The Tyranny of Disagreement

by Ray Keating

The Keating Files – May 8, 2020

“Tyranny” is one of those weighty words meant to be reserved for the most dire of circumstances. Or, well, it used to be. But then again, we’ve lost or squandered the meaning of many words in our politics in recent times. 

Today, “tyranny” is being tossed around rather freely by some when discussing the issue of government limiting or restricting the ability of Americans to assemble, including at churches, during the current coronavirus pandemic.

The New Oxford American Dictionary serves up the following definition of “tyranny”: “cruel and oppressive government or rule.” Importantly, it also adds: “(especially in ancient Greece) rule by one who has absolute power without legal right.”

That definition, however, has been tossed aside by some in favor of name-calling when it comes to those with whom they disagree on issues that are, no doubt, of great significance. 

Indeed, there is precedent for descending into name-calling. “Tyranny” long has been a favorite slur hurled by the most extreme of libertarians at anyone who dares to disagree with their views on freedom. And neo-Confederates, of course, have a lengthy track record of referring to President Lincoln as a tyrant, while never mentioning the word “traitor” when it comes to the Confederacy, nor “tyranny” when speaking of slavery. Hmmm.

Meanwhile, since the 1960s, the Left has discarded their dictionaries – or more accurately, an understanding of history – in favor of kicking down the name-calling door by comparing conservatives and Republicans to Nazis. So, the likes of William F. Buckley, Jr., Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush were compared to or called “Nazis.”

As for the current pandemic and restrictions on gatherings, the debate rages, and justifiably so. Indeed, healthy debate is central to our system, to the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. And we, obviously, will disagree, and often vehemently so.

And the matter of churches being able to hold services as they see fit ranks as an area of powerful disagreement. After all, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion and assembly. And the first duty of government, in fact, is to protect the rights and liberties of individuals, that is, the natural rights that pre-exist government. But a fundamental duty of government also is to protect life and limb. And so, we have the longtime debate of balancing such matters in times of national emergency. 

Living under true tyranny would mean not being able to debate and discuss such issues, and having no recourse to government actions due to oppressive rule. But that clearly is not our system. 

Individuals and groups have the ability to protest, pressure elected officials, sway public opinion, and resort to the courts to wrestle with and settle disagreements. And even when seemingly over with, many issues are never fully settled, and the debate goes on – and that, again, is a credit to our freedoms and system of government.

But then there are those asserting that since they have a particular view regarding an important topic, they are free to ignore what government says. And since our government exercises its authority by the consent of the governed, then they either accuse government of not consenting to the governed or assert that they can withdraw their consent, and then are justified to choose to do what they think is right. 

But that, of course, is a recipe for anarchy. “Consent of the governed” doesn’t mean that if you disagree with certain policies, you’re free to ignore the law or how disagreements are debated and decided in our system of government, and not suffer any consequences. Our system is a republican form of government rooted in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, whereby citizens vote for their governmental representatives. It is not a pure democracy, nor is it a system of anarchy whereby individuals are free to ignore whatever laws they don’t like. Indeed, if that were the case, then I wouldn’t be paying income taxes.

On the matter of churches, like many other Christians, I desperately miss attending church, hearing the Word proclaimed and receiving the Sacrament of Communion. At the same, I understand, given the coronavirus pandemic, why the ability to attend church has been put on hold in some parts of the country, and restricted in assorted ways in other parts. I also believe that government has overstepped in still other areas. 

But I would hope that pastors and priests would act with wisdom during such times – and most have, thankfully. That would include holding church services when possible and as allowed; and working with all tools at their disposal to reach their parishioners with the comfort of Christ. At the same time, if they view government as overstepping, they should speak out accordingly. But being frustrated and impatient should not be an excuse for acting in ways that could have negative consequences, physically and spiritually, for their congregations, for the larger Church and for reaching the world with the Gospel – now and in the future – such as by deciding to flagrantly violate the law. 

For good measure, whether one agrees or disagrees with the policies made on such matters state by state, decisions to restrict gatherings are not conspiratorial or tyrannical efforts to undermine the Church. Indeed, over the years, I’ve seen too many people confuse government’s inherent incompetence with some kind of intricate “Deep State” plot. Trust me, decades of studying and writing about government make clear that it’s incompetence.

Is anyone going to persuade an individual to the correctness or truth of one’s position by accusing them of tyranny or being a Nazis? The obvious answer is no, particularly when those people aren’t committing tyranny and aren’t Nazis. But again much of the talk of tyranny and Nazis is about assuming that one’s opponents are inherently evil, and beyond persuasion and redemption. By the way, that assumption is not allowed for the Christian.

In the end, disagreement – even on the most vital of issues – is not tyranny.

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Ray Keating is a columnist, economist, podcaster and entrepreneur.  You can order his new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  from Amazon or signed books at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. Keating also is a novelist. His latest novels are  The Traitor: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, which is the 12^th book in the series, and the second edition of Root of All Evil? A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel with a new Author Introduction. The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

Also, tune in to Ray Keating’s podcasts – the PRESS CLUB C Podcast and the Free Enterprise in Three Minutes Podcast