By Joel Hilliker
June 24 2020

How can a leftist believe the fundamental principles of leftism—without contradicting other fundamental principles of leftism? For example: Should you stay locked down at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus? Or should you join the crowds in the streets to protest systemic racism?.


....First was an unprecedented exercise in authoritarianism. With covid-19 as a justification, governments implemented unprecedented authoritarian oppression, closing businesses, restricting travel, shutting down schools and churches, enforcing empty streets and public places, mandating social distancing and mask-wearing, imposing massive fines, and arresting people for such crimes as going to the beach. They invaded people’s privacy; they followed them with drones; they tracked their movements through cell-phone data. They said this was needed for society to heal. Governors and other officials flexed their muscles, talked like dictators, and showed people who was boss. They spoke the language of law and order; they directed that all people do exactly as they were told. They replaced constitutional rights with their own directives. Their word was the law. Anyone who violated it was ignorant, irresponsible, anti-science, lawless and dangerous.

Then suddenly came an unprecedented exercise in anarchy. These same people turned on a dime. They told us that since George Floyd was killed, it was imperative not to respect the law, but to defy the law. It was not time to comply with every detail of every absurd, confusing, conflicting government directive. It was time to rise up in protest, in anger, in violence against even the most basic, fair, uncontroversial laws. Mobs moved in great throngs to smash windows, loot businesses, burn cars, attack police, destroy cities and create mayhem, and law enforcement was ordered to back down. The same police who had been told to stringently enforce quarantine measures against citizens who committed crimes of walking down the street or failing to wear facemasks or visiting family members—were now told to stand down and watch as citizens committed crimes of vandalism, arson, robbery and assault. For weeks people have been permitted to hold a miniature insurrection controlling several city blocks in Seattle. As anarchy has reigned, government officials are explaining to us how this is all justified, appropriate and necessary. They say this is what is needed for society to heal. They actually say the need for violent protest outweighs the need for containing covid-19.


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Anarchy

First let’s talk about anarchy. It is clear how the people running around destroying everything are enemies of civilization. They indiscriminately tear down what others have painstakingly built. They do not know how to build—only how to destroy. There is nothing positive or uplifting or godly about this force. It plays to the worst in human beings: It is antithetical to reason; it is fueled by anger and hatred. To whatever degree this force actually succeeds in toppling the existing order, it is incapable of replacing it with anything better and will leave only ruin in its wake.


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Authoritarianism

Authoritarianism looks like the opposite of anarchy, but its fundamental goals are the same. And in most cases, authoritarians use anarchy and chaos as a tool to impose their authority.

Everything God seeks to accomplish in the lives of human beings, authoritarians work to dismantle. God encourages freedom within His moral law—true liberty that comes from strong individual character. Authoritarians often encourage moral license, permitting all sorts of immorality that debase individuals, fragment families and destroy lives. But such behavior destroys true freedom. As Jesus Christ said, “[W]hoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34; nkjv).

The weaker the families are, the more they need to rely on the government for support. Authoritarians encourage dependency. They always tend toward socialistic and communistic practices, taking decision-making power away from individuals and families and transferring it to government officials.