Easy Chair No. 150, July 14, 1987 Sweden: The “New Totalitarianism” of Comfort and Conformity

Rationalism and the Chain of Being

Rationalism inherits a Greek idea that treats good and evil as metaphysical states on a “chain of being” rather than moral obedience or rebellion against God. This view assumes a continuity of being between God and man, making human reason capable of accessing ultimate truth and reducing sin to a “thinness of being” instead of lawless defiance of God’s law. Biblically, however, God is uncreated and man is created; sin is moral rebellion, not metaphysical decline. The chain-of-being idea undermines creation, predestination, and the historic atonement, replacing them with autonomy, deification, and a rationalized, impersonal god ultimately leaving man to enthrone his own reason as supreme.

The Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a vague spiritual symbol it is the decisive victory of God in history, in body and soul, over sin, death, and every power that opposes Him. Because Christ rose bodily from the grave, His authority extends over all things, spiritual and material, making prayer effective and hope unshakable. This is why the early church lived with joy and courage even in a hostile world: death was defeated, fear was broken, and victory was assured. While the modern world drifts from faith into anxiety and darkness, Christians are called to live as people of the resurrection confident, joyful, and unafraid because our King lives, reigns, and has already secured the victory.

Easy Chair No. 150, July 14, 1987 Sweden: The “New Totalitarianism” of Comfort and Conformity

In Easy Chair 150 (July 14, 1987), R.J. Rushdoony and Otto Scott interview Gary and Carlinda Mose about two years in Sweden, portraying a society that looks peaceful and prosperous yet functions as a “new totalitarianism” built not on terror but on education, conformity, and cradle‑to‑grave dependency. The Moses describe a nation where the state effectively replaces God, families are weakened by high taxes (they cite roughly 55% income tax plus a 25% sales tax) and two‑income necessity, and dissent—though celebrated in theory—is punished in practice through social shaming and even official intimidation (Gary recounts being threatened with arrest and recorded by police for quietly holding alternative placards at a public “peace” demonstration). They warn that the system increasingly treats children as belonging to the state: spanking is illegal, kids are encouraged to report parents, and welfare authorities can remove children with little meaningful appeal, while the established church is politicized and moral standards are inverted (abortion widely accepted, private Bible studies labeled “subversive”). Yet they also testify to faithful Swedish believers who pray earnestly and meet in informal “house” settings because they know only God can heal what state planning cannot—making Sweden, in their view, a sobering preview of where the wider West goes when comfort replaces conviction and “non‑discrimination” is used to silence the freedom to call right and wrong. #EasyChair #Rushdoony #OttoScott #Sweden #TheNewTotalitarians #ChristianLiberty #Family #Education #SoftTotalitarianism #FreedomOfSpeech #ChristianReconstruction"

The Time of God's Power

When church and state drift into self-glory and abandon obedience to God, it can feel like everything is lost but history tells a very different story. God has never tied His power to institutions, monuments, or influential men; His greatest works have always erupted in times of apostasy and collapse. From Noah to Christ Himself, God moved most powerfully when human systems failed. Our task is not to guarantee results, but to obey. The outcome belongs to God alone and His Kingdom cannot be shaken. Every day, no matter how dark it looks, is still the day of His power.

Epistemological Self-Consciousness

In “Epistemological Self-Consciousness,” Rushdoony argues that every worldview must eventually face the implications of its own foundations, and that atheism, when consistently applied, leads to meaninglessness, lawlessness, and the collapse of authority. He contrasts figures like modern artists and scientists who deny God yet still borrow God’s order in practice, showing that unbelief cannot live consistently without smuggling in divine presuppositions. As history advances, God forces cultures toward greater self-awareness, exposing the impossibility of maintaining order, morality, or meaning apart from Him. The result is rebellion against all authority—family, church, state, and law—and the rise of chaos and mob mentality. Rushdoony insists that Christians must develop Christian epistemological self-consciousness through comprehensive Christian education and systematic obedience to God’s law, rather than fighting humanism on humanistic grounds. Only a coherent, God-centered worldview can rebuild what unbelief can only destroy, and victory belongs not to lawless systems of negation but to faithful submission to the triune God who alone gives knowledge, order, and meaning.