Category: God and Government

Christian Health Care–Courtesy of the State

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

Or, should it be Statist Health Care, Courtesy of the Church?

“From the beginning of Christianity, love for one’s neighbor and the example of Jesus’ concern for the sick have compelled Christians to care for the ill and dying. As a result, the Catholic Church has been involved in health care for centuries. In the first hospitals, which were in monasteries, monks and nuns provided care for the sick and dying, especially the poor. The wealthy were taken care of at home.”

https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/christianity-compels-us-provide-health-care-poor-politicians-must-do-their-part

Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest, published this article less than two weeks ago at National Catholic Reporter. I found it by chance and I thought the above paragraph consistent with history and Scripture. Unfortunately, it was thrown, as an orphaned poor step-sister, into his argument, which started out with this contradictory title: Christianity compels us to provide health care for the poor. Politicians must do their part.

Yes, absolutely, even the non-Christian politicians and bureaucrats must be harnessed to the task. Separation of Church and State be damned!

Reese made pretty short work of the concept that love for one’s neighbor and the example of Jesus should dictate how we approach the issue of health care for the poor among us. Instead, almost from the beginning, he pivoted to the idea that the State should be doing the heavy lifting:

“A single-payer system would reduce administrative costs and give the government the power to negotiate lower prices with drug companies, doctors and hospitals. Hospitals and doctors could be required to post their fee schedules online to encourage competition.”

“The government could also be more generous in forgiving student loans of doctors and nurses who serve the poor. It should also fund research and public health that reduce health care costs. Eliminating vaccines and fluoride, which some of our national health leaders seek to do, will simply raise health care costs as preventable illnesses and dental problems could increase.” 

“As a nation, we need to move toward Medicare for All, a tax-funded health care system that includes all medically necessary care. We can start by allowing employers and individuals to buy into Medicare even if they are under 65. We should also start by providing Medicare for All to anyone under 18 years of age, including children in the womb.”

This is about as political as it gets, but then he adds this gem.

“Such programs will cost the government money, but the current system is both costly and wasteful.”

About which, I ask, who built the current government run system and if it is costly and wasteful now, then why does he think that giving the government more power to manipulate, regulate, and control will make it any better?

All this is beside the point, however, as Reese’s first mistake is to conflate the Church with the State. As individual Christians, we have an obligation to care for the sick and poor, therefore, the political system we live in and under MUST also care for the sick and poor in order to produce the results which are expected from the followers of Jesus. This is a false equation as there is a vast difference between the mission of the Church which is to heal and comfort out of a genuine love for those it ministers to, and the mission of government which is to gain power regardless of the harm it does to those it seeks to subjugate and use.

There is no place in the Scriptures where it records that Jesus told His disciples to take over the political system so that the hungry could be fed and the bed-ridden raised up healthy. In fact, He constantly had to disabuse them of this notion. Instead, He encouraged them to voluntarily give of their own substance to those who were less fortunate and, as a result, the early Church developed a system of community in which they took care of their own and outsiders as they were able–all without the “assistance” of an external entity which operated on theft, force, and violence.

How does Reese expect the government to afford what he proposes? There are only two ways that government can raise revenue: either by borrowing money which has to be repaid with interest out of the second method of revenue enhancement, which has many various versions but is known by one name–theft, e.g., taxes, inflation, outright confiscation, penalties, etc. Government does not own anything which it has not previously taken from someone else. If government spends more on healthcare tomorrow than it does today, it must run larger deficits (borrowing) or take more from productive society (theft). Both these versions are roundly condemned in the Scriptures as either unwise and/or criminal.

Conversely, the Bible promises that the Church gains materially as it gives spiritually. As individual Christians become more like Christ, they are blessed by God and made richer (emotionally, spiritually, physically) for one purpose: that they will give even more to benefit more people. Note that we are not only considering material wealth here, but everything which we are blessed with. Since the Church (and every organization which has two or more persons in it) is made up of individual members, if the individuals, as individuals, become wealthier, the Church, as a collective, will also and this accumulated wealth can then be spread around to needy persons as seen fit by those who control the flow.

One major distinction to make is that everything governmental involves force, sometimes brute, violent, and lethal force. People are made to submit and comply on pain of punishment if they don’t. The message of government can be summed up in just a few short words, “You will, dammit, or else.” The mandated position of the Church could not be further from this, as Jesus taught that anyone (everyone) could participate in His life-giving freedom if they wanted to, but that participation was completely voluntary and had to come from one’s heart without compulsion. There is nothing forced about salvation or true Christianity and for anyone, especially a recognized minister of the gospel, to claim that the gospel must be practiced by taking from those who have to give to those who don’t is a sacrilege and does dishonor to the message of Christ Himself.

Reese begins to wind up his screed with this reminder.

“As Christianity compels us, we need to put aside our arrogance and partisanship on health care and do what is best for the nation and its people.”

Well, yes, we do, but arrogance and partisanship are integral parts of government and to expect those to be extirpated on behalf of the nation and its people is unrealistic and delusional. Besides, as a formally recognized leader in the Catholic Church, he ought to be the first to do so.

Finally, in his last gasp at trying to force the issue, he writes:

“And, if Congress is incapable of reforming the health care system, we should take away their generous health care plan and put them on Medicaid. That should wake them up.”

In other words, to put it bluntly, repay evil with evil, a practice which is strictly forbidden by the Word of God.

The fact is that Congress is incapable of reforming the system, partly because its individual members benefit greatly from the system itself, but also because most Americans, the vast majority of them, from the very top of the heap to the lowest dregs on a trash-ridden slum, demand that the government gives them what they want, at someone else’s expense, and Congress is only too happy to oblige them. They are all, all of them, part and parcel of an evil, unchristian way of life and the only way to change that is to change oneself. Changing the system for the better is not possible. Changing yourself is, provided that the Spirit of God is given permission to operate, no pun intended.

The Stones are Crying Out. Can You Hear Them?

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

It has been reported that the toll from Donald Trump’s self-declared “war” on Caribbean fishing boats has now reached a total of 18 attacks, with at least 70 persons losing their lives because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even though some (that is, a few) members of Congress are demanding that the attacks end (that is, until Congress itself can declare them official), there is no sign that Trump and his gung-ho henchmen (Rubio, Hegseth, etc.) will stop voluntarily. It is more than likely that the killings will escalate and multiply until the end goal of the neo-con White House and its puppet-masters is reached: a full-blown war against near or distant “enemies” who are unable to stand up against the military might of the US Department of War (that is, the highly profitable business model known as the “military-industrial complex).

In my lifetime, I have read a few books which have left a lasting impact, which I cannot forget, overlook, or ignore: Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago, Roth’s Choosing Against War, Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, et al. There are pamphlets, essays, polemics, articles too numerous to mention, which have shaped my thinking in so many ways, bringing me to the point I am at today. When it comes to Trump’s “Fisherman’s War”, however, one stands out as extremely relevant and sounds a clear warning. The excerpt below is taken from it.

