[Godzilla]

. . . . and I set out to find references in the writings of Christian spiritual masters on the subject.

So you looked to the wisdom of man rather than the wisdom of God presented in the bible?

[svcw]

True freedom cannot be granted by any man or government, only by Christ.

[Brian Kopp DPM]

You must have missed all those scriptural references from the writers I excerpted...but thanks for providing a lesson on the thread topic ;-)

[don-o]

So you looked to the wisdom of man rather than the wisdom of God presented in the bible?

As if the two are mutually exclusive? Is that your point? If it is, and your comment leads to that conclusion, then you have a problem with St Paul, who told Timothy to take what he (Paul) and taught him (Timothy) and deliver it to "faithful men."

He did not tell Timothy to read the Bible to them.

[Iscool]

So you looked to the wisdom of man rather than the wisdom of God presented in the bible?

The wisdom of God was never revealed to them...Only a select few who pass on that revealed wisdom...