00:00:01.000My conversation at Dream City Church Freedom Night in America.
00:00:07.000A great conversation with a lot of people in Phoenix where we talk about the allegory of the cave.
00:00:14.000We talk about the ash conformity test and why Christians need to not conform to the ways of this world and how that applies to our government.
00:00:21.000Email us your thoughts, freedom at charliekirk.com.
00:00:24.000If you want to support our program, because there are no advertisers, so it's just you guys.
00:00:28.000If you're listening to this, this is for you, made possible by you at charliekirk.com/slash support.
00:01:57.000We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives, and we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country.
00:02:13.000So, before we get started tonight, we have a lot to talk about and some great things to talk about.
00:02:18.000About how, after just two of these freedom squares, we've put points on the board.
00:02:23.000We've put points on the board here in Arizona.
00:02:26.000And I got to be honest, this is an amazing turnout considering it's 175 degrees outside.
00:02:31.000You know, before we decided to kind of come to Arizona and make this the stand for the entire nation, I didn't quite understand the perseverance and the intestinal fortitude it took to survive these Phoenix summers, but it's a little bit easier than Chicago winters.
00:02:47.000But I just want to say our partners here at Dream City, they've been amazing.
00:02:52.000They don't charge us anything to do this, they're incredible hosts.
00:02:55.000And I want you to consider maybe the Lord has blessed you over the last year.
00:02:59.000Maybe you just got a promotion to support some of the initiatives they are doing to actually improve the welfare of the city around us.
00:03:07.000We got to step up and help our fellow neighbor after these unconstitutional and immoral lockdowns.
00:03:13.000And so I want to just reiterate what we're experiencing right here in Arizona, getting a lot of other churches.
00:03:20.000I don't want to say jealous because that's not of the Lord, but it gets them a little bit into a place where they want what we got here.
00:04:04.000You understand that your attendance here, your involvement here, you know, churches across the country, when they see crowds like this on a weeknight, when you have another weeknight program in the next night, that's sending a message.
00:04:15.000You understand that this is gaining momentum all across the country.
00:04:18.000So last month, our second Freedom Square, we talked about the need to get involved in school boards.
00:04:24.000And we talked about the Chandler Unified School District.
00:04:26.000Where are my Chandler people out here?
00:04:30.000So I kind of previewed this very carefully because I didn't want to over-preview my plans.
00:04:39.000But I showed up at the Chandler Unified School District meeting last month.
00:04:43.000So let me tell you about this experience.
00:04:45.000I had never been at a school board meeting before.
00:04:47.000And I did this in part because I wanted to show the power of Freedom Square and the power of regular people showing up and holding our school board leaders accountable.
00:04:56.000So I didn't really know what I was doing.
00:04:58.000So you have to show up rather early and you sign in your name and then a crowd kind of starts to form.
00:05:04.000And what was so amazing, the first thing I just want to say is how many of you came up to me and said, Hey, we're here because of Freedom Square.
00:05:22.000So they only had 25 chairs for us, but there were like 200 people there.
00:05:28.000And I think Freedom Square is largely responsible for at least half of that, right?
00:05:34.000And so let's just refresh our memory as to why Chandler Unified.
00:05:38.000Did we just kind of close our eyes and point somewhere on the map?
00:05:40.000No, because they were putting forward critical race theory, mandatory equity in symposiums for all their teachers and all their instructors.
00:05:48.000We've went through in prior teachings of why that is so dangerous and pernicious and against who we are as Americans and who we are as Christians.
00:05:57.000The people that were announcing it, they kind of realized that there is some things that don't belong.
00:06:02.000And James T. Harris also showed up alongside me from KFYI, who's just phenomenal.
00:06:07.000And so they, you know, they're announcing, you know, Joe Smith, Carl, James T. Harris, and they're like, Charlie Kirk.
00:06:17.000And it's like, not exactly enthused about that, right?
00:06:21.000So we're let in, we're granted access.
00:06:23.000And so the first thing that I noticed when I showed up to this school board meeting, and I want you all to understand that you inspire me to also take action when I see these crowds.
00:07:04.000And so you could tell that there was, you know, a lot of parents that had never spoken before.
00:07:09.000But I have to say, before I had an opportunity to speak, the courage and the wisdom of parents that have never spoken publicly before about these issues was so inspiring.
00:07:20.000I have not seen this kind of grassroots movement in anything except maybe 10 years ago in the Tea Party, but this is a different type of energy.
