Faith and the Liberty Movement
Are faith and Libertarian politics compatible? Most early Anarchists would tell you no. To them, religion was just another form of oppression, of coercion. In many cases, they were right. But religion itself has changed since the times of early theorists. Religion is more voluntary, more flexible, and more inclusive. It is my belief that at this time in history, Libertarian politics and faith are capable of not only coexisting, but working together to advance liberty in American politics.
I will begin by pointing out the more obvious. Modern religion is much, much more voluntary than religion even 50 years ago. Newer forms of older religions, like Unitarian Christianity and Reform Judaism, and entirely new religions, like the New Age Movement, tend to be very socially progressive. The website of the Unitarian Universalist Association states that “we draw upon… Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.” The Unitarian interpretation of Christianity has nothing to do with coercion, it’s nothing like the Christianity the early Anarchists would’ve been responding to. Because of this, it is wrong to treat it the same way they treated the Churches of their time.
This more accepting interpretation of religion can also be seen in Reform Judaism. Their list of positions includes rather libertarian ideas, such as opposing the annexation of the West Bank, ending private prisons, and allowing refugees to seek places of safety in our country. One might make the argument that although Reform Judaism (and other progressive religions) have socially libertarian positions, they often have more statist positions on fiscal policy, a major issue for Libertarians. While this is often accurate, I propose two challenges to that as an idea which would stop any participation between Faith and the Liberty Movement. First, the extraordinary social progressivism, often going much further than the Democratic Party, might link Reform Jews, Unitarians, and other reformed faiths to the traditionally socially progressive Libertarian Party. It might even draw them farther, perhaps all the way to Anarchism. I will return to that idea later.
My other challenge to the idea that reform religious support for big government makes cooperation impossible is that some members of these religions already believe in conservative fiscal policy. Although most Jews in America are Democrats, Romney won 30% of the Jewish vote in 2012. To get that high a percentage, he would’ve needed some level of support from the Reform and Conservative Jewish communities, and of course from the Orthodox community. What does this mean? Well, it means that even Jews who tend to be socially progressive are willing to vote for a relatively fiscally conservative candidate. I believe this signifies the potential for significant outreach into reform faith communities.
But that’s enough talk about moderation. While earlier, I stated that most early Anarchists were Anti-Theist, this comes with exceptions. One major one was notable author Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy is considered to be an Anarcho-Pacifist. He was also a committed Christian. Priest Giles Fraser wrote in 2016 for The Guardian that “Tolstoy’s Christianity was unusual. He didn’t care for the creeds or doctrines of the church, nor for its supernaturalism, nor for what he saw as the hypocrisy of its self-satisfied practitioners.” Tolstoy had no respect for organized religion, just like he had no respect for an organized state. He applied Anarchism to everything in his life, and yet his faith was still there, but a pure version of it, one that affected no one else, controlled no one else, or limited anyone else’s freedom in any way. I see Tolstoy’s path as the other model for outreach to the religious community. A model focused on spirituality not religion, on liberation not control. The fascinating history of Faith-Centered Anarchism must be tapped into if radical, young, committed Spiritualists are to be attracted to the more anti-government sects of the Liberty movement. It is critical that anyone hoping to build a bridge between Anarchy and Faith remember the basic, unifying principles of “love thy neighbor” and non-violence or non-aggression. Without these ideals, there is no connection.
This article is rambling, and mentions many different connections. I would add that none of these connections are mutually exclusive, or even meant for the same people. They are simply ideas to keep in mind if you’re trying to find a connection between today’s religious movements and today’s liberty movements.
