Author Topic: 2MOP Antiwar Book  (Read 397 times)

Admin

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 555
    • View Profile
2MOP Antiwar Book
« on: February 04, 2017, 01:24:59 pm »
Miracle of Peace

http://2mop.webs.com
    Book: MIRACLE OF PEACE The Bible Law of Liberty Miracle of Unity End Times Jesus on Peace Lamentations The Battle Conservative God's Ways God's Ways 2 Ch. 9-11 Ch. 12-14 Ch. 15-17 Ch. 18 Guestbook

CONTENTS: MIRACLE OF PEACE

    Hi. I'm Lloyd. My email is LKINDR@yahoo.com. This free online book addresses how to achieve security without war, when we are not being clearly attacked. The title is: MIRACLE OF PEACE
    See also http://freewebs.com/lin4 for details on how to achieve unity and peace.

p.2 - INTRODUCTION

p.3 - Chapter 1 - THE MIRACULOUS BIBLE, by Lloyd Kinder

-PANIN'S BIBLE NUMERICS: God Proves the Bible -
-WASHBURN'S THEOMATICS: More of God's Proof -
-PROPER NUMBER & ORDER OF THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE -
-CREATION, THE GREAT FLOOD AND SCIENCE -
-REFERENCES ON AMAZING FINDINGS RELATING TO THE MIRACULOUS BIBLE ETC

p.9 - Chapter 2: CHRISTIANITY IS LIBERTARIAN
                            - BEAST MEANS WORLDLY DOMINION

-THE PRIME DIRECTIVE OF THE CHURCH: No Exercising Dominion Over Others, by Brother Gregory -
-THE BEAST IS ANY GOVERNMENT OR RULER THAT EXERCISES DOMINION, by L.K. -
-MISUNDERSTOOD BIBLE PASSAGES ABOUT AUTHORITY, like Romans 13 -
-PRIDE: THE ORIGINAL SIN - -APOSTACY & CORRUPTION IN THE CHURCH -
-RETURN OF GODLY GOVERNMENT -
-UNANIMITY, by G. H. Lang

p.17 - Chapter 3: END TIMES

-ARMAGEDDON IS PAST, SAYS THE BIBLE, by L.K. -
-DANIEL'S PROPHECY OF JESUS & END TIMES -
-MESSIANIC ESCHATOLOGY -
-BETTER NEWS ON END TIMES - Vine and Fig Tree -
-THE END OF THE WORLD - MAYBE, by Bob Wallace

p.27 - Chapter 4: JESUS AND THE BIBLE ON PEACE

-REVIEW OF "KING SAUL AND PRESIDENT BUSH," by L.K. -
-GREATEST BAPTIST MINISTER RE CHRISTIAN WAR FEVER -
-WAS JESUS A PACIFIST?, by Bob Murphy -
-GOD'S LAW OR MAN'S LAW, PEACE OR WAR? by Ned Netterville -
-TURN THE OTHER CHEEK, by Ned Netterville -
-A RADICAL CALL TO LOVE, by James Patton -
-WHO'S OMNISCIENT ENOUGH TO KILL? -
-SEEING DECEPTION

p.41 - Chapter 5: LAMENTATIONS

-NOT WORTH MY SON'S SACRIFICE, by Cindy Sheehan -
-EMPTY BOOTS, by Cindy Sheehan -
-OUR FUTURE?, by Murray Polner -
-A BREEDING GROUND FOR TYRANTS, by Michael Gaddy -
-A WAR AGAINST CIVILIANS?, by Mark Weisbrot -
-WAR, THE GOD THAT FAILED, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-THE GLORY OF WAR, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.

p.49 - Chapter 6: BATTLE FOR SOULS?

-CHRISTIANS FOR SADDAM?, by Glen Chancy -
-SUPPORTING THE TROOPS, by Glen Chancy -
-CHRISTIANS' NIGHTMARES IN IRAQ, by Glen Chancy

p.61 - Chapter 7: CONSERVATISM AND MORALITY

-THE PRICE OF PEACE ACTIVISM, by Nancy Meyer [9-11 Victim's Family] -
-A COLONEL'S LETTERS: SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!, by Col. Joe Kopacz -
-Part 1. RULE OF LAW -
-Part 2. FREEDOM OF SPEECH -
-WAR FOREVER, by Murray Polner -
-ON PACIFISM - WHAT MAKES SENSE, by Bob Murphy -
-FURTHER THOUGHTS ON PACIFISM, by Bob Murphy -
-FINAL THOUGHTS ON PACIFISM, by Bob Murphy -
-MORE WAR ARGUMENTS, by Bob Murphy

p.71 - Chapter 8: WALK IN GOD'S WAYS

-BIPOLAR AMERICA - FORGIVE US AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS, by Ed Cobb -
-GOD'S KINGDOM - AVAILABLE TO ALL, by Brother Gregory -
-JESUS ALREADY IS A REAL KING OF A REAL KINGDOM, by Brother Gregory -
-JOIN THE KINGDOM, NOT THE ARMY, by L.K. -
-SOCIOCRACY, by Gerard Endenburg and John Buck -
-OVERCOMING CORRUPTION IN SCIENCE, by L.K. -
-ISN'T THIS GOD'S WAR? by Gayle Griffin

p.67 - Chapter 9: WAR PROFITEERING

-WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WAR AND THE ECONOMY, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-PHASE TWO OF BUSH'S WAR PLAN RUMBLES AHEAD as World Leaders Ignore Anti-War Outcry, by Mark Weisbrot -
-TO THE VICTOR GO THE SPOILS, by Bob Wallace -
-WAR FOR OIL?, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-DOES OIL REQUIRE BLOOD?, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-BILLIONS, TRILLIONS, WHO CARES?, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-WAR AND FREEDOM, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.

p.77 - Chapter 10: THEY HATE US FOR OUR FREEDOM - - - - TO KILL?

-THE VIOLENCE THAT BEGAT VIOLENCE, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-THE IMPOSSIBLE WAR, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-SIR ISAAC NEWTON AND THE COMING INVASION OF IRAN, by Mike Rogers -
-THE 4,000-YEAR-OLD WAR, by Bob Wallace -
-GAZING INTO THE ABYSS, by Bob Wallace

p.85 - Chapter 11: CONSERVATIVE VERSUS NEOCONSERVATIVE

-NEO-CONSERVATISM EXPLAINED, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-THE NATIONAL DEFENSE MYTH, by Llewellyn Rockwell, Jr. -
-EVEN CONSERVATIVES NEED THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT, by Lew Rockwell, Jr. -
-WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST, by Brad Edmonds

p.91 - Chapter 12: A COLONEL'S LETTERS:
                                SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!, by Col. Joe Kopacz

-Part 2. FREEDOM OF SPEECH -
-Part 3. FELLOW U.S. SOLDIERS -
-Part 4. DEAL WITH ISRAEL -
-Part 5. IRAQI SECURITY -
-Part 6. IN IRAQ FOREVER -
-Part 7. NEOCON PHILOSOPHY-ECONOMICS 101

p.105 - Chapter 13: A CONCERNED EVANGELICAL, by Laurence M. Vance

-SHOULD A CHRISTIAN JOIN THE MILITARY? -
-HEBREW MIDWIVES, CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS -
-THINK, CHRISTIAN! -
-JUST SAY NO

p.115 - Chapter 14: NATURAL LAW & HISTORY OF IMPERIALISM

-HIGHER POWERS OF ROMANS 13 - by Lloyd Kinder -
-THE NEOCONS' PSALM, by Laurence M. Vance -
-MORE NUREMBERG TRIALS?, by Murray Polner -
-WILLIAM GRAHAM SUMNER ON WAR AND PEACE, by Murray Polner -
-UNWARRANTED INFLUENCE OF THE MILITARY, by Dwight D. Eisenhower -
-WASHINGTON'S PAST RELATIONSHIP WITH SADDAM, by Mark Weisbrot -
-WHAT'S IN A WORD, LIKE DEFENSE?, by Mike Rogers

p.121 - Chapter 15: JUST WAR?

-UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER LEADS TO ATROCITIES, by Paul Clark -
-THE INEVITABILITY OF THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ, by Seth Farber -
-CATHOLICS, IRAQ, AND JUST WAR, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-SHORTCUT NUKES, by Jack Duggan

p.129 - Chapter 16: DIVISION & DIVERSION AMONG US

-POWER WINS WHAT?, by Bob Murphy -
-"VIETNAM SYNDROME" IS ALIVE AND THRIVING, by Mark Weisbrot -
-WE CAN'T WIN THIS WAY, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-NATURAL LAW AND WAR, by Bob Wallace -
-DOING AL QAEDA'S DIRTY WORK FOR THEM, by Bob Wallace -
-THE BRAIN OF THE CHICKENHAWK, by Bob Wallace -
-WAR AND THE CAPITALIST PRESS, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW, by Mike Rogers -
-HARIRI ASSASSINATION & U.S. RESPONSE, by Stephen Zunes

p.147 - Chapter 17: THEY HATE OUR FREEDOM, SO LET'S END IT

-YOU MIGHT BE A TERRORIST, by Brad Edmonds -
-UTTER INSANITY, by Brad Edmonds -
-OUT OF THE LIGHT, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-SAFETY VERSUS FREEDOM: THE FALSE DICHOTOMY, by Bob Murphy -
-THE MOST HONORABLE THING A PATRIOT COULD DO, by Mike Rogers -
-WHAT DOES CINDY SHEEHAN REALLY WANT?, by Mike (in Tokyo) Rogers -
-DRAFT THIS, by Jack Duggan

p.155 - Chapter 18: WAR PARTY ECONOMICS & MORALITY

-WHAT THRIVES AND WHAT DIES DURING WAR?, by Mark Thornton -
-THEY WERE WRONG, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.-
-IRAQ AND MORAL CORRUPTION, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES OF UN SANCTIONS, by Mark Thornton -
-THE FOURTH REPUBLIC: ONE POSSIBLE FUTURE, by Ed Cobb -
-WHEN A PRO-LIFE PRESIDENT KILLS , by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. -
-FRAMING THE DEBATE ON WMD, by Bob Murphy -
-I DON'T OWE THE MILITARY ANYTHING, by Brad Edmonds -
-FOUR REASONS WE SHOULD ABOLISH THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, by Brad Edmonds

©2006

Create a Free Website
« Last Edit: February 18, 2017, 07:03:14 am by Admin »

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter


Admin

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 555
    • View Profile
2MOP: Miraculous Bible
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2017, 01:33:54 pm »
Miracle of Peace

    Book: MIRACLE OF PEACE The Bible Law of Liberty Miracle of Unity End Times Jesus on Peace Lamentations The Battle Conservative God's Ways God's Ways 2 Ch. 9-11 Ch. 12-14 Ch. 15-17 Ch. 18 Guestbook

The Miraculous Bible

© 2005 Lloyd Kinder

INTRODUCTION

I voted for Buchanan in 2000. He opposes imperialist war and free trade for the rich and he’s pro-life, a real conservative. See www.theamericancause.org. Researching, writing and editing this book have opened my eyes a bit and I don't mean that lightly. I've long had a tendency to distrust our leaders, apparently because, while growing up I often heard statements like "The white man worships the almighty dollar." That particular statement used to perplex me, because we're 5th generation German-English Americans, about as white as they come. Then I found out later that our family is also partly of Osage Indian descent. That put a new light on things.

