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It Was the Holy Land
I have shown that there are libertarian elements within the Law of Moses. However, the Law was not completely libertarian. There was no freedom of religion; to worship other gods, profane the Sabbath, be a homosexual, or to channel spirits was to face death. These restrictions fell on both Hebrews and gentiles.
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15. One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. 16. One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. ... 29. Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. 30. But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 31. Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. --Numbers 15 |
This raises an important and disturbing question: should modern Christians and Jews call the enforcement of these laws today? Is allowing complete freedom of religion a sin?
For Christianity we can make a strong case for a “no” answer by looking at the New Testament. Jesus was largely a pacifist in his first earthly visit and called on his disciples to be likewise. There was no call to sweep across the world and smash idols and kill witches. Early Christianity was a peaceful movement using love and charity to create converts – converts made up of people who had been practicing idol worship and witchcraft.
But I can make a case for “no” even with just the Old Testament. It is important to remember that this enforcement was to take place in the Holy Land. This was a special place on earth to be an example to the rest of the world. That which is holy has extra restrictions and extra blessings. The Levites had extra restriction placed upon them [cf. Lev. 10, Lev. 21] but also received the first tithe from the rest of the people.
Notice that I said “land” and not just people. The ancient Hebrews did have a mandate to destroy idol-worshippers who dwelt in the holy land. This seems unfair on the surface, but it is interesting to note Genesis 15:
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13. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14. And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. --Genesis 15 |
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4. Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee. 5. Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6. Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people. --Deuteronomy 9 |
That is, the descendents of Abraham had to leave the Holy Land in order to allow the Amorites to perform sufficient iniquity to justify their extermination. The mandate to destroy idol-worshippers did not extend to all nations of the world.
Leviticus 18 lists [some of?] the iniquities that the Amorites performed to justify their extermination. Leviticus lists various forms of incest and then the following:
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18. Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time. 19. Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. 20. Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her. 21. And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. 22. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. 24. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25. And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 26. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 27. (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 28. That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. --Leviticus 18 |
Note that even non-Hebrews were responsible for these sins, so one can make an Old Testament case for enforcement of laws against incest, homosexuality, and child sacrifice. If we categorize abortion as similar to child sacrifice (“pass through the fire to Molech”) then the Religious Right does have a very good case for laws against abortion. The Religious Right’s objection to gay marriage is also supported by the above.
So I cannot make a case for the complete current Libertarian Party platform using the Old Testament. In fact, I am currently lobbying hard to get the abortion language out of the Libertarian Party platform. [See www.ReformTheLP.org.]
But I can make a case for a government that is far more libertarian than the one that we live under today. I would even go so far to say the LP platform, imperfect though it is, is far closer to the Christian mandate than the platforms of either the Republican or Democratic parties.
And this is before resorting to the calls for mercy and forgiveness found in the New Testament. I intend to look at the New Testament later in an essay entitled “The Power of Mercy.” Stay tuned.