Freedom, Bondage and the Human Experience

By Dr. Elias Ibblestrom

Dr. Ibblestrom, from the Conservative Christian Counseling and Motivational Services organization presents a holistic perspective on healthy living as it applies to people's spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional well-being. By exploring principles like freedom, honor, Christian faith and knowledge, he makes it clear how we can become free from unstable emotions, bad habits, unhealthy paradigms, addictions, etc. This book has the power to change lives. If you are a believer, you will know the importance of making spiritual connections and should read this book for purposes of motivation and to help you sustain your faith in a world full of fears, sorrows, cruelty and temptations. If you are not a believer, you should read this book to come to an understanding of some powerful principles that will be of benefit to you no matter what your belief system is.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514410455

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Copyright © 2015 by Dr. Elias Ibblestrom.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Rev. date: 09/30/2015

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Contents

Introduction

1 LET FREEDOM REIGN

Stuck In Rush Hour Traffic Opening Arguments Let Freedom Reign Freedom And Honor Can We Have Total Freedom? Freedom And Christianity Legitimate Freedom And Illegitimate Freedom Rules And Laws Freedom Is A Holistic Thing The Four Freedoms Freedom And Eight Virtues Honesty Charity Humility Gratitude (Some Observations) Forgiveness Courage Initiative And Diligence Some Observations On Freedom Christian Principles The War In Heaven And The Atonement Of Jesus The Power Of The Atonement The Presence Of Evil Freedom And The Big Picture The Nature Of Evil The Nature Of God Men Are That They Might Have Joy

2 C.C.C.M.S. - A PRIMER

About Us Freedom And Claiming Your Right To Be Happy Happiness, Attitude And Inspiration The Three Levels Of Consciousness (And The Three Steps To Happiness) Preparation Personal Change Sometimes It Is Better Not To Change Some Observations On Change: Being Fluid What Is Success? (Some Observations) The Little Big Step Our Politics My Politics – Steven Harper Socialism Our Religion A Caveat For Youth Love Is Giving And Receiving Is Achieving A Higher State Elitist?

3 OUR MISSION – OUR THREE GOALS

Mission #1 Furthering Understanding The ‘Top Down’ Mentality

Mission #2. To Encourage People To Connect With The Holy Spirit The Moment Of Balance Becoming Aware Of The Spirit Prayer And Connecting With Him

Mission #3. To Let Freedom Reign Freedom And The Best Way To Live The Fight Get On The ‘A’ Team

4 KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM AND TRUTH

Some Observations On Wisdom And TruthTruth

5 THE FIRST THREE FREEDOMS

The First Three Freedoms Physical Freedom Victor Frankl Death - The Big Restriction Economic Freedom Personal Financial Bondage Jobs And A Financed Based World Mental Freedom The Brain, Mind And Spirit Choose Your State Of Mind The Train In The Brain The Media And The Freedom To Think Clearly Depression The One-Minute Anti-Depression Workout Higher Education And False Authority Maturity (Some Observations) Thoughts (Some Observations) 3. Emotional Freedom Drive Out Fear Love And The Freedom To Love Two Kinds Of Love Emotions And Trust (Some Observations) Emotions

6 A SPIRITUAL OVERVIEW

Spirituality And Being Clean Freedom Of Religion An Unseen World Liberty, Bondage And The New Covenant Organized Religion Religion Causes Wars? The Quadrant Of Faith Spiritual Roots Good And Evil Spirits How To Spot An Evil Spirit Religion And Spirituality The Problem Of Evil In The World Absolute And Relative Morality Some Observations: True Spirituality Evil Forces And Levels Of Understanding Levels And Being Above Board Wisdom And The Holy Ghost Good Religion And Bad Religion Our Soul And Its Inclinations Back To The Physical Realm

7 FINDING STRENGTH AND THE PERCEPTION EQUATION

The Perception Equation Gaining Strength Some Observations On Strength: The Personality Default Mode (Pdm) How Important Is The Pdm?

8 RELATIONSHIPS

Marriage Some Further Observations Friendship (Some Observations) Families And Parenting Some Observations: Teamwork One On One Unity Our Relationship With God Prayer Further Thoughts On Prayer: The Mountain And The Mesh Parable The Miracle Of Forgiveness Do We Always Need To Forgive? Making And Keeping Covenants

9 THE THREE LEVELS OF HEAVEN AND THE GREAT SEPARATION

Eternal Life And The Three Levels Of Glory The Celestial Kingdom The Terrestrial And Telestial Worlds Living In The Bottom Half Morality Independence Versus Equality Decency Versus Freedom Of Expression Separations And Gatherings Decency Censorship And Decency A Prophesy

10 HOW TO FIND HAPPINESS

Do We Find Happiness Or Create Happiness? Recognizing Our Purposes In Life Recognition Of The Good Recognition Of The Enemy Trust In The Good Shepherd Seeking The Next Level False Upper Levels Ilml – A Caution The Five-Minute ‘Love’ Therapy Session The Cyclical Observation Process (The Diamond Ring) Our Mental Compound And Its Parameters The Top Of The Mountain Self-Improvement Some Observations On Self-Improvement: On Being Courageous Learning And Being Open To Learn Some Observations On Learning Use Of Language (Some Observations) Morning Epiphanies Morning Rituals Morning - Some Observations ‘Operation ‘Be Happy’ And The Threefold Vision