So Rom. 13:1 didn't set so well with me, when I started contemplating it for mention in this book. That's the main passage that some "authorities" like to translate as "Obey the powers that be." I was thinking initially that this verse seems to stand in the way of ending societal abusiveness. It felt a bit frustrating to imagine giving deference to, or showing approval of, dictators and tyrants. I did and still do feel that the passage is only referring to God and his ministers, who do his will, but the passage goes on to suggest that such leaders are chosen by God. I stopped to imagine if tyrants might be chosen by God too. I've long felt that nearly all of the high-level political leaders are actually chosen by society's so-called upper-class, who seem to hold nearly all the cards in worldly matters. But then, after a little thought, it didn't seem so absurd to suppose that God may be the one who really does choose leaders in the final analysis, even if they're devils like Hitler or Stalin.

My attitude initially was one of sort of wanting to resist the seemingly overwhelming evil that the apparently largely evil upper-class seems intent on foisting upon Americans and people everywhere. But in seeing more clearly that God really has everything in hand, the sense of the burden of resistance has given way more or less to a feeling that this work is an imperfect collaboration with the really good higher powers [God and angels] and the people and forces of God. Numerous Friends have long said that there is that of God in everyone, suggesting that our efforts are even more inevitable of success, since that of God in everyone is on our side. And by efforts I mean efforts to spread God's Word of Love. Because that of God is in everyone, God can choose anyone to be our leaders, but, having free will, leaders choose for themselves whether to follow that of God in them, or that of self/satan. After all, everyone also probably has that of satan in us as well. And within each of ourselves is where our battle, our Armageddon, is really decided.

I thank all of the writers who contributed articles for this book and the one after this, many by way of lewrockwell.com. I thank those who provided assistance with ideas etc. And I thank that of God in everyone who listens to our message in this book. This book is only part of an ongoing effort to increase dialog for peace and happiness for all.
Aloha. Lloyd Kinder

~~~~

Chapter 1 - THE MIRACULOUS BIBLE
by Lloyd Kinder

PANIN'S BIBLE NUMERICS
God Proves the Bible [See www.biblebelievers.org.au/panin1.htm]

God proves the bible in the original Hebrew and Greek languages by his amazing supernatural intelligent design. James Trimm has shown that the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, instead of Greek, but the Greek version has this miraculous numeric pattern.

Ivan Panin was an agnostic Russian revolutionary, born in 1855, who was expelled from the country. He moved to Germany and then to the U.S., eventually becoming a Harvard professor. He was a mathematician and, while studying the bible in 1890, he began to find a mathematical pattern in the bible that was not random or accidental, but could only have been designed intentionally by someone of supernatural intelligence. This intelligence could be that of God, or of angels, if they have such intelligence. It could not be of man, because the design is so complex, that it would have taken a supercomputer by some estimates at least a thousand years to accomplish. And no supercomputers were likely available before the 20th century. Panin became convinced that the superhuman intelligent numeric design of the bible was of God.

Keith Newman said Panin was reading the Greek version of the first verse of the Book of John, which says: "... the word was with the God and the word was God." He wondered why God was referred to first as "the God" and second only as "God." Then he discovered that this created a numerical pattern based on exact multiples of the number seven in the text.

After studying the bible extensively Panin found that the same pattern occurs throughout the bible in both the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. This convinced him of the existence of God, because of the obvious superhuman intelligence required to compose such complex writing patterns, and he became a converted Christian. He devoted over 40 years of the rest of his life to this study and he wrote several books, including his corrected Greek New Testament. [See: www.bereanpublishers.com/Apologetics/Book_Info_On_Ivan_Panin.htm - Bible Numerics: The Works of Ivan Panin.]

Here is an example of the heptadic pattern [multiples of sevens] in the bible in the first 17 verses of the Book of Matthew, which covers the Genealogy of Jesus. In this passage only one occurrence of each word is counted.
[1] The number of words which are nouns is 56 = 7 x 8.
[2] The Greek article "the" occurs here more than any other word: 56 times: 7 x 8.
[3] The number of different forms of the word "the" is 7.
[4] There are two main sections in the passage: verse 1-11 and 12-17. In the first main section, the number of Greek vocabulary words used is 49 = 7 x 7.
[5] Of these 49 words, The number of those beginning with a vowel is 28 = 7 x 4. The number of words beginning with a consonant is 21 = 7 x 3.
[6] The total number of letters in these 49 words is 266 = 7 x 38.
[7] The number of vowels among these 266 letters is 140 = 7 x 20. The number of consonants is 126 = 7 x 18.
[8] Of these 49 words, the number of words which occur more than once is 35 = 7 x 5. The number of words occurring only once is 14 = 7 x 2.
[9] The number of words which occur in only one form is 42 = 7 x 6. The number of words appearing in more than one form is also 7.
[10] The number of the 49 Greek vocabulary words which are nouns is 42 = 7 x 6. The number of words which are not nouns is 7.
[11] Of the nouns, 35 are proper names: 7x5.
[12] These 35 names are used 63 times: 7x9.
[13] The number of male names is 28: 7x4. The number which are not male names is 7.
[14] These male names occur 56 times : 7x8.
[15] Three women are mentioned-Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. The number of Greek letters in these three names is 14 = 7 x 2.
[16] The number of compound nouns in the passage is 7.
[17] The number of Greek letters in these 7 nouns is 49 = 7 x 7.
[18] Only one city is named in this passage, Babylon, which in Greek contains 7 letters.

Anyone interested in checking this can find the original Hebrew and Greek language of the Bible at www.blueletterbible.org/index.html, as well as other versions in English.

Both Hebrew and Greek letters are also used as numbers and the numerical values of the text of the bible are also multiples of seven. This makes the text still more complex and miraculous. For example, the numeric values of the 72 words [not counting the same word twice] of the above passage add up to 42,364 = 7 x 6,052. The 72 words have 90 forms in all, since some have more than one form. The sum of the numeric values of the letters of the 90 forms is 54,075 = 7 x 7,725.

Another remarkable fact is that there are words in this passage that don't occur anywhere else in the bible that have the same heptadic pattern. These exclusive words occur 42 times (7 x 6), but only in this passage, and they have 126 letters (7 x 18). And still more remarkable, all of the books of the New Testament have other exclusive words with the same heptadic patterns.

How can this be? Even if Matthew and the other authors of the New Testament intentionally composed their books of the bible with these heptadic patterns, how would they know which words would be exclusive to their own books? Some or all of the writers would have had to know what was going to be written in each other's book, before they completed each book.

For similar facts about the Old Testament, see www.biblebelievers.org.au/panin2.htm. The first verse of Genesis, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" is analyzed and is shown to contain over 30 different patterns of multiples of seven.

Even physical reality may have similar numerical patterns, created by God. Golgotha, for example, the place where Jesus was crucified, has an elevation of 777 meters above sea level.

~~~~

WASHBURN'S THEOMATICS
More of God's Proof of the Bible [See www.theomatics.com]

Del Washburn and others have gone beyond Panin's findings and have found other extraordinary numerical patterns in the bible. These involve finding the numeric values of all letters of the original Greek and Hebrew words in particular phrases, which are found to have multiples of particular numbers associated with phrases on the same subject. Phrases involving FISH, for example, are usually multiples of 153. Those that concern the birth of Jesus are multiples of 111. Those that concern evil are multiples of 18, having the same additive value as 180, which suggests 180 degrees, meaning going backwards, or in the wrong direction. The odds against such phrases being so consistently associated with particular theomatic numbers and with such accuracy by chance, i.e. without supernatural intelligent design, is obviously astronomical to the extreme. They're comparable to the odds that living creatures evolved from non-living chemicals without any intelligent involvement, or the odds that the universe came into being and continues to exist without intelligent design.

Following are sample phrases on the same three subjects with the multiples of their typical numbers.
Sample Bible phrases involving FISH
153 x 8 = FISHES
153 x 8 = THE NET
153 x 16 = MULTITUDE OF FISHES
153 x 14 = FISHERS OF MEN

Sample phrases involving the birth of JESUS
111 x 8 = JESUS --- [Mat. 1:16]
111 x 12 = CHRIST
111 x 49 = THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST THUS WAS --- [Mat. 1:18]
111 x 11 = SHE WAS FOUND IN WOMB BY
111 x 28 = HER BEGOTTEN OF THE SPIRIT, IS HOLY --- [Mat. 1:20]
111 x 8 = HER BEGOTTEN
111 x 11 = AND SHE WILL BEAR A SON --- [Mat. 1:21]
111 x 27 = BEHOLD, A VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON --- [Mat. 1:23]
111 x 24 = SHE BORE A SON AND CALLED HIS NAME --- [Mat. 1:25]
111 x 8 = JESUS
111 x 8 = TO YOU A SIGN, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD --- [Isa. 7:14]
Another 43 examples are listed at www.theomatics.com.

Sample phrases concerning EVIL
18 x 20 = THE SERPENT --- [Gen. 3:1]
18 x 20 = SATAN --- [1 Chr. 21:1]
18 x 220 = THE SERPENT OF OLD CALLED --- [Rev. 12:9]
18 x 50 = AND INCITED DAVID --- [1Chr21:1]
18 x 50 = AND SATAN CAME ALSO AMONG THEM --- [Job1:6]
18 x 50 = AND SAID, FROM ROAMING IN THE EARTH --- [Job1:7]
18 x 18 = FROM ROAMING IN THE EARTH
18 x 144 = WALKS ABOUT SEEKING WHOM --- [1 Pet. 3:5] HE MAY DEVOUR
18 x 20 = WHOM
18 x 130 = YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL
18 x 2 = IN THY POWER --- [Job 1:12]
About 160 more examples are shown at www.theomatics.com.

Some of the topics covered in the book, Theomatics II, are:
The Theomatic Structure
Man Created in the Image of God
The Numbers of Satan
Understanding God and Interpreting the Bible
Theomatics and the Scientific Method
Moses and the Burning Bush
The 144 Thousands
The History of Bible Prophecy
Israel in Bible Prophecy
Is Jesus Coming back to Planet Earth?
The Great Tribulation
The Idea of an Antichrist
The Mark of the Beast
The Millennium
The Meaning of the Rapture
Information for Greek Scholars

~~~~

PROPER NUMBER AND ORDER
OF THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

The following arrangement of the books of the Bible comes from an article, The Original Bible Revealed!, by T. Oommen on his website, www.biblediscoveries.com/index.html. He said the article was based on a 1994 book, RESTORING THE ORIGINAL BIBLE, by Dr. Ernest L. Martin.

Panin's Bible Numerics, Washburn's Theomatics and Stan Tenon's Meru Foundation studies suggest that God's Word has been revealed to humanity with deep layers of meaning, which are all meant for our edification. Tenon and others have found that even the shapes of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet have meaning and that they're all based on a 3-dimensional torus pattern viewed from different angles. These are said to have positive effects on our consciousness. The number of letters in the alphabet has meaning and so does the number of book titles in the Bible.

The conventional Bibles have 66 books, which T. says was Satan's attempt to make it appear to be the work of man, as 6 is man's number. The proper number of books is 49, which is 7 x 7, seven being the number of God. Even the word "God" may not be the best word to use. The arrangement of the books of the Bible also has meaning, relating to the pattern of floor plan of the Temple and of the Ark of the Covenant. Jesus implied that he was the third Temple. The proper arrangement is listed below, which puts Jesus' Gospels in the proper central position.


I. THE LAW: The Pentateuch (Five Books of Moses)
---[5 books]
1. Genesis, 2. Exodus, 3. Leviticus, 4. Numbers, 5. Deuteronomy

II. THE PROPHETS
---[6 books]
6. Joshua & Judges, 7. Samuel and Kings ('Books of the Kingdom'),
8. Isaiah, 9. Jeremiah, 10. Ezekiel, 11. The Twelve (Minor Prophets)

III. THE (HOLY) WRITINGS
---[11 books]
12. Psalms, 13. Proverbs, 14. Job, 15. Song of Songs, 16. Ruth, 17. Lamentations, 18. Ecclesiastes, 19. Esther, 20. Daniel, 21. Ezra/Nehemiah, 22. Chronicles

I. THE NEW TESTAMENT 'PENTATEUCH':
The Gospels and Acts
---[5 books]
23. Matthew, 24. Mark, 25. Luke, 26. John, 27. Acts

II. THE CATHOLIC (UNIVERSAL) EPISTLES
---[7 books]
28. James, 29. 1 Peter, 30. 2 Peter, 31. 1 John, 32. 2 John, 33. 3 John, 34. Jude

III. THE PAULINE EPISTLES
---[14 books]
35. Romans, 36. 1 Corinthians, 37. 2 Corinthians, 38. Galatians, 39. Ephesians, 40. Philippians, 41. Colossians, 42. 1 Thessalonians, 43. 2 Thessalonians 44. Hebrews, 45. 1 Timothy, 46. 2 Timothy, 47. Titus, 48. Philemon

IV. REVELATION
---[1 book]
49. Revelation

