The foundation of totalitarianism is an ideology of lies. The system depends for its existence on a people’s fear of challenging the lies…Our way must be, ‘never knowingly support lies.’ You may not have the strength to stand up in public and say what you really believe, but you can at least refuse to affirm what you do not believe. You may not be able to overthrow totalitarianism, but you can find within yourself and your community to live within the dignity of truth. If we must live under the dictatorship of lies, then our response must be, ‘Let their rule hold not through me.’

[This editorial article reflects the opinion of its author.]

As I have prayed, preached, and pastored over the last eight months, two questions have greatly burdened my soul. I will ask and interact with the first here, and if the editor is willing, I will submit a second article for publication another time. This is my first question: what has happened to all the freedom-loving Americans?

How have so many mutely consented to such oppressive and unprecedented abuses of power? While things are far better in Georgia (where I live) than in many states, how is it possible that so many have quietly acquiesced to elected officials becoming dictators seemingly overnight? I am afraid that we used to hold several truths to be self-evident:

That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Read over that statement again. This is the Declaration of Independence that announced the birth of this nation, a nation that is now spiraling toward a lamentable servile dependence. I would like to emphasize few words from above to provide my rationale for my concerns.

You will find that the founders of our constitutional republic—until recently a most prosperous and freedom-loving society—laid a foundation for their descendants that has been the bedrock of our nation for generations. These Fathers of our country recognized certain principles and liberties were unarguable, as clear to them as the sun in a cloudless, noon-day sky: among these, but not exclusively these, are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. The role of government was not to restrict, rescind, sully, or otherwise deprive people of these rights, but to secure them. The authority by which those in office carry out the duty of securing the rights of citizens must be exercised according to the principles of real justice and tempered with deep humility. Take one look around our nation and you will see precisely why I mentioned above that we used to hold these truths to be self-evident. Sadly, what used to be so obvious needs once again to be explained and defended.

This virus is real, of course, but in large measure the response of the ruling class in this nation has been unreal. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recently said the following in an interview with the Federalist Society: “Just as the COVID restrictions have highlighted the movement toward rule by experts, litigation about those restrictions has pointed up emerging trends in the assessment of individual rights…It pains me to say this, but in certain quarters, religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right.” I could not agree more. Now, do not misread me. We need to care in a focused way for those at risk. We must remember to pray for the doctors, nurses, and other medical workers who see the worst effects of this virus every single day. But we must not allow this to be an occasion for the disintegration of our free society.

What has happened to freedom-loving Americans? Perhaps I should ask a more pointed question: what has happened to freedom-preserving Americans? Not too long ago words like “lockdown,” “mask mandate,” and “church and business closures” would have elicited cries of sic semper tyrannis (“thus always to tyrants”) from every corner of the nation. Now it seems most people simply return to their phones and football games: at least we can still be entertained. But entertainment at the expense of liberty is a horrendous trade. Yawning in the face of burgeoning totalitarianism is worse than cowardice.

I have six children. My wife and I are waiting on a seventh. What kind of nation will they inherit from me and my generation? Will it be one in which we walk around eyeing everyone around us with suspicion, viewing fellow image-bearers merely as potential threats? Will it be one in which we mindlessly embrace the deceit endlessly propagandized to us through Big Tech and Mainstream Media? Will it be a nation full of irresponsible people who cannot take care of themselves but depend upon Big Government to tell them when they can worship, how many people can come to their homes, and how to live their lives in all its minutia? This is not the nation that our Fathers established two-and-a-half centuries ago.

I just began reading a book by Rod Dreher entitled Live Not By Lies, and I commend it highly to all who read this. In it he quotes from the great anti-Communist Alexander Solzhenitsynm who wrote:

The foundation of totalitarianism is an ideology of lies. The system depends for its existence on a people’s fear of challenging the lies…Our way must be, ‘never knowingly support lies.’ You may not have the strength to stand up in public and say what you really believe, but you can at least refuse to affirm what you do not believe. You may not be able to overthrow totalitarianism, but you can find within yourself and your community to live within the dignity of truth. If we must live under the dictatorship of lies, then our response must be, ‘Let their rule hold not through me.’

What can you do? Refuse to believe lies. “What lies,” you ask? That you must capitulate when the government decrees unjustly. That the government knows what is best for you and your family. That you must be silent in the face of the mobs, either on Twitter or in the streets. That you must live in fear.

Here is one historical anecdote, the Stamp Act of 1765. The British Parliament legislated that the American colonies had to contribute to the financing of the British Army through the imposition of a tax. Simply stated, this Act was relatively minor in expense, but excessively wide in intrusion. Leaders and liberty lovers such as Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams stood their ground in resistance. Though perhaps we would not agree with all their tactics, their resolve to stand for liberty rippled through the colonies and resulted in the Act being repealed. Through courage, principle, and fortitude, lovers of liberty forged a way that led to the nation we enjoy today.

You have probably heard the old adage “freedom isn’t free.” I would add also that freedom isn’t safe. It demands responsibility, grit, and courage. Do you love freedom? Then stand to preserve it. Work to promote it. Study to utilize it well. Live with dignity, honor, courage, love, and resolve. Let that be part of the heritage you leave to your children and mine.

Mike Myers is a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and is pastor of Heritage OPC in Royston, Ga.