New Manager - Voice of Freedom

Let me introduce myself - sort of.

I'm Edward J. and a dear friend of mine has asked me to take over this blog, which he admits he has not given proper attention to, and which he believes has a lot of potential. Well, I think it does, so I'm going to try and see if I can carry his dream forward. He is not doing well, health- or time-wise, and yet he has a deep love for freedom and God, and wants to continue to support this, but in the background.

I want to discuss some ancient history, and then add my own thoughts. (You can add your thoughts too. Please!)

The Voice of Freedom was a colorful, 8.5 x 11 size magazine published by members of the church of Christ [as am I] for more than three decades. Founded by famous editor and preacher G. C. Brewer (1884-1956), it was dedicated to warning of the dangers of Roman Catholicism and Communism, which he viewed (correctly at the time) were forms of totalitarianism and that freedom would be lost if either of these systems were to gain control of the government of the United States. After bro. Brewer's death, L.R. Wilson (1896-1968) edited the publication, concentrating mostly on the threat posed by Roman Catholicism and those people who trusted in the Pope more than in God, and who followed the then-harsh doctrines and rule of the Roman Catholic Church. As Catholicism changed and declined in power and influence (in the aftermath of Vatican II and various other events), the Voice of Freedom started to shift its emphasis to the dangers of humanism, atheism, and materialism, and their threat to religious liberty, under the editorship of P. D. Wilmeth (1907-1987). The magazine attempted to broaden its scope in 1985 but abruptly ceased publication in 1985.

The world has changed a lot since 1953, 1960, 1968, and 1985. Rather than a threat from politicians who were loyal to the Pope and influenced by the international Roman Catholic leadership, today far too many Catholic politicians have totally divorced themselves from ANY belief or practice in Biblical OR Catholic morality. The reforms of Vatican II and the reigns of Pope Paul, Popes John Paul, and even Pope Benedict XVI have changed the Catholic Church drastically, and its influence in the United States is a fraction of what it once had in actuality and potential. It is STILL not Biblical, but it is well down the list of threats to liberty and freedom in general, and christian liberty in particular.

In the early 1990s, many of us thought that Communism too was a threat that had peaked and was declining: the Wall had fallen, the Soviets had evacuated from Eastern Europe and Afghanistan, China was liberalizing, Castro was getting old, and even Vietnam and North Korea were little thought of.

How little we knew! Today, we know that the forces which we may call totalitarianism have again grown powerful (or have been revealed and seen for the threat that they have continued to be). One of my predecessors at this blog likes to refer to one of the kind of 21st century totalitarians as "Transnational Progressives" or "Transnational Socialists" or Tranzis. I shall probably stick to the word "totalitarians" - keeping in mind that different flavors have different levels of acceptance and desire for power.

I shall continue this discussion in my next post. Till then, for visitors to this site, and to readers, WELCOME! Please share your thoughts and ideas with me.

Edward