I just don't see it turning out well either way.
David Lipscomb on Voting
Questions come up in the workings of society and before the voters of a country that involve
moral good to the community. Such are the questions regarding the restriction of the sale of
intoxicants, the licensing of race courses and gambling houses and places of licentiousness. It
is strongly denied in such cases that the government that restricts and prohibits sin can be of
the devil, and hence it is claimed a Christian should vote on all such questions of morality.
To the first, it is replied, the devil has always been quite willing to compromise with
Christians if he can induce them to divide their allegiance and to give the greater service to
the upbuilding of his kingdom. He offered this compromise to the Savior when here on earth.
Was quite willing the Savior should rule, and doubtless in his own way, and make things as
moral and respectable as he desired them, if it only devil himself into an angel of light." (2 Cor. xi: 13.)
There is no doubt the devil is willing to turn moral reformer and make the world moral and
respectable, if thereby his rule and authority are established and extended. And it may
be set down as a truth that all reformations that propose to stop short of a full surrender of the
soul, mind, and body up to God, are of the devil.
To the claim that a Christian is bound to vote, when he has the privilege, for that which
promotes morality, and to fail to vote for the restriction and suppression of evil is to vote for
it, we have determined that, to vote or use the civil power is to use force and carnal weapons.
Christians cannot use these. To do so is to do evil that good may come. This is specially
forbidden to Christians. To do so is to fight God's battles with the weapons of the evil one. To
do so is to distrust God. The effective way for Christians to promote morality in a
community, is, to stand aloof from the political strifes and conflicts, and maintain a pure and promoted the growth of his kingdom and extended and supported his rule and dominion. This very proffer that the Master rejected, his
disciples accept and act upon in supporting human government.
"The Holy Spirit warned Christians, that, false prophets would transform themselves into prophets of God and the true faith in God, which is the only basis of true morality, and is as a leaven in society, to
keep alive an active sense of right. To go into political strife is to admit the leaven of evil into
the church. For the church to remain in the world and yet keep itself free from the spirit of the
world, is to keep alive an active leaven of morality in the world. If that leaven loses its
leaven, wherewith shall the world be leavened? or if the salt lose its savor wherewith shall the
earth be salted or saved? God has told his children to use the spiritual weapons, has warned
them against appealing to the sword or force to maintain his kingdom or to promote the honor
of God and the good of man. When they do as he directs them, and use his appointments, he
is with them to fight their battles for them and to give them the victory. When they turn from
his appointments to the human kingdoms and their weapons, they turn from God, reject his
help, drive him out of the conflict and fight the battles for man's deliverance with their own
strength and by their own wisdom. Human government is the sum of human wisdom
and the aggregation of human strength. God's kingdom is the consummation of Divine
wisdom and in it dwells the power of God.
To use the human is to reject Divine wisdom and divest ourselves of Divine help. To use the
Divine is to follow Divine wisdom and to seek and rest upon Divine help. There can be no
doubt as to which is the Christian's duty. Then the Christian most effectually promotes public
morality by standing aloof from the corrupting influences of worldly institutions and maintaining a pure religious morality. The same difficulty was propounded in the early
churches, Neander says,
moral good to the community. Such are the questions regarding the restriction of the sale of
intoxicants, the licensing of race courses and gambling houses and places of licentiousness. It
is strongly denied in such cases that the government that restricts and prohibits sin can be of
the devil, and hence it is claimed a Christian should vote on all such questions of morality.
To the first, it is replied, the devil has always been quite willing to compromise with
Christians if he can induce them to divide their allegiance and to give the greater service to
the upbuilding of his kingdom. He offered this compromise to the Savior when here on earth.
Was quite willing the Savior should rule, and doubtless in his own way, and make things as
moral and respectable as he desired them, if it only devil himself into an angel of light." (2 Cor. xi: 13.)
There is no doubt the devil is willing to turn moral reformer and make the world moral and
respectable, if thereby his rule and authority are established and extended. And it may
be set down as a truth that all reformations that propose to stop short of a full surrender of the
soul, mind, and body up to God, are of the devil.
To the claim that a Christian is bound to vote, when he has the privilege, for that which
promotes morality, and to fail to vote for the restriction and suppression of evil is to vote for
it, we have determined that, to vote or use the civil power is to use force and carnal weapons.
Christians cannot use these. To do so is to do evil that good may come. This is specially
forbidden to Christians. To do so is to fight God's battles with the weapons of the evil one. To
do so is to distrust God. The effective way for Christians to promote morality in a
community, is, to stand aloof from the political strifes and conflicts, and maintain a pure and promoted the growth of his kingdom and extended and supported his rule and dominion. This very proffer that the Master rejected, his
disciples accept and act upon in supporting human government.
