The source of security

This should give pause to anyone who thinks trading liberty for security is a perfect bargain:

A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the U.S. Olympic men's volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other on the first day of the Olympics on Saturday, team officials and state media said.

The brutal attack shortly after midday was all the more shocking because of the rarity of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up security measures even more for the Olympics.

Shanghai and Beijing are still safer than most foreign cities of their size. Punishments for crimes against foreigners are heavier than for crimes against Chinese ((bad for the image, you see... -- Jemison)), and police-linked neighborhood watch groups are highly vigilant. Chinese are not allowed to own guns.

Even so, the U.S. government now warns Americans against muggings, beatings and even carjackings, especially in the nightlife and shopping districts of large cities.

Because of the fallen nature of Man, there will always be a need for a means to restrain evil. We are told that in this world we WILL have trouble. That is, in fact, government's main charge--not the provision of services, but the punishment of those who hurt others. But there is a law of diminishing returns. A certain level of authority to investigate the suspicious is prudent. The ability, however, to collect any and all information, to achieve some kind of temporal near-omniscience about citizens is a dangerous bargain. In the end, no human system can eliminate the presence of evil decisions and material suffering, no matter how much the utopians wish otherwise. It's far more likely the attempt to gain near-divine control over all aspects of society will only result in unleashing more powerful, officially sanctioned evil through the government itself. Power still corrupts.

The more society rejects eternal life through Christ, the more it seeks to protect the here and now at all costs, through the false god of The State, even if the price tag is obvious servitude and oppression. But only one aspect of perfect security exists this side of eternity: the security of the believer in Christ. All else is flawed, and despite our best efforts the moths WILL get in, the rust WILL destroy, and the thief WILL break in and steal. If even authoritarian China--highly motivated to project a serene image during the Olympics--can't prevent what seems to be a spontaneous murder, what makes security junkies think any nation can?

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Ben Franklin

True freedom has to start with Christ, who does not give us a spirit of fear.