These are all the Blogs posted on Wednesday, 17, 2010.
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Why Bother With Civil Government?
Some would prefer to do away with not just some, but all government. Our patriot fathers in the 1770s had a deeper knowledge of the purposes of civil government than 99% of our politicians today. In the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms, John Dickenson’s second sentence was,
But a reverence for our Creator, principles of humanity, and the dictates of common sense, must convince all those who reflect upon the subject, that government was instituted to promote the welfare of mankind, and ought to be administered for the attainment of that end.
Although not all of the delegates to the Continental Congresses were orthodox Christians, they all were profoundly influenced by a biblical worldview. They recognized that the affairs of men are governed by a Creator who so rules over His creation that they also utilized the term Providence in speaking of Him.
Civil government was in their minds a divine provision for the safety of men. When they spoke of promoting the “welfare of mankind,” they gave no hint of interpreting that phrase as an opportunity for government to finance the livelihood and medical care of the population.
When our patriot fathers spoke of the “welfare of mankind,” they were speaking of safety from evil-doers, and protection from unruly magistrates, and the security of private property.
When our patriot fathers spoke of such safety, protection, and security they were calling to mind the effective punishment for violations of the Ten Commandments – such as, Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not do murder; Thou shalt not covet.
Our patriot fathers were able to conceive of a limited civil government, because they focused on negative law – the “nots.” Today civil government continues to encroach on our lives because it focuses on positive law – the “shalls.” There are never enough rules to how we should do things, but it’s easy to say how not to.
The Columbian Empire continues to pump out massive amounts of regulations and rules. The Empire is not just hungry to rule other countries, it is thirsty to rule every facet of our daily lives.
The only way to be free of that oppression is to gain a Free Tennessee.