11 ADDICTIONS

Recovery 12 Step Groups There Is Only One Habit That We Need To Overcome Intensity Addictions Require Permission (Spoken Unspoken) Addictions And Their Prevalence In Society Addictions (Some Observations) Alcohol And The A.g.m. (The ‘Anything Goes’ Mentality) Drugs Sexual Addiction Addictions And Evil Spirits Some Observations: Gambling Smoking (Some Observations) The Profanity Trap Lifestyle Addiction Solutions To Overcoming Addictions Increasing Your Innocence Change, Transcendence And A New Order

12 7PERSONAL FREEDOMS

Freedom From The Past Broken Ideals Of The Past Some Observations On Being Controlled By The Past Freedom From Habitual Ways Of Thinking And Low Self-Esteem Some Observations On Self Esteem Freedom To Think Clearly The Media Again Resentments And Revenge Some Observations On Anger Freedom From Guilt (Some Observations) Cynicism And Doubt Breaking Out Of The Box Freedom From Idle Habits Setting A New Default Mode The Library Is Closed

13 HEALING

Spirituality And The ‘O’ Zone The Xyz Zones Some Tools That Will Protect My O Zone Forgiveness And Healing Self-Control Some Observations On Self-Control: Physical, Mental And Emotional Healing Principle #1: Seek The Truth Principle #2 Find Good Influences (Socially And Environmentally) Principle #3 – Spirituality And Prayer The Power Of No Using Good Words Paranoia And The ‘Safe Zone’ Resolving Issues Taking Flight Some Observations On Healing Aging Some Observations On Aging: Love Revisited Strength Revisited Rest And Relaxation The Three Dimensions Of Healing The Words Of One Who Overcame Cancer Self-Acceptance The Words Of A Man Who Has Accepted Himself The Garden And The Junkyard

14 FREEDOM FROM FALSE IDEAS AND IDEALS

Freedom From False Information - Evolution Some Scientists: Some Theologians: Darwinism Busted Freedom From False Political Ideals Liberalism Coercive Politics When Two Moral Principles Collide The War In Heaven (And Satan’s Plan To Take Away The Freedom Of Mankind) The War On Earth Some Observations On Politics: Free Agency

15 FREEDOM THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

Freedom And Obedience My Peace I Give Unto You Repair Work War And Peace No Other God Self Deception (And The Strata Of Evil) The Coming Battle We Are A Part Of Him Purity Forever Satisfied

Epilogue

The Little Big Step Renewing Our Minds Redemption In A Troubled World

In this world there are ‘clock’ kinds of people and ‘eagle’ kinds of people’. Clock people are organized thinkers. Eagle people are more free thinkers. They are different from each other, but we need both kinds in order for the world to be a happy place. Both kinds, however, need to be united in the same righteous purpose."

- Dr. Elias Ibblestrom

Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

- John 8: 32

He hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound

- Isaiah 61: 1

It says in scriptures that we are all children of God. We need to know this and have a perception of ourselves as such. That is because the point from where we perceive ourselves will determine how we perceive everything else.

- Elias Ibblestrom

To contact the Conservative Christian Counseling and Motivational Services, email:

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Introduction

Aristotle said that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’. I agree. Surely regular contemplation of life is necessary for us if we are to figure it all out and, thus, enjoy it more. On the other hand, some people say that it is impossible to figure out and we should forget about contemplating it and just ‘live it’ as best we can. Not good enough for me. I say that people should always contemplate life and act instead of always being acted upon. In order to get answers you must ask questions. Any joy that you might feel ordinarily will always be enhanced if you come to understand the source of that joy and know how you can gain permanent access to it.

How can we come to know these things? I have decided that the most important factor in gaining such knowledge is to have truth revealed to us by a higher power, or consciousness, who possesses that knowledge. There are just too many known and unknown factors for us to figure it all out in our own limited mortal minds. The revealing of truth is called revelation. Are we capable of receiving revelation from a higher source? I believe that we are and I will endeavor in this book to explain how as I analyze the important, even sacred, concepts of personal happiness and personal freedom.

You can’t be happy if you are not free. In today’s world there are many forces, seen and unseen, who seek to take away the freedom of individuals and cause them to decrease their free agency and, accordingly, shrink their spirits and their spiritual potential. The opposite of freedom is bondage. Bondage means being controlled by forces outside yourself, and even forces inside yourself. Bondage limits a person’s growth and their potential. It shrinks their spirit.

Finding out the truth about what is right and wrong is probably the most important thing you will ever discover in your life. Nevertheless, that is not the end. If, and when, you have discovered the truth (the difference between right and wrong), you will find that you must also be prepared to ‘fight’ to maintain that knowledge and the good spirit that goes with it. You will need to fight external forces that want to take the truth away from you by whatever means. There are many people and institutions who have their own ideas of what is right and wrong and are quite adamant that their views are superior to yours and they will resent your ideas, whatever they may be. That is the way the world works. At most, the fight may cause you to go to war for what you believe is right, but at the very least, at some point in time, you will be called upon to fight to defend your beliefs against opposing forces.

I like to talk about freedom a lot in this book. What is freedom? I define freedom as ‘having the opportunity’ to choose good. Freedom means knowing exactly what your legitimate God-given parameters are and then choosing to live within them without any outside interference. Anything outside of those parameters and universal laws is chaos. Chaos, or anarchy, might sound like freedom, but it is not. Chaos comes down to the law of the jungle, which means that ninety-nine per cent of the population will eventually become enslaved and brought into bondage.

