Poor Moe Q. McGlutch Loved Control Too Much

Tyrants since the beginning of time have attempted to limit people’s knowledge. From Mao Zedong’s book burnings to Caligula banning The Odyssey for its themes of freedom, restriction of knowledge in the form of restricting books and reading has always been an important tool for those who have power and want to keep it as it is.

In Renaissance-era Europe, the Catholic Church played the role of that kind of organization. It’s difficult for us to comprehend the sort of system of religion that encompassed Europe during the Renaissance. But imagine, for a minute, being unable to read the scriptures for yourself. You aren’t one of the lucky ones who have been educated. If you want to know what God says, the way He wants you to live your life, you have to rely on your bishop to tell you. And you haven’t got any way to check for yourself, you just have to trust that what he says is right. In addition, everyone around you believes exactly what you do-- including the leaders of your country.

Not Meant for Oppression

There is only so much a human being can take. We are not meant for oppression, and this is clearly proven as we study history.

The oppressive nature of the Catholic Church overshadowed any good that it meant to offer. With the advent of the printing press, we began to see people finally have the opportunity to express themselves. Ideas poured out like a firehose, and there was no going back. From this time forward, each new era saw even more and more human creativity and determination to express oneself both individually and collectively.

Of course, along with the positive effects of freedom came the negative: war and destruction and even more oppression in other ways. I am guessing that had the Catholic Church not been so domineering over the centuries, we might not have seen such a severe pushback.

We can take this “story” of history, learn from it, and carry out better relationships in our families. Too often, we see domineering and dogmatic parents raising their children with a determination that the children will grow up to do and be everything the parents want them to. When this doesn’t happen, there is a division in families just as we saw in the peoples of our past.

Children do not like to be told how to think and what to believe. As parents, it is our job to allow them to find their own way, guiding them along with a hand of safety and a heart of love. To be sure, we will not like nor approve of many of their choices. But this is not a problem to “go to war” over. Instead, let us embrace the good and learn from the difficulties of watching others use their agency in their own lives.

Let us be the best examples of what tolerance should be.

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