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I could be wrong, but when Jesus spoke the words, “blessed are the peacemakers,” I strongly suspect he wasn’t talking about invading a country to establish democracy. He probably had something close to the “shalom of God” in mind; that is, not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of wholesome relationships and a general sense of wholeness in society.
One of the reasons I am a libertarian Christian (for lack of a better term) is this ethics of peacemaking. No person should ever be compelled to do that which his conscience does not allow him, especially by force.
If all humans were created in the image of God, in order to be God’s viceroys (“a ruler exercising authority in a colony on behalf of a sovereign”), and if we were all created equal but unique in our personalities, qualities, and talents, then it seems impossible to believe that if we were all peaceful individuals, our uniqueness and personal tastes would simply vanish into a sublime communal desire. No, it seems to me that in the Kingdom fully realized, however that turns out in the end, we will all maintain our uniqueness. Indeed, to put it in a grammatically incorrect way: we’ll all be “more unique” in the Kingdom. Whatever our current swath of talent, character qualities, or personality distinctions in this world, in the age to come they will be even more fully realized.
In that light, it is necessary to remember that in such a world, even a world where there is no sin or evil, people will have different desires, different tastes, and different paths to fulfillment. Inevitably conflict will occur, and in our world today this conflict, on scales large and small, non-peaceful resolutions of conflict remain an option as long as sin is permitted to have its hold over human beings. But absent evil in the world to come, conflict of interests do not simply vanish; no, conflicts of interest will be resolved peacefully. The conflicting parties will naturally want to work things out so that it is a win-win resolution.
In today’s world, being a peacemaker means seeking a solution that does not use violence or coercion, but that results in a win-win for the two parties involved in the conflict. The concept of the rule of law predicates that the rules of conflict management are predetermined, stable, and understood, so that both parties can come to the table knowing to the best extent possible the rules by which they will resolve whatever conflict. It is also important that the rules be fair, and that status in life, age, gender, or sexual orientation does not affect the rules of engagement. In other words, the conflict resolution, if it is truly a win-win situation, must be achieved by the two parties in conflict.
So one reason I advocate for a free society is because people ought to be free to exchange, trade, and collaborate in peaceful ways. If they are not peaceful, laws should punish the offender. If laws don’t provide enough incentive to be peaceful (i.e. if laws protect one party and harm another), they need to be changed. Laws protecting one group of people should not outweigh the protection of another group of people.
It is a truly peaceful society that can seek and find win-win solutions to conflict resolution in absence a coercive and violent force such as the State. The more the State needs to be involved in the management of the lives of others, the further that society is from a truly peaceful and virtuous society.