00:07:28.000And these were parents that were rising up and they were saying, you know what?
00:07:31.000I've never cared about this before, but I'm not going to allow you to take my taxpayer dollars to destroy the neighborhood around us.
00:07:37.000Now, and so I want to play you my remarks there.
00:07:42.000They only gave me a minute, and you're going to hear halfway through the video.
00:07:45.000They interrupt right through 30 seconds, like right on.
00:08:12.000I'm an Arizona taxpayer, an employer of over 100 people in this state.
00:08:15.000I'm disgusted that you are lying to the citizens of this state and the people that pay your salaries.
00:08:21.000You say critical race theory is not in the school district, and then moments later, you have someone come up and use that word equity.
00:08:28.000Just last week, the CUSD Summer Equity Symposium was held, and it was quote: To create systemic change, change your leadership thinking.
00:08:37.000How about addressing implicit bias for student excellence?
00:08:40.000If you know anything, just a little bit about where these ideas and these phrases come from, you know that this is stomping on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
00:08:50.000This is a racist, vile, and evil ideology that has infected this once great school district.
00:08:55.000I implore every single member of the school board to actually learn what you are supporting.
00:09:16.000That was a lot to fit into a short period of time.
00:09:19.000And that was not the best speech of the night, I could tell you.
00:09:23.000Now, I do have to say that doing radio every single day, and thank you for those of you that listen to us on AM 960 every day here, kind of gets you.
00:09:30.000Used to have to say a lot in a short period of time, so it was good training for that.
00:09:33.000But here's the amazing news: after these speeches, and I'm going to get this exactly right, after all that controversy, there were two open seats on that school board, and 17 patriots and conservatives that had never run for anything before had stepped up to fill those seats.
00:09:50.00017 people have stepped up to fill those seats.
00:09:59.000So, we're going to keep our eyes on the Chandler Unified School District.
00:10:02.000And what was so great through the whole process is that it was evident that the school board members were not used to the big crowd, they were not used to being held accountable, and they were a little bit nervous.
00:10:32.000We're going to keep our eyes on all this.
00:10:33.000The second thing that happened since the last time we spoke, there's been a lot of announcements around this, what we've been involved in.
00:10:39.000I know this can be somewhat of a tricky topic, and I'm going to do my best to make it not very controversial or tricky, which is this idea around mandatory vaccination, right?
00:10:48.000And so, I'm not here to tell you the vaccine's a good idea, I'm not here to tell you the vaccine's a bad idea.
00:11:25.000And so, what was happening almost out of nowhere is Arizona State University came out with guidance saying that if you don't get the vaccine, you must be subject to almost daily testing.
00:11:36.000You must wear a mask at all times, indoors and outdoors.
00:11:38.000And if enough class people in the class demand it, you have to be forced to take an online class, right?
00:11:44.000So, basically, you don't get any of the same sort of experience as your fellow classmen.
00:11:50.000And so, we went really hard against this.
00:11:53.000And so many Freedom Square attendees joined us in this at an almost instantaneous reaction.
00:11:59.000And we said to Arizona State University, this is not going to happen.
00:12:03.000And we called on the governor to step up and do the right thing.
00:12:07.000And I am pleased to say that within hours, Governor Ducey stepped up and said, this has no place in the state of Arizona.
00:12:14.000And we are not going to mandate vaccinations for college kids that attend our state universities.
00:12:22.000And by the way, the people in President Trump's orbit have been keeping eyes on what's been happening here at Freedom Square.
00:12:29.000And it really, I think, played a big role in him wanting to come out on July 24th.
00:12:40.000So we won on the mandatory vaccination program.
00:12:44.000But also the last time we talked, we spoke, you might remember that I took a very, I was very careful, but also very disappointed that the governor was not taking more decisive action on some very important pending legislative items.
00:13:00.000And I told you to contact the governor and contact your legislature.
00:13:04.000Now, it wasn't a perfect reversal, but I could tell you that there are now more points on the board than I even expected.
00:13:10.000For example, HB 2906, authored by Representative Jake Hoffman, quote, fully bans the hateful racist and divisive critical race theory at all levels of government within our state, including schools.
00:13:23.000And this is the first in nation legislation to combat CRT in a sweeping fashion, making Arizona the national leader in combating the divisive curriculum signed into law.
00:13:42.000HB 2898, this is a law which ensures that students cannot be taught that one race, ethnic group, or sex is in any way superior to another, or that anyone should be discriminated against the basis of these characteristics.