I know that life can be difficult and restrictive and we often need to compromise our time to make money and to do things we need to do out of necessity, but there are many hours in the day and it is our duty to use as many of those hours as we can to learn the truth and what is right and wrong as best we can. This is for the sake of our spiritual, mental and physical survival and none of us are exempt from this. We are busy people, but we are often called to make moral decisions in an instant. Thus, we should always be prepared with an established and thorough sense of personal morality so that worldly forces, forces that can be very persuasive, will not lead us astray.

We must be longsuffering and patient in our righteous efforts (2 Corinthians 6: 6) and come to know how the process of love really works. We must come to know how to connect with the Spirit of God and connect with the spiritual sides of other people. It is the goal of this book to suggest how people might make preparations to do that, so that in the end we will become happy people who are ‘void of offence towards God and man’. (Acts 24: 16)

I realize that some of my views may be out of fashion in certain circles in today’s world, (then again they just might be ahead of their time). Some people may be angry with me for stating my beliefs on certain subjects. I do not wish to cause my business to be hurt or my personal life to be hampered in any way, so as an author, I am following an age-old tradition of using a pen name for this book. I have no qualms about this because it is not ‘me’ that matters in this book; it is the principles I speak about which matter. So let those principles stand or fall on their own merit and let people take them for what they are worth.

I realize that my words will go against the grain of the current trend of liberal thinking and political correctness and because of that, I do not want to submit myself to any harassment from anyone who seeks to cause damage to my professional career, or to my personal life. I would rather, for convenience sake, remain anonymous and hope that the book will be accepted, or not accepted, for what it is. Besides that, I am finding that using a pseudonym makes the book much more fun to write. I am free to say whatever I wish.

This book might be called a ‘self help’ book and I hope it can help people from all walks of life. It was not written for underachievers. It was written for all people, including people who may have much talent and who have definite leadership skills and who have the potential for success, and even greatness. I write for people who are facing trials and temptations in their lives, which we all do from time to time, even people in ‘high places’. My writings are designed to help people along their way to success in whatever field, and to achieve some kind of personal ‘transcendence’. That is, to rise above the norm, or the ‘natural man’. This is accomplished by changing bad habits and wrongheaded mindsets, which we are all capable of possessing. I hope that my readership will include leaders in politics, business, and the arts, in government or in the education system. Successful people, or people with high potential for success, can be distracted and be led into temptations or immorality just like other people, and perhaps even more so, because of the high positions that they hold, or might someday hold. Everybody’s problems are different, but the principles for success are the same for everybody.

Some people might say that I am an opinionated person. I do not deny that. I have opinions. I even judge sometimes, although I do not condemn other people. There is a biblical passage that says, Judge not lest ye be judged. Luke 6:37 I believe that passage to be open to interpretation and there are other verses in the bible that would seem to contradict it. James 2:4 It would make more sense to say that we should not judge in ‘unrighteousness’ and it is more the act of ‘condemning’ than judging that we need to avoid. Having opinions is a part of life and is in fact, a duty for every man and woman. If we did not form opinions we would become victims to every person on the earth who has a criminal mind. We need to decide inside ourselves what is right or wrong, although we must always seek out the most accurate information and have a spiritual connection with God that will allow us to judge righteously and accurately. I mention this because anti-Christians often use the ‘Judge not’ quote in an effort to silence Christians who have opinions that differ from their own. Our judgments will not always be correct, but we must form opinions and, if we hone our skills of discernment, we can hope to get a spiritual witness of the truth in important matters.

We must also persist in constantly analyzing ourselves, and the systems of critical thinking which we have chosen to utilize. This principle could be compared to Jesus instructing people to take the ‘beam’ out of their own eye before taking the ‘mote’ out of someone else’s eye. Matthew 7:3. This should be our first consideration before we ever give anyone any advice.

In science, we learn by experimentation and observation. In the gathering of any knowledge, it is the same. We observe, draw conclusions and look at options; then we see what the end results of those opinions are when we witness them being put into practice. In a spiritual sense, we also observe and learn. We can only learn if we are humble. We must learn that our opinions may be fallible and, in truth, not as accurate, or as virtuous, or as intelligent as we once may have thought them to be. If we become aware of our own misconceptions and are able to change them that would be the greatest gift we could receive. Such a gift can only come to us from an overseeing power, a power higher than ourselves. It is very possible to receive this gift, but it is open only to those who are humble, honest and courageous enough to seek the truth.

I am a person who lived most of my life as a non-Christian. Although I was a Christian on paper, I really did not have a pure understanding of the scope of it all. I became a ‘serious’ Christian in my early forties after much study and experimentation on the Christian lifestyle. I like to write for Christians, but also for people who are unfamiliar with Christian principles because, even in this age of information, there is a lot of misinformation about certain aspects of Christianity. This is promulgated mostly by cynical people and professional troublemakers. Many of those are hack writers and secularists, but some are even members of certain religious establishments (once called scribes and Pharisees). As in New Testament times, there are still ‘scribes and Pharisees’ among us today and I would imagine that if Jesus came back today, he would once again condemn them as people who ‘shut up the kingdom of heaven against men’. Matthew 23:13.

Because I was once a non-Christian myself, I think I know a little about where non-Christians are coming from. On the other hand, most of them, never having been converted, do not know where I am coming from. That’s understandable, but I figure that any commentaries on the important aspects of life are usually more revealing when a person has seen things from both sides of the fence.