~~~~

CREATION, THE GREAT FLOOD AND SCIENCE

T. Oommen's website, www.biblediscoveries.com/index.html, has two sections dealing with "Creation Mysteries" and "Flood Mysteries." He shows that the six day creation described in Genesis does not say that the sun, stars, moon and planets, including earth, did not previously exist. They apparently did exist, but the earth was in darkness due to thick clouds all around the earth. God made winds to remove most of these clouds and he allowed the light then to appear.

Genesis does say, according to T., that God created life on earth in those 6 days, after separating the waters and making the dry land to appear from beneath the ocean. He says the Bible is definite in defining a day as a time of morning and evening like our present days. I think the earth's rotation, or day length, may have been a year long, if it only rotated once a year, similar to the way the moon rotates as it revolves around the earth. And the year may have been longer or shorter, if earth was a satellite of Saturn at that time.

T. says the dry land of the earth was all in one supercontinent surrounded by on vast ocean. The land of the continent was flat with ideal climate and lush vegetation and teeming with animals of all sizes, including the large mammals and dinosaurs. He says radiocarbon dating of thousands of fossils from around the world shows them all to be under 30,000 years old and he mentions that the dates actually are much younger than that, since the dating method is based on the assumption that radiocarbon levels in the air and oceans has been steady for millions of years. But the levels probably did change a great deal during the six day creation and during the flood. T. says the Septuagint version of the Bible has the proper age of creation as 7,000 years ago, instead of 6,000. But Ivan Panin found in using bible numerics that Jesus was born 3,999 years after Adam's creation. This means the creation of life was likely 6,000 years ago.

Here is a table showing proper calibration of radiocarbon-dated fossil ages.
True Age - Measured Age
1000 yrs. - 1155 yrs.
2000 yrs. - 2310 yrs.
3000 yrs. - 3500 yrs.
4000 yrs. - 4725 yrs.
5000 yrs. - 5990 yrs.
6000 yrs. - 12530 yrs.
6500 yrs. - 19100 yrs.
7000 yrs. - Infinite

The earth is thought by T. to be possibly millions or billions of years old, but Robert Gentry, a scientist in either physics or geology, found from studying radiohaloes of formerly radioactive inclusions in earth's basement granite rock, that the earth apparently solidified within a very short time, such as minutes or hours, instead of millions or billions of years. T. thinks the earth's sedimentary rock layers were all laid down in the great flood over a period of weeks or months, but he seems to be unaware of Gentry's findings re the deeper basement rock. So the entire earth may be only thousands of years old. I have an article somewhere that presents scientific evidence that the sun is also very young, though probably much older than the planets.

Immanuel Velikovsky's studies from the 1940s to 70s indicated that the planet Venus is only a few thousand years old and was incandescent, as hot as molten lava, when first seen by early man. Many independent scientists agree with those claims. Mainstream science first thought Venus would be very cold due to its thick cloud layer. But when a satellite was first sent to Venus and measured the temperature it found it to be over 700 degrees Fahrenheit. Carl Sagan then came up with the Venus runaway greenhouse theory to explain its high heat, but that theory is nonsense and the real cause of Venus' heat is its youth. All planets start out hot as they fissure from stars, according to astronomer and plasma physicist, Wal Thornhill. The greenhouse theory has been used to scare people into thinking the earth is heating up like Venus, due to industrialization effects of pollution etc. But the earth was much more polluted during the great flood and it caused cooling and even the ice age, not heating.

The lake of fire mentioned in Revelation, T. says, will be like that of the time of Noah, which caused the supercontinent to split up and the oceans to boil, making dense clouds of smoke and ash and water vapors, which fell as the rain. The lake of fire was massive volcanic eruptions with extensive lava flows. Much of the northwest U.S. was covered by thick layers of such lava. The volcanism and motions of the continents caused mountain ranges to form. But I agree with Thornhill and others, who say the flood likely came from an electrified vortex over the north pole that faced Saturn, when earth was one of its satellites. This vortex had taken much of the water from the earth to make the dry land during the six day creation. And at the time of the flood, Saturn exploded and moved to an orbit beyond Jupiter, leaving earth and much of the vortex behind. The vortex then collapsed, releasing the flood waters. Ancient rock art, pictographs, or petroglyphs, from around the world has been found by plasma physicist, Anthony Perratt, to be a consistent pattern showing what the north polar vortex looked like from different viewpoints and at different stages of development. The tower of Babel and many pyramids and structures may have been meant to replicate the vortex or to commemorate it.

The great flood set up tidal waves, which loosened the soil and sands of the earth and uprooted the vast forests, which were then laid down in layers, which became coal beds. T. said it's recently been found that coal can be formed from woodchips in a few hours under high heat and pressure. Soils and sands were also spread out in layers, sometimes over the layers of trees and hardened into sedimentary rock layers. Dead bodies of hordes of land and marine animals (including dinosaurs), as well as plants, were also heaped together by the tsunamis of the flood, like driftwood along the shore of a falling river. These transformed into fossils, which often show them to have been broken up and smashed.

Something T. hasn't discussed is how the dinosaurs were able to grow so large. In today's gravity no animal on land is able to grow larger than the largest elephant, because that's now the limit at which animal muscles can lift their own weight. As Thornhill and Ted Holden explain, earth's gravity was much weaker at that time, due to electrical effects from the nearness of Saturn. This is also why people were able to construct megalithic structures all over the earth, like pyramids and stonehenge etc. The stones weighed less than half of what they weigh now. People could lift larger objects and jump much higher in the weaker gravity. They could also grow larger. The great pyramid, by the way, was built for Christian prophecy, according to Larry Pahl and John Zajac et al.

~~~~

REFERENCES ON AMAZING SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS ETC, MANY RELATING TO THE MIRACULOUS BIBLE
[See www.yahoogroups.com/group/SOOL]

The following lists of websites and topics are ones that I've studied and found interesting. I haven't attempted to study or list such things thoroughly. These sources don't say things that I always agree with, just many things that may prove useful. I apologize if any of the sites are no longer findable. I checked on most of them. After the list of websites is a list of topics. There's also a similar list on Health in the last chapter. Jesus showed that health is related to righteousness and faith.

WEBSITES
Bible Search, www.bible.gospelcom.net, www.blueletterbible.org/index.html; Greek www.ibiblio.org/koine/greek/lessons/alphabet.html;  www.genevabible.org/Geneva.html,
Gospels, www.ccel.org, www.ccel.org/bible/ylt/Matthew/1.html
The great pyramid for Judeo-Christian prophecy: www.benabraham.com, www.greatpyramid.org, www.greatpyramid.org/aip, www.hmjbooks.50megs.com; Bible Codes, Panin, www.asis.com/~stag/numbtabl.html, www.biblebelievers.org.au/panin2.htm, www.bereanpublishers.com/Apologetics/Book_Info_On_Ivan_Panin.htm, www.asis.com/~stag/gematria.html, www.asis.com/~stag/godcount.html, www.theomatics.com, www.biblecodesplus.com; www.submission.org, www.HisHolyChurch.net;
www.libertarianchristians.org;
www.alliancefriendschurch.org, www.alliancefriendschurch.org/FactsOnFriends.htm#link9; www.nazarene.net,  ww.yashanet.com, www.yashanet.com/library/index.htm;
Vine & Fig Tree, members.aol.com/vftinc/home/indexheretic.htm
Privacy from Government, www.f-f-a.com

©2006

Create a Free Website

Admin

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 555
    • View Profile
2MOP: Law of Liberty
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2017, 01:36:58 pm »
Miracle of Peace

    Book: MIRACLE OF PEACE The Bible Law of Liberty Miracle of Unity End Times Jesus on Peace Lamentations The Battle Conservative God's Ways God's Ways 2 Ch. 9-11 Ch. 12-14 Ch. 15-17 Ch. 18 Guestbook

The Bible Is Libertarian

© 2005 Lloyd Kinder

Incredibly to those of us who have long been blinded by conventional authoritarian Church tradition, the bible on closer inspection proves to be anti-authoritarian, which is libertarian. In the Book of James [1:25] God's Law, which is the bible, is called the Perfect Law of Liberty. See below Brother Gregory's elaboration.

~~~~

THE PRIME DIRECTIVE OF THE CHURCH - No one shall exercise dominion over others [from ARTICLE X at www.HisHolyChurch.net] by Brother Gregory

Mat. 20:25-27 But Jesus called unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over , and they that are great exercise authority upon them. [26] But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; [27] And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

Any organization, government, or trust that violates the prime directive is not the Church, nor is it a part of the Church. are entirely held in common for purposes by those remaining faithful to His doctrines and ordinances.

Mark 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. [43] But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: [44] And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.

Jesus wanted his called-out Church not to exercise authority, or bring people under power, but, like Moses, they were to seek to lead people to freedom under God.

Luke 22:25-29 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. [26] But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. [27] For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. [28] Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. [29] And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

assuming the office of Father stands against the teachings of Jesus. Jesus is talking about government, not religion. He is using government terms and telling his people they are not to be like governments that exercise authority or dominion . He is talking about Rome and governments like Rome.

Ex. 20:2-5 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. [3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

John 13:14-15 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. [15] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

Serving others cleans us; domiunating others defiles us.

THE BEAST IS ANY GOVERNMENT OR RULER THAT EXERCISES DOMINION, by Lloyd Kinder
- August 1, 2005

The previous section, The Prime Directive, showed that God's and Jesus' foremost commandment is that no one exercise authority or dominion over others, except perhaps as a last resort in defense of oneself or others. In this section, we'll review biblical references to beasts for further insight on this precept of peace.

2 Kin. 14:9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.

The cedar may symbolize a steadfast, upright nation, the thistle a morally weaker nation and the beast a barbarous, ungodly nation.

Ps. 73:22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

Beast here probably means one who uses brute force in human relations, especially in ruling others, as Asaph was a king.