“Today, the stones still cry out. Every story of victims—whether nonviolent prisoners like those Steve Bannon met in jail, or casualties of wars we fuel in Israel-Gaza or Ukraine-Russia—haunts our collective conscience. Jesus tied the stones’ cries to Jerusalem’s fall in 70 AD, when Israel’s zeal for violence mirrored Rome’s and left both exposed as complicit in the same sin. America stands at a similar crossroads. Our politics, like Caiaphas’, justifies flesh-and-blood victims for “national security” or “progress.” We cheer Barabbas-types—leaders promising strength through exclusion or war—while ignoring the Lamb who redefines polis not as the victors’ club but as the refuge for the least of these.” — https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/04/david-gornoski/the-stones-still-cry-out-holy-weeks-political-reckoning/

Caiaphas-type politics which demand that someone die. Barabbas-type leaders who prey on weak, insignificant countries, societies, and persons. Pilate-type rulers who could stop the carnage but are politically inclined to “go along to get along” and, therefore, impotent and useless. And, of course, there are the “huddled masses” which obediently provide the necessary background noise and support for such actions, all in the delusion that somehow blowing boats out of the water without just cause will make America safe and their own lives personally better and more prosperous. Oh, yes, the collective zeal for violence at the mainstream level does mirror that in Washington and, like the crowd which screamed out, “Crucify him, crucify him!”, urge and hector our own Caesar-like “leaders” to increase the tempo and pressure because all would be lost if we relented for even a moment. Whether our collective conscience haunts us or not is debatable.

And still, the stones cry out!

Well, yes, this is an obvious reference to the devastation and killing fields in Gaza, not the waters off the coast of Venezuela, but everything I have described above applies to this as well. This ought to raise the question which everyone has heard at some time or another: WWJD? What would Jesus do, indeed, about the situations in both locations where the powerful and mighty rain down violence, death, and destruction on the poor and helpless? Actually moving from theory to consequence, probably negative, is to rephrase the question. What will Jesus do? What will be Heaven’s response to these not-so-isolated instances of theft, murder, and injustice, all of which are occurring on our watch and often with our complicity and consent, both vocal and silent.

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.” — Psalm 2:1-3

And, the answer.

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure… — Psalm 2: 4-5

My belief, informed by history and the warnings (both implicit and explicit) laid out in the Holy Bible, is that it will not be pretty nor comfortable. Many of us will probably express regret that we allowed the stones to cry out because it was easier than to raise a fuss ourselves.

Five Years On: Covid, Clergy, and Culpability

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

“…five years after the most significant assault on the human race by its governments since the invention of democracy, only a handful of clerics have emerged to state clearly that, far from being any kind of ‘subtle seduction’, this assault was evil and disgusting.” — https://johnwaters.substack.com/p/diary-of-a-dissenter-the-week-from-aaa

John Waters was commenting on the Catholic Church’s response to the various Harry Potter books and films when he threw this curveball, but it fits. Of course, he was referring to the COVID (pandemic, plandemic, panic, debacle, fiasco, coup, etc., take your pick), but the fact of the matter is that his statement is absolutely accurate. Let me ask you. How many members of the Christian cloth, the clergy, (whether Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox doesn’t matter) have you heard recently (or at any time at all) call out the Covid scheme for what it really was–an overt assault on the rights and freedoms of individuals world-wide? Really now, I’ll bet you can count them on the fingers of one hand without using any of them twice. Can you? Give it a try. If I am wrong, let me know by leaving a comment and include links which back up your assertion. I’ll check them out.

Early on in the COVID years (late February 2020), I saw that this was a scam and began encouraging people to resist it. One of the ways I did this was to state that churches everywhere ought to tell the State where to get off and to get out.

Corona, churches, and Easter

This exhortation produced nothing, nothing at all, as the local churches I am familiar with did nothing of the kind but, instead, fell all over themselves to parrot and obey the Party Line because…Romans 13. Well, that last is pure conjecture, but I have no doubt that it had something to do with the attitude of obsequiousness, in addition to which they were scared to death, fearful, terrified, that they and everyone around them would get sick and die unless the State was exalted and worshipped as the only entity which could stave off the (allegedly) approaching existential disaster. God, er, I mean, Government forbid that anything like this should happen. Or, it might have had something to do with an obscure, archaic, generally benign, seldom mentioned tax law called 501(c)(3), which is rarely, if ever, used to restrict anyone’s free speech.

Pardon, my sarcasm is showing! I apologize profusely to anyone who might bristle at the heretical thought that the concept of money is one of the most prominent things which pastors, preachers, and church officials think about. How could I have been so stupid???

An Easter Message for Our Time

Can you think of even a single church leader who has stood firm in his denunciation of the State for their mendacious, brutal oppression of the citizenry during the COVID era? How many can you name who were willing to go on record in defense of human rights and liberty at the risk of their own health, wealth, and well-being? Try this for starters, Artur Pawlowski, who did not hesitate to call a spade a spade. Or, better known, Chuck Baldwin, who absolutely refused to shut down his large church in Kalispell, MT and is constantly speaking out about the abuses of Statist societies.

OK, there’s two. You only have to come up with three more.

Am I being too hard on the preachers? OK, then, let’s spread the responsibility around. It is fairly certain that the church leaders were only saying what their constituents wanted to hear, you know, the itching ears syndrome. After all, when Covid arrived on the scene, everyone was scared s*itless [spitless] and everyone was looking for someone, anyone, to assure them that all was well and, lo and behold, there was the State, which openly proclaimed the narrative: “Do as you are told and all will be well with you. Otherwise, you will die a horrible, agonizing death and if you don’t, someone’s grandmother in Omaha or East Berlin will. You don’t want that on your conscience now, do you?” This is not a great amount different than the admonitions we heard as young children at table. “Eat your food. There are starving children in Africa.” That didn’t make any sense to me then, and still doesn’t.

With respect to that, the parishioners were as complicit and compliant as the clergy and, five years on, it doesn’t seem to have improved substantially, if at all. Churches today are still filled with people (pew-sitters) who want to have their feelings tickled, to go home emotionally satisfied, to congregate again after the service at the local restaurant and extol the “lift” they got from the morning’s “worship”, which was AWESOME!, and for which they willingly deposited their tithe (Es ist Pflicht!)1 in the “offering” tray as it was passed around. Is it any wonder at all that pastors and priests do not rock the boat, do not call their followers to a higher level, do not call out evil for what it is?

Is it any wonder that today churches have no power to speak power into the lives of those who are enmeshed in the grip of evil?

In a thought-provoking post on his Substack, Joshua Stylman wrote this gem.

“Now, the mirage is gone. What was once promised can no longer be afforded. The institutions that upheld the illusion are spent. They extract, but no longer inspire. They preach equity while enforcing dependence. They sell empowerment while removing agency.”

“And still, they insist the dream is alive.”

Stylman was not writing about churches. Instead he was focused on the real problem of homeownership in America among the younger generations, most of whom will never own a home due to financial circumstances–price and interest rates, for instance. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to extrapolate his assertion onto Christian churches today. Unfortunately, much of the “dream” which has been promised relentlessly over the years and decades has been the assurance that Jesus would return soon, real soon, and “rapture” His followers out of here, to never experience any more evil or hardship again. Yeah, beam me up, Scotty! What is even more unfortunate is that those who swallowed this crap whole-heartedly refused, by and large, to affect the society around them in a positive manner, believing that anything they did would be minimal, would have little to no effect, and would probably be destroyed in the Tribulation.