"The Holy Spirit warned Christians, that, false prophets would transform themselves into prophets of God and the true faith in God, which is the only basis of true morality, and is as a leaven in society, to
keep alive an active sense of right. To go into political strife is to admit the leaven of evil into
the church. For the church to remain in the world and yet keep itself free from the spirit of the
world, is to keep alive an active leaven of morality in the world. If that leaven loses its
leaven, wherewith shall the world be leavened? or if the salt lose its savor wherewith shall the
earth be salted or saved? God has told his children to use the spiritual weapons, has warned
them against appealing to the sword or force to maintain his kingdom or to promote the honor
of God and the good of man. When they do as he directs them, and use his appointments, he
is with them to fight their battles for them and to give them the victory. When they turn from
his appointments to the human kingdoms and their weapons, they turn from God, reject his
help, drive him out of the conflict and fight the battles for man's deliverance with their own
strength and by their own wisdom. Human government is the sum of human wisdom
and the aggregation of human strength. God's kingdom is the consummation of Divine
wisdom and in it dwells the power of God.
To use the human is to reject Divine wisdom and divest ourselves of Divine help. To use the
Divine is to follow Divine wisdom and to seek and rest upon Divine help. There can be no
doubt as to which is the Christian's duty. Then the Christian most effectually promotes public
morality by standing aloof from the corrupting influences of worldly institutions and maintaining a pure religious morality. The same difficulty was propounded in the early
churches, Neander says,
"The Christians stood aloof and distinct
from the state, as a priestly and spiritual race, and
Christianity seemed able to influence civil life only in
that manner which, it must be confessed, is the purest,
by practically endeavoring to instil more and more of
the holy feeling into the citizens of the state."
And Origen said, "The Christians render greater
assistance to their country than other men, inasmuch as
they instruct the citizens, and teach them to become
pious toward God, on whom the welfare of cities depends,
and who receives those whose conduct in a poor and miserable city has been good, into a divine and heavenly
city."
The same objections were made to the positions of the early Christians, that are made to-day
to this position. They then beyond doubt held the same position we advocate. We make the
same reply these early Christians made. We occupy the same position they did. Let us serve
God with all our mind and strength and soul in his kingdom, and he will be our strength and
our shield.
And true faith in God will lead us to trust him do his will, use his appointments diligently and
faithfully and leave results with him; knowing that when we obey him and so "work out our
salvation with fear and trembling, it is God which worketh in us to will and to do of his good
pleasure." And when Gods works in and through us, all good results must follow.
from the state, as a priestly and spiritual race, and
Christianity seemed able to influence civil life only in
that manner which, it must be confessed, is the purest,
by practically endeavoring to instil more and more of
the holy feeling into the citizens of the state."
And Origen said, "The Christians render greater
assistance to their country than other men, inasmuch as
they instruct the citizens, and teach them to become
pious toward God, on whom the welfare of cities depends,
and who receives those whose conduct in a poor and miserable city has been good, into a divine and heavenly
city."
The same objections were made to the positions of the early Christians, that are made to-day
to this position. They then beyond doubt held the same position we advocate. We make the
same reply these early Christians made. We occupy the same position they did. Let us serve
God with all our mind and strength and soul in his kingdom, and he will be our strength and
our shield.
And true faith in God will lead us to trust him do his will, use his appointments diligently and
faithfully and leave results with him; knowing that when we obey him and so "work out our
salvation with fear and trembling, it is God which worketh in us to will and to do of his good
pleasure." And when Gods works in and through us, all good results must follow.
"President Obama keeps saying his formal duty is to protect the American people, but the protection a growing number of Americans want is from our own government. This president thinks the federal government should be able to kidnap any of us and imprison us for the rest of our lives without charges, trial, legal assistance, or the right to habeas corpus. It’s astounding. It’s the most un-American, subversive act ever by a president. And yet, Democrats who would be raising holy hell if this were done during a Republican administration seem to just blindly fall in line and support this man who has taken on the role of a tyrant.You know, you hear the slogan, We’ve got to take our government back." It’s never needed to be applied with more force than right now. The American people have to unify around these issues: corruption, the expanding imperial presidency, the shredding of our constitution, our illegal wars of aggression, and all the toadying to Wall Street and the financial industry. We need to stand up against all of that and say we will not put up for it anymore. If we don’t, it’s all going to get worse.
I see where you are coming from. But is Obama that bad?
Are you kidding? We have a president who targets US citizens for assassination. Through his killing program, at least three American citizens have been assassinated in drone strikes, including a 16-year-old boy from Denver, Colorado. Obama showed his true colors when he was in the Senate and voted to grant telecommunications companies retroactive criminal immunity for their federal felonies for cooperating with the Bush administration’s illegal surveillance program. They could be tracking you. They could find out from the library what books you’re checking out, they could go to you web provider and find out to whom you’re sending emails, what websites you're accessing. It's like the KGB in the Soviet Union, but so much worse because of advances in technology. "
Are you kidding? We have a president who targets US citizens for assassination. Through his killing program, at least three American citizens have been assassinated in drone strikes, including a 16-year-old boy from Denver, Colorado. Obama showed his true colors when he was in the Senate and voted to grant telecommunications companies retroactive criminal immunity for their federal felonies for cooperating with the Bush administration’s illegal surveillance program. They could be tracking you. They could find out from the library what books you’re checking out, they could go to you web provider and find out to whom you’re sending emails, what websites you're accessing. It's like the KGB in the Soviet Union, but so much worse because of advances in technology. "
No comments:
Post a Comment