“Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself” (2 Nephi 2.27). I was reminded again how very deadly lies are. Their evil is not personal and individual, but public and societal. I was also recently reminded why so many American “Christians,” Evangelicals, have supported Caligula, the greatest liar to ever occupy the White House. “It became impossible to square my American sense of free will — our image of ourselves as empowered citizens participating in informed choices — with the reality of the way that we were hoodwinked into going along with the invasion of Iraq” (J.D. Maddox, “The Day I Realized I Would Never Find Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq,” nytimes.com). You see, as part of their apostasy, Evangelicals do not believe in free will. You are ether elected or you are not. Therefore, the “free will” that Caligula’s lies steel from individuals, and from our democracy as a whole, is, itself, in their eyes, a lie. No need to worry about the loss of freedom, because men never were free to begin with. Evangelicals’ acceptance of Caligula’s incessant lying, they imagine, has no consequences, but is simply part of the bargain they have made with the devil. They can’t go to hell fast enough for my tastes. It will be consistent with their truly free choice. They spit in the face of freedom and to captivity they will go. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8.32).
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