Ps. 74:13-14 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. [14] Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

Judging by the context, these great beasts may refer to formerly mighty, but ungodly, nations.

Ps. 74:18-21 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. [19] O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever. [20] Have respect unto the covenant: ... [21] O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.

The turtledove here appears to mean Israel, as a nation of peace. The beasts are the ungodly enemy nations or kingdoms ruled by brute force. Such kingdoms, or governments, may give benefits to citizens in exchange for loyalty, but they do not help their poor to become self-reliant.

Ps. 80:13-15 The boar out of the wood doth waste , and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. [14] Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine [15] And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.

The vine refers to Israel, any Godly nation. The boar and other beasts refer again to warring, ungodly nations.

Isa. 35:8-9 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. [9] No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

The highway is God's Way of Love, which includes the Commandments, which are commandments for loving God and our neighbors. The lion and ravenous beast are again warring nations ruled by brute force, not love.

Dan. 2:37-44 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. [38] And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. [39] And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. [40] And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. [41] And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. [44] And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

This dream predicted 5 great kingdoms from the time of Daniel, which are: Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, the last being first of iron, under the Caesars, then of iron and clay, perhaps under the popes. And God's kingdom would smash and replace all of these kingdoms.

Dan. 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. [23] Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. [24] And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

In his first vision Daniel seems to have foreseen the same 4 kingdoms or empires as in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Here the beasts are clearly referring to brutal governments.

Dan. 8:20-21 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. [21] And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

Dan. 8:8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

In Daniel's second vision two of the kingdoms are named. The ram and goat are said to refer to Media-Persia and to Greece. The first king of Greece referred to seems to indicate Alexander the Great, who lived some 200 years after Daniel's vision. The kings who followed him were the Ptolemy's, I think, who divided Alexander's empire into 4 parts. These kingdoms are depicted as violent and brutal.

Titus 1:12-13 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

This is a New Testament reference to beast and seems to mean what Asaph meant: a person, group, or nation, who uses brute force against others.

Rev. 11:7-8 And when shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. [8] And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

The two witnesses may indicate two nations, such as Israel and Judea, since war is not made on individuals. The beast from the pit suggests a nation founded by Satan. The great city is shown to be synonymous with Sodom & Egypt, which are blamed for Jesus' crucifixion, suggesting idolatrous nations, like Rome. Idolatry would mean having rulers other than God.

Rev. 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

The dragon is another great beast. It behaves as one exercising dominion and seems genocidal.

Rev. 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

The sea sometimes means a populous area. This beast has the same number of horns and heads as the dragon, but has ten crowns, while the dragon has seven. The beast suggests again a government of dominion. The horns & heads may indicate individual kings of this government.

Rev. 13:11-12 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. [12] And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

This second beast would be another kingdom using dominion, apparently coming after the first beast and allied with it. Coming up out of the earth or wilderness seems to mean from an unpopulated region. Lamb's horns may suggest having minor kings or rulers. Some say the second beast is the United States, because it originated in a wilderness.

The above biblical references to beasts support Gregory's view that exercising dominion, instead of granting liberty, is the main problem with conventional governments.

Luke 4:5-8 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. [6] And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. [7] If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. [8] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Ned Netterville says "Satan here claims ownership and authority over all of the kingdoms of the world, which Jesus pointedly does not dispute. This undoubtedly derives from all earthly kingdoms' abandonment of God as their lawmaker in favor of human legislators" www.jesus-on-taxes.com>.

~~~~

MISUNDERSTOOD BIBLE PASSAGES
ABOUT AUTHORITY, like Romans 13

Rom. 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Higher powers means God and his ministers and ordinances, not worldly rulers. God does not ordain worldly rulers, but only his ministers who do and teach his Word, or Law.

[2] Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

Resisting man's ungodly laws does not bring judgment. Only resisting God's Law brings judgment. Many worldly rulers have had laws against God and God's Law, even against being Christian etc, so obviously this is not referring to the power of worldly rulers, but only to the power of God and his Law and ministers.

[3] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

Rulers again means ministers ordained by God, not worldly rulers. Likewise, the power again means God and God's Law, not that of any worldly ruler.

[4] For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

Worldly rulers are not ministers of God. His ministers teach the Word of God, which is God's Law. The Word of God is sometimes called a sword, as in Eph. 6:17 and in Rev. 1:16 & 2:12,16 where someone like Jesus is said to have a sword, meaning God's Word, coming from his mouth, which destroys, i.e. destroys the pride of, the ungodly. Ministers use the same sword, the Word of God, to rebuke evil doers. Rebuking sinners is sometimes called the Wrath of God.

[5] Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

This wrath is uncomfortable and embarrassing and manifests as ill health of body or mind. It tortures and destroys our pride. But we should be concerned not just about the pain of wrath, but also about righteousness, which is conscience.

[6] For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. [7] Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Tribute here means voluntary tithes to our ministers, who attend to our salvation. Customs may refer to tithes to other ministries, when we travel.

1 Pet. 2:11-14 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; [12] Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. [13] Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; [14] Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

This passage and the previous one in Romans 13 are often misinterpreted to encourage undue submission to worldly rulers. This passage is talking about how to behave when traveling in other nations. It says to obey the laws there that are for the Lord's sake, those that discourage evil and those that encourage righteousness. It does not say to obey laws that are not for the Lord's sake, that encourage evil or oppose righteousness. And, indeed, the Apostles did not obey such laws, such as those against preaching about Jesus and his salvation or preaching about serving God rather than worldly rulers.

~~~~

PRIDE: THE ORIGINAL SIN

Original sin was not just disobeying God's Commandment on not "eating" of a certain "tree;" the sin was also pride, which made man think he can decide for himself what is right and wrong, and doesn't need God's Word to tell him that.

Gen. 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

In the phrase, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this tree is apparently symbolic, since no tree seems likely to be able to impart knowledge. Trees are upright and upright has a double meaning that includes righteousness, so righteousness is compared to the tree of life. Pro. 11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."

A similar feature of trees is loftiness, which can connote pride. The Hebrew word for "knowledge" in this passage can also mean cunning, which relates to pride. The word for "good" can also mean pleasure or wealth, types of self-seeking. The word for "evil" can also mean affliction and Jesus often implied that people's afflictions are generally a result of sins. God said Adam would die on the day he were to eat of the tree. Since he didn't die physically when he did eat of it, God must have meant he would die spiritually, which would eventually result in physical death as well. Sin causes our deaths and pride is a sin that blinds us to our own sinfulness. Therefore, pride is the most dangerous sin.

Gen. 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

In the Bible, god often means magistrate or judge, and, when Satan said you will be like gods, this likely means you will be like a judge, able to decide right and wrong. But Satan is false. Man, with limited knowledge and wisdom, cannot decide right and wrong. We need God to tell us this, which is why we have God's Law or God's Word, found in the bible and in the minds and hearts of his people. God gives us free will to choose between what he says is right and wrong. But choosing wrong does not make it right. Lawmaking, by Government etc, that opposes God's Word, is Us acting as gods by deciding Right & Wrong, instead of letting God decide for us. Groups and governments that make laws that contradict God's Law are acting as false gods and the First Commandment tells us not to submit to such gods.

The Bible often uses names of governments, such as Egypt, Sodom, Babylon, Rome, the beast etc to refer to wrongful Lawmaking and dominion. Terms like Fornication, Harlot, and Prostitute in the bible often refer to people who submit to such ungodly governments. Fornication in such cases means that we act as lovers of Satan. The term Israel in the bible is sometimes used symbolically to mean God's Kingdom on Earth. Those who submit to God's rule, instead of man's rule, are called Israel, faithful, the Bride of Christ, or the Bride of God.

Deu. 4:40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.

God's Law, which is called the Commandments etc, is given to us to help make our lives much happier and healthier, forever.

~~~~

APOSTASY & CORRUPTION IN THE CHURCH

Paul and others predicted that the Church would be corrupted by Satan's Lies.

2 Thes. 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; [4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

This passage likely referred to Nero specifically, but to other Roman emperors as well, including Constantine, who founded the Roman Church. The popes after him followed his example and always exercised dominion over the people, instead of simply ministering to them. The emperors claimed to be gods and the popes claimed that their own edicts were infallible, which is still likely idolatrous. But the Church seems to be getting closer to accepting God's Law.

2 Thes. 2:7-12 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. ... [12] they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The word for "mystery" means secretiveness as of cults and "iniquity" means lawlessness, which is disobedience to God's Law. These rulers are called lawless, because they ignore much of God's Law and make their own laws instead.

2 Pet. 2:1-2 there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. [2] And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. ... [18] For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. [19] While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

So Peter too predicted that false teachers would arise among the Apostles' followers and would have many followers themselves, teaching their own law, instead of God's Law.

In Acts 19:32,39,41, the Greek word Ekklesia occurs 3 times and is translated as Assembly each time, referring to a self-governing Greek assembly. Everywhere else in the KJV Bible this term is deceptively translated merely as Church, where it mostly refers to Jesus' followers, wrongly suggesting that they were only religious, but not self-governing. In reality the early church was most probably self-governing under God's Law and gave no allegiance to worldly rulers. This doesn't mean they necessarily disobeyed such rulers. They disobeyed only when rulers made rules against God's Law.

Acts 17:6 have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

They accused Paul and Silas of turning the world, the political system, upside down.

Mat. 20:25-26 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. [26] But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

So Jesus' system was and is upside down from the worldly system. In the worldly system the rulers exercise dominion over the people, but in God's system, the rulers or ministers serve the people. This was the intent of the U.S. Constitution, but it has been greatly corrupted at times.

Acts 17:7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

Jesus' followers made Jesus their king and obeyed him instead of worldly kings or rulers.

~~~~

RETURN OF GODLY GOVERNMENT

Any government or power that makes laws of right and wrong that disregard God's Word or Law is acting as a god by judging good and evil, which is blasphemy. Godly government does not force or coerce citizens through legislation, taxation, conscription, etc. It only ministers to the citizens, who are free to make their own decisions and who support the ministers by voluntary donations.

Rev. 18:2-3 ... Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit ... [4] And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Babylon means worldly governments. Fallen means fallen from virtue. We are advised to separate ourselves from such worldly rulers and their evil ways.

Rev. 11:15 And the seventh angel ... saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ....

This appears to mean that God will help us reform or replace our governments to conform to God's Law, instead of man's traditions. God's law is called the perfect law of liberty because it frees the people from man's evil dominion.

Mat. 3:2; 4:17 the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

This means we can live in God's Kingdom right NOW.

Mat. 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

This means God's Kingdom or government is to come on Earth as in Heaven.

Gal. 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, ... [21] ... drunkenness, revellings, and such like: ... they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

This must refer to the kingdom of God on earth. We cannot enter God's kingdom on earth, if we do these things.