“Everyone knows the world is getting worse and worse, so, why should I waste my time, energy, and wealth in a vain attempt to alter its course for the better? “

Except for voting Republican and conservative in the next election, especially if one of the names on the ballot is Donald John (Captain Warp Speed, Colonel Bombast) Trump.

Es ist Pflicht! That is required.

  1. Es ist Pflicht! A German phrase which basically means “duty, obligation, responsibility, etc.” My thanks to C.J. Hopkins for the education. ↩︎

Romans 13: The View from Here

Roger Mitchell5 Comments

In the Holy Bible, there are no scriptures which create more dissension, disagreement, and controversy than Revelation and Romans 13. These two stand head and shoulders over everything else in the ability to get believers, students, and pontificators riled up against those who read from a different viewpoint. It is debatable which of these two holds the top spot. We are not concerned with that here.

I have been engaged in a discussion with a friend of mine who does not see eye to eye with me on the function (or necessity) of government and when she challenged me about the meaning of Romans 13:4, I decided to reply by means of this article. This is not meant to be the last word on the subject, but is intended to spark conversation about it, including opposing perspectives, so that all of us can advance closer to the truth of the matter. At the top of this page is a Comment button, which you can click if you want to join the discussion and put in your own two cent’s worth. If you think your insight on this subject is worth promoting, now is your chance.

What is Romans 13, anyway? This is the question which must be answered before any significance can be attached to its message and meaning. “Context, context, context” is the continual refrain from those who attempt to understand this, yet so many forget all that in considering this passage by lifting it out from the rest of the book.

Written originally by the Apostle Paul, there were no chapters and no verses. It was simply one long letter from him to the Roman Christians and they were expected to consider the whole without trying to separate it into various parts. The chapter and verse organization was added centuries later to facilitate the finding of a specific section of Scripture and, unfortunately, has created chaos in many circles, this being one of them. Nothing in it can be distinctly separated from the whole to stand alone as its own separate doctrine. Unfortunately, many Christians tend to forget this and elevate certain sections, e.g., Chapter 13, above all else. This is a major error and ought to be repented of.

Enough of that. Let’s dig into it.

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God, therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” (Romans 13:1-4, NKJV)

What a mouthful!

“Let every soul be subject to the …” This is where the problems begin. If you go to your web browser and type in the search term “Romans 13:1”, it will return this link, https://biblehub.com/romans/13-1.htm, which will give an extensive list of translations, all of which name this as “governing authorities”, “higher powers”, “those above you”, those who have authority”, etc., except two, which read as follows:

GOD’S WORD® Translation
Every person should obey the government in power. No government would exist if it hadn’t been established by God. The governments which exist have been put in place by God.

Good News Translation
Everyone must obey state authorities, because no authority exists without God’s permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God…

Imagine that! Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin is the government in power. What are you going to do?

Out of the many translations I saw, only these two translate the “higher power who has authority over him” as “government”, and the Good News Translation goes so far as to name this “state authority”. The reality, however, is that there are multiple authorities over persons starting with parents and progressing from there. Many spring to mind: the husband/wife relationship, church authority, employer/employee, civil governments, creditor/debtor, coach/athlete, headmaster/student, etc., and some you can probably think of which are not listed here. There is absolutely no justification for twisting this particular passage to mean that the ONLY authority is that of the State, unless you are advocating for the supremacy of the State and its total authority over you and everyone else.

Disclaimer: I am not a scholar. Greek is Greek to me, as is Hebrew. I have never studied them and do not claim to speak as an expert nor even with some knowledge of the languages and words. That being said, I recommend you read this clear, well-written article in which the author DOES dig into the meanings of the Greek words used and explains how they relate to the topic in question.

We simply cannot assume that Romans 13:1 refers to state (civil) government exclusively. Like the so-called “balance of power” implied by the Constitution of the United States, authority must also be spread out among many competing “authorities”, and there is no one single man-centered authority which controls all others, no “One Ring to rule them all.” Instead, the “authorities”, each of which has their own place within society, is meant to enhance and advance the rights and well-being of their subordinates, not to rule over them. Good parents raise their children in order to turn them loose on the world in the hopes that they will be able to function as competent adults in their own right. ALL authorities should operate in the same manner.

Authority is meant to complement. It is designed to bring out the best in persons. It is not supposed to be a system of control, of rule. All the “governing authorities” mentioned in Romans 13:1 are meant to operate for the good of those who are in the subordinate role, to bring them to a higher position and perhaps even so they can act as authority figures themselves.

And all of that (barely scratching the surface) in v.1, but my sparring partner’s concern was with v. 4.

“For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.”

It seems evident that this verse is addressing civil government or at least a system of legal justice against criminal behavior and I do not have a problem with that. If you read RMB’s article linked to above, you would already have this understanding, as no other “authority” exercises the power of the sword legitimately in the way the civil authority does. Without a clear sense of justice, however, the sword can and does represent naked power and the ability to force others to conform to a “rule of law”, in which whatever the government decides and enacts becomes law, whether it is beneficial or harmful to the society under it. Simply passing a law does not create justice and expecting that everyone become obedient to the law passed BECAUSE it is the law is ludicrous on its face. Should Christians (or anyone else, for that matter) rat out their neighbors to the ruling “authorities” because the law proclaimed that all Jews must wear a yellow star sewed onto their clothing? To ask the question is to answer it. Obviously, there must be a way to allow for government and law, but also a means of resistance to it should it become demanding, overbearing, and evil.

The main problem I have is the tendency within Christian circles to simply submit, conform to, and obey the law as proclaimed by the modern State, as if it were God Himself. Remember COVID and the “suggestion” that churches cancel Easter service in 2020? After all, Romans 13 teaches us that we are to subject ourselves to it, doesn’t it? How did the world move forward without the application of the modern State to rule over us, dictating every little “jot and tittle” to us, and expecting that we would observe every facet of that?

In other words, without government, we are lost. In a society and culture where power over others has become the goal and government has become God, this is the logical end of such a belief.

What then are we to make of this? What is the relevance of Romans 13 to us today? How are we meant to respond to its message? What does it really mean? Perhaps this is a good time to bring in some other voices and opinions, not necessarily expert, but certainly authoritative in their own right.

As I see it, government authority is to be one authority among others. It is not meant to be The Authority over all other authorities. Certainly, government is not meant to be the State as we know it today. If there is a compelling political authority in the United States, it would have to be the Constitution, which all civil government, including the federal government as personified in the president, Donald J. Trump, is sworn to uphold and defend. Politicians raise their right hand, place their left hand on the Bible (except DJT), and swear to this, right? Yet, how much of what we see today is subject to the Constitution and how much would have to change to bring our situation back to alignment with it? This is not to say that the Constitution is The Authority, as it should be clear that even the Constitution is subordinate to a “higher power”, which is the Word of God. In other words, there are layers and layers of authority and none of them, except the Word of God, reigns supreme over all the others.

