[Theophilus]

The free man owns himself

The problem is:

• The obese man is not free
• The drunkard is not free
• The obsesive gambler is not free
• The pervert is never free

If the choice is between being a clean slave or a filthy slave, I'll take clean slave option. If the choice is oppressive order or wreckless anarchy, I'll take oppressive order.

"...but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

[Time is now]

"If the choice is oppressive order or wreckless anarchy, I'll take oppressive order. "

The man who will surrender freedom for security deserves neither... Benjamin Franklin...

[NJ_gent]

"If the choice is between being a clean slave or a filthy slave, I'll take clean slave option."

I choose the third option: Live free or die.

The obese man, the drunkard, the gambler, and the pervert are indeed as free as they wish to be. For each one, plenty of help exists for them to get past what might otherwise seem to be uncontrollable urges. You need to be careful about tossing around the concept of them not being free. If they're not free, then they're not responsible for their actions. If they're not responsible for their actions, then drunk drivers and perverts who molest or rape cannot be held accountable for their actions. Personal responsibility is the cornerstone of law and order. If and when the time comes that no one is responsible for themselves, then the Great Experiment has ended in utter failure; lost to the irrepressible whimsicality of man's feeble and lazy nature.