FREEDOM HAS LIMITS

Sir,

When God created man, He gave Him the freedom of choice. When Satan tempted God’s creation in the Garden of Eden, they chose to follow Satan.

Freedom is perhaps the most fundamental human right. The freedom to follow the religion of your choice, the freedom to work where you want, the freedom to move to a different country and even the freedom to eat what you want.

In some countries, people are denied even those basic rights. However, freedom does need to have limits to prevent people from doing whatever they felt like doing. God gave people freedom of choice but He also gave them 10 commandments. There are limits to our freedoms. Most countries have laws in place which are based on some of the commandments. You are fee to live however you wish to as long as you do not violate any of those laws. In fact, God commands us to respect the authorities and laws of the countries we live in (Romans 13: 1-7).

Some might question how we can accept to live in countries where laws are harsh and human rights trampled upon without resorting to violence against those in authority. However, what guarantees do they have that things will improve once their objectives have been accomplished? Are the people of Syria any better off now after violently challenging their dictator president and his regime? God tells us not to worry or be fearful about the problems of this world but look to Him instead for our protection and needs (Matthew 6: 25-34). Violence achieves nothing but bloodshed. Change can come through dialogue and the power of collective prayer.

Many people fail to realise that Satan is the ruler of this world. That is why we should not put our trust in governments but in God (Psalm 146). Many African countries today cannot claim to be any better off now under African governments than they were under colonial ones.
The right to freedom, however, should not be selectively applied. Most people around the world do have the freedom to live however they wish to but money becomes a determining factor when it comes to having the freedom of making choices. Freedom is limited in countries with high poverty levels.

Those who do not have money are denied the right to choose the career of their choice because they cannot afford access to higher education. They are denied the right to proper healthcare and are even denied the right to eat foods of their choice, and the right to decent shelter because of poverty. Freedom should also not be applied selectively when it comes to religion. All religions should be allowed to exist freely without intimidation or threats of violence against their followers. Supermarkets and food outlets should also cater for all religions and not just for some religions only.

Swazi citizen
Mbabane

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