00:13:54.000The law allows a fine up to $5,000 for schools that violate this law.
00:13:59.000And these two work in concert, again, signed into law.
00:14:51.000HB 2905 is a piece of legislation for an election integrity that bans the mass mailing of ballots to voters who did not request an early ballot.
00:15:02.000The legislation also adds a class five felony for county recorders who go rogue and willfully violate this law.
00:15:09.000Also, HB 2035 is curriculum transparency and parental notification piece of legislation that provides parents with an opportunity to participate in, review, and provide input on any proposed sexual education, curriculum, or course of study before it becomes adopted.
00:16:02.000That's the difference between leadership and decay.
00:16:06.000Now, some people say, Charlie, how do we prevent Californians from coming to our state and wanting to destroy it?
00:16:13.000You know, honestly, one of the ways we prevent that from happening is when we implement policies that they hate and they might not actually live move here and live here and might want to actually, if they love critical race theory, I'm sorry, Arizona is not the state for you.
00:16:28.000If you want fifth graders to be taught sexual education, Arizona might not be the state for you.
00:16:34.000And the point is that when you lead and not follow, all of a sudden, as it says in, as it says in Jeremiah 29, 7, we talk, this is kind of the theme verse of Freedom Square that contest or demand the welfare of the city or the nation at which you are in, because your city's welfare is your welfare.
00:16:51.000And that's exactly what we're doing here today.
00:16:53.000So I just want to say that in the course of 60 to 90 days since starting this, we've put points on the board.
00:16:58.000And if you're like me, I don't want to let up.
00:17:32.000What are we supposed to do when you see something is wrong, but everyone around you is telling you something completely and totally different.
00:17:41.000Well, there's a very interesting psychological study that focuses on this called the Ash Conformity.
00:18:06.000The participants were actually being misled intentionally to find out what is the power of group and mob psychology.
00:18:15.000So there was one person that was actually being tested and four people that were in on it.
00:18:20.000So they brought everyone into the room, and the one person would always go last who was the test subject.
00:18:26.000This person would be sitting over here, and the other four people would be lined up.
00:18:30.000So at the front of the room, they would draw three lines and they would ask one after the other, which line is longer than the other.
00:18:39.000And what happened is, despite the apparent and obvious difference that one line was longer than the other, if the four people, one, that the line that was actually shorter was longer, 75% of the time, the last respondent would go against what they saw instead of what they heard.
00:18:58.000So I'm going to tell you, I'm going to read this study for yourself.
00:19:01.000So there were 18 trials in total, and seven students who were on the experiment purposely gave the wrong answer 12 times.
00:19:12.000And the head of this study, Solomon Elliott App, said, quote, the tendency to conform in our society is so strong that reasonably intelligent and well-meaning young people, I would say, all people are willing to call white black.
00:19:33.000It raises questions about the ways our education system functions and the values that guide our.
00:19:40.000I'm going to reiterate this: throughout 12 trials, about three-fourths of participants conformed at least once, and one out of four participants never conformed.
00:19:49.000So you here today are the one in four of that trial that refused to conform.
00:19:55.000Now, just to give you an idea that this is not sampling error, when they did this individually without the other people around them, less than 1% of respondents gave the wrong answer.
00:20:10.000And I feel right now, and I see in America, this crisis of conforming.
00:20:18.000This crisis that you have to give the same answer as the four people next to you, even though you see that one line is longer than the other.
00:20:26.000Even though you say, that's not the right decision for you, I know it's not.
00:20:30.000Well, the four people next to you are saying that.
00:20:32.000I'm sure all of you feel this almost on a daily basis, and it has a psychological, almost torment, where you start to question yourself.
00:21:17.000But you're very likely to conform because you don't want the ridicule.
00:21:22.000And a few of them even stated in this study that they thought the group's answer was correct.
00:21:27.000They were convinced against their own lying eyes that the virus didn't come from a laboratory or whatever.
00:21:39.000The experiment concluded that people conform for two main reasons.
00:21:43.000They want to fit in, which is called normative information, because they believe the group is more informed than they are, which information.
00:21:54.000Now, so many Christians are going through this right now.
00:21:57.000And this psychological study confirms the truth of the Bible.
00:22:01.000It confirms something that Paul wrote about in Romans, Romans 12, 2.
00:22:05.000Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God and what is good and acceptable and perfect.
00:22:18.000You see, what we're living through right now is too many Christians are listening to the four answers before them instead of listening to what God wants them for their life and looking at what the wisdom of the Lord is.