Mat. 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

The spiritual kingdom of heaven cannot be taken by force, so this must refer to the people of the kingdom of heaven on earth.
~~~~

©2006

Create a Free Website

Admin

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 555
    • View Profile
2MOP Antiwar Book
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2017, 07:30:16 am »
Jesus & the Bible on Peace

Review © 2005 Lloyd Kinder

REVIEW OF "KING SAUL AND PRESIDENT BUSH," by L.K.

In his January 2005 article, King Saul and President Bush, at www.lewrockwell.com, Stephen Carson referred to a recently published book by his fellow conservative evangelical, Laurence M. Vance, called CHRISTIANITY AND WAR. He said, "Vance addresses a verse that has been used repeatedly to silence dissent among Christians: Romans 13:1. To justify their consent or silence , and to keep their congregations in line, Christian leaders repeat to their parishioners the mantra of 'obey the powers that be,' a loose paraphrase of Rom. 13:1, as if that somehow means that they should blindly follow whatever the president or the government says, and even worse, that it overturns the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' (Ex. 20:13; Deu. 5:17), which is repeated in the New Testament (Mat. 19:18; Rom. 13:9)."

Carson noted that some conservatives have assumed that the Lord has chosen Bush to be president to lead our nation in these times of increased "terrorism." But he showed that, even when God chooses a leader, this doesn't mean the leader can do no wrong and that the people must do whatever this leader commands or requests. King Saul is given as a clear example of this.

1 Sam. 8:4-9 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, [5] And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. ... [7] And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. ... [9] Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

Samuel then described the hardships that kings would put on the people, saying they would be virtual slaves to the kings. But, when the people persisted in requesting a king, God told Samuel to choose Saul. And before Samuel anointed Saul, God told Samuel to remind the people that they were thus rejecting God's leadership.

1 Sam. 9:17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.

1 Sam. 10:17-19 And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to Mizpeh; [18] And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: [19] And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us.

As Carson observed, "A monopoly government (a State) was definitely not what the Lord wanted for Israel, .... but once the Israelites stubbornly demanded one, despite the Lord's strong warnings through Samuel that they would regret it, the Lord then chose who would be the leader of the new state. ... Clearly, as with Saul, the Lord can establish particular rulers without endorsing the system of government as the ideal system." It is then pointed out that, despite the fact that God chose Saul to be king, Saul ultimately failed as king by disobeying God.

1 Sam. 13:12-13 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. [13] And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. [14] But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

Had Saul not been disobedient, his heirs would have ruled Israel forever, which means Jesus would have been his heir, instead of David's. As it is, Saul's entire family was destroyed. Carson remarked that, "In a sense there is nothing really special in the fact that leaders fail. The story of humanity that the Bible tells is one of people failing, starting with the very first humans, to be what the Lord called them to be. If someone tells you that a human leader cannot fail, that he cannot lose the Lord's blessing, then they are a fool. All of scripture and secular history testifies against them."

Carson concluded by saying, "My own assessment, for what it is worth, is that President Bush has shown himself to clearly not be doing the Lord's will. Is it the Lord's will that people should be lied into war, that thousands and tens of thousands of innocents should die? President Bush has borne false witness against Saddam Hussein to dreadful effect. He has ordered the continual bombing of a people who have done our country no harm. Does our Holy Father in Heaven who will allow no sin before him bless this?! George Bush may well have been called to be President, but like King Saul before him, he has failed."

Rom. 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

This is the passage Vance said many ministers use to keep their flocks in submission. I've pointed out before that higher powers do not mean worldly rulers, but only the powers of God and his faithful ministers. Even if worldly rulers were included as higher powers, the passage is addressed to them as well as others. Rulers are to obey the higher powers as much as anyone else. Romans 13:1 commentators in the Geneva Bible stated this as well. This means rulers too must obey God. If they are disobedient to God, then it's our duty to disobey them, when they order us to do anything that goes against God's Word. When we have a choice to obey a higher authority or a lower authority on a matter, we must always obey the higher, and that means we must always obey God, because he is always the higher authority.

Americans generally regard the president as the highest authority in the U.S. But this is very incorrect. In earlier times a larger percentage of the people probably realized that the people are the highest authority and the Constitution, which they endorsed, was and is the next highest. The U.S. Supreme Court has long acknowledged that the Constitution is the "supreme law of the land," meaning in the U.S. When a public official, even the president, orders us to do anything that violates the Constitution, we must obey the Constitution and not the president, unless the Constitution violates God's Law on the matter at hand.

Our presidents don't have Constitutional authority to order troops into battle or conflict without approval from each house of Congress. I think a two-thirds vote of each house is required to declare war. So the Iraq War, like all of our wars in the past 50 years have been illegal. Congress has not approved any of those wars. There are also provisions in the so-called Patriot Act that are unconstitutional and therefore unlawful or illegal. So, if ministers want to advise people to submit to higher powers, let them advocate obedience to the Constitution and especially to the Word of God, if they wish not to be hypocrites.

By the way, Vance and other writers at www.lewrockwell.com have observed that Christians in Iraq are much worse off now than before the war. Iraq was one of the few Muslim nations in which Christians were free to practice their religion without interference. The new government of Iraq has made Islam the official religion and has outlawed all others. Christians there will now be required to worship in great secrecy, like under communism previously.

~~~~

WHO'S OMNISCIENT ENOUGH TO KILL? by L.K.

Thanks to another conservative Evangelical for these biblical references in The Christian and a Biblical Approach to War, at www.lewrockwell.com, by Bill Barnwell.

Christians are supposed to be "peacemakers" (Mat. 5:9).
They worship the "Prince of Peace," not the god of war (Isa. 9:6).
God apparently ordered war in the O.T., but only under his leading (Gen. 14:17-20; Num. 1:1-4; 13:26-33; Deu. 7:2,25-26; Jos. 1:2; Jdg. 1:1-2; 20:3-18).
He uses warlike terms or ideas even in the New Testament, but these terms were only meant spiritually (Mat. 5:39; 8:5-13, John 2:15; Acts 10:2; Eph. 6:10-20; Heb. 11:32-34; 13:8; Rev. 19:11-21).
The Israelites were to be special and different from the wickedness around them (Deu. 7:6).
Doesn't "different" mean peaceful instead of warlike like all other nations?
God continues to insist that we, his people, separate from the wicked (1 John 2:15-17).
God never gave his blessing to people who went to war without His leading.
Just as only God is wise enough to make our laws, also only God is wise enough to punish anyone for vengeance (Rom. 12:19).
Romans 12:19-21 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. [20] Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. [21] Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
This shows that only God can properly punish to do proper vengeance, while we can only punish by doing good to our enemies, not evil.
We are not to kill people intentionally (Ex. 20:13).
The lion will lay down with the lamb and stop killing it (Isa. 65:25).
We should trust God instead of trusting our weapons of mass destruction (Isa. 31:3).
The Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt was the best way to do battle (Ex. 14:13-14).
Jesus warned against hatred and bitterness (Mat. 5:21-24).
We're not to seek revenge against anyone (Mat. 5:38-42).
As Jesus himself demonstrated in his persecution, we're not to raise a hand against persecutors, but pray for them (Luke 23:34).
He told Peter, "All who draw the sword will die by the sword" (Mat. 26:52b).
Die by the sword means to die spiritually.
Jesus said he was our example (John 13:14-15).
We are to "Obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

~~~~

SEEING DECEPTION
Review by L.K.

The following is from What Allows People To Be Easily Deceived? Hindrances To Seeing Deception, by Greg DesVoignes - Thanks to Greg's article at www.crmspokane.org/easilydeceived.htm for highlighting the following biblical passages.

Jer. 17:5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm , and whose heart departeth from the Lord.

2 Cor. 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. [14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. [15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Don't follow the crowd; don't be deceived that there is safety in numbers.

Mat. 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: [14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Don't be deceived that saying you believe is enough; believing means doing, not just saying.

Mat. 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

It is deception to think that comfortable things make us happy or whole.

Isa. 30:10 to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

Jer. 8:9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?

Jer. 9:8 Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

Pride and habit prevent us from seeing our own sins; this is the greatest deception. And it leads us to ruin.

Jer. 8:6 I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.

John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; [32] And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

~~~~



JOIN THE KINGDOM, NOT THE ARMY
© 2005 Lloyd Kinder

Jesus' kingdom has been available for anyone to join, since he came to establish it 2,000 years ago. He said the temple would be destroyed and he would build it up again in three days. He was referring to his body as the temple. His body was killed, but he raised it up again on the third day.

The Bible says his kingdom will ultimately smash and replace all other kingdoms, but without using physical force. The warfare described in Revelation is spiritual warfare, symbolic of how man's evil ways and plans will be destroyed. Humanity has had 6,000 years to experiment with worldly ways based on force, dominion, hatred and cruelty. 6 is the number of man, but 7 is the number of God. In the next [seventh] thousand years, we have the possibility to end our evil worldly ways forever, starting soon.

Sociocracy is the name of a method of unanimous rule, instead of majority rule. Sociocracy means "society rule," but it's really Godly rule of society. And it works. It's basically the method of decision making used by the Israelites after Moses and the Nazarenes after Jesus and the Quakers after the Protestant Reformation. It's been practiced and honed for hundreds of years at a time and is ready to change the world for good.

