Freedom is a very interesting concept. It is not at all tangible, and frequently misunderstood. In one sense, no one can take your freedom away, but in another sense they can impose some severe limits on your available options. Freedom is what makes good and bad possible in the world. Without it, there would be no sin. So is freedom a problem that must be overcome to remove sin from the world? Is freedom a good thing or a bad thing in the grand scheme of things?
I believe that freedom is not only a positive thing worth pursuing more fully, but they most significantly important thing to pursue above ever life itself. Most members of the Church would agree that freedom is a good thing, but I would ask them whether they believe that because they are Christians, or because they are Americans? Basically it comes down to: "do they believe that God agrees with them that freedom is a good thing?" I believe that God does agree, and see strong evidence in the Bible to support that claim.
When God originally created humans in the Garden of Eden, there was no death in the world. Death was introduced only after sin entered the world through mankind's decisions. God didn't have to place the tree of Knowledge in the Garden, allowing sin to enter the world. He could have given Adam and Eve life without end in the garden, without the possibility of their fall. But no matter how comfortable, they would have essentially been prisoners, with no option to leave. They would be God's captive audience, not choosing to spend time with him, but doing so because it was the only option.
Instead, God did place the tree in the Garden, which allowed the possibility for sin. So he chose to provide freedom at the expense of unlimited life. Therefore he must have determined that freedom was more important than life. And if God thinks so, it must be true. Now the Judeo-Christian world has not always been the best at recognizing the importance of freedom, likely because of the restrictive nature of Old Testament Law. But the Christian Biblical worldview is what eventually led to the creation of the first political system that valued the freedom of its citizens, when the US Constitution was ratified. It is the logical conclusion of the Bible story, where God empowers his creatures to make their own choices and deal with the consequences. He is constantly trying to love and shepherd them, but never at the expense of free will.
