If you haven't read Jonathan Mayhew's 1750 sermon trashing the Catholic Church/Church of England dogma of unlimited submission to authority based on self-serving misinterpretation of Romans 13 etc, it's very compelling. The American Revolution likely wouldn't have succeeded or happened without it. Every Christian should read it today. Over the years I've seen many so-called Protestant conservatives online parroting the unqualified obedience doctrine... OBEY. [More]
Been a while since I got into an "angels on the head of a pin" argument...
I'll need to find time to read it thoroughly. What I've seen so far pretty much agrees with a 1747 Philadelphia sermon I cite from time to time:
"He that suffers his life to be taken from him by one who has no authority for that purpose, when he might preserve it by defense, incurs the Guilt of self murder since God has enjoined him to seek the continuance of his life, and Nature itself teaches every creature to defend [it]self."
[Via Laocoön]
UPDATE:Why We Believe: Defiance to Tyranny is Obedience to God [Watch]
Here's something else I need to find time for.
[Via Matthew L]
6 comments:
Not a Godly soul, but '''amen'''!
Please read it before suspecting or portraying it as "angels on the head of a pin".
Once put in context with the rest of the Bible and superb reasoning by Jonathan Mayhew, it's painfully clear Romans 13 refers to obedience only to kings, presidents, congresses, magistrates, bureaucrats, soldiers, cops etc that act in good faith for the good of society -- not beyond their authority, not corrupt, not as tyrants. Once kings become tyrants, they cease to be legitimate kings "ordained by God", and it is the subject's duty to R&R them if possible. The superficial literal interpretation is self-serving subversive nonsense.
John Adams, one of Mayhew's flock, said "everyone" in the colonies read the sermon.
Some ramifications of the superficial literal interpretation:
Nero, Plutarco Elías Calles, Stalin & Mao were "God's ordained" to mindlessly OBEY with total submission though they were all out to destroy Christianity, torture & mass-murder Christians & others.
Sure thing.
Hitler too was "ordained of God...not a terror to good works, but to evil...a minister of God to thee for good....a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but for conscience sake. For this cause pay tribute also. Render to [Hitler, Stalin, Xiden, Harris, Cuomo, Whitmer et ilk] their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor."
Uh huh.
OBEY
-Laocoön
Please turn up your sarcasm meter, read my piece, and put it all in the context of my post and sermon cite before presuming my self-deprecating joke was in any way judgmental of the Mayhew piece.
Roger. Understood.
-Alan "Laocoön" Shepard
Mike's thoughts of those in authority who forfeit "the mandate of heaven."
http://jpfo.org/articles-assd03/vanderboegh-temple-speech.htm
Righteous speech, but Mike’s not quite right about the “divine right of kings”. True Christians called BS on that 380 years ago for the English Civil War, and again 270 years ago before the American Revolution.
It's critical for every swinging D to read Mayhew so we won't have to quote the Chinese. The "mandate of heaven" ain't working out too well in China, and it's not going to free conservative Christians from the slave-minded false-authority-worshiping misinterpretation of Romans 13.
Laocoön
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