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![]() Plan BThe Alternative United States presidential candidates are lined up giving their best show again. Each party is offering both conservative and liberal candidates. Despite the promises and rehearsed rhetoric of planned political platforms the opposite has often taken place during the subsequent administrations until less than 40% of the people even bother to vote. I recently saw a man holding a large sign that read “Doctor Ron Paul cured my apathy.” There can be little doubt that Mr. Paul has stirred a passionate hope in some Americans. Jon Stewart, from Comedy Central, recently commented to Dr. Paul in an interview, “You appear to have consistent principled integrity.... Americans don't usually go for that?” Unfortunately, the truth of this humorous quip about the American political scene may be all too true in the foretelling of Ron's greatest weakness as a candidate in our modern society. Paul makes people think about more than properly packaged political pablum. He gives them facts and tells them the truth. But do Americans really want to think? Can they handle the truth? Our hopes should never rest upon the ability of a social democracy to deliver freedom. As long as self indulgent citizens prevail in a society, democracies are doomed. There is a need for a Plan B and even Ron Paul's message requires it. Though few want to take up the responsibility required to establish and maintain a free society, a minority may be all we really need. It was a minority of Americans who stood with men like Patrick Henry when he said in his “give me liberty or give me death” speech: “Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things, which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it. Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves... ” The “whole truth” includes not only an unfaltering honesty about the condition of this world, but also the often unflattering “whole truth” about ourselves. In 1776 when Americans stood for self reliance and independence against the struggles in the wilderness and the opposition of savage and Hessian foes, to say nothing of the whole might of the British Empire, they stood united with the power and wisdom of a network of local communities rooted in volunteerism. In all needs of society they came together in a common cause of general welfare, love of liberty, and a diligent concern for private right, because they came together in common love for one another. They had learned the hard lessons offered by a hard land. If they were not there for their neighbor at a moments notice then who would be there for them in their own hour of need? “The ordinary citizen, living on his farm, owned in fee simple, untroubled by any relics of feudalism, untaxed save by himself, saying his say to all the world in town meetings.” [For he,] “had a new self-reliance. Wrestling with his soul and plough on week days, and the innumerable points of the minister’s sermon on Sundays and meeting days, he was coming to be a tough nut for any imperial system to crack”1 Many are looking to Ron Paul to change the present course of this country. There is something decidedly un-american about thinking that one man can solve the problems of a whole nation. I believe that William Pitt was voicing the sentiments of Dr. Paul's platform more than 200 years ago when he said, "As long as we look to government to solve our problems we will always suffer tyranny.” Tyrants are not the problem. Tyrants are only the symptom. There are no single tyrants in the world. They all rely on a selfish and slothful population who covet power or benefit at their neighbor's expense. People need to stop looking to governments of authority to solve problems or provide security and protection. They must seek an alternative solution without becoming tyrants over their neighbors. There has always been an alternative system of self government within our reach, but the knowledge of it has been removed from our books, our schools, and our thinking. Free governments of individual rights are governments of individual responsibility. If you want your rights back, you must take back your responsibilities not only for yourself, but for your neighbor, without “forcing” other neighbors to contribute to any personal welfare. This principle of voluntarism has consistently set whole nations free. Voluntary governments have actually been the rule in man’s history, and not the centra governemts or direct or indirect social democracies so common in the world today. It is generally unknown that, “our modern reliance on government to make law and establish order is not the historical norm.”2 Many years ago a man wrote about “a government of the People, by the People, and for the People.”3 No, I am not talking about Abraham Lincoln. I am talking about John Wycliffe, who was one of the early translators of the Bible into English. Stay with me. Don't glaze over at the mention of the Bible. We are going to tell you the whole truth. When Wycliffe translated the Bible into English he was promptly arrested and put into prison by the government and the orthodox of Church, where he suddenly died. Two years later, that church had his body dug up and burned at the stake. What were they all so afraid of? The Bible tells us that, “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”4 Freedom is not for the slothful and selfish. It is for the diligent. Abraham, Moses, and Jesus were presenting a plan and strategy to liberate whole nations from both religious and civil bondage. They spoke about 'one form of government' that would 'set the captive free'. Most people don't know - or want to know - how it worked. Few have the virtue and character to pursue that plan, even if they understood it. Fortunately, it does not take the majority, but only a diligent minority who care about each other's rights and welfare as much as they care about their own. Abraham came out of Haran with many “souls”.5 Moses brought thousands out of the civil bondage of Egypt. And Jesus preached the kingdom of God getting the faithful cast out of the civil Corban of the Pharisees6 which had made the “word of God of none effect” according to Mark 7:13. What many people do not realize is that those systems were all social welfare states, where governments offered entitlements and protection funded at the expense of their neighbor. "Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state lives at the expense of everyone."7 According to the Bible, we are not to covet our neighbor's goods, yet modern governments and their churches say it is acceptable to take from your neighbor for your personal welfare or benefit as long as you use the authority of government as your benefactor.8 Nothing could be farther from the truth. Any system that forces contributions of some for the personal gain of others is rejecting the fundamental laws of God, to "love thy neighbor as thyself"9 and "not covet anything that is your neighbor's".10 The Constitution for the United States mentions promoting the “general welfare,”11 not providing