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When online conformity mobs imitate government coercion

The social-media outrage machine is rather predictable these days. It doesn’t take much panies and celebrities to offend the cultural consensus, spurring online mobs to respond, in turn: not through peaceful discourse or by turning their attention elsewhere, but by fomenting rage, abuse, and assault on the subject(s) in question. The notion of public outcry isn’t new, of course, particularly as it relates to those in the public eye. But such vitriol seems to be more hastily applied, and increasingly...

Should religious publications accept government funding to promote the EU?

The government of Poland recently funded media outlets that agreed to cover the EU’s international wealth redistribution program, the EU Structural Funds. The fact that one of the recipients was a Catholic weekly raises numerous moral and ethical questions. Marcin Rzegocki, who lives in Poland, describes the “omnipresent” propaganda, funded by taxpayer funds, intended to promote the public perception of the European Union. In a new essay forReligion & Liberty Transatlantic, he reveals the extent of the issue. The government...

Western values can defeat Russian propaganda and Eastern cronyism: Neamtu

The fall of the Berlin Wall remains the greatest symbolic victory of freedom over tyranny in the modern age. Yet the triumph of liberty finds itself threatened by corruption and a propaganda war wrapped up in religious sentiment, according to a prominent Eastern mentator. Mihail Neamtu, a public intellectual in Romania, warns that Eastern Europe is in danger of backsliding away from democracy and the free market in a new essay forReligion & Liberty Transatlantic. “Pervasive cronyism is slowly corroding...

No, hurricanes and other natural disasters are not economically beneficial

Hurricanes like Harvey almost always leave two things in their aftermath: broken windows and articles advocating thebroken window fallacy. Unfortunately, while we can’t stop hurricanes fromoccurring we should be able to put an end to bizarre idea that natural disasters that destroy property are beneficial to our economy. For after 6,712 cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes the evidence is clear: Bastiat was right all along. In 1850, the economic journalist Frédéric Bastiat introduced the parable of the broken window to illustrate...

Why Christians should oppose the debt ceiling limit

When es to political policy, Christians in America have a wide-range of opinions about what should be done. Even when we agree on a general principle, we tend to disagree about how that informs our policy choices. We recognize, for instance, that we have an obligation to care for the poor but differ on the type and degree of government involvement. Such differences can lead us to believe that there is nothing we can agree on. But I don’t believe...

A British perspective on the Alt-Right and antifa Left

The violent reaction to President Trump’s Phoenix rally and the ongoing fallout over Charlottesville show the issue of the Alt-Right, and its Antifa antagonists, is going nowhere. Americans struggle to understand what kind of “conservatism” the Alt-Right represents, as well as the nature of the protesters. A prominent mentator has noted that both movements have attempted to infiltrate broader and more popular movements – against racism or in favor of free speech, respectively – in order to camouflage their extremist...

Explainer: What you should know about the debt ceiling

What just happened? In two tweets posted earlier today,President Trump attacked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan for not tying an increase in the debt limit to a recent Veterans Affairs bill that passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. (The bill likely would have been delayed, though, if it had been tied tothe debt limit.) Congress must vote on whether to raise America’s borrowing limit and keep the government funded within the next month. Failure to...

RELIGION & LIBERTY

Sound Economics and Evangelicals

R&L: You are a pastor and also speak weekly to hundreds of thousands of people on national television. In your opinion, why is it important for Christians to be grounded in sound economic thinking? Kennedy: Unsound economic thinking can lead to disastrous results and suffering for hundreds of millions of people. Consider the catastrophic impact on the vast number of people who had to live under the false economic thinking that munism. Our own society contains many examples of...

Oct 22, 2026

Markets and Virtue

R&L: Please explore with us the way in which certain human virtues promised by the years of Communist rule in your country. Klaus: Basic human virtues such as thrift, honesty, and fidelity can grow and flourish only in an environment of individual freedom and self-responsibility. Communist totalitarianism deprived people of both of them, made them more passive, more cowardly, and more resigned than in countries with political pluralism, property rights, and market structures. R&L: In the long term, do...

Oct 22, 2026

Morality and American Society

R&L: What role did religion or faith play in the founding of National Review in the 1950s? Buckley: Well, it was very plain to all of my associates that I was a pro-Christian. Senior editor James Burnham was a lapsed Catholic; Willmoore Kendall, a Catholic convert; Willi Schlamm, Jewish but “pro-God;” and, of course, Whittaker Chambers was a Christian. The only event that was historically conspicuous within the annals of National Review was the resignation from the Board of...

Oct 22, 2026

Lessons from Liechtenstein

R&L: In the United States, monarchs are usually seen as either mere figureheads or as malevolent dictators. What is the role of a monarch in a free society? Liechtenstein: In our time, monarchies are an important factor in the stability of a country. The monarchy stands for continuity and moral responsibility for the next generation. The monarchs don’t hold their positions for a few years, and then, after an election, find themselves out of office. Rather, they automatically have...

Oct 22, 2026

Economic Imperialism

R&L: You are sometimes called an “economic imperialist.” What is meant by this? Becker: That refers to my belief that economic analysis can be applied to many problems in social life, not just those conventionally called “economic.” The theme of my Nobel lecture, based on my life’s work, is that the horizons of economics need to be expanded. Economists can talk not only about the demand for cars, but also about matters such as the family, discrimination, and religion,...

Oct 22, 2026

Science and the Environment

R&L: With the world-wide decline of socialism, many individuals think that the environmental movement may be the next great threat to freedom. Do you agree? Ray: Yes, I do, and I'll tell you why. It became evident to me when I attended the worldwide Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro last June. The International Socialist Party, which is intent upon continuing to press countries into socialism, is now headed up by people within the United Nations. They are the...

Oct 22, 2026

Religion's Role in Public Life

R&L: Alexis de Tocqueville observed that religion is the first political institution in America, an observation you have said is even more true today than it was in the nineteenth century. Would you explain? Neuhaus: One can make the case that America is in many ways more religious today than it was in the 1830s when Tocqueville wrote. Tocqueville’s understanding of religion as the first political institution had nothing to do with what is viewed today as the influence...

Oct 22, 2026

Challenges Facing the Culture

R&L: What did you mean when you subtitled your 1989 book Against the Night, “Living in the New Dark Ages.” Have the last four years changed your views? Colson: When I wrote Against the Night, I was fearful that we were entering the new dark ages, that the barbarians were not only at the gates of our culture ing over the walls. Looking over these past four years, I see no signs that we are awakening to the threat;...

Oct 22, 2026

Faith and the Limitations of the State

R&L: You played a role in the international political scene at what may be known as history’s most critical hour. Are you aware of a spiritual dimension to what you participated in? Thatcher: Yes, very much so. Freedom is a moral quality. es from the Old Testament and the New. It’s definitely a part of Judaism and Christianity. The talents that we have are God-given talents, therefore we have a right to use them. But, of course, you can...

Oct 22, 2026

Productivity and Potential

R&L: You have led an incredibly productive and active life, from the early civil rights movement to now working to strengthen the black family. What motivates you? Perkins: I don’t like to see human potential wasted, and that’s what happens when people are left behind, either because the system excludes them or because they have failed to adopt solid values. I spent 22 years, from 1962 to 1980, in rural Mississippi, and prior to that I lived in California....

Oct 22, 2026