A friend and I were hiking up behind my place. “Can I ask you a really offensive question? I feel we are good enough friends now, but I don’t want you to take it wrong”

“Sure!” I mentally prepare myself for some helpful criticism that might sting. Or maybe she was going to ask me something personal I wasn’t prepared to answer.

She asked, “Are you a domestic terrorist?”

I laughed. “Of course not! Why would you ask that anyways?”

“Well. I heard you all are Sovereign Citizens. When I googled what that meant, I read that it was a group of domestic terrorists.”

I say this blog is for everyone. But really, it’s first for people like me. Those who have been raised up in an environment of conspiracy theories and fear-mongering. We were told that we were the few that had liberty. In reality, we were ruled by fear of man. We had no hope, no life. What good was our liberty? None.

My “people” are known for being unpleasant to be around. They speak of liberty, and yet they use their neighbors to survive, doing little good for anyone else.

“I don’t need a license to drive.” They beg for rides.

“I don’t need a social security number.” Some friend, most likely an embittered lawyer, uses his number to open their Trust or banking account.

“I didn’t give my child a state-issued birth certificate because he is mine. Now CPS can’t legally take him away.” Then why were the children still raised to fear CPS? To hide, to not tell anyone too much? And why were children still taken and adopted out? It prevented nothing. In some cases, the situation was aggravated.

Sovereign Citizen children were raised that because of 9/11, they could still have freedom, but could do nothing. University was out of the question. Jobs, even fast-food positions were impossible to have. Traveling? Nope. Even marriage was unlikely… what were the odds of finding another person your age out of the system? And that he’d be likeable, too? Very little chance.

Freedom looked like living on the edge of blandness, except you were too terrified of every occurrence to have time to appreciate even the dull things of every-day life.

Can you blame anyone for rebelling against such a lifestyle and seeing income tax as more than a fair ransom?

* * *

What if there were absolutely no disadvantages to living out of the system? It might be hard at times, but there would be a benefit to it all: You would never have to pay income taxes.

* * *

Whenever I speak to a group of moms wanting to raise their children out of the system, I ask them, “Why?”

They stare at me.

“How you answer this question will most influence what your child decides to do when he turns eighteen. Do you want to raise them this way because you fear the government? Or because you want your child to have a more fulfilling life?”

“I want my child to be able to have a job and travel and marry,” they say. “I want him to be able to do what anyone else can and more!”

I tell them they can’t even fear CPS. “What I am going to tell you is not a guarantee. If someone wants to take your child, they will. They do not need your permission to persecute you. They don’t even need their own protocols. Don’t fear them, and don’t trust in your own works. You must decide now to trust your child to God and to forget fear.”

A little bit of fear is natural and ok. And yet, the powers of the world will do whatever they wish. No need to ponder on it longer than that. Prepare, but only as much as is necessary. Meanwhile, let’s live with some biblical principles. Let’s live a life that showcases our true Master. Don’t hide your light; share your joy!

There are no secrets. If you truly have something, you will be so full of joy and unable to keep from sharing it with all the world. Your joy will be contagious. And your fruits will verify your words. You will not use your neighbors, but rather your neighbors will think, “I want what they have. I want liberty.”

We remain wise, and yet we are not distrustful and wary of strangers, denying them hospitality and conversation. We are kind. We are vibrant. We use our talents. We travel, we make merry, we work, we marry, we learn, we grow, we love, that through our works they might know who we belong to. (1 John 3:19).

* * *

Liberty won’t be an easy path. There will be moments of fear. But if you have God as your guide and first love, the fear will not rule and the work will become bearable. You will find loopholes, and then you will share them with others. You will sacrifice much for your children and teach them how to live a beautiful life. Someday, your children may be in a position to offer you some respite, something your government will never be capable of.

My goal starts with those my age, and the children. We do what we can, until there are many living successful, free lives. Others will see and join. The system will collapse (as so all forms of government socialism eventually). And when it does, may there be a people who know what it means to live. May they reign.

Meanwhile, chains do not define you. Your motivation and attitude do. Choose life, and freedom is yours no matter if you have a government document. These pieces of paper in the long-run are irrelevant. How you raise your children is forever.

* * *

And this is what I told my friend.

We are not domestic terrorists. I don’t even identify as a sovereign citizen. I am a member of my country, and my sovereign is God. Some men do not like how I live, but I use no one, and I live to serve and shine, not for my glory, but my Heavenly Father’s.

 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5: 14-16

Are you living a life that uplifts or repulses your neighbor?