M4L Announces New, “Perspectives”, Interfaith Liberty Initiative.

In my journey around the internet and social media, I have noticed a rift of sorts in the Liberty movement. Nothing as menacing or vast, as the cavern that has grown between the neocons and liberty lovers of modern “conservatism”, but a divide none the less. I see a growing animosity between people of faith, and the atheist/anti-theist blocks of the movement. With the growing influence of voices like Stephan Molyneux and Justin Stout, it would seem that an open antagonism toward people of faith has become a norm in “libertarian” and “voluntaryist”, chat rooms and Facebook pages.

This however is not an effective strategy for a fledgeling movement, in a country whose psyche is dominated by theology. Like it or not, our country is, and will remain to be, filled with, and controlled by, theists of some degree. From the Hindu who owns the motel down the street, to Muslim doctor who does your eye surgery, or the Christian who builds your house, you are surrounded, all day every day, by people who find their roots and guidance in their respective personal faith. In this respect, no amount of degrading us by referring to us as deluded sheep “worshiping bronze age sky daddies” is going to change that. If the Liberty movement hopes to succeed, these militant atheist voices are going to have to get used to us, and learn to accept that we are a part of this movement , and that many of the ideals they advocate have roots in the very traditions they so virulently insult and oppose.

In the spirit of healing this divide, and unifying the religious voices of the movement, Muslims 4 Liberty would like to announce a new area of our website called “Perspectives“. Perspectives is a place for the religious voices of the movement to express their understanding of liberty from the perspective of their own religious traditions. To get this effort started we would like to introduce two newswriters, to offer their own research, and scriptural understanding of Anarchist thought, as it is expressed in their particular religious traditions.

Sha’ul Newman.

Born in 1973 in New Orleans, LA, Sha’ul Newman grew up in an ultra Catholic, strongly Democratic family.  Being raised around Bikers, tattoo parlors and religious zealots gave him a yearning to live free from oppression.  At age 15, he abandoned his Catholic roots and spent many years seeking truth, and journeying along his road self-discovery.  At 25, he converted to the Netzarim Yisraelite faith (a sect of Judasism), and since then, has accomplished much.  Among his endeavors are the founding of the Torah-based “Polygamy Advocate” movement, which seeks to remove government oppression from marriage and the Mishle Parenting Association which teaches adults how to rear children through the wisdom of Scripture and the methods of unschooling.  Sha’ul came to know liberty alongside  Michael Dean (from Freedom Feens) several years ago.  It was mainly through Dean’s podcasts that Sha’ul found himself awakened and armed with truth and knowledge to break the shackles of governmental oppression.  Today, Sha’ul works tirelessly to spread the Voluntaryist agenda and the non-aggression principle to people of all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities.  He is currently working on his first full-length novel which he hopes will encapsulate the tyranny of government and how the sacred texts of the Hebrews provide an alternative to living under oppression.  He currently runs seven websites and manages four pages on Facebook, including “Interfaith Anarchists” and “Freedom Feens.”  Sha’ul earns his living as a dog trainer, freelance writer and artist.  He is a known pogonophile who also teaches classes on Manhood according to Scripture.  He lives in Oklahoma with his wife and children.

Samantha Lindsay

Born in Escondido, California in 1968. Samantha grew up traveling all over the United States with her mother during the years of her early childhood, and with her father in her early teens. She was introduced to Christianity in her early childhood; however, she did not convert to Christianity until her mid-twenties. Due to the “vagabond lifestyle” that marked the early years of her life, her family’s politics had little to no influence on her way of thinking. She continued her nomadic lifestyle when, at the age of 16, her father abandoned her in Arizona and she began to find her own way in the world by making her living traveling with the carnival. When the lack of stability and roots that marked her early life began to catch up with her in her mid-twenties, along with the pain of having been a victim of severe abuse, she turned to God and found peace and healing. She developed a passion to minister to the needs of other hurting women and worked with the para-church ministry, Women Aglow, for several years in Bible studies and support groups. While her political views were shaped in those early years by those with whom she shared her faith, her personal convictions led her to a transition to Christian anarchism; a political worldview informed and defined by the teachings of Christ. She is currently a student at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, TN, majoring in philosophy, and plans to pursue a degree in theology. She still has a passion to minister to the needs of hurting women; however, she has expanded her outreach to include the entire Christian community with a primary focus on educating the church concerning its relationship to the state. She is currently a moderator on five Facebook pages; including “Interfaith anarchists,” “The Libertarian Review,” and “Christian Anarchists.” Samantha writes for her own blog, “A Woman’s Story of Liberty,” and has had her work published in both TheLibertarianReview.com and TheHumbleLibertarian.com. She lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with her husband of 13 years and their beloved companion, Kitty Boy.

M4L hopes to grow this group of writers, to include Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrian, and any other people of faith, that find the expressions of freedom and individual liberty within their revealed texts. We hope this effort goes a long way in fostering understanding between all of us fighting for freedom and Liberty from our own perspectives.