These peacemakers have found how to work together to do great good for the world, loving neighbors and enemies as themselves. Instead of using brute force of majority rule, they use loving agreement among themselves, though imperfectly of course. Their methods promise to end abuses of the poor and the down-trodden in all societies. When governing bodies deign to use unanimous rule, or consensus, no cruel or inconsiderate decisions can be easily made. Jesus promoted this method implicitly in Matthew 20:25-28 and elsewhere. Whoever adopts this method is practically assured of great successes, as explained in the following article. So I urge fellow conservatives and Christians to adopt sociocracy. See after this article for how we can work together on this.

~~~~

SOCIOCRACY by Gerard Endenburg and John Buck

Review © 2005 Lloyd Kinder

Advantages of Sociocracy


creativity and problem solving throughout the organization
Win-win-win for investors, management, staff
Faster adaptation
High quality products and services
Higher staff commitment to and identification with the organization
Fewer and better meetings
Lower sick leave
Better safety record
More awareness of costs
Improved client orientation
burnout
program self-discipline
Support leadership among peers
Support organizational continuity when many volunteers are present
Support fund raising

Disadvantages

Requir careful implementation planning
Necessitat training in new concepts
complex emotions during implementation (skepticism, elation, anxiety)
uncomfortable to those not accustomed to the burden of difficult decisions ...

Sociocracy has developed most in the Netherlands and has attracted interest elsewhere in Eurasia, in Latin America ... and recently in the United States.

The sociocratic circle-organization method relies on four ground rules derived from recent discoveries in the science of systems theory etc. The four rules are simple and easy to follow. Any organization can implement them without changing existing command structure. Once in place they provide a flexible means to develop that structure.

The Basic Rules

Consent - The principle of consent governs decision-making. Consent means a policy decision can only be made if nobody has a reasoned and paramount objection to it. Day-to-day decisions don't require consent, but there must be consent about the use of other forms of decision-making.

Elections - Election of persons for functions and tasks takes place in accordance with the principle of consent and after open discussion.

Circle - The organization maintains a structure for decision making, consisting of semi-autonomous circles (i.e., groups of individuals). Each circle has its own aim and organizes the three functions of leading, doing, and evaluating results. A circle makes its own policy decisions by consent, maintains its own memory system, and develops itself through integral research, teaching, and learning re its members. A circle makes consent decisions only in special circle meetings.

Double-Linking - A circle is connected to the next higher circle with a double link. This means that at least two persons, one being the functional leader of the circle and at least one delegate from the circle, are full members of the next higher circle.

The Order of a Sociocratic Meeting

A. Opening round:
Give each person a copy of the proposed agenda;
Ask each person in turn to say briefly how they are doing;
And ask them to make any comments on the agenda, if they wish.

B. Administrative concerns:
Ask if everyone received a copy of decisions made in the previous meeting;
Ask for consent to:
the minutes of the last meeting;
the agenda;
announcements;
And mention the time available for the meeting,
and the date of next meeting.

C. Content
(list agenda items in order)
E.g. Elect a new circle chair;
Discuss concerns about a new competitor;
Decide on work assignments for certain days.

D. Closing round - evaluate the meeting process:
How was use of time?
Did the facilitator maintain equivalence, i.e. equal time and power to all?
How could the decision-making have been more efficient?
Did everyone arrive prepared?
What agenda items should be on the next meeting agenda?

Elections Process

1-Give job description and period of time elected person will perform job.
2-Give out ballots & everyone fill out ballot and hand to election leader.
3-Each person say why you made your nomination.
4-Ask if anyone wants to change votes based on arguments heard.
5-Election leader propose a candidate after step 4, or ask for discussion if the arguments are unclear.
6-Election leader ask each person if he or she consents to the proposed person, asking the person proposed last.
7-If anyone does not consent, go back to step 5 and propose another candidate in the same way.

Sample Ballot: I, ..........NOMINATE: ...............
(Your Name) (Name of Candidate)

Decision-Making Process

1. State issue(s) to be decided.
2. Any member propose a suggested decision. Often a person or persons may be asked to prepare a proposal and bring it to the next meeting.
3. Restate the proposal to clarify it.
4. Ask for quick feedback on the proposal.
5. Ask proposer to amend the proposal, if needed, based on the feedback.
6. Record any objections on a flip chart, without discussion.
7. Ask everyone to improve the proposal to deal with all objections.
8. Ask for consent - go back to step 6 if there are more objections and repeat the last steps.

Implementation

Top management should lead the implementation of sociocracy to ensure that it proceeds holistically. Attempts by factions to implement it from the bottom or middle of their organizations can lead to considerable friction. Some people mistakenly perceive sociocracy as a revolutionary tool to use against management, to get rid of the boss. It's not. The boss stays put. The logic of sociocracy sets aside the "either/" logic of old conflicts such as workers versus management. Sociocratic logic is often expressed in "both/and" statements. For example, a sociocratic business places control of a company in the hands of both management and workers; it typically uses both authoritarian and egalitarian decision-making; it provides both a security assurance and a creative stimulus; it is concerned with both profit and human values. By combining seemingly incompatible concepts, both-and thinking stimulates creative thinking and causes that seemingly chaotic thinking to self-organize into very practical solutions.

Because the implementation process is both emancipating and motivating, conflicting feelings of skepticism, elation, frustration, fear, and well-being may arise during implementation. Careful planning can minimize the discomfort and avoid disruption of the ongoing work process.

Implementation begins in the imagination of those in currently in charge, the owners or the board. They have to see the sociocratic circle-organization method as a possible strategy for achieving their values and vision for the business or organization. Gaining this insight is the first step in implementation. Those in control might not express their vision in grand terms. They are likely to say they are looking for better communications, more creativity to stay ahead of competition, a more stable labor force, or simply more profit. These are all valid reasons for starting experimentation with the sociocratic method, but it helps if those in control can articulate their dream for the company. Having a clear idea of their vision helps them integrate the sociocratic method with their other strategies for realizing their vision. It is important for top management to make a clear commitment to support experimentation with the sociocratic. Because management retains the power to stop any sociocratic procedures during the implementation process, the organization will sense any violation of the consent principle by management and see it, correctly, as the latest authoritarian manipulative trick.

The second step is usually to form a special Implementation Circle consisting of the CEO, other selected top managers, and persons from other levels of the organization. The Implementation Circle receives training in sociocracy and deepens its learning by conducting its own operations sociocratically. The Implementation Circle's job is to plan, guide, and evaluate a series of implementation steps. For example, the Circle might decide to try implementing sociocracy in one specific department of the organization and gauge the results. If successful, the Circle would probably expand the sociocratic method to more departments. The second step ends once the whole organization has a double-linked circle structure and in-house trainers able to train newly elected roundtable meeting facilitators and new staff in the sociocratic method.

The third step, that can partially overlap the second step, is to install "sociocratic engineering" methods. These methods organize all work processes on a dynamic basis and create a structure to guide the organization's own evolution. Once these methods are in place, the organization will be virtually ready for ISO 9000 quality certification. The quality methods will feel integral to the normal work processes and not imposed from outside, as is so often the case when companies and organizations seek certification.

The fourth step focuses on the Board Circle. The sociocratic method includes simple formulas that let everyone feel the "profit measurement" - both profits and losses. The formulas ensure that each staff member or investor, each circle, and the company as a whole all have explicit financial feedback about their performance. The formulas include a regular minimum payment for investors, management, and staff as well as short-term and long-term incentive payments. The formulas divide income for each group in proportion to their contribution to the company so that all participants in the organization receive a fair share - as would any group of partners. In addition to financial system adjustments, the Board Circle may wish to revise its incorporation and by-law structure in accordance with the sociocratic corporate model. This ingenious approach to incorporation makes consent the legal basis of decision-making. But the corporation retains an ability to raise money through sale of stock. Because the basis of decision-making is consent, not ownership, a hostile takeover becomes impossible.

One attraction of the sociocratic circle-organization method is the freedom it offers to use it in whole or in part. The implementation process can be paused at any of the steps just discussed. It is also possible to make limited functional areas of a large organization operate sociocratically. Doing so offers a practical way to gain experience with the model. For example, an organization could organize all of its safety officers sociocratically, or everyone who deals with computers, or everyone participating on a special project, etc.

Thus, if a large, geographically dispersed organization with several regional offices planned to launch a big automation project using sociocratic principles, its first step would be to establish management support for the idea of using the sociocratic engineering model. Then, it would create sociocratic circles in the targeted regional offices, consisting of users and automation systems support staff, at least one circle to each region. It would establish a national level circle and double link the regional circles.

On the other hand, on a small scale, a church committee or a group of volunteer parents supporting a children's soccer team might select a meeting facilitator and assign tasks to each other using the sociocratic election process.

~~~~

HIGHER POWERS OF ROMANS 13
by Lloyd Kinder

If it's okay to obey the powers that be, even if they're not divine powers, then, what if 2 different powers in the chain of command say to do 2 different things? For example, the Constitution is said to be the supreme law of the U.S. No one is a higher authority than the Constitution, except for the bible. So, if the president or Congress or the Supreme Court command anyone to do anything contrary to the Constitution, which one do you obey, the public officials or the Constitution? If the president or Congress tell you to support a war, but they don't follow the procedures outlined in the Constitution, do you obey the public officials or the Constitution? Since the Constitution is the higher authority and it says there can be war only if the Congress declares war by majority vote of both houses, but they don't vote to declare war, then, if you obey them, you're breaking the law, just as the officials are breaking the law. Does God excuse law-breaking, if officials or a large majority of the people break the law?

__"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
__"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" (Colossians 3:17).
__"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23).
__Does this mean to make war to the glory of God?

~~~~

« Last Edit: February 18, 2017, 07:33:40 am by Admin »

Admin

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 555
    • View Profile
Lew Rockwell Site Articles
« Reply #4 on: February 18, 2017, 07:35:18 am »
'Beast' Means Worldly Dominion
by Lloyd Kinder
LewRockwell.com

Incredibly to those of us who have long been blinded by conventional authoritarian tradition, the bible on closer inspection proves to be anti-authoritarian, which is libertarian. In the Book of James [1:25] God's Law, which is the bible, is called the Perfect Law of Liberty. See below Brother Gregory's elaboration followed by my own.

THE PRIME DIRECTIVE OF THE CHURCH

No one shall exercise dominion over others [from ARTICLE X at ww.HisHolyChurch.net]

by Brother Gregory

Mat. 20:25-27 But Jesus called (the apostles) unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over (their people), and they that are great exercise authority upon them. [26] But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; [27] And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

• Any organization, government, or trust that violates the prime directive (by exercising dominion as per Mat 20:25–28 above) is not the Church, nor is it a part of the Church. (In the Church, most possessions) are entirely held in common for (Christ's) purposes by those remaining faithful to His doctrines and ordinances.

Mark 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. [43] But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: [44] And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.

• Jesus wanted his called-out Church not to exercise authority, or bring people under power, but, like Moses, they were to seek to lead people to freedom under God. (In families and communities consensus decision-making was to be used, since this is the only way to make decisions without one person or group exercising dominion over others. Consensus means unanimous rule, which is not impractical, when understood properly [See Chapter 7: Walk in God's Ways]. Majority rule is domination of minorities by majorities and nearly everyone is in the minority some of the time. Quakers, i.e. Friends, are one of the few religions to have used consensus significantly. Evangelical Friends are also pro-life.)

Luke 22:25-29 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. [26] But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. [27] For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. [28] Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. [29] And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

• (Benefactors means rulers, often called fathers in prior times, who give the people benefits in exchange for loyalty and services. Any person) assuming the office of Father stands against the teachings of Jesus. Jesus is talking (here) about government, not religion. He is using government terms and telling his people they are not to be like governments that exercise authority or dominion (over the people). He is talking about Rome and governments like Rome.

Ex. 20:2-5 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. [3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

• (This was God's first commandment to his people, to have no other gods or rulers, but God alone. He called the Gentile system of Egypt a house of bondage, because the rulers exercised dominion over the people, not just over the Israelites. On the other hand, the rule of judges established by Moses did not involve use of force against the people, but the people had self-rule with ministers, who were their servants, acting as advisors.)

John 13:14-15 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. [15] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

• Serving others cleans us; dominating others defiles us.

THE BEAST IS ANY GOVERNMENT OR RULER THAT EXERCISES DOMINION

The previous section, The Prime Directive, showed that God's and Jesus' foremost commandment is that no one exercise authority or dominion over others, except perhaps as a last resort in defense of oneself or others. In this section, we'll review biblical references to beasts for further insight on this precept of peace.

2 Kin. 14:9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.

• The cedar may symbolize a steadfast, upright nation, the thistle a morally weaker nation and the beast a barbarous, ungodly nation.

Ps. 73:22 (King Asaph said) So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

• Beast here probably means one who uses brute force in human relations, especially in ruling others, as Asaph was a king.

Ps. 74:13–14 (King Asaph said to God) Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. [14] Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

• Judging by the context, these great beasts may refer to formerly mighty, but ungodly, nations.

Ps. 74:18–21 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. [19] O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever. [20] Have respect unto the covenant: ... [21] O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.

• The turtledove here appears to mean Israel, as a nation of peace. The beasts are the ungodly enemy nations or kingdoms ruled by brute force. Such kingdoms, or governments, may give benefits to citizens in exchange for loyalty, but they do not help their poor to become self-reliant.

Ps. 80:13–15 The boar out of the wood doth waste (the vine), and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. [14] Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine (Israel); [15] And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.

• The vine refers to Israel, any Godly nation. The boar and other beasts refer again to warring, ungodly nations.

Isa. 35:8–9 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. [9] No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

• The highway is God's Way of Love, which includes the Commandments, which are commandments for loving God and our neighbors. The lion and ravenous beast are again warring nations ruled by brute force, not love.

Dan. 2:37–44 (Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream, saying) Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. [38] And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. [39] And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. [40] And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. [41] And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. [44] And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

• This dream predicted 5 great kingdoms from the time of Daniel, which are: Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, the last being first of iron, under the Caesars, then of iron and clay, perhaps under the popes. And God's kingdom would smash and replace all of these kingdoms.

Dan. 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. [23] Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. [24] And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

• In his first vision Daniel seems to have foreseen the same 4 kingdoms or empires as in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Here the beasts are clearly referring to brutal governments.

Dan. 8:20–21 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. [21] And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

Dan. 8:8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

• In Daniel's second vision two of the kingdoms are named. The ram and goat are said to refer to Media-Persia and to Greece. The first king of Greece referred to seems to indicate Alexander the Great, who lived some 200 years after Daniel's vision. The kings who followed him were the Ptolemy's, I think, who divided Alexander's empire into 4 parts. These kingdoms are depicted as violent and brutal.

Titus 1:12–13 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

• This is a New Testament reference to beast and seems to mean what Asaph meant: a person, group, or nation, who uses brute force against others.

Rev. 11:7–8 And when (God's two witnesses) shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. [8] And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

• The two witnesses may indicate two nations, such as Israel and Judea, since war is not made on individuals. The beast from the pit suggests a nation founded by Satan. The great city is shown to be synonymous with Sodom & Egypt, which are blamed for Jesus' crucifixion, suggesting idolatrous nations, like Rome. Idolatry would mean having rulers other than God.

Rev. 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

• The dragon is another great beast. It behaves as one exercising dominion and seems genocidal.

Rev. 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

• The sea sometimes means a populous area. This beast has the same number of horns and heads as the dragon, but has ten crowns, while the dragon has seven. The beast suggests again a government of dominion. The horns & heads may indicate individual kings of this government.

Rev. 13:11–12 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. [12] And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

• This second beast would be another kingdom using dominion, apparently coming after the first beast and allied with it. Coming up out of the earth or wilderness seems to mean from an unpopulated region. Lamb's horns may suggest having minor kings or rulers. Some say the second beast is the United States, because it originated in a wilderness.

The above biblical references to beasts support Gregory's view that exercising dominion, instead of granting liberty, is the main problem with conventional governments.

Luke 4:5–8 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. [6] And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. [7] If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. [8] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

• Ned Netterville says "Satan here claims ownership and authority over all of the kingdoms of the world, which Jesus pointedly does not dispute. This undoubtedly derives from all earthly kingdoms' abandonment of God as their lawmaker in favor of human legislators" (See his book, Jesus on Taxes at www.jesus-on-taxes.com).

September 24, 2005

Lloyd Kinder [send him mail] is a Peace & Justice activist. His website is www.CodaPlus.org. This article is from a new book, The World Needs Miracles: The Bible & Peace, compiled by Lloyd Kinder with other articles contributed by Libertarian & Progressive writers from LewRockwell.com and elsewhere. A second volume is expected in November.

Copyright © 2005 Lloyd Kinder