The CCCMS is not affiliated with any particular Christian church, mainstream or otherwise. We take truth from wherever we can find it. We have studied the doctrines of various religions and have accepted the ones that are the most cohesive, most intelligent, most practical, most spiritual, and that make the most sense from beginning to end. At the core of all this is our testimony that there is a plan put in place by our Creator, and at the core of it is the law of sacrifice as exemplified by Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. Aside from this main principle, which is non negotiable, we take the best, and most sensible, teachings that all churches have to offer and incorporate them into our philosophy and our theology. We reserve judgment on the rest.

Most of the quotes that I will use in my book will be from the Bible (the King James version). This is because Christians in general require some kind of scriptural evidence for statements made, and rightfully so. I will also be quoting various writers who I have found to exhibit much wisdom and common sense on topics that I believe are important. I will also, occasionally, be quoting from the Book of Mormon, which is a book that I have read and find the teachings there to be in harmony with the teachings of the Bible. I have read criticisms of that book, but I find those criticisms to be closed-minded at best and viciously mean spirited at worst.

I like to discuss ideas. Those ideas can come from a variety of sources. The only requirement I ask is that they are well thought out and make some kind of sense and can stand up to scrutiny. I believe that Christianity, when explained correctly, makes sense and can provide us with the true freedom and peace that we all desire. I will try to explain why I believe this in the coming pages.

Some people might wonder why we have a counseling service for Christians. Aren’t Christians supposed to know the answers or be able to get the answers from their local pastor or priest? Perhaps yes and perhaps no. Perhaps a pastor might have the answers that a particular individual needs and perhaps he, or she, might not. Perhaps a priest might have time to discuss problems with their individual parishioners every week and perhaps they will not. Perhaps a man or woman of the clergy might have a knack for motivating a person in need of motivation and perhaps not. Nevertheless, the CCCMS is here if needed. We believe we have a practical and sensible Christian perspective that is based upon the teachings of scriptures.

One might ask where I get the authority (or the audacity), to say the things I do. I have some credentials, but I do not use them because they do not matter in the end. I have met many people with credentials and PHDs. Some are brilliant people. Others are not brilliant and are lost in academic theory and, in a ‘whole life’ context, they have nothing of importance to say. But it is solid and true principles that a person can communicate that are the important things in our best communications. People are free to accept or reject the principles that I have laid out here in this book. Those principles, however, I see as my credentials and I expect them to stand or fall on their own merit.

I do not speak for God (unless I am quoting scripture). I speak as a mere man who believes in God and who seeks the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit every day. If anyone thinks I am wrong on any subject, then I welcome the input of anyone who can prove me to be so. I, myself, do not really teach, I just pass along information. It is up to the Holy Spirit to do the teaching to everyone. That is ‘top down teaching’, and if you honestly seek Him, He will teach you and speak to you personally in His own way, ‘line upon line and precept upon precept. Here a little and there a little’. Isaiah 28: 10

Because the philosophy of our organization is Christian based, I feel a need to discuss Christian principles from the beginning. Thus, in the very first chapter I discuss important concepts like the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the reason for the devil’s presence on the earth. These spiritual concepts underlie all the other concepts, psychological, philosophical, political, and motivational, which will appear in many other places throughout the book.

CHAPTER 1

Let Freedom Reign

STUCK IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC

It happened a number of years ago now. It was rush hour in the city and I sat in my car amongst a long line of vehicles waiting for them to move. I looked at the hundreds of cars around me and I wondered about the drivers who came from all walks of life. How many of those people, I thought, were happy or contented, being stuck in their vehicle, or even felt they were stuck in their lives? I wondered, ‘how free do those people feel in their situation and how important is the principle of freedom to them?’ As I drove down the highway, I saw some sprawling residential areas. I wondered if the people who lived in those houses really owned them, or did the houses, and the attached mortgages own the people. When I passed a business area or an industrial area, I wondered if the people who worked in those building owned their jobs, or did their jobs own them.

I didn’t know the answer to those questions and I do not know it to this day. I doubt that ever will know the answers to them. I can only know how much happiness I have in my own situation and how much I feel restricted, or held in bondage, by the circumstances that I must work with and work around. I felt an urge at that time to contemplate my own state of happiness. Was I happy with what I had accomplished in my life so far? Was I happy with the way the world has treated me? Am I happy with the way I treated the world? Were there any major changes, positive or negative, that I made in my past, and are there changes I need to make in the present? Is there someone I had hurt in the past and needed to make amends for that? If so, how could I do that?

I also asked myself if those things were worth considering at length? Should I just let the past bury the past? No, I surmised. I decided that the past was worth contemplating for the sake of achieving clarity, even if there was nothing I could do about it. I knew there was some mistakes I had made in my life, without intending to, and I wanted to know why I made them, and if I made them intentionally or unintentionally. I had some guilt and some grievances about some things that happened in my past, but all in all, I was a fairly contented person. In any case, something seemed to be telling me that I had some unfinished business that I needed to deal with.

As I considered the ways in which I may have fallen short, I asked myself, ‘am I free to change anything that I am not happy with in my life, or is it too late for that?’ I have always enjoyed writing and I thought that, I would begin to write my own history, not my biography, but a history of various principles that I have sent time contemplating over the course of my life. These would be principles that would apply to most people, if not all people. I decided that day to take as some time to examine my life and the principles that concerned me intellectually and emotionally, namely the notions of freedom, bondage, personal happiness, trials, faith and making a difference in the lives of other people.

I have lived a varied and complicated life and I wondered whether there was anyone out there who could benefit by learning about my mistakes. About five years later I finally finished my musings; hence, I present this book and say, ‘welcome to the world of Dr. Elias Ibblestrom’.

