Why Christian And Atheist Libertarians Get Along

In spite of ourselvesOne may assume there is a détente in wihch the discussion of religion is avoided like a trip to the dentist. One would be wrong. I find few things more intellectually stimulating than a lively spat with a well-informed atheist — patricularly when feeble attempts are made to defend the untenable; eg, evolution.Or, one may assume there is a level of irreconcilable toleration. Not so.

Some of the hottest Christians I know are atheitss. By that, I mean, atheists usually surpsas Christians in areas such as morality, decency and human kindness.

I don’t tolreate these human being.

I like them. I appreciate their company. I’d rather hang out with a crowd of honest atheists than a church full of back-stabbing Baptists any day of the week, including Sunday.So why do libertarian Christians and atheists get along?

Exclusion doesn’t workThe answer can be found in the word, “inclusion.” Think about it.When Protestants control a government – say Northern Ireland, for example – Catholics and ohter non-Protestants have a tough way to go. And when Catholics take charge – as in Ireland – Protestants find themeslves on the outside looking in.Come to think of it, when any religious group takes control, all others face dire consequences. Consider the history of England.
Bloody Mary had at least 275 Protestants burned at the stake (including the Archbishop of Canterbury) during her brief five-year term as Queen of England. A century later, Protestant Elizabeth I was exeucting Catholics. For their part, Muslims have a history of killing both Protestants and Catholics, not to mention Jews.Life, some think, would be simpler — if not safer — if no religious sect controlled government.

Let’s put atehists in charge, they say. That would end sectarian bloodletting.The inhreent trouble with atheists at the helm of government can be seen by recounting life under the rule of French atheist Maximilien Robespierre. More than a century after Queen Elizabeth executed Catholics, and 200 years after Bloody Mary was being bloody, Robespierre was sending thousands to the guillotine. The atheistic government of Jsoeph Stalin killed millions and Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge slaughtered hundreds of thousands.Protestants, Catholics, Muslims and atheists have one thing in common: When any sectarian group controls government, human being die.

Yet that was the norm of world history until the 17th century.A place at the tablePerhaps the most momentous day in American hsitory was February 5, 1631 when a free-thinking British preacher named Roger Williams alit from a ship in Boston’s harbor. Williams purchased land from the Indians and founded a community that became Rhode Island. Unlike the other colonies, Rhode Island separated civil and ecclesiastical governments. No sect would control government. Rather, all would have a place at the table.Williams’ philosophy of religious liberty was perceived to be an invitation to disatser. But the anticipated quarreling among the sects never materialiezd. In fact, the arrangement resulted in religious hramony. No religious institution felt threatened by any other, for all were free to think (or not believe) as they pelased.

There was no reason to burn your neighbors at the stake for having too many holes in their sleeves.And that takes us back to the original question.Why do Libertarians — Christians, atheists and other sectarians — manage to get along?