Authority is an inescapable concept. There is authority. It is not a question of authority vs. no authority, but rather a question of whose authority, which authority. I understand this and do not dispute it. Where I draw the line is that real authority cannot be gained by the use of force and power. It cannot be legislated. It cannot be imposed by an outside force, but must rather be recognized and accepted by all concerned. Real authority is based on a system of trust, with the subordinate party believing that the authority over him has his best interests at heart. Such is not the case in the State/citizen relationship today. We cannot trust that the State, which seeks to gain all power and control, will do right by us. In fact, we know this to be true because we go through the gyrations of “free and fair elections” every election cycle in order to correct our situation, believing that if only we can install the right man or woman into office, justice will have been achieved and we will be set free from all the fears that plague us. Nothing could be further from the truth. True authority does not appear by virtue of the ballot box.

Does any of this mean that Romans 13:4 is irrelevant to today’s society or that we can simply ignore it? Hardly, as there will always be a need for someone, some authority, to exercise judgment and justice on wrongdoing and criminal behavior. We may be individual persons living out our own lives as we see fit, but we are also part of the community surrounding us and it is within that community that we must live in cooperation with the other members. At some time or another, there will arise a situation where the community must come together to “execute wrath on him who practices evil”. How is this to be done? What defines evil? Who does the defining? There are only two answers: an organic approach fostered from within the community itself OR a “solution” imposed from above and outside the community. Either the answer comes from within us as we understand the truth or it will be forced on us by others who have the power to compel our obedience and subjection.

“He (the civil authority) is God’s minister to you for good.” Keep that in mind as you explore all the ways in which the modern State government does NOT minister to us for good. The dilemma here is that the modern way of thinking is to legislate, pass a law which will solve the problem, but which creates more problems, all of which need to be corrected by passing even more laws. In this, today’s government is similar to the pharmaceutical response to poor health and disease: pop a pill, and if that creates side effects, take another drug to counter that. There is never any effort made to find the root of the problem, only to address the symptoms, which is then pawned off as a cure, and which results in the patient (citizen, society) getting sicker and weaker all the time. There is no money to be made in keeping people healthy and there is no benefit, at least for the State, to making society responsible for itself.

The Practice of Politics: Round Three

Roger Mitchell6 Comments

In just a few days, the citizens (citoyens, comrades) of the United States will decide (rubberstamp) a Dear Leader for the next four years, which selection will have enormous implications for, not only the country itself, but the world at large. Whoever is “elected” will shape American policy, both domestic and foreign, for years to come and will largely determine what happens within the next decade.

The choice is yours. Choose well. Or refuse to participate in the process at all.

Should Christians be involved in politics? This is the burning question which I have tried to answer recently in two blog posts, see here and here. Even though my answer has been a resounding “No!”, I think that I have explained my position badly and fallen short of the real reason why I believe as I do. This is an attempt to clear the air a little, although, it is certain that this will not be sufficient for the task. It is an ongoing “enlightenment” and it will continue until I pass through the gate to an eternal home where I can see clearly through the fog that I experience now.

I have described politics as far more than just government-oriented. Politics, the practice of manipulating and the use of others to benefit oneself at their expense, is widespread throughout society. Unfortunately, this description does not resonate with the general public at all and is completely ignored by virtually everyone. I am, indeed, a voice crying in the wilderness.

So, let’s abandon “politics” for a little while and contemplate what it means to be Christian. Of course, first and foremost, is the belief that Man (both male and female) is flawed and sinful, which renders us unable to meet, know, and understand God on our own. This defect was resolved forever by the appearance of Jesus the Christ into history, Who showed by His life, death, and resurrection from death into life, that it is entirely possible for flawed, sinful Man to become like God, under certain, clearly spelled-out rules:

  1. You shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, soul, and mind, AND,
  2. You shall love your neighbor in the same manner that you love yourself.

End of argument. Except that we are not willing to accept this as truth, preferring instead to substitute ritual, emotion, and irrationality as our own version of the truth, which we practice faithfully, certain that this will procure a ticket into the very presence of God Himself.

We are pretty good at “loving” the LORD, our God, with all our heart, soul, and mind, but what does it really mean to love our neighbor as we love ourselves? This is the existential question and it must be clearly understood if we are ever to understand what it means to love God. These two demands go hand in hand, they cannot be separated. It is impossible to love God fully and completely UNLESS we love our neighbor fully and completely.

“If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” –1 John 4:20, emphasis mine.

Well, all right, you might say, but WTF does this have to do with politics, government, and voting to influence the direction America (or any other nation) travels? After all, if Christians do not influence the government in a positive direction, the direction we deem to be true, right, and holy, then we are all “doomed” to live under a regime with which we do not agree, one in which we find ourselves in opposition against. Hell on earth, in other words, AND we MUST oppose that by voting for the “lesser of two evils”. Which, of course, does nothing to eliminate the evil, but actually exacerbates it since evil, to one extent of another, always wins.

The main problem with this is that it is easy to love government which solves all our problems with our neighbor by brute force and violence, but it is not so easy to love our neighbor through the application of self-sacrifice, good will, and service. Jesus did not say, “Love your neighbor by passing a law which he must obey, whether he wants to or not, and which you must pay for through taxation and regulation, even if you don’t like the extent to which you are taxed or regulated.” Instead, He said quite simply that we are to live with our neighbors, as if they (and their needs) were as important as our own, whether we like them or not.

Here is the dividing line, the distinction. Love for neighbors is voluntary. It comes out of the depths of our hearts. It does not care what it costs us personally. In our own personal relationship with our neighbors, we look out for their good. It does not matter what it costs, even if it costs everything we have, what we consider to be ours and which we are determined to hold onto at all costs, even if we have to pinch our noses as we enter the voting booth and pull the lever, signifying our belief in the “pot of message” which our favored candidate professes.

Love for neighbor cannot be achieved through a political process. It cannot be forced or violent. It must be voluntary. It is personally costly. It is self-sacrificial. We must die to ourselves so that our neighbor can live. This is the message of Christ and the Gospels and it is also that which we resist so strenuously that we have created a different, better way to “love” our neighbor: government, the application of law, and forceful action to back it up. As an example of this, it is quite easy to find a Christian church which steers a young, single mother to a government agency for “help” rather than taking her in and supporting her directly. After all, the government has plenty of money while we are struggling to pay the mortgage on our building, which is really owned by The Bank. Let’s be realistic about this.

Why? Is it not because we are afraid of our neighbor? Do we not fear what he might do to us? If this is the case, then it is better to do to him BEFORE he does to us, which principle is directly opposed to the teachings of Christ, Whom we profess to follow? Does this not create cognitive dissonance in our own minds, causing us to make excuses for all our behaviors, in spite of the irregularities and inconsistencies of our own philosophical and religious arguments? Do we create government, that is, legislation and the giving of “authority” to others, so that we can be secure and safe in our own environment? Do we accept government so that we do not have to be afraid? Yet, Jesus, in His capacity as God, asks us to completely trust Him and to accept no other as a safe haven in the storm. To be unafraid.