00:22:30.000And this applies to almost everything that's happening right now.
00:22:33.000I have never seen in my life, and I'm sure you agree, such propaganda, such pressure to do something that you know is wrong, to do something that even you see that one line is shorter than the other, but we know how that psychology works.
00:22:50.000But I can tell you, one of the powers of this gathering here tonight is for you to know that 2,000 other people see that one line is shorter than the other, that 2,000 other people see the nonsense that is happening, whether on television or radio or podcasting or on social media.
00:23:06.000But again, the scriptures say, do not be conformed to the pattern of this world.
00:23:09.000Here's the test for you before the next time we meet next month.
00:23:13.000Moving it to Wednesday next month, which is the next time you're in a group setting at work with your family, with your friends, on social media, and those four people say something that you could see is wrong, are you going to be willing to answer it honestly and maybe face some ridicule?
00:23:53.000You can call it serpent, Satan, devil, this world.
00:23:58.000Jesus called Satan the prince of this world.
00:24:02.000And so, are you going to conform to that pattern?
00:24:04.000Are you going to stand firmly for truth?
00:24:06.000The second thing I want to share with you, then we'll get to some questions that I think is really important, which kind of ties together with this idea of conformity.
00:24:14.000But it's really what we're living through right now, which is actually where we get the word education.
00:24:19.000The word education comes from a Latin word, which means to lead forth.
00:24:25.000Now, an interesting question is: well, what are you leading them forth from or out of?
00:24:29.000Actually, in the original Latin, it means to lead forth from out of the cave.
00:24:34.000Now, if those of you that know your Plato or your Socrates, it's okay, we're going to walk through all of it.
00:24:38.000This is actually where the first idea of education was passed.
00:24:43.000And I'm going to show you right now in an illustration what our public education system is doing and what we have to do about it.
00:24:49.000What Socrates told Plato 2,500 years ago, then what does the Bible tell us about that most importantly?
00:24:54.000Because these metaphors and these teachings can be helpful.
00:24:57.000But if these studies contradict the teachings of the Bible, I ask them.
00:25:00.000That's why I like the ash conformity test because it literally tells you what Romans 12, 2.
00:25:05.000And so the allegory of the cave, something a lot of people would hear if they actually were being taught in college.
00:25:12.000But the allegory of the cave is something that's really important.
00:25:15.000This is something that was passed down for generation after generation of how we are living and existing.
00:25:21.000And this is exactly what I think is happening right now on CNN, happening on social media.
00:25:26.000And so many of your friends, and I'm going to show you a picture of this.
00:25:52.000They share a cell that is completely dark, except for one wall, which they look at all day long, which is illuminated by an unseen, an unrecognized source of light.
00:26:05.000So there's a light at their back illuminating the wall of the cave.
00:26:09.000Prison guards and other prisoners, boxes and carts, pass between the light and the wall casting shadows.
00:26:17.000The inmates are incapable of interacting with each other except through speech.
00:26:22.000And all these prisoners see are the shadows on the wall, which they deem to be reality.
00:26:28.000These people come to name the shadows and have conversations about them and take them to be real objects, as the shadow world is the only world that they have ever known.
00:26:38.000One day, one of the prisoners escapes and sees that some of the prison guards have been passing shapes in front of the fire.
00:26:45.000So the prison guards are standing elevated.
00:26:48.000The fire is illuminating it, and they're making almost puppets that are casting a shadow on the wall.
00:26:57.000But once she comes to see the shadows for what they are, which is only partial representations of real things, only previously perceived in rough shapes and approximations, the freed prisoner escapes the prison itself and sees for the first time the sunlit world.
00:27:15.000At first, the sunlit world causes our escapee to squint and her vision is blurry.
00:27:21.000She experiences pain, irritation, and even a longing for the comfort of her familiar self.
00:27:27.000She's then tempted to return to her former life.
00:27:30.000However, after a time, her eyes adjust and she comes to see things differently rather than as shadows.
00:27:35.000She comes to see real trees, cars, and so on, know the difference between shadows and things that cast light on them.
00:27:42.000What's happening right now in our education system and in media and in social media and from our public health officials is we are not seeing the full truth of the truth at all.
00:27:51.000We are seeing a shadow being broadcast on the wall that we're told to look at all day long.
00:27:56.000That we are seeing a simulation of a shadow.
00:27:58.000And what happens is once people break free, I mean, how many people here have been what we call red-pilled?