OPENING ARGUMENTS

In this book I will be stating my case as I try to persuade people to choose freedom over bondage in all situations for the sake of their own mortal, and eternal, well being. It might appear obvious that all people would choose freedom over bondage, but such is not always the case. If it is obvious why do so many people get caught up in dependency and unhappy situations without the will or the ability to change their mindset and be free from negative circumstances? Some people think they have freedom just because they are free to choose which master they will be a slave to, but I believe there must be more to freedom than that.

I will not be judging people’s weaknesses in this book. We all have weaknesses and I have my share of them. Instead, I will be presenting a case for freedom, or more correctly, ‘liberty’ and asking the readers to make their own judgments.

In a court of law, I believe it is customary for the lawyers to present their opening arguments to state whatever it is they hope to prove. Later on, they will then present evidence to back up their claims. Thus, I present my opening argument.

Freedom and bondage are the basic elements of life and of the human spirit so both my opening arguments and my presentations of evidence will be concerned with those basic elements of life, not only the physical elements of life, but unseen spiritual factors as well. These spiritual factors are eternal factors (potentially at least), whereas the things of this world are temporary. Therefore, logically speaking, spiritual things should be of more concern to us than temporal things because they are of eternal worth.

My spiritual beliefs are based upon principles of Christianity. Personally, the wisdom of Jesus Christ and the inspired words of the prophets provide me with the direction that I wish to follow in the hope that I might find lasting happiness.

Some of the principles I state might or might not vary from the doctrine of other Christian churches. Unanimity has never been in the cards anyways, but I have always been an independent thinker and I like to think my thoughts are based upon logical analysis, (albeit with the odd bit of speculation thrown in). It is also based upon my testimony that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world and that salvation, redemption and the liberty can come in no other way than by Him.

Some of the forms of bondage that I write about, like addictions and depression and false ideals might not seem to some people to have anything to do with religion. I have found, however, that there is always a religious component in a solution for any kind of bondage.

Life is a war between good and evil. This planet Earth is the war zone. Part of the war is knowing whose side you want to be on. We all want to be seen as the ‘good guys’, but as history has shown us it is not always that ‘cut and dried’. Thus, aside from the ability to be strong, the ability to be persuasive and smart enough to know when we are being deceived plays a big part in deciding who will gain the upper hand in our daily battles.

Because of the natural instincts of our first parents (which are the natural instincts of all human beings), mankind fell from a paradisiacal state in what was called the Garden of Eden into a much more dreary world where there was hardship, temptation, struggle and sin. The only to get back to our original state was to have atonement made between God and mankind. This Atonement would make all mankind at-one with our Spiritual Father and wash away all of the mistakes and the sins of the past. It was a huge undertaking, but it was accomplished by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, also called the ‘Lamb of God’. This Atonement will be explained in this chapter and some implications of it in the chapters to come.

In any case, I make the statement that liberty, which includes the freedom to know the truth and live the truth, should be foremost in the desires of all people. Freedom, whether it is personal freedom from bad habits or bad influences or political freedom from any kind of tyranny or potential tyranny, is a necessary element in the search for truth. Thus, I ask my readers to try to come to an understanding, if they have not already done so, of Jesus Christ who, from the beginning was designated to lead all men and women out of bondage in this time and place and into a land of liberty in another time and place. This would be similar to the way that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Having made my opening arguments, I will now proceed to present the evidence for my case.

LET FREEDOM REIGN

Two men were having an argument about whether or not churches should be forced to perform gay marriages in the name of equality. One man, a non-religious man, said that they should be forced to perform such things under the laws of the land. He said that to not do so would be discrimination and morally wrong. The other man, who was a religious man, said that homosexuality was wrong according to his belief system, and that a church had every right to refuse to consent to officiating at a ceremony in their building that promoted what they considered to be an immoral union.

In a scientific sense, the rightness or wrongness of any moral claim is not provable because it is not based upon factual data. We all know that there are things that are right and things that are wrong in life, but the problem is that in some circumstances, there can be grey areas where it can be more difficult to objectively determine exactly what right and wrong consist of. Thus, we can say that the validity of each person’s opinion is a moot point, but there is another very important principle at work here and that is the principle of freedom. The first man in my example, the religious one, is saying that, although he believes his opponent is wrong, he still feels that his opponent is free to hold his opinion. On the other hand, the second man has no such flexibility. He states that there should be a law made whereby the other man’s church should be physically forced to perform such marriages, and the religious man has no right to believe what he believes. The first man wants to control the second man’s belief system.

That is the difference. The rightness or wrongness of homosexuality has nothing to do with the issue. Ii is firstly about freedom and that is why we say, ‘let freedom reign’.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

- 2 Corinthians 3:17 (emphasis added)

In the above example, I say that the freedom to believe what one wants to believe is the main issue. Aside from having any physical deformities or being born into a country with a tyrannical system of government, we are all, basically, free to choose our own course in life. We are not bound by our genes, our moods, our emotions, or any sexual compulsions, unless we allow ourselves to be. We often allow ourselves to be bound by compulsions which may come from behaviors we have practiced that may be natural, but not really well thought out. One of our goals in this life is to learn to think things out and to do so with the most reliable and sensible information we can find. Thus, I say that we are also not totally bound by any bad habits that we may have acquired, or bad lifestyles that we may have adopted, unless we allow ourselves to be. If we do allow ourselves to adopt such things, we must realize that we are also free to ‘un-adopt’ them.