“And it makes me wonder.” — Led Zeppelin, “Stairway to Heaven”

In eternity, which I live in presently and will enter permanently within the next twenty years or so, the only question I have to answer is this: How do I love my neighbor? Do I love him from the depths of my heart, wishing, hoping, and working for his best even if that means I have to suffer loss, or do I try to control him through the office known as government, so that I can feel safe, even if that means that both he and I will suffer loss? Is my love for him real and lasting or is it just a face put on so that I can remain secure in my own world? Should I love my neighbor for his benefit or should I seek to control him so that I can benefit?

Politics!

Voting, whether you want to admit it or not, is just a mechanism of control. Nothing more. It is something which we use to indirectly affect how our neighbor will live or die if they refuse to behave the way we want them to. (If you click the link, notice the reference to Matthew 19:19) We can say that we love our neighbor, but if we advocate for a policy which degrades him, hobbles his ability to prosper, or restricts his behavior so that we can feel good about ourselves, then where is the consistency?

Where is the love, indeed?

There is only one reason for resorting to government as opposed to trusting God: we are afraid. We are fearful. We think about what MIGHT happen in the future and we take steps to make sure that doesn’t occur, because it might cause us harm. The actions we take are defensive in nature, yet God calls us to trust Him completely, which compels us to abandon any defensive measures and tactics, even those political in nature. Voting is such a defensive measure and, while it may serve as a feel-good, self-congratulatory action at the moment, it does nothing at all to solve the problem, which is spiritual in nature and which cannot be solved or corrected by pulling a lever in a voting booth.

Should Christians be Involved in Politics?

Roger Mitchell10 Comments

The question in the title arises from a meeting at a local church on the same subject. My wife asked me to go with her, so I did, and when the pastor asked for discussion on the topic, I gave them my opinion. After just a few minutes, I was told by some unknown person to, in essence, sit down and shut up. Which I did, then sat through an extended period in which the entire rest of the group explained all the reasons why Christians ought to be involved. None of them asked me for any further explanation. After an hour or so, I just got up and walked out. I will never go back.

Politics. Before answering the question, it should be important to understand what politics actually is. If you do not know what politics is, then you cannot answer the question. Most people associate politics with government, as in this definition, taken from Merriam-Webster:

a: the art or science of government

b: the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy

c: the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government

Now, I do not dispute the description, but the word “politics” is multi-faceted (as admitted by Merriam-Webster) and can have many different meanings and connotations. During my comments at the session, I mentioned the saying that, “Politics is a dirty business”, and asked them if Christians should be involved in dirty business. To my surprise, a lot of people nodded their heads affirmatively, which only shows that they simply do not know what the “dirty business of politics” is all about. But then, American Christians, at least the modern kind, have never been known for their acumen and understanding of the way the real world works.

I also brought up a line from Billy Joel’s song, Piano Man, which should be familiar–“And the waitress is practicing politics as the businessmen slowly get stoned…”, and explained that politics, outside the government angle, is nothing more than the manipulation of people for personal gain, which, if true, ought to provoke outrage on the part of Christians toward the practice. It was at this point that I was quite unceremoniously booted from the floor and the rest is history.

“Politics is the practice of getting what you want by manipulating other people and is always at their expense, to their detriment.” (My own description of politics. Click the link, scroll down until you find it.)

Unfortunately, politics, even in government is manipulation of some people by other people, all with one purpose (usually unspoken) in mind: control and power. Control and power. Virtually everyone is consumed with gaining power over others so that their behavior and actions can be controlled. Christians usually bring up the subject of “morality” and the dire need to make people behave the way they ought to, that is, in the manner that Christians think they ought to, because, you know, the country is diving headlong into the sewer of “immorality” and needs to be rescued. Or else, there will be hell to pay. Of course! There always is. Whether anyone else wants their version of morality or not is irrelevant. It must be done! We must get involved! We must vote! Vote! Vote! Vote for the lesser of two evils, even if that means the System as a whole becomes more evil, which mechanism is really a rear-guard action that does nothing to stop the onslaught of evil, but only slows it down a little. In the end, evil wins.

“The urge to save humanity is almost always a false face for the urge to rule it.” — H.L. Mencken

“Voting is nothing more than choosing whose hand holds the club with which you are beaten. It does nothing to stop the beatings.” — another of my own quotes. You can quote me on that.

Should Christians be involved in politics? If politics is a “dirty business” and the manipulation of people for personal benefit, then the answer is an unqualified “No, they should not.” This comports with the message of the Gospel of Jesus to keep oneself unspoiled from the world and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. However, as Christians, we are also enjoined to act as leavening agents to affect the world condition in which we find ourselves so that the entire structure is bettered by our actions. This seeming contradiction can be resolved in only one way–by determining where and in whom we place our trust and faith. As Christians, we are enjoined to have trust and faith in God alone, yet we continue to disregard this advice in preference to putting our trust and faith in man-made institutions, especially the modern form of government, that is, the totalitarian State, which encompasses and controls everything. As Christians, we have sold our souls for a pot of message, and it is coming back to bite us as a very bad case of acid reflux and dysentery. If we continue to gorge ourselves on this feast, it will kill us.

Belief and participation in the world system lead to death. This is a fact we must face and recognize as truth. Yet, knowing this, we still labor under the illusion that we can sway and impact “politics” in a positive way, for the better, if we join in, work with, and merge into the prevailing protocol. We think that we can “clean up” politics and The System if we just engage it and add our voice to the cacophony, yet we fail to understand that, in doing so, we soil ourselves and reinforce the message that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.

At heart, we refuse to trust God. We would rather trust government. We would rather be practitioners of “the lesser of two evils” than turning away from evil entirely. We would rather beggar our neighbor through the application of law than to love our neighbor in service to him. We prefer to think we are holy because we go to church on Sunday morning and practice all the “accepted” perfunctory deeds that are expected, yet we do not know that our lives are as filthy rags in His sight. Yes, indeed, and I am the greatest of sinners, to paraphrase the apostle Paul.

What, then, shall be done? How, then, shall we live? Well, there is nothing to do except to change myself into and in conformance with His likeness, to become holy as He is holy, to accept that there is no other name except His by which I am saved. This alone brings freedom. It is the only path to life. Nothing else will work. Everything else will fail.

You can rationalize all you want. You can make all the excuses you want. You can delude yourselves until the chickens come home to roost. In the end, you are only deceiving yourself. There is only one way. Everything else will fail.

Everything else will fail.

A Potential Blessing from Hurricane Helene

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

Faith in government is a religion.

Since the birth of the nation-state, at the least, and the Enlightenment, many people have sought after and promoted the idea that government (State) is the highest form of authority and power. They have attempted to build systems to bring everyone into the system, which would become all-encompassing or to dispossess and destroy those who refused to bow before that authority. The Soviet Union (1917-1989) is the premier example of such a system.

Religion is inevitable. Everyone has a religion, even those deluded souls who claim that they don’t, because religion is nothing more than a belief system which informs and directs a lifestyle. Everyone believes in something and, at the very apex of that belief is something (someone) which is viewed as the most supreme. God, in other words. Those who believed (many still do) in the Soviet Union’s Marxist principles held it up as the highest pinnacle of achievement that man could reach. The total State was to become everything and everything was to become the State’s property.

