Freedom: An Existentialist and an Idealist View

Extract

One day, in the darkest period of the Inquisition, Christ came back to Earth (so Ivan Karamzov begins his parable in Dostoyevsky's novel); but the Cardinal Inquisitor had Him imprisoned because His return was disturbing the order established by the Church. Sixteen hundred years earlier, when Christ had first come, He had refused to enslave the will of men; although by miracle, power, and authority He could have established himself beyond dispute (and Satan had tempted Him to do so), He chose to leave men free to decide what is good and what evil. But can man bear the torment of having to make such a decision? Did Christ not ask too much of man? Dostoyevsky's Great Inquisitor thought so, and therefore he and the Church substituted obedience for freedom; they lifted from man the terrible burden of free choice, they made the decision for man so that he merely needed to submit to rule and law. They, the Cardinal Inquisitor and the Church, took upon themselves the curse of knowledge; they suffered and were unhappy so that millions might be happy and relieved of the necessity of choice. Man dreads freedom and is eager to exchange it for certainty and security, so the Cardinal Inquisitor informed Christ; and Christ listened and understood how heavy was the burden of freedom which the Great Inquisitor took upon himself. Christ understood, we may assume, when he approached the old man in silence and kissed him, even though this kiss was the only answer that Christian love, humility, and forgiveness could give.