~~~~

Lawmakers' Pride and Romans 13

by Lloyd Kinder
by Lloyd Kinder

The Original Sin Is Pride

Original sin was not just disobeying God's Commandment on not "eating" of a certain "tree"; the sin was also pride, which made man think he can decide for himself what is right and wrong, and doesn't need God's Word to tell him that.

Gen. 2:17 <God said to Adam> But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

    In the phrase, "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," this "tree" is apparently symbolic, since no tree seems likely to be able to impart knowledge. Trees can symbolize several things. Trees are upright and upright has a double meaning that includes righteousness, so righteousness is compared to the tree of life. Pro. 11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."

    A similar feature of trees is loftiness, which can connote pride. The Hebrew word for "knowledge" in Gen. 2:17 can also mean cunning, which relates to pride. The word for "good" can also mean pleasure or wealth, types of self-seeking. The word for "evil" can also mean "affliction" and Jesus often implied that people's afflictions are generally a result of sins. God said Adam would die on the day he were to eat of the tree. Since he didn't die physically when he did eat of it, God must have meant he would die spiritually, which would eventually result in physical death as well. Sin causes our deaths and pride is a sin that blinds us to our own sinfulness. Therefore, pride is the most dangerous sin.

    Substituting then in Gen. 2:17 for tree "pride," for knowledge "cunning," for good "greed," and for eat "partake," it says: Of the pride in the cunning of greed and evil you shall not partake of it <or you shall die spiritually and physically>.

Gen. 3:5 <The serpent said to Eve> For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

    In the Bible, "god" often means magistrate or judge, and, when Satan said you will be like "gods, knowing good and evil," this likely means you will be like a judge, able to decide right and wrong. But Satan is false. Man, with limited knowledge and wisdom, cannot decide right and wrong. We need God to tell us this, which is why we have God's Law or God's Word, found in the bible and in the minds and hearts of his people. God gives us free will to choose between what he says is right and wrong. But choosing wrong does not make it right. Lawmaking, by Government etc, that opposes God's Word, is Us acting as gods by deciding Right & Wrong, instead of letting God decide for us. Groups and governments that make laws that contradict God's Law are acting as false gods and the First Commandment tells us not to submit to any false gods.

The Bible often uses names of governments, such as Egypt, Sodom, Babylon, Rome and symbolic terms, like "beast," to refer to wrongful Lawmaking and dominion. Terms like Fornication, Harlot, and Prostitute in the bible often refer to people who submit to such ungodly governments. Fornication in such cases means that we act as lovers of Satan, having intimate relations with him. The term Israel in the bible is sometimes used symbolically to mean God's Kingdom on Earth. Those who submit to God's rule, instead of man's rule, are called Israel, faithful, the Bride of Christ, the Bride of God, etc.

Who Are Powers and Rulers in Romans 13?

Laurence Vance has complained in a previous LRC article that many ministers wrongly use Romans 13 as an excuse to excuse nearly any kind of government atrocity or abuse. I believe that Romans 13 is generally misunderstood and that the wider context of the New Testament shows the correct meaning. Let's look at the first 7 verses of Romans 13 in the larger context.

Rom. 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

    Higher powers means God and his ministers and ordinances, not worldly rulers. God does not ordain worldly rulers, but only his ministers who do and teach his Word, or Law. The Greek word for "powers" also means privileges, freedoms, or rights. This is saying that all rights or freedoms come from God.

[2] Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

    Resisting man's ungodly laws does not bring damnation or judgment. Only resisting God's Law brings damnation. Many worldly rulers have had laws against God and God's Law, even against being Christian etc <as per the new Iraqi government>, so obviously this is not referring to the power of worldly rulers, but only to the power of God and his Law and ministers. Worldly rulers again are not higher powers. And, since the word for power here means rights or freedoms, it's likely saying that anyone, such as a worldly ruler, who resists or opposes human rights also opposes God's lawful order.

[3] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

    Rulers again means ministers ordained by God, not worldly rulers. Likewise, the power again means God and God's Law, not that of any worldly ruler. Worldly rulers praise evil as much as good.

[4] For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

    Worldly rulers are not ministers of God. His ministers teach the Word of God, which is God's Law. The Word of God is sometimes called a sword, as in Eph. 6:17 and in Rev. 1:16 & 2:12,16 where someone like Jesus is said to have a sword, meaning God's Word, coming from his mouth, which destroys, i.e. destroys the pride of, the ungodly. Ministers use the same sword, the Word of God, to rebuke evil doers. Rebuking sinners is sometimes called the Wrath of God. This wrath begins with hurt pride.

[5] Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

    This wrath is uncomfortable and embarrassing and manifests as ill health of body or mind. It tortures and destroys our pride. But we should be concerned not just about the pain of wrath, but also about righteousness, which is conscience.

[6] For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. [7] Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

    Tribute here means voluntary tithes to our ministers, who attend to our salvation. Customs may refer to tithes to other ministries, when we travel.

1 Pet. 2:11-14 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; [12] Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. [13] Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; [14] Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

    This passage and the previous one in Romans 13 are often misinterpreted to encourage undue submission to worldly rulers. This passage is talking about how to behave when traveling in other nations. It says to obey the laws there that are for the Lord's sake, those that discourage evil and those that encourage righteousness. It does not say to obey laws that are not for the Lord's sake, that encourage evil or oppose righteousness. And, indeed, the Apostles did not obey such laws, such as those against preaching about Jesus and his salvation or preaching about serving God rather than worldly rulers.

Rulers of the U.S.

If it's okay to obey the powers that be, even if they're not ministers of God, then, what if two different powers say to do two different things? For example, the Constitution is declared to be the supreme law of the U.S., because it is considered to be the will of the people and the people are the rulers, while government officials are servants of the people, i.e. public servants. No one is a higher authority than the Constitution, except for the bible. So, if the president or Congress or the Supreme Court command anyone to do anything contrary to the Constitution, which one do you obey, the public servants or the Constitution?

If the president or Congress tell you to support a war, but they don't follow the procedures outlined in the Constitution, do you obey the public officials or the Constitution? If the Constitution is the higher authority and it says there can be war only if the Congress declares war by a proper vote of both houses, but Congress doesn't vote to declare war, then, if you obey them by supporting or participating in the war, you're breaking the law, just as the public servants are breaking the law. And if Congress passes laws that are unconstitutional, such as parts of the misnamed Patriot Act, can we obey such law-breaking, or vote for such law-breakers in Congress who pretend to make such laws? Does God excuse law-breaking, if a large majority of the people break the law?

Mat. 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.

