly, because the record for the success of government programs is something like zero for twenty billion. Success being defined as resolving the problem, not covering the symptom. A diet is not successful if you simply buy larger clothes.
Men do evil things because their hearts are evil; it’s called sin. Men sin because they are slaves to sin. Government programs and intervention treat the fever, but the cancer is still there. Only the Spirit of God can change the hearts of men. Only the Spirit can set men free from slavery to sin. Only then is there real freedom, and only then can a society be free and moral, with limited government.
A godly man will be a self-governing man who will not need a hovering nanny government running his life. Christ gives freedom which the government cannot. Multiply this exponentially in a society, and you will need very little government. Obviously, we are not there in our society. Christians dropped the ball long ago, and the government picked it up. The church and society abdicated to the state. We must not expect wholesale changes tomorrow, or government to shrink overnight.
As a legislator, I seek to awaken men’s spirits to true freedom. To bring to memory the smell of liberty, the elation of independence, the power of prerogative and initiative. To call to mind a time when welfare was through the church, a hand up came from your neighbor, and financial aid was received resignedly from your family. We must legislate in a way to make this possible by pushing back against the government leviathan. We must not legislate so as to add bricks to the wheelbarrow, but to start heaving them out.
Rep. Greg DeVries (R-Jefferson City) represents House District 75. He can be reached at greg.devries@mtleg.gov and via his Facebook page.
