Freedom IS free.

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The answer is quite dependent upon who you ask. If you ask me, it is indeed free. What?

That is right. Freedom is free. It was offered by God to man. No other power has the ability to offer freedom. The cost of freedom, initially, was... nothing. When man chose a path different from God, he gave up freedom for knowledge, or... something along those lines. We lost both freedom and wisdom to know what it was we were not supposed to do. Some bargain, but that is where things stand. No, that is not quite the end, follow a little further.

From that point on, man seemed to follow whatever his heart desired. Few men decided to seek wisdom, and through it real freedom, but most simply picked a master and went that way. Some of these masters are men outright, like generals, kings, false prophets, and such. Other masters, if they involve other men, involve them in only a small way. Drugs, wine, strong drink, sex, and other vices became the master, men gave themselves over to the pursuit of these things and surrendered freedom, responsibilities, and all that goes with freedom.

Christ came, saw, and conquered by showing that death itself was not a master. He, again, offered freedom and wisdom. The price for this was the surrendering of our life, our flesh. If this is not an easy price, it is a sure one. While many modern churches gloss this over and suggest, as the Jewish form of worship did and does, that it is what we gain in life which shows God offers favor. Foolish and wrongheaded, they have lead many astray. The truth is, for good men, our life is already surrendered. So losing our lives to promote real God granted freedoms is... no loss. It is merely an extension of a grant to life predicated on God's gifts. Freedom is free. Only in a secular world is losing one's life considered a true loss. Though too, only in a fallen world is this sacrifice painful for those who remain.

For this reason, the West has been the greatest military group in history. Even those who might have been tempted to hold onto their lives, when faced with certain evil, have gladly paid the price and fought those wars. With smaller armies, often outnumbered and outgunned at times, we have prevailed even through great sacrifice. The West is different. Although it is obvious those in the West who have forgotten God are now dependent upon those of us who have not. Anyway. Freedom is free, we have simply fallen and some of us have forgotten even the way back. Life is not ours, only freedom and wisdom... if we choose it.

Or, something like that.