Chapter 3: Sadean Man as God

• Jul, 12 2025

Chapter 3 explores the rise of what Rushdoony calls the “Sadean man”—a humanistic, relativistic individual who, like the Marquis de Sade, believes his will is the only law. In this worldview, freedom is the ultimate moral absolute, and all moral restraints—especially those rooted in biblical authority—are seen as oppressive and outdated. This mentality leads to the collapse of traditional moral structures, especially the family, which is viewed as the primary obstacle to normalizing deviant behaviors such as homosexuality, pedophilia, and bestiality.Rushdoony critiques secular publications like The World and I (October 1993) for promoting the normalization of homosexuality without engaging the biblical foundation of morality. Authors and editors in the issue argue from sociological and scientific perspectives, ignoring the religious dimensions that define sexuality and family structure according to Scripture (e.g., Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:24–32). The idea that homosexuality is simply a civil right ignores the deeper theological conflict: a direct rebellion against God’s created order.Activists like Franklin Kameny are highlighted for championing moral relativism and insisting that the individual—not God, not society—is the only legitimate moral authority. Kameny goes so far as to claim that society has no intrinsic legitimacy, only existing to serve individual desires. For him, even the government’s prohibition of murder must justify itself philosophically, a position that exposes the nihilism and danger of radical autonomy.Rushdoony sees this mindset as a return to Genesis 3:5, where man seeks to become his own god by determining good and evil. It is also tied to the decline of biblical family values, the rise of state-sponsored immorality, and the normalization of perversity in education, politics, and entertainment. Examples like Anne Cummings—a self-described “sexual adventuress”—and the moral confusion of religious leaders like Bishop George Appleton, underscore the descent into cultural decadence.Ultimately, Rushdoony warns that this Sadean view of man as autonomous and unrestrained will lead not to liberation but to civilizational collapse. A society where every man does what is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25) is no longer a society—it becomes a jungle. The only true foundation for law, justice, and life is God’s unchanging Word.

Author

R.J. Rushdoony

Chalcedon Founder

Narrated by

Nathan F. Conkey

Narrator, teacher, missionary