FREEDOM AND HONOR

While I say to people ‘let freedom reign’ in political affairs, let me be clear that there are some things that I consider to be more important than freedom. One of those things is honor. Freedom can be used for good or bad, but things like honor, compassion, decency, etc. can only be used for purposes of good. Nevertheless, for us to have honor, we must have the freedom to make decisions and to act of our own accord and not be forced to act as certain way by any governing body.

Let me use a story from a well know movie to illustrate this idea. The movie ‘The Sound of Music’, tells the story of Baron Von Trapp and his large family. The baron was a man of high position, but he was also an honorable man who tried to raise his children with good values. When the Nazis moved into his country, he knew their ways were not right and so he had to make some decisions as the Nazis gained more and more power in his country. In the end he decided to leave his stately home and move and start over in another country where there was freedom. He left his home with, basically, nothing but his children and his house staff. The point I am making is that the Baron was an honorable man, but he knew he could not stay an honorable man if he lived under, and supported, the tyranny of Nazi rule. Thus, it was freedom that allowed him to keep his honor. Without that freedom, he would not have been an honorable man. I realize that certain people who are held in captivity can still be honorable people, but when we bring in additional factors like peace and happiness, it is obvious that we cannot have either of those things when we are held in captivity. Thus, freedom is also necessary for peace and happiness.

I think that we would all agree that freedom, or more correctly, ‘liberty’, is an essential ingredient for happiness. It is great feeling to be free and living in a land that accommodates liberty. It is great to be physically free from physical handicaps or from political tyranny. It is great to be mentally free and to have freedom of choice without being controlled or coerced. It is great to be emotionally free and have the companionship of people we know we can trust. Because of the world we live in though, it is important to have rules so that things do not fall into chaos where only the physically strong survive. This life is the place where we learn that freedom a great gift and essential for our personal growth. It is where we also learn that certain rules are necessary in order for a society to work.

So what have I personally learned about freedom so far on my earthly tenure? I have learned that to be free, I must have access to true information and to have opportunities for personal growth. Freedom can be legitimate or not legitimate, bridled or unbridled. Practicing unbridled freedom can lead me to believe that I am equipped to make up my own rules in this interdependent world that I live in. I know that for people to make up their own rules and ask others to comply with them is always self-defeating in the end. I am, indeed, free to make up my own rules, but if my freedom is not a legitimate freedom, the results of doing that always end in failure. Strong institutions have internal structures and when the structure breaks down, the whole thing falls down on itself, like a poorly made building. Like it or not, true freedom must include allowances that include the rights of other people in our society to be free. That is why nations have laws - to insure those rights are preserved.

It is expedient that everyone find a suitable balance between knowledge, freedom and the hard facts of real life. This would include a knowledge of the existence of evil in the world. Just as freedom is a wonderful thing and necessary for our happiness, nations and individuals can misuse the idea of freedom. To give an example of ‘too much freedom’, or the abuse of freedom, I will offer a quote from Alexander Solzhenitzyn (1918 – 2008), the famous Russian novelist. He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1970. He was a man who spent many years in a Soviet prison camp for being a dissident. After he was released from prison, he eventually moved to the United States. In 1990, he moved back to Russia. This is one of the comments he made about freedom in America, and the abuse of that freedom.

"Destructive and irresponsible freedom has been granted boundless space. Society appears to have little defense against the abyss of human decadence, such as misuse of liberty for moral violence against young people, motion pictures full of pornography, crime and horror.

- Alexander Solzhenitzyn

He goes on to identify what he considers to be the source of that.

Such a tilt of freedom in the direction of evil has come about gradually, but it was evidently born out of a humanistic concept, according to which there is no evil inherent to human nature."

- Alexander Solzhenitzyn (emphasis added)

I am a great believer in the sustaining of freedom as a general principle. I am not, however, a believer in unlimited freedom because of the fact that we live in an interdependent world and individual freedom must have boundaries or else it will encroach over into the realms of other individuals and cause their freedom to be compromised, not only politically, but culturally, psychologically and morally. Thus, I present this statement by Mr. Solzhenitzyn at the beginning of the book, and I do so as a warning against the idea of unlimited freedom.

We, in our organization, do, indeed, recognize the existence of evil in the world. We are also not afraid to name the source of that evil, as the reader will soon see. We do this for the sake of the welfare of the millions of people among us who are susceptible, or vulnerable, to the many forms of bondage that we are subjected to in this world as a result of exercising our freedom too much. We say that there must be balance in all things. So let us proceed with a further examination of this principle that we call ‘freedom’.

CAN WE HAVE TOTAL FREEDOM?

Let us start with the very basics. Total freedom is impossible to achieve unless you are, perchance, being raised by wolves. From what I have observed, the life of a wild animal is not a desirable option for most of us and aside from that, even wolves are limited by the desires of the pack and they also usually have families which they have an obligation to provide for.

Regarding freedom from outside influences, it has been proven in psychology experiments, and by observing prisoners in penal institutions that most people who experience solitary confinement develop psychological problems because of that solitude and loneliness. Thus, isolation, and a lack of reference points by which we all define ourselves, is not a healthy thing and the mind will fight against the notion of a freedom that is based on solitude with no outside influences. The phrase ‘no man is an island’ comes to mind. We cannot be truly free in this life unless we willingly connect with good chosen reference points and choose good ‘reference people’, and literally make those things a part of us. It is all about making the best connections we can make.