In the United States, government has been constantly growing ever since the birth of the nation in 1787, when the Constitution was signed after a successful rebellion against the Crown of Britain. Americans, of all stripes, have continuously advocated for, worked for, voted for, and accepted a government which could become all things to all people. Today, of course, after nearly 250 years of incessant grasping for power, the US government has become a monstrosity which threatens to out-do the now-defunct Soviet Union. It has, for want of a better description, nearly achieved the status of God in the eyes of its followers, adherents, and groupies.

Circumstances, however, have a way of destroying people’s faith in government. For instance, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated much of the southeast, especially in the rural areas of Appalachia, there have emerged reports that the federal government is actively blocking and prohibiting private endeavors from helping and assisting those hardest-hit. Many have lost everything they owned. Many more are literally without food or good water, yet FEMA, the federal agency tasked with working to restore society after a disaster occurs, has admitted that it is broke, out of money, and unable to perform its tasks and responsibilities.

Broke! With the modern ability to move a decimal point on a computer screen, push a button, and inject trillions of dollars into the economy on a whim, how can FEMA be broke? The obvious answer is that the money is available, but the powers-that-be have decided not to use it. In this situation, the real intent is not just to ignore the plight of those harmed, but to actively and deliberately destroy any and all opposing forces, however small, which would seek to take action on their own—WITHOUT the blessing of the State. This is a deliberate attempt to eliminate competition to the State and to force everyone to become totally dependent on the State.

The State gives and the State takes away. Blessed be the Name of the State!

The major problem with this is that the blatant contempt which is shown causes individual people to change the way they view government. People used to see government as “good” and necessary to the smooth functioning of society, but that attitude is rapidly changing and the response to Helene has probably given it a huge push forward. Those in Appalachia who clamored for decades for government “assistance” when they didn’t need it are now finding out that it is nowhere to be found when they are desperate.

Civil government is losing the trust of its citizens and with that loss, its authority to rule. Trust in anything must be built up over time and is based on the perception of reliability, but if it is once lost, it is almost never regained and the whole relationship changes. What was once given freely will now be withheld. Governments collapse and disappear because of the widespread loss of trust its citizens give it and it is quite possible that this one will not survive. Hurricane Helene may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. If so, it will be seen in history. If not, it has added measurably to the load.

Who do people turn to now? When it is evident that their god has failed them, they change their religion. Many people will transfer their trust and faith in government and the State to some other authority which will be someone they are at least somewhat familiar with—Jesus Christ. This is, after all, the Bible Belt. They will take this message to heart:

“IF My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, AND turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” — 2nd Chronicles 7:14, emphasis mine.

This is a conditional promise. If, then. Time will tell what happens in the hearts and minds of men and history will record the result.

Fear is a Harsh Mistress

Roger Mitchell2 Comments

This article was inspired by a conversation with an acquaintance and encouraged by this recent quote from Gary Barnett:

“…the truth hurts, but without acceptance of truth, what is left is a deceitful lie…”

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2023/08/gary-d-barnett/the-only-national-defense-needed-in-this-country-is-defense-against-the-real-enemy-the-ruling-class-and-the-u-s-government/

The title of the article is adapted from Robert Heinlein’s novel, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I have reason to believe that Heinlein would not be offended by my use of it.

There are only two reasons to believe that government is necessary, neither one of them positive nor uplifting:

1. A personal desire for power and control over other people, with the purpose of getting what one wants via the use of force, and/or,

2. A deep-seated, irrational desire for protection against imagined events which might, but are not guaranteed to, happen.

It is accurate to say that those who use government at any level from the very top to the very bottom seek control of others via the proxy known as government for personal, selfish desires, i.e., to get what someone else has OR as a bulwark against loss, i.e, to keep what they already possess. Neither of these are Christian attributes. Both are grounded in one basic emotion–fear. Both use force, either implicitly or explicitly to attain their goals. Both are a violation of the commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Steal.”

Everything which is negative in life can be boiled down to fear. Fear was the very first emotion expressed in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve ate the apple, causing them to cover themselves with fig leaves out of shame for their nakedness. Fear of being found wanting caused them to try to hide from God, resulting in their being driven away from and deprived of the right to live forever. This assumes that the Genesis account is accurate. Whether it is or not, the principle is the same.

Fear, all-encompassing, unreasoning fear, consumes us as individuals and societies. It conjures up imaginations deep within our souls which, if allowed to come to pass, might cause enormous pain, suffering, and deprivation, perhaps even death, which is usually resisted to the very end with all the strength we can muster because we are afraid of dying. Fear causes us to develop tactics and strategies to overcome these imaginations, which, being rooted in irrationality, exacerbate the fear and drive us to greater effort in devising new methods to overcome it. It is a repetitive cycle, a doom-loop, which never ends within our minds–unless it is broken completely and thoroughly discarded as a way of life.

In all of this, it is understandable why people first banded together to oppose enemies, whether they had two legs or four. When violent death via saber-toothed cats was a constant threat, they learned quickly that there was safety in numbers. When marauding Stone Age bands from different tribes appeared on the horizon, it was necessary to follow the leader to repel the threat. What evolved out of these situations was a system in which some people learned that existential threats were good for their status within the community and they began to devise ways to manufacture fear to keep their subjects in a continual panic-driven state of mind. Government became the norm as it became more and more evident that the populace could be manipulated into submission and subjection due to a perceived, existent threat. We have now progressed to the point where the threat does not have to be existent, i.e., Covid, Climate Change, or Russia!, Russia!, Russia!, but is only perceived to be. We are constantly bombarded with propaganda which serves the purpose of maintaining and consolidating the false narrative–which is designed to keep us in a perpetual state of fear.

Bad things do happen to good people. This is true. It is a fact of human life. Into every life a little rain must fall. However, this does not justify giving up our human liberty to an external government in the hope that somehow, perhaps, just maybe, the threat will not materialize or, if it does, that the government will defeat it before it strikes us, keeping us safe and our way of life secure. We do not need to live this way.

We do need to be aware of the potential dangers around us. Yellowstone might blow. Kim Jong-Un might unleash an EMP attack in the airspace above Nebraska. A respiratory disease might kill half the population, including myself and/or those close to me. Aliens might invade. A meteorite might strike the world. The economy might collapse tomorrow. And on, and on, and on…infinitum. [Note: the present economy will collapse someday and another will take its place. This much is certain. All the others mentioned are purely conjectural. Of these, there is no guarantee that they will occur.]

Yes, there are dangers and threats, but we do not have to be afraid. We can conquer the fear within our own individual lives to the point that every potential threat remains just that…only a potential threat and refuse to allow it to gain control over us. We can choose to live fearlessly, unafraid of what the future might bring.

“You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free…” (John 8:32) were the words spoken two thousand years ago and they ring true today. This brings up the question, however. What are we set free from? Obviously, wars, diseases, and earthquakes still happen. Auto accidents occur. Marital infidelities abound. Crime is rampant. Any of these, et al., might happen to us at any time. Therefore, we cannot say that the truth will automatically preserve us from these nor from any other specific negative event. What we can say, however, is that the truth sets us free from being controlled mentally and spiritually by fear. The truth sets us free from one thing and only one thing–fear. If we are free from fear, then there is nothing which can stop us from achieving our destiny in this life. If we are free from fear, we become uncontrollable by other people and are accountable only to the truth–that we are children of God, responsible only to Him, and, as such, can live freely.