private welfare. As the fall of Rome teaches us, nothing undermines the general welfare of society more than “free bread and circuses” at the expense of our neighbor. It depletes society of both the incentive of personal industry, as well as --- the virtue and practice of true charity. Any system that deprives the individual oftheir personal freedom of choice opposes the purpose of securing the blessings of liberty to those people and their posterity.12 Any government which binds the people with force, fear, and entitlements, rather than the stronger bonds of faith, hope, and charity, opposes God.13 Any government that diminishes personal choice is in opposition to God according to Romans 13.David,14 Christ, and even Paul15 told us that the benefits offered by authoritarian benefactors that are said to be for our welfare, are the snare that brings people into bondage.16 Peter said through our coveting of those benefits we would be delivered into bondage becoming little more than human resources.17 Samuel was even more detailed about what would happen if the “voice of the people” chose a ruler who could exercise authority over their God given right to choose.18 The Kingdom of God is the right to be ruled by God, and not by men. Ron Paul speaks about those righteous precepts, but his election will not bring America to liberty unless the People change. In Edward Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", he praised “the union and discipline of the Christian republic.” He also pointed out that “it gradually formed an independent and increasing state in the heart of the Roman Empire.”19 How those early Christians earned such praise is one of the best kept secrets of our time. They grew in numbers as Rome continued to collapse under the costs of a rising welfare state,20 continuous political corruption,21 moral degeneration,22 runaway inflation,23 and continuous war in every corner of Europe and Asia. How did the Christians function and even prosper? Why were they mistrusted and even persecuted? The answer is quite different from what we have been led to believe. The truth is that they would not eat of the systems of compelled sacrifices or contributions practiced by most governments. They had the same social needs as those systems, but they sustained their society through the perfect law of liberty. In order to set men free from any new world order those who have ears to hear and eyes to see must be diligent in their pursuit of the perfect law of liberty, as men have done in times past when they sought freedom during the old world orders of Rome, Egypt, and Babylon. People must learn, as the early Church did, the practical application of a network of intimate groups bound by faith, hope, and charity who understood that to love your neighbor as yourself meant to equally care about their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as our own. Our present state is the result of what has been in our own hearts and minds. Abraham Lincoln did say: “Familiarize yourself with the chains of bondage and you prepare your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of others, you have lost the genius of your own independence and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises among you.”24 When conditions in the world worsen, as our present course and history predicts, men will have to change or perish in the chains of their own making. For the world to change, men must change. They must be willing to free their neighbor from the tyranny of their own covetous hearts.
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Associated Links: Romans 13 and Christ's “Clergy Response Teams” Elements of the kingdom Short article from Romans 13 full text From the Hunter Short article from Romans 13 full text Not of the World What did Jesus really say, to whom, and why about his kingdom? There are dozens of articles are available at or .net site: http://www.hisholychurch.net/news/index.html
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Footnotes:1History of the United States by John Truslow Adams, page 44. 2The Enterprise of Law: Justice without the State. Bruce L. Benson Publisher: Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (San Francisco), 1991 ’ 3John Wycliffe introduction to the Bible in 1382 , “This Bible is for the Government of the People, by the People, and for the People.” 4Proverbs 12:24 5Genesis 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6John 9:22 These [words] spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. 7Frederic Bastiat, The Law, by Frederic Bastiat, 1850 8Luke 22:25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so:... 9Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:43; Matthew 19:19; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8. 10Exodus 18:21; Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet... any thing that is thy neighbour’s. Deuteronomy 5:21; Psalms 10:3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. 11“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” The Constitution of the United States of America
12ibid 13Romans 13 and the Higher Liberty, booklet http://www.hisholychurch.org/study/bklt/romans1307.pdf 14Psalms 69:22 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. 15Romans 11:9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them. 16Peter 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 17“...through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you...” 2 Peter 2:3 181 Samuel 8:7 And the LORD said ... the voice of the people... have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 19Rousseau and Revolution, Will et Ariel Durant p.801. fn 83 Heiseler, 85. 20At one point more than half of Rome received regular government support. “Free bread and circuses undermined the moral character of a nation. 21There were a swarm of government offices that tried to control every aspect of Roman life which had at one time been centered around the family. 22“All contributed to the general decay.... The social relations exhibited, if possible, even deeper corruption. The sanctity of marriage had ceased. Female dissipation and the general dissoluteness led at last to an almost entire cessation of marriage. Abortion, and the exposure and murder of newly-born children, were common and tolerated; unnatural vices, which even the greatest philosophers practiced, if not advocated, attained proportions which defy description. “Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” CHAPTER XI. 23Anthony and Cleopatra had lowered the purity of coins by 10%. Nero reduced the weight of the denarii ... “By the reign of Claudius II Gothicus the silver content of the denarius was down to .02 percent . As a consequence, prices skyrocketed. A measure of Egyptian wheat had sold for seven to eight drachmas. In the second century it cost 120,000 drachmas. This suggests an inflation of 15,000 percent during the third century.” Bartlett, citing Rostovtzeff 1957: 471 24From Lincoln, Douglas, and Slavery: In the Crucible of Public Debate, By David Zarefsky |
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