Ask Fred > Career/Work > When is 'freedom' (any, but especially spiritual) too much freedom? (i.e.--people taking liberty with Liberty).
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Dear Fred
When is 'freedom' (any, but especially spiritual) too much freedom? (i.e.--people taking liberty with Liberty).
Fred's Response
I once read that one man's freedom can be another man's tyranny. It is another way of rephrasing the old chestnut: my freedom ends where your nose begins. Certainly we don't have the freedom to hurt others. I don't believe we have the freedom to destroy tradition. Freedom that neglects responsibility is not an authentic use of liberty. The book, Whatever Happened To Sin written by Menninger states that there are two basic sins in America: 1) hostility, which is the desire to hurt others and 2) masochism, which is the desire to hurt ourselves. Both are a violation of freedom. When we offend, destroy, hinder or abuse in the name of personal liberty and freedom we have violated the true meaning of the word. Scripturally, we are free in Christ, but free to uphold a higher standard, not a lesser one. Christ set the bar much higher when he moved us from strict adherence to the law and introduced the law of love.