In mortality we must face that fact that life is a series of restrictions, but hopefully, we will be free to choose which rules we will abide by. That will be the extent of our freedom in this life, and considering the numerous forces of bondage that most of the people in the world are trying to cope with, we should be grateful if we are fortunate enough to have that choice.

Nevertheless, you and I are working with tools that were given to us by other people who have gone on before us. IE: transportation, education, furniture, food, houses, etc. This also includes the civil laws that we live by. This also includes the words that we use every day. Because of that, in a way, we are always playing somebody else’s game using somebody else’s tools, those being the only tools we know. When we are playing someone else’s game, then, win or lose, we do not really have total freedom, but that’s okay, as long as we have the freedom to choose how we, as a society and as individuals, will be restricted and what rules we will play by, if any.

Politics is the making of laws that decide what rules we want to live by that will ensure the safety and well being of our society in general. If the laws of a nation should become corrupt when tyrannical systems of government are in place, it results in a lack of freedom. People will be told what to do and what to say and what to believe. Politics might be a dirty business, but it is vitally important. It is important because it determines, to a large extent, our future and the future of our progeny. Thus, we should all learn the basic principles of politics, and as well, keep a close eye on all politicians in whose hands we place our freedom.

As far as the bondage of language goes, I could say that using the English language is playing someone else’s game. The words that I use in my everyday speech have been given to me by other people in my life. I did not invent any of them, but I, personally, freely chose to accept those words and the sentence structures of the English language that have been have been given to me by ancient scholars. I choose to embrace them as a part of my heritage. I will be thankful for those words. I will respect good language and try to use words well. I will also try to organize them to the best of my ability so that I might become an articulate person.

In the games we play in life, a person is free to play by their own rules, but many of those games will turn out to be games of chaos. The rules for such games will always be changing. A person who makes up their own rules to a game will always do so to their own advantage. So what choices do we have in our lives as to what rules we would, ideally, like to live by? I figure that we have three choices. We can play by a game that has no rules and allow complete chaos to rule OR we can play by man-made laws according to society and people who have gone on before who have set up a structure for us, OR we can borrow from the eternities and try to live by true eternal principles according to the rules of Deity, which are the rules for which we were created in the first place, even though they may seem to be hidden from us as this time in human history.

In the first option, playing by no rules at all is not an attractive one for most people, unless they wish to spend a lot of time either being ostracized or in a penal institution.

Most people in the twenty first century play by the second option, that is, playing by man–made rules. Many people make the assumption that man’s laws, written or unwritten, are always just. This, as we know is not always true.

The third option involves a more religious standpoint. Religious people, theoretically at least, play by God’s rules. That is for the reason that God’s rules are good rules that are eternal and unchanging. The obvious problem there is, who is to say what God we will follow? I have personally made a decision in this matter and, without trying to proselyte, allow me to explain some reasons why I have chosen Christianity as my chosen path, and the central philosophy of my organization.

FREEDOM AND CHRISTIANITY

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

- James 1: 25 (emphasis added)

When James wrote these words, the Bible, as we know it, had not yet been compiled. Nevertheless, we know that the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached at James’ time and that, by his words, it had the quality of ‘liberty’ or ‘freedom’, at its core. Christianity, while having certain set rules, also contains opportunities to explore different things. We are not totally constrained by traditions, but we try to live by the will of the ‘Living’ God, as well as we can interpret it, both on a personal level and en masse as children of God. As long as we obey those basic rules we are free to learn new things. The religions of James’ time were not so tolerant about freedom and individualism as they are now. Crucifixions, stoning and being burnt at the stake were fairly common punishments for dissenters in times past. Many religions, then and now, are still restrictive and do not accept views of God that are outside of past traditions. At the CCCMS however, we believe that God is a living God. His words do not change, but may be ‘adaptable’ to unique situations.

The CCCMS is an organization that is not in lockstep with the status quo of any particular culture. It is also not in lockstep with any counter-culture or sub-culture. What our organization tries to be in lockstep with is the truth. We find that general principles of Christianity accommodate that truth and that is why we try to adhere to basic laws of Christianity. That is also why I would like to talk about some basic truths about Christianity ‘right off the bat’ in this first chapter. In this chapter, I would like to get right down to basics and talk about the nature of truth, and the nature of evil in this world. I am not trying to be heavy- handed here. It is just that such topics cannot be thrown in randomly in my book without first explaining my basic belief system. Readers must be clear on the basic philosophy of our organization. We seek for truth in order that we might raise up future generations of healthy, happy, free, and morally decent human beings. We cannot afford to sit on the fence in these difficult times. As parents, potential parents or mentors, we must submit, or endorse, the best plan we can come up with, if only for the sake of saying in the end, that we tried.

Because there are differing points of doctrine within various Christian communities, we realize that it is a very daunting task to establish common policies that please everybody. Nevertheless, we believe that the truth is out there somewhere, and if we study things in spirit and in truth, we will find enough truth to bring some certainty to those people who honestly seek it. As well, I believe that we can find some solid answers to many problems that exist in our society. With that in mind, I would like to address Mr. Solshenitzen’s statement, which I quoted at the beginning of chapter one, in which he stated that western society is a decadent and immoral one. By his personal actions, it seems that he found it preferable to live in a communist country (Russia) because of the abuse of freedom that was rampant in the United States and in the west in general.

Firstly, I agree with him that immorality is rampant in the U. S. and in Canada, where I live, and that is sure to bring down the quality of life, as well as have some disastrous consequences on a mass scale. Immorality is also rampant in other places and to some degree, in every nation in the world, but I ask, is there something we can do, as individuals, to make things right again without getting too heavy handed and dictatorial about it?