As people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, we should understand that the greatest enemy we face is not an external one, but the one which resides within us. It should be our goal to overcome this enemy so completely that it is rendered perfectly impotent. We are, as the Scripture says, more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). Instead of giving in to the fear which we are all prone to, we ought to recognize that God, not a government nor any impersonal event, holds our future and that nothing, absolutely nothing, can happen to us unless He allows it.

“Without faith, it is impossible to please Him.” — Hebrews 11:6

I do not need government. I am not a threat to anyone and I am not afraid of what life might bring. I am confident in my faith in the Sovereign God Who is my provision and my protection.

Why would I have need to fear?

The Delusion of False Hope

Roger Mitchell2 Comments

Read this first to get the context of what I am writing. You will not understand if you don’t.

https://daringaub.substack.com/p/sudden-sovereign-spirit

There is a quote smack-dab in the middle of this which sums up everything about the condition we are in today. At least that is the way I see it. Many will disagree.

“Asleep, the folks will vote for who will send

The largest grift, and programs without end…”

R. Baker Hughes

It is quite easy to blame the evil that others do for the trouble that the world is in today and to profess faith that God will sort it all out…eventually, but that does not excuse anyone from doing what they should be to correct the situation.

I know plenty of people who call themselves Christian, some of them quite close to me. They read their Bibles, they pray, they go to church regularly, they believe God is going to come through for them…and they worship at the altar of a false god as do most others, taking in the benefits which arise from the Statist System which we are mired in, all the while holding out their hand for more. They cannot see the contradiction between what they profess to believe and the worship of the State which they act out in their daily lives.

The Bible warns about swapping the sovereign God for a human ruler. It pulls no punches about what will happen when people place their trust in political power. And, at the end it states in no uncertain terms that God will simply turn a deaf ear to the cries of those affected.

“And you will cry out in that day because of your king WHOM YOU HAVE CHOSEN FOR YOURSELVES, and the Lord will NOT HEAR you in that day.” (emphasis mine.)

1 Samuel 8:18

On the other hand, the cure for this can be seen in one of the most memorized verses in the entire Bible.

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (Again, emphasis mine.)

2 Chronicles 7:14

There you have it. You can endorse and support the king (political system) you have chosen for yourself (democracy, voting for the lesser of the evils, pledging allegiance to the flag, etc.) and God will continue to ignore your pleas, OR you can turn from your wicked ways and throw yourself completely on His mercy without recourse to the promises of a false god.

Your choice.

I Need a Hero: Send Trump

Roger Mitchell3 Comments

Yesterday, I posted an article (See the one just previous to this or click here.) in which I said this,

“Trump is seen in the eyes of many, tens of millions at least, as a Savior, someone we hope will ride in on a white horse and save us all from the death and destruction which faces us at the hands of a ruthless, implacable State. These millions (minions?) have set their sights on a revolution which will upset the ruling regime and allow a new System of Government (SOG, or perhaps more accurately SOGGY) to be set up in its place, administering peace, justice, and righteousness over the nation and world.”

Today, Paul Craig Roberts validated that statement by posting an article on The Unz Review which he titled “Trump is America’s Last Hope”.

Really? America is doomed, utterly and hopelessly doomed unless Donald J. Trump is elected and sworn in as President? OMG! It’s the End of the World!! The Republican Party, that staunch bastion of conservative “value” had better wake up, wipe the shit out of their eyes, get down on their knees and give obeisance and support to The Only One who can save us from ourselves! And the voters had really better understand that this is their Last Chance to “save themselves” by choosing The Only One who can save them from themselves.

I wonder sometimes if people like PCR would give up and die in despair if Trump was to turn up his toes tomorrow. Who would save them and America (the world?) then?

Pardon the mockery. Sometimes I just have to let it out.

There is only one hope for America and it has nothing to do with orange hair, an oversized braggadocio, and bu-ku bucks to throw around, although it is quite possible that some medieval, Renaissance artists might have painted Jesus with orange-tinted hair. Or at least highlights. Just a few centuries too early, though. I’m just saying.

Has it ever crossed your mind that the King Who created, owns, and rules everything, the One Who promised that He would build His Church in spite of all that Hell could do to prevent it, the One Who sets up powers and authorities…and takes them down again, might be just working in real time and history to show us that it is useless and futile to put faith and hope in Man and Man’s government? I can imagine that, looking at our time from the perspective of Heaven, Donald Trump is probably nothing more than a blip across the screen. Drafted into service, did his duty, taken out. Hair today, gone tomorrow.

Sorry, I apologize, that last just slipped out.

At any rate, Mr. Roberts has just expressed his (misplaced) hope. He may get his wish and see The Only One anointed (again) to the Highest Position in the Land, but my guess is that he will be disappointed in the results if that actually happens. I would like to tell him that personally, but unfortunately, to my knowledge he is the only author on The Unz Review who does not allow comments.

Perhaps there is a good reason.

Double-minded in all Her Ways: Worship of a False God

Roger Mitchell2 Comments

I’m going to shove a stick into a very large hornet’s nest…and hang around to see what comes out of it, which might be quite painful. I will start by asking one simple question: Why is the Christian Church so irrelevant and impotent today in meeting the needs of society and standing firm against the evil which is rampant in the land?

A few months ago (Dec. 06, 2022), I posted an article about the common practice of Christians trying to have it both ways–praying to and praising God for salvation, deliverance, and guidance, then immediately swearing allegiance and fealty to the American flag…or perhaps proclaiming their allegiance to the flag, then throwing God the leftover scraps. Are these people really that deluded? Do they truly not understand what they are doing? I bring this up because, since that time, I have attended two events in different local churches which had a large American flag prominently displayed. In both cases, I left the event halfway through because of the rage building up in my soul over the contradiction of record.

The Church of Jesus Christ is universal in its message. Everyone, without exception, is in need of redemption and regeneration which draws people together in a spirit of love and sacrificial giving so that everyone can benefit and mature. Everyone is welcome and there are none who are so evil that they cannot change for the better. It is not exclusive to any particular group or person, but extends its “olive branch” everywhere. At all times, even the worst of men, the most-hardened criminals, high or low, can drink of its life-giving “water”.

At the same time, it insists that there is only one source of that water. It flows from the Throne of God on which is seated the only King who epitomizes and models that love and sacrifice–Jesus the Christ. As the Apostle Peter put it when he was fired up, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, NIV) A person cannot save himself. He cannot make himself good. Without the rejuvenating and regenerating power of the Holy Spirit acting on him, he is helpless to change his condition. This is orthodox Christianity and has been preached this way for 2000 years, +/-. At the very base level of the religion, the message stands solid and firm.

Yet, for 2000 years, +/-, people have been trying to water it down and corrupt it, attempting to create new “saviors” to address the issues of the day, to compensate for the shortcomings of sinful people, to restore mankind to his original home, the Garden of Eden, in which everything was right and good, and no one lacked for anything which was desired. In seeking a return to this “utopia”, many methods have been tried, found wanting, and discarded along the way, all of them predicated on the idea that force, violent or not, was an acceptable means of achieving that goal. There is no difference in this attitude today. The greatest of these utopian beliefs is that the universal State, the highest achievement of sinful man, can bring all these things about. All that is necessary is that everyone submit to and accept the tenets of that philosophy, namely, the State is All and there can be no other.