00:28:25.000You take the red pill, we'll see how long the rabbit hole actually goes.
00:28:27.000Blue pill, wake up in your, you know, your bed.
00:28:29.000By the way, if you want to take the blue pill, like fine, just watch CNN, get your stimulus check, wear two masks, and you'll live a great life, right?
00:28:39.000So, and so the Bible tells us that we should pursue truth, even if it makes our eyes squint.
00:28:51.000And we should always question what we are living through is actually rooted in reality.
00:28:56.000In Acts 28, 27, it says, For this people's heart has grown dull.
00:29:00.000With their ears, they can barely hear.
00:29:03.000And their eyes, they have the closest lest that they should see with their eyes and hear with their ear and understand with their hearts turn.
00:29:35.000The Bible tells us in a Hosea 4:6, my people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge.
00:29:42.000That's what the Bible says, that my people are destroyed due to a lack of knowledge.
00:29:47.000My people wither away in that cave, staring at a shadow all day long.
00:29:51.000Little do they know it's a simulation of what's actually happening.
00:29:54.000And what all of you are here tonight living through is you've decided to break those chains because you've been born new by Jesus Christ first and foremost, who is the breaker of the ultimate chains.
00:30:04.000And then you get in the world, you see everything differently.
00:30:06.000You see things like, oh, that commercial doesn't actually say that.
00:30:10.000I see what they're trying to make me do.
00:30:16.000You may or may not know this, but Socrates was accused by his peers by a 51% vote of being a heretic or being someone that was corrupting the young.
00:30:26.000And he was basically assassinated to be a rough word, but he was murdered, similar to Jesus by his peers.
00:30:33.000And he was actually forced to commit suicide by a certain drug simply for asking questions and pursuing truth.
00:30:39.000Now, what Socrates did, though, in this illustration, he said, you know what happens when most people are freed from their chains?
00:30:47.000They're angry because they realize they used to be in a place of.
00:30:50.000How many of you have friends and family where you've shown them the truth about something in the last year in the news cycle?
00:30:56.000You're like, no, no, no, actually, there's a thing called VARES, V-A-E-R-S.
00:31:35.000He wants us to worship him, to obey his commands, to live obediently, and yes, live free thanks to Jesus Christ in the same way that we should contest for our local government.
00:31:45.000So I want to just encourage you right now.
00:31:47.000We are starting to make real movement.
00:31:49.000Now, don't be surprised, though, if the enemy tries to make a counterattack at this moment.
00:31:54.000And that's why we have to keep on gathering, keep on praying, keep on reading, keep on organizing, keep on doing real things.
00:32:00.000But all of us right here in the business that we're in at Turning Point USA, every single day, we just, by the way, we just launched the largest ever anti-mandatory, let me say it again for the journalists that don't watch anything, antor anti-mandatory vaccine project for college and high school kids across the country.
00:32:23.000Because I know all of us have days sometimes where we wish we didn't know as much as we know, right?
00:32:31.000We didn't see all of it because it makes you a little bit, it makes you squint because you have to be exposed to the sunlight.
00:32:36.000We wish we could do a steep chain of the cave and just watch Hulu and Netflix all day long.
00:32:55.000It's other people making like you all day.
00:32:57.000Break free of that, everybody, and lean on each other, lean on the word of God.
00:33:02.000And so to tie all that together, where we are headed in the next couple months, I could just see it.
00:33:08.000And we have a really good ability in our program and our podcast to see things, you know, as they're happening, not before they happen, that they're going to try everything they possibly can in the next 30, 60, 90 days to ridicule, to mock, to intimidate, to do everything they can against you to make you conform to their demands.
00:33:27.000The question is: are you going to conform to the word or to the world?
00:33:32.000And I know tonight and here at Freedom Square, we are here to say that we are going to obey God's commands, not that of the world.
00:33:39.000And I want all of you to know you're not alone and we are going to win that fight together.
00:33:44.000And then I'll close with this: is that this idea of spontaneous order, the beautiful thing, where because of this, thousands of other mini decisions are going to be made for boldness and courage and truth that I will never know about and can't control.
00:33:57.000But you'll tell me three years later, you did that because you were at Freedom Square.
00:34:01.000And that's the bigger thing that's happening, right?
00:34:04.000Gather, you congregate, and you guys want to say the young mother, what you're doing and the fact that you're aware is so important.
00:34:12.000Find other, here's my other piece of advice: find other young mothers that are just as alert as you.