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Free is Beautiful: Why Catholics should be libertarian Paperback – January 1, 2019

by Randy England (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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Free is Beautiful by Randy England uses the scriptures, the writings of the saints and the Catechism to show why Catholicism is essentially libertarian. The golden rule teaches that we must not do to another what we would not want done to ourselves. Don't cheat. Don't steal. Don't hit. Don't harm others. Live and let live. Mind your own business. Libertarians call this the non-aggression principle. Centuries ago, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine recognized the futility and evil in trying to force people to be virtuous. They taught that government should limit itself to keeping the peace by protecting people's lives and property. The modern state knows no such limits.It is time to consider libertarianism, the most just system in a fallen world and the only political philosophy that takes human dignity and free will seriously. —— “Here's a book I wish I'd written! Sometimes, Catholics will ask me, ‘How can you be Catholic if you're a Libertarian?’ Now that we have Randy England's delightfully crisp, clear and convincing answer to that question in Free is Beautiful, I'll be able to refer questioners to this book and then I'll ask them, ‘How can you not be a Libertarian if you're Catholic?’”— GERARD N. CASEY, Professor Emeritus, University College Dublin, Associated Scholar, The Mises Institute.
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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    January 1, 2019
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.62 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1729621236
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1729621233
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 1, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1729621236
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1729621233
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.62 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Lamar Garren
5.0 out of 5 stars How can you be a Christian and NOT be a libertarian?
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2019
Verified Purchase
Mr. England has constructed a well-organized apologetic for the cause of liberty among Christians. While I am Catholic by conversion, I spent over 50 years as a Baptist, and this book speaks to all Christians who are libertarians or exploring whether to become one. The social justice ministries of most American churches nowadays emphasize political activism over personal charity, to the detriment of both Christians and the poor they seek to help. It places libertarian parishioners at odds with their more state-friendly brothers and sisters. Even His Holiness confuses libertarian individualism with selfishness. Mr. England carefully, respectfully and persuasively dispels that confusion. As he demonstrates, the only Christ-centered approach to caring for others is the libertarian one, because only the libertarian one addresses needs on an individual level, and, unlike any statist approach, it confers grace on the giver. Mr. England’s book begins with a through scriptural discussion of the basis for liberty, including the matter of “render[ing] unto Caesar” and Romans 13’s admonition to obey authority. He then turns to an examination of the writings of Augustine, Aquinas and other theological sources. Finally, he demonstrates that libertarian policies are the most humane, most “Christian” policies and solutions for the societal problems we face. The book is readable, approachable, and necessary for any libertarian struggling to answer how you can be a libertarian and a Christian at the same time. As the book suggests, the real question is how you can be a Christian and not be a libertarian.
4 people found this helpful
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Terryn
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Introduction to true Libertarianism
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2019
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Randy England has written a very good yet concise description of what true libertarianism is and why it is consistent with Catholic teaching. He explains how the heart of libertarianism is the Non-Aggression Principle (NAP), whereby people should be free from coercion by others, including the state. He distinguishes between libertarianism and libertinism, which is just licentiousness. He has researched his book well and shows how Church teaching, including encyclicals by Leo XIII and more recent popes, are consistent with the NAP.

Many Catholics today look to the state to dispense charity and enforce morals. Randy gives many examples of how the government has failed to do either well. He cites Aquinas on many issues here. I encourage all faithful Catholics to read this nice book as an introduction to libertarianism as a way of life that rejects aggression and encourages personal responsibility and virtue. This book will show that libertarianism is not what you think it is. Give it a fair reading with an open mind and you may just find yourself agreeing with it.
One person found this helpful
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Cade_One
5.0 out of 5 stars If you liked "The Law" by Frédéric Bastiat...
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2019
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This book puts into words what I have come to believe on my own through faith and logic. Even if you are not a Catholic Christian, you will still find something of value.
One person found this helpful
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Michael O'C
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent concise commentary uniting Catholic and libertarian philosophy
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2019
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An excellent commentary on why Catholics should discard the idolatry of the state and embrace voluntarism.
2 people found this helpful
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John Smith
2.0 out of 5 stars This book encourages disobedience and shows ignorance of human nature
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2019
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I read this book with an open mind, hoping for some new insights. It starts with the idea that it is wrong to take away other people’s freedom. The way it’s described sounds good at first. Then, as the book goes on, we see the author twisting around Scripture passages that teach obedience to government (Romans 13, for example) until they mean nothing, and then he claims that the Bible doesn’t actually tell us to obey. Then he cites the Doctors of the Church against obeying a law one decides is unjust (so, if I decide that the law against murder is unjust, I can kill my neighbor), making the whole idea of law null and void. A person could just as easily cite the Doctors to prove the opposite. Even the Doctors are just human.

He then goes on to call obedience to government even when it is immoral “lazy and unworthy of a Christian,” perhaps to justify his own position, which one could also argue is lazy and unworthy of a Christian. The fact is, God did put the unjust in power, such as Pontius Pilate (see John 19:11), and to resist them is to resist Him (Romans 13:1-2), even if they are Hitler (an example he dismisses as ridiculous). Just because they don’t play by the rules, does that mean we shouldn’t either? It seems childish at best. As The Spiritual Combat says, “If we are convinced, then, that perfect compliance with His holy will involves patient acceptance of those evils which the malice of others or our own sins draw upon us, how wrong, then, must they be, who, to camouflage their own impatience, assert that an infinitely just God can never be associated with that which proceeds from an evil cause. It is obvious that their only aim is to preserve personal serenity, and persuade the world of their privilege to reject the crosses God is pleased to send.” I should have known what to expect when I saw no imprimatur.

Furthermore, the author is clearly ignorant (whether willfully or not, I don’t know, and maybe it doesn’t matter) of the fact that we are sinful. We may not like government, but the less there is, the more crime there is. As the saying goes, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” If a person doesn’t care about morality (this is more common than the author admits), why shouldn’t he steal and kill to get what he wants? All that keeps him is the fear of punishment. Do we really want to live in a world where every man does what is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25)? Where someone can kill your child and go unpunished on the grounds that his freedom must be protected? If it came to that, I would leave the country and never return.

The author is against the government telling us what to do, but is perfectly willing to tell the government what to do. I would argue that we should obey the government God has put in place for us, except when it is sin, and vote with our feet if it gets too bad. We know nothing of the principles that make for an effective government; it is better to defer to those who do.

Oh, and the second half of the book is one long whine about the various evils of not having a libertarian government (listing a bunch of things that we know are bad and then blaming it all on a lack of libertarianism). I’m not exaggerating.

No, Catholics should not be libertarian. People are too sinful to know what is good for them, and so we trust God to make decisions for us. In standing by the government, even when I disagree with it, but not when it tells me to sin, I stand by the Church.
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