Some of the most valued aspects of life, if devoid of freedom, become meaningless. Among these things are love. If one is forced into a marriage without the heart ever having the freedom to choose another, can one call that love? If one is forced to think in confined threads of thought, can one consider himself a philosopher or a free thinker? If one is not allowed to worship the God he chooses, then faith and faithfulness, by definition, cannot exist. Without the freedom to choose the paths of life that we take, the road becomes gray, mundane, dreary and bereft of what gives life flavor. In celebrating the 4th of July, a holiday where we celebrate freedom from tyrannical government, it is worthwhile to contemplate what freedom means to us and what true freedom is.
For true freedom to exist, it is must exist within the bounds of truth. Freedom on its own without truth, is hollow, it is delusional slavery. Allow me to demonstrate. The argument usually goes as follows: To have unrestricted access to anything is the pinnacle of freedom. Unrestricted access and choosing to engage are, in fact, two different things. If one chooses to use crystal methamphetamine or 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, otherwise known as Ecstasy, or any other highly addictive drug, automatically one becomes subjected to multiple layers of slavery. The first is the subjection of the faculty of thought to an altered perception of reality. Whether willingly or unwillingly, throwing one-self into an altered state of reality is an escape from the truth. The second layer is that of chemical physiological dependence on the drug. There is no controversy that chemical dependence is very real and can eventually fully captivate all aspects of the addict’s being. The third layer is that of financial enslavement to the habit, sometimes leading to committing serious crimes in order to secure the funds to feed the addiction. Whether it be embezzlement, strong arm robbery, or murder, many times, the descent will lead to a life of homelessness on the streets. As long as that individual has his/her “fix,” they accept a life on the streets. Finally, there is the communal subjection of those in the addict’s immediate circle due to the consequences of drug addiction. There is a heavy toll that addiction takes on the family members of the addict, whether it be financial, emotional, or relational. It also extends to the immediate community that deals with the problem of homelessness and crime that is a result of drug dealing. In short, to be free to experiment with drugs, without the truth of knowing the full extent of addiction, ultimately leads to slavery.
Another example of misguided “freedom” is tasting the fruit of the sexual revolution. At the onset, the allure of “inconsequential” sex is tantalizing, and the argument goes as follows: We are sexual members of the animal world. Sexual gratification is not something that should be suppressed, but rather explored and celebrated. The only reason that those before us did not fully explore sexual gratification is because of oppressive theocratic despots that wanted to control the masses. Without assessing the matter from multiple facets, it’s very easy to fall into the torrent of sexual addiction. A very underreported and stigmatized addiction is porn/sexual addiction with the effects of the addiction being just as, if not more, destructive and pervasive as chemical addiction. Many people suffering from this form of addiction don’t even recognize that it is an addiction. Instead, they consider it to be a way to relax, unwind or “let off steam.” The addiction will often manifest once the person commits to a serious relationship. By then, it is difficult for the young couple to deal with the heavy burden that the addiction places on the relationship. Almost always, there is a lack of emotional intimacy in the relationship, in addition to a lack of vulnerability. Spouses will sometimes describe the marriage as having an ever present, “third party” within the relationship, even if there is no physical mistress. The affected party can seem distant and will have difficulty integrating the double life they life into one life that they share with their partner. Being a captive to one’s sexual passions and letting that stand in the way of true intimacy with one’s partner is not sexual freedom; it is delusional slavery. To be truly free is to know the consequences of these behaviors and to willfully choose healthy relationships that fulfill on multiple levels. In other words, knowing the truth guides us to choose the path that leads to freedom. Without the truth, there can be no freedom.
As Copts, our identity has become intertwined with our faith. If this were not the case, then we would not be targeted on the way to monasteries, or on Libyan shores, or in our churches in acts of violence. To those who attack us, these are displays of a twisted form of religious offering to a god that delights in human sacrifice. As a result, we, the Copts, must ask ourselves: What is the truth? What is our compass that guides us to true, unadulterated freedom? The real question though is not what is our truth, but Who is our truth? Truth in Christianity is not a thing, but rather a Person, it is the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the gospel of John, our Lord often uses the Divine name of God in the Old Testament, I AM and He would follow it with a statement. Among them, “I am the way the TRUTH and the life.” Not only is He the truth, but He also revealed to us the relationship between truth and freedom. When speaking to the Jews He says, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Unless we have the truth, Our Lord Himself and His Divine truth, then we will never be free, but we will always be subject to distorted representations of freedom that lead to slavery. And our Lord also said in that very same chapter, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” Hidden within the “restrictions” of Christianity comes great freedom. For a person to truly be free, to savor the taste of true freedom and to fully revel in its glory, one must never separate it from truth.
As Christians, we are called to be the salt of the earth and as salt in wounds disinfects and stings at the same time, we know that, “the truth hurts.” By no means am I advocating standing on street corners with signs that damn sinners to hell, but I am certainly saying we should be unwavering in our commitment to the truth and in sharing it with those that are true seekers, in love and with grace- otherwise, seekers of freedom may never truly find it.
Robert Beshai is a veterinarian in Southern California who has a penchant for politics, mythology, history and all things American and/or Egyptian. Having lived in Egypt, America, and the Caribbean, what makes a society succeed and another struggle is something that weighs heavily on his mind.
