I recently discovered the Freedom Force International website of G. Edward Griffin and was happy to find The Creed of Freedom which defines the principles that all freedom patriots should ascribe to. It provides a practical framework that can be used to evaluate all the political issues of our day, and those in the future as well.

THE CREED OF FREEDOM

INTRINSIC NATURE OF RIGHTS
I believe that only individuals have rights, not the collective group; that these rights are intrinsic to each individual, not granted by the state; for if the state has the power to grant them, it also has the power to deny them, and that is incompatible with personal liberty.

I believe that a just government derives its power solely from the governed. Therefore, the state must never presume to do anything beyond what individual citizens also have the right to do. Otherwise, the state is a power unto itself and becomes the master instead of the servant of society.

SUPREMACY OF THE INDIVIDUAL
I believe that one of the greatest threats to freedom is to allow any group, no matter its numeric superiority, to deny the rights of the minority; and that one of the primary functions of just government is to protect each individual from the greed and passion of the majority.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE
I believe that desirable social and economic objectives are better achieved by voluntary action than by coercion of law. I believe that social tranquility and brotherhood are better achieved by tolerance, persuasion, and the power of good example than by coercion of law. I believe that those in need are better served by charity, which is the giving of one’s own money, than by welfare, which is the giving of other people’s money through coercion of law.

EQUALITY UNDER LAW
I believe that all citizens should be equal under law, regardless of their national origin, race, religion, gender, education, economic status, life style, or political opinion. Likewise, no class should be given preferential treatment, regardless of the merit or popularity of its cause. To favor one class over another is not equality under law.

PROPER ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
I believe that the proper role of government is negative, not positive; defensive, not aggressive. It is to protect, not to provide; for if the state is granted the power to provide for some, it must also be able to take from others, and once that power is granted, there are those who will seek it for their advantage. It always leads to legalized plunder and loss of freedom. If government is powerful enough to give us everything we want, it is also powerful enough to take from us everything we have. Therefore, the proper function of government is to protect the lives, liberty, and property of its citizens; nothing more. That government is best which governs least.

My Comments about the Creed of Freedom

We have seen lots of people proposing the idea of collective rights for the group, etc. Oftentimes it is cloaked in the term, “social justice” which basically means the same thing. Others talk about “democracy” and have been ecstatic about the unrest in the Middle East, presumably because the people want democracy. Many also refer to America as being a democracy, which it is NOT. America is a “republic” where the Constitution was written to protect the individual, among other things. If we were to allow a democracy in America, what we would end up with is tyranny of the majority where the majority would strip the minority of their rights. To a degree, we are already seeing that happen in America as so-called fringe groups are being demonized and in some cases criminalized by politically correct progressives in our society.