What is True Freedom

The cruel, depraved behaviors of the ancient false gods encouraged and legitimized such behavior among humans who worshiped such false gods. The Bible’s denial of the ancient false gods who engaged in the most depraved aspects of human behavior, and the replacement of those false gods with one incorporeal, ethical God for all of mankind, was a great step forward for mankind.

The Jewish Bible’s “radical” and “innovative” concepts of ethical monotheism caused a great advancement in human civilization. An advancement from the cruel and primitive pagan barbarism that prevailed in the ancient world to societies that recognized the uniqueness and dignity of Man as a being created in the Image of his Creator. The ideas taught in the Jewish Bible promoted a universal morality, a morality that recognized objective standards of good and evil within the world. Man became aware of the possibility of an ultimate purpose and meaning to human existence, as opposed to humans simply seeking gratification of their physical senses in this world. Man also became aware of the possibility of non-physical human existence after death, and the possibility of the judgment of Man for his actions in this world, when he reaches the next world.

The concept of Man being created in the image of God can also be understood as man's ability to contemplate God’s actions in the Universe and then imitate and serve Him.

The concept of "freedom" must not be perverted into a Westernized libertarian concept of "libertarianism", where man has no ethical restrictions imposed on his behavior. True freedom must be embraced as freedom from oppression and freedom to find one's meaning in life through one's philosophic or religious convictions.

True freedom in the Biblical sense must be understood as man's freedom to serve God without oppression or interference from government or political forces, from criminal or terrorist forces, or from totalitarian religious or philosophical forces.