October 11, 2005

~~~~

Liberal-tarian Persuasion: Progressives and Libertarians Unite!

by Lloyd Kinder
by Lloyd Kinder

A funny thing happened in '72. Tho I'm from a conservative Republican background, I voted for McGovern, having briefly become a "liberal socialist" after learning about Vietnam treachery. And then I read about and accepted anarchism for a few years. Fred Woodworth out of Tucson had a little zine called "The Match!" "for light and heat" and he reasoned very persuasively. Fred had written up a Q&A leaflet. One of the Qs was: Why call your philosophy anarchism instead of a more acceptable term like libertarianism? He said part of the answer was that the latter tend to justify "limited government," which always has a habit of not staying limited.

After later reading None Dare Call It Conspiracy, I modified my philosophy to conservative anarchism, as I felt that liberals and socialists were unrealistic about problems and dangers of communism. I got into quasi-Christian Quaker-like spiritualism and tried to prepare with others for a time after the expected collapse of society, when we'd be free to start a better society based on helping the poor, needy, orphans et al. I stopped using the term anarchism in the 80s, as it seemed too offensive to people. In the 90s I found that my favored religion at that time was based partly on fraud, so I started reading on Messianic Judaism/Christianity. I also started reading seemingly better conspiracy theories, like Leonard Horowitz's Emerging Viruses: Aids and Ebola and Anton Chaitkin's Treason in America. More on that anon.

Authoritarianism is the use of force, or the threat of force, to keep members of a group or society under the power of a person or clique. I was raised under that system, in family, school etc, but I started to stop buying into it by '72. In my recent religious studies I've been pleasantly surprised to find that Christianity is apparently supposed to be entirely anti-authoritarian too, which I now consider to mean libertarian, as per the title of my recent LRC article. In the recent book I compiled, The World Needs Miracles, with the help of many LRC writers and some progressive, I try to show Christian readers how much Jesus and his followers opposed authoritarianism [including imperialism]. Such efforts to persuade others can involve domination [threat of force, deception, peer pressure, ridicule, or other kinds of pressure to conform by threat of embarrassment etc are included in this means of persuasion], or they can be based more meaningfully on love and unselfish desire to cooperate in God's will for us. I hope we can stick to the latter; otherwise we're hypocrits.

From Horowitz's and Chaitkin's books above, I learned that fascism and imperialism are just as serious dangers to society as communism was. All are forms of authoritarianism and all are accustomed to using covert actions and deception, as well as overt brute force, to achieve their inhumane ends. They are likely behind most major unnatural atrocities that happen in most nations. Gary North pointed out in an LRC article that the Bible accuses worldly leaders of conspiracy, plotting against God and Jesus [and followers]: Ps. 2:1–3 and Acts 4:25–26.

In our Miracles book article, called Overcoming Corruption in Science Etc., I wrote as follows:

    The Roman Church, which had succumbed to the Beast and promoted wars and cruel inquisitions and hyprocricies, had some members who were inspired later to reform, due in part to the influence of the Protestant Reformation and the Renaissance. Cardinal Nicolas of Cusa founded a movement in Europe to promote true knowledge and governments that promote the common good of the people [commonwealth] in conformity with Jesus' message about loving our neighbors and our enemies. The cardinal helped in founding modern Science, as well as good government. His idea was that the only rightful governments are those that promote the common good of their people, which was the basis of Natural Law. And science was meant also to improve conditions for the people's greater good.

Cusa's "commonwealth" movement culminated in the establishment of some of the English colonies in North America in the 1600s and ultimately in the United States. However, British and other imperialism loyalists, could not be weeded out of the new states and said loyalists used covert means to usurp power frequently, up to the present time. In 2001, looking for anti-imperialists to work with politically, I joined forces with liberals, now called progressives, after I read Chaitkin's book. They're about the only Democrats who are as opposed to imperialism and war as are LRC libertarians.

It seems to me that progressives and libertarians need to have a meeting of minds to find ways to work together to have greater influence on society. What are the prospects? What can progressives and libertarians agree on and not agree on?

Authoritarianism – I think both are very largely against it. That's why both tend to oppose war and imperialism and why progressives also support human rights pretty aggressively.

Income Taxes – Progressives are likely more willing to favor taxes, but mainly on the rich. I think they can be persuaded though that "taxes" should be entirely voluntary, since they're already disposed to non-authoritarianism.

Import Taxes – Libertarians are likely not to favor these, while progressives probably would. If people have a right to form self-government, then they have a right to agree among themselves to use means to protect their vital industries from unfair competition from outsiders. My next point is about how such agreements can be made.

Majority Rule – I suggest that the only proper government is that based on unanimous rule, also called consensus decision making, or sociocracy. This is suggested in Mat. 20:25–28 etc, where Jesus said his followers would not use authoritarian methods like those of the Gentiles. All minority and majority rule, except unanimous rule, is authoritarian. So only unanimous rule could fulfill Jesus' prescription. "Taxes" would then be okay, if decided by unanimous consent. Consensus may seem impractical, but Quakers and others have been improving such methods for over 350 years, and a variation called sociocracy [which means society rule] has shown a great deal of promise in improving effectiveness of all kinds of groups. One key is to divide large groups into "circles" of 10 to 15 each. Another is to use efficient meeting formats. Small groups can achieve unanimity on many issues without much problem.

Crime – Progressives and libertarians seem likely to favor decriminalizing many, except the most serious, of behaviors that endanger individuals and society. There are some pro-life progressives and probably a larger percentage of pro-life libertarians, but both seem to disfavor criminalizing abortion, maybe with the exception of partial-birth "abortion." Both also seem to disfavor considering drug abuse a crime.

Infrastructure, property rights, environment – Infrastructure, i.e. structure needed for transportation, communication, power etc, is important to allow maximum human population and power in any area [By power I mean human power to improve living conditions for all]. The Bible seems to advise maximum human population and power on earth and maybe beyond. It says to be fruitful and multiply and to subdue [or make good use of] the earth. It also says we should take good care of the earth. Paul Stitt, a research biochemist, said in his 70s book, Fighting The Food Giants, that the earth could easily feed 20 billion human beings and I think he was right [And I favor space colonization for expanding pupulation paid for by voluntary "taxes"]. A billion authoritarian humans on earth is too many, but 20 billion non-authoritarian ones may not be. Acts 2:44 and 4:32 etc suggests that Jesus' followers should hold all things in common. This may refer just to ministers, who follow in the role of the Levites. But we're all told to love our neighbors and enemies and to avoid greed. I think eminent domain would not be permissible under Jesus' system, but land users would have to agree on any community use of their land. Israel was divided among the 12 tribes, so similarly dividing other lands may be okay.

Any complaints? With so much in common and so much influence to gain from unity, isn't it time for progressives and libertarians to unite? And if they can unite, what label could they call themselves?

November 19, 2005

~~~~

Consensus for Antiwar Unity

by Lloyd Kinder
by Lloyd Kinder

First, Consensus

My little dictionary says authoritarian means favoring obedience to authority instead of individual freedom. Actually to most of us, authoritarian means favoring coercion in human relations and that's what is opposite of individual freedom. The only real authority is one who is "all-good" and Jesus said none are good except God. Indeed, our one authority, God, wants us to have individual freedom, so we're being obedient to true authority by supporting such freedom. The Bible is called God's Word and James called the Bible the perfect law of liberty. And Jesus said his followers would not exercise dominion one over another, but would serve each other in loving brotherhood [Mat. 20:25–28, Acts 2:44 etc.].

If we're not to dominate anyone, or exercise dominion, then we can't have majority rule, except for 100% majority rule. That's called unanimous rule, or consensus. Quakers figured that out over 350 years ago. I don't know when the Jesuits did, maybe even earlier. American juries have used consensus since our founding. Numerous groups and some societies have practiced it, including ancient Israel and apparently the early Christians – also the early Anglo-Saxons and modern Japanese at the local level and probably many Native American tribes, at least in earlier times.

Consensus seems to be gaining wider acceptance in recent years. According to Endenburg and John Buck in an article on Sociocracy [their term for scientific consensus], consensus has been studied by scientists, e.g. Prigogine and Haken, in efforts to understand "self-organizing systems" and their advantages. Some of the advantages the authors list for consensus in all kinds of organizations [not just political ones] are:

    Greater creativity and problem solving throughout a group or organization;
    Win-win-win for investors, management, staff;
    Faster adaptation;
    Higher quality products and services;
    Higher staff commitment to and identification with the organization;
    Fewer, better meetings;
    Less sick leave;
    Better safety record;
    More awareness of costs;
    Improved client orientation;
    Very little burnout;
    Program self-discipline;
    Greater practice of leadership among peers;
    Better organizational continuity when many volunteers are present;
    Better support of fund raising.

Is it any wonder that Jesus advised his followers to return to the practice of consensus, i.e. non-dominion? If one is truly libertarian, i.e. non-authoritarian, how can one condone majority rule? We have condoned it, because consensus is widely unknown or poorly understood. Thus it has some undeserved reputation for being impractical. With the recent scientific improvements, consensus is found to have most of the above benefits for most groups. By having groups divide into smaller groups of 15 or fewer members each, it's much easier to achieve consensus. By "double-linking" groups together and using efficient meeting formats, consensus is much more effective and rewarding than other kinds of decision-making. Consensus is the ultimate win-win method. Emotionally mature people prefer win-win relationships instead of win-lose [except maybe in entertainment or sport].

Then, Unity – Progressives and Libertarians Unite!

I grew up conservative. I supported the Vietnam War initially, because I thought it was about stopping Godless Communism. When I was in Thailand during that war, I met a fellow Air Force guy who had gone AWOL and had come back to the base opposed to the war. He said the U.S. was in Vietnam unjustly. I didn't believe him, but I decided to look up Vietnam history in an encyclopedia at the base library, just to make sure he was wrong. Except that the encyclopedia confirmed what he said. Wow!

So I became a liberal [now they're called progressive] and voted for McGovern in '72. Shortly thereafter a little zine [edited by Fred Woodworth] called "The Match!" ["for light and heat"], persuaded me against authoritarianism. The philosophy was called anarchism, meaning non-use of coercion. In a Q&A booklet of his on anarchism, one question was: Why not call the movement a more palatable term, like libertarianism? Answer: Libertarians usually favor limited government, but governments never stay limited for long. But I later came to favor the term libertarian anyway, as I became more optimistic that government could be kept limited [by improving on majority rule]. I was politically inactive for many years, but an FDR liberal, Anton Chaitkin, persuaded me by his book, Treason in America, that people need to be politically active for the common good of the people, which is based on Jesus' gospel of love of neighbors and enemies. I've been involved with progressives against war since late 2002, after Bush first started crafting excuses to avenge Saddam.

Having played on both sides of several political fences, my strong sense is that progressives and libertarians share a lot of the same basic anti-authoritarian sentiments. I have a sense that they have great potential for cooperation and would have a lot to gain by doing so.

What to Unite on

Peace/non-authoritarianism/freedom/human-rights would seem to be our best basis for cooperation. I think progressives and libertarians can cooperate most effectively by adopting consensus rule. In fact, logically, consensus should be a defining trait of both groups. Both should support it, because it's most consistent with and would most effectively support our basic non-authoritarian principles.

Other Issues

Crime – Both groups seem to be greatly opposed to criminalizing anything but murder, extreme abuse and major theft. Both seem to oppose the abusiveness of modern prisons and would favor restitution over imprisonment, except for dangerously compulsive abusers or murderers.

Government Regulation – This covers taxes, infrastructure, property rights, environment, education, social security, abortion etc. Progressives and libertarians tend to be opposed on these issues, but, because both groups tend to be non-authoritarian, it should not be too hard for both to be able to come to agreement on taxes and the things taxes pay for. Both should be able to see that compulsory taxes are coercive, i.e. authoritarian, and that the only just "taxes" are voluntary. When taxes are agreed on in any group, community, or region, by unanimous rule [consensus], libertarians should have no objection to them. This is the kind of "taxes" ancient Israel used under God's direction. And it's what Jesus implicitly advised.

Abortion would be somewhat of a sticking point, except that both groups generally favor not criminalizing most human behaviors. I imagine most libertarians would consider it impractical to criminalize abortion, except maybe for doctors who perform partial-birth abortions and maybe very late-term ones.

Both groups would seem to oppose compulsory military service and favor war only for genuine self-defense. Troops who object to war should not be required to participate, even if they previously signed a contract. Both, progressives and libertarians, might agree that long-term war, beyond a few weeks, would have to be proven necessary in a high court of law before funding and declaration could be continued [if it's declared on an emergency basis in the first place]. Both would likely want an end to covert military operations and experiments.

Progressives seem to be panicking over environmental doomsday hype, but I'd hope that they are somewhat skeptical of much of the supposed threat of global warming [and cooling] since the Pentagon and big oil are behind much of the research. The neocons appear to be coralling the public by this hype into supporting [down the road] further exploiting of other countries and increasing U.S. military strength to supply our "needs" in the face of increasing competition over diminishing resources. Hopefully, both of our groups may come to agree that science [like medicine] needs to be drastically revised to decouple it from government and big business manipulation. [The CO2 greenhouse gas theory seems to be based largely on the unexpected discovery in the 60s of high heat on Venus under its CO2 atmosphere. There is much better evidence that the heat there is caused by its young age, not by its atmosphere trapping sunlight. It's also known that earth was much warmer a thousand years ago when the Vikings had colonized southern Greenland, which is now frozen over. There was no high CO2 then to make it so warm before the freeze. The heating and cooling of the earth very likely comes from outside the earth, not from CO2 gas in the air. The military seems to have considerable ability to manipulate weather etc. via HAARP, chemtrails etc., but doesn't seem to be involved much in global warming or cooling as yet].

With so much in common and so much influence to gain from unity, isn't it time for progressives and libertarians to unite? And if they can unite, what label could they call themselves? Anyway, let's do it!

November 23, 2005