Herein lies the problem. Either the rule of Jesus Christ is supreme and sovereign or there is another which supersedes that. It is not possible to have two equal, but distinct and competing, law-givers at the same time. Either one or the other will reign supreme in the minds and hearts of men. Either one will be given the loyalty, fealty, and allegiance demanded or the other will. There is simply no other option. Jesus brought this out explicitly when He said that, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24, NKJV)

How then can a church which proclaims to be a minister of the Gospel of the Truth which preaches and teaches universal, uncontaminated love for every person also hold to a belief that one certain, specific political nation is better than and must be defended against all other political nations and peoples? Let us face this issue squarely. The display of a flag which symbolizes a particular political entity MUST necessarily also express solidarity with and support for that entity. It does not matter which polity is endorsed–America, Russia, China, Ukraine, CHAZ, Don’t Tread on Me, etc. The fact is that everyone of these creates a division between those who profess belief in a certain “truth” and those who do not hold to the same belief. Even so-called “Christian” flags are suspect. Protestant flags are different than Catholic. Assemblies of God have different emblems than Reformed and this is no more true than in the Eucharist, the Communion service, where each proclaims to adhere to the truth. We are better than they because we do not serve real wine but use grape juice instead, because, ahem, partaking of alcoholic drink is a sin and we cannot have that. Or vice versa.

What a shame! Even worse are those who advocate for salvation in Jesus Christ alone but turn immediately to the State when there is a need, real or imagined. Are you a single woman with dependent kids who needs food? Here, we will help you get on food stamps. Praise the Lord for SNAP! Beyond that, there is always the issue of one Christian believer going to war against another Christian, both of whom swear allegiance to their own respective and peculiar political ideology and nation. Hence, we have the possibility of an American fighting a Russian, both of whom claim to be Christian, yet because of their political preferences are attempting to kill each other in the mistaken belief that the other is “the enemy”. The pre-eminent display of this contradiction is seen in the War between the States, the so-called Civil War in American history, 1861-1865, in which both sides fought with each other while calling on the same God for victory against the other.

When will we learn that political differences and Christianity do not mix? When will we understand that taking up our cross (an emblem of belief which, in reality, is no different than a flag, also an emblem of belief) means that we must forsake all other contradictory, competing claims on our loyalty and allegiance? When will we know what it means to truly trust God in everything and reject the offers made to us by man?

“Choose you this day whom you will serve.” — Joshua

“If the Lord (Yahweh) is god, follow him, but if Baal, follow him.” — Elijah

“You cannot serve God and mammon.” — Jesus Christ

We Want a King. Give Us a King!

Roger Mitchell6 Comments

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “Look, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” — 1 Samuel 8: 4-7 (NKJV)

Eggs will be $12/dozen. Meat shortages coming this August. Well, maybe. Some variation of these predictions will undoubtedly play out, but I want to point out that people who make declarative statements about something happening in the future are often wrong and we should not be too quick to believe what they say…because they could be wrong.

That being said, we cannot entirely discount the warning either, ignoring it to our peril. Pooh-poohing the idea that the situation on the ground is fraught with danger, and refusing to do anything to alleviate what MIGHT come would be as stupid as buying wholesale into the entire gloom and doom mindset.

The times, they are a’changing. With respect to that, there is no question. The halcyon life of the “good, old days” has gone and will not be restored any time soon, maybe never. History does not repeat itself, at least not exactly, and what we knew (became accustomed to and believed to be “normal”) will continue to recede into the dusty past of our rear-view mirror. The future is definitely going to be different and I have no qualms about making such a declarative statement. You can ignore that if you want to. It’s your problem, not mine.

“For some years, I have closely observed food supplies not just in groceries and farmer‘s markets, but also in local commodity distribution (the government buys from large farmers and gives these commodities to schools for their heavily subsidized breakfast/lunch programs, senior citizen centers, and others on government assistance); private, church, and government food pantries, and other government and private assistance programs in my county.”

“The news is grim. The government is now giving back less to the citizens.”

— Southern Catholic Mom

The word, government, shows up five times in the space of these two paragraphs. Perhaps without meaning to (although it may be intended), the author has zeroed in on the reason why we are in our current situation and decries what is happening without ever getting to the root cause of the problem and laying out the solution for getting out of the mess we find ourselves in.

That phrase, “The government is now giving back less to the citizens“, can be taken in at least two ways. The government is not giving back as much as it used to. The government is now taking more from the citizens than they are giving back. It doesn’t matter which, if either, is correct. The good citizens who trusted the government to make their lives better are now on the short end of the stick and their situation is not likely to change any time soon.

Who is to blame? This question must be answered if there is to be any chance of improvement. Of course, virtually everyone will have their own favorite “whipping boy”, someone or some group to point at and ascribe blame to. Democrats. Republicans. Progressives. Liberals. Conservatives. Socialists. Nazis. Transgenders. Trans-national corporations. Whites. Blacks. Russians. Immigrants. Welfare bums. Abortionists. Donald Trump. Bill Gates. And on, and on, and on, and on, and…well, you get the point. Or ought to.

In the end, though, there is only one person to blame for the mess we are in and it is not Joe Biden or Vlad the Putin. No, the culprit lives a little closer to home and you see him (or her) in the mirror every single morning. That’s right. You are to blame. I am to blame. We are to blame. There is no getting around it and the best thing to do is to admit it, change the way we think about government, and get on with the business of living life the way it was meant to be lived–freely and responsibly.

1 Samuel 8 tells the story of how the people of ancient Israel clamored for a king to rule them so that they could be like the neighboring countries. Apparently, they did not appreciate the freedom they already had and decided they would rather place themselves into bondage to a government, all for the purpose of “keeping up with the Joneses”, so to speak.

The prophet, Samuel, did not mince any words about what the king would do to them, but he was flogging a dead horse. They had already made up their minds and nothing he could say would dissuade them, so he gave them a king who proceeded to do everything to the people which they had been warned about. By the time they recognized it and wanted relief, however, it was too late.

“And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.” — 1 Samuel 8:18

Your king. The one you chose for yourselves. The one you begged to have. The one who promised to give you everything you wanted so you voted for him. Or her.

We, the People, live in a society in which nearly everything has been brought under the control of government. We are nearly completely dependent on this “king” for our protection, our sustenance, our health, even our very lives. The worst part of it is that the system we have built is the one we have built. Our king, which we chose for ourselves. Exactly the way we wanted it.

And there is no relief. God, no matter how many prayers we utter in anguish and heartache, is not going to hear us because we have not learned yet what it means to worship a false god. We are not likely to until we have been wrung out so there is nothing left to turn to — except God, Who has been there all the time, patiently waiting until we get our heads out of our collective ass and significantly change our ways.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9 (KJV)

If. If we confess our sins. If we do not, then the forgiveness and cleansing will not happen.

How high will the price of eggs have to go before we learn?