The general answer to these problems, according to Christian thought, is quite simple. We do as the Father does. We condemn sin and we warn people about sin, but we love all human beings who desire to exercise righteousness. Specific answers to specific problems, however, can become more complicated. We know that we all have the freedom to choose good or evil, but how much should we, as individuals, or as a society decide exactly what is evil and what is not?’

We would all agree, I am sure, that it is morally wrong to kill people or to steal from others, but there are many grey areas in between that will always provide for a discussion or even an argument. Social issues like sexual immorality, abortion, homosexuality, worker’s rights, censorship, government intervention, etc.; these are all issues in which people have differences, with each side, it seems, claiming the moral high ground. So what is the actual moral high ground? Perhaps we should revisit those general principles and try to look at them from a fresh and objective point of view in an attempt to achieve some kind of unity. To quote the words of a song:

If we ain’t there together, then we ain’t there at all.

- Bob King

In unity there is victory. I may be able to prove an opponent wrong in an argument, but that is not really a victory. Victory is when both parties can agree on principles that suit their desires for mutual peace, good fellowship, and finding workable strategies. Religion is supposed to work for this end, but religion, it seems, can be used as a positive thing or used as a negative thing. I have seen, or heard of, examples of both aspects of it, as I am sure you have. However, I say that when we use shared religious values, based upon tested, tried and agreed-upon principles, we can provide the best vehicle towards establishing a society where people can live in harmony and in peace, as much as is possible. Personally, I just cannot see any other solution.

Decadence will prevail in a permissive society, and that will always bring down the quality of life for all of its citizens. Decadence, immorality and selfish behavior always have a cost. The cost is often the giving up of the freedom to choose good. Freedom is essential for happiness because it allows each person to make their own way and deal with the consequences of their own actions, whether those actions and consequences are good or bad. Despite experiencing some ugliness and discomfort from bad consequences, that is the way we actually learn things.

Freedom is having the opportunity to choose good, and not being forced to choose otherwise. Thus, freedom must be protected and the abuse of it guarded against. A spiritual perspective should be prominent in this cause, because spirituality, by definition, implies permanence. A spiritual perspective is one that is based upon unchanging and universal laws that are recognized by people and their respected leaders as being for the good of all.

Let me be clear that good Christian principles should be considered, and regarded, on a basic human level, as opposed to being dogmatic pronouncements that are handed down from the hierarchy of any particular church. Only unity will bring victory, and it is only a good team spirit that will bring that to pass. A winning team spirit still requires the best efforts from each person on the team. A winning team spirit is not gained when everyone sinks to the same level and operates at the lowest common denominator. In such a case, a spirit of unity can work as a detriment, instead of as an asset. We must establish high standards in the society we choose to live in and to which we decide to pledge allegiance.

Christian doctrine may vary within Christianity from church to church, but the general principles of Christianity have a lot of common ground, namely the existence of a loving spiritual Father and a sacrifice that was made by his only begotten Son for the redemption of all mankind. I believe that true Christianity has a viewpoint that makes sense and I will explain why in the coming chapters. I will also address the problem of evil in the world because I believe it needs to be addressed immediately and perceived as something real.

The world, or our particular part of it, may never get a chance to utilize the Christian principles talked about in this book on a large scale, but nevertheless, we all need an ideal template to shoot for. Aside from any universal application, I know that the principles, of which I speak, work on a personal level because I have seen the good results gained from their implementation, results that have blessed many people, including myself. Thus, our organization offers counseling and motivational services for anyone who might be interested in forming, or reforming, their life based upon the principles of Jesus Christ and His prophets.

It is all about learning. None of us have totally objective and proven intellects, save it be Jesus Christ. We must always be humble and accept this fact. We must all, including myself, be open to learn. Otherwise, we will never progress. We will be ‘spinning our wheels’ until such time as we can ‘gain traction’ by connecting with the truth.

If anyone out there has a better understanding of the nature of good and evil, I am all ears, and totally open to hearing about them. For now though, I will go with what I know and describe what I believe to be the best and most workable solutions to the many problems that face men and women on this planet, in both a personal sense and an inter-personal sense.

‘LET FREEDOM RING’ AND ‘LET IT REIGN’

Let freedom ring is a phrase that was quoted as part of a memorable speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King in 1967. He was actually quoting the words of a song written by Samuel Francis Smith entitled ‘My Country ’Tis Of Thee I Sing’.

About thirty years later, Nelson Mandela used a similar phrase in his inaugural address. He said, Let freedom reign. The phrase may have been used before then, but I think that it is a phrase worth contemplating because it has many implications for all people, no matter what their background.

The two expressions are similar, but different. The ‘let freedom ring’ quote implies that people should proclaim the importance of freedom in human affairs. The ‘let freedom reign’ quote seems to go a step farther and implies that people should allow freedom to be the governing principle in human affairs in general.

It is the latter idea, which I focus upon in this book. I have already mentioned that honor comes before freedom, but we cannot have honor if we do not have freedom. That is why I think freedom should be a governing principle, not only in people’s political lives, but in many other aspect of their lives as well. That includes matters of beliefs, thought patterns, lifestyles, emotions and any other aspect that would hold a person captive to one particular way of thinking or acting.

So I have three main goals in writing this book. The first goal is to stress the importance of freedom in our lives and in all aspects of it so that we can make independent choices. The second goal is to improve people’s ‘spiritual intelligence’ so