American Form of Government

The video presents a rather curious view of history and political philosophy. Let’s start where the video does: with Benjamin Franklin’s reference to ours being a “republic.” The video cites no evidence that Franklin meant “republic” as the video defines it. In fact, the term had no settled meaning in Franklin’s day – except that a “republic” was not a “monarchy.”

The video defines a “republic” as being ruled by “law,” as opposed to a “democracy” ruled by the people. But that’s a false distinction. The law has to come from somewhere. In our country, it ultimately comes from individual voters — i.e., from a democracy.

The video points out, correctly, that those who wrote the US Constitution feared what they sometimes called “democracy.” But tell me, are you really advocating a return to the values and principles that they put in the Constitution to protect against unchecked democracy? Are you urging and end to popular election of U.S. Senators? Are you advocating that instead of voting for presidential candidates, we vote for electors who we simply trust to make the choice for us? Those are legitimate positions, philosophically, but credible ones politically.

If you really believe all the video says, you must have been opposed to California’s Proposition 8 and to every other use of the initiative to amend state constitutions or enact state laws. After all, the initiative is the purest form of democracy in our current system. It is certainly something that the framers of the US Constitution would have opposed.

Great post Greg!
Thanks for doing your part.

Can ONE PERSON, or a group BREAK AWAY AND FORM THEIR OWN COUNTRY? AFTER ALL, LIBERTY AND ‘THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS’ IS PART OF THE FOUNDATION? CAN THEY? THEY DID IT in 1776, on this land that was british land, and people broke away and formed their own country.. why not? Let me know, all those that are endlessly complaining for the past 50 yrs.

What then are the greatest troubles with democracies? It is ignorance of the laws of God, either by choice or by the designs of conspiring men. When the majority of men lose a knowledge and understanding of the divine origins of their rights, and the attendant responsibilities that accompany those rights, then the rights of all are trampled upon.

In a Republic you can suffer the very same problems, but a watchful, informed, and knowledgeable body of people can more easily judge the acts of a single representative than they can reasonably judge all the acts and motives of a whole people.

Premier in the assumptions of the rights of men to govern is that there is a God who has vested interests in us as his creations, his children. If there is no God, then there is no law!

If there is no law then men are accountable to no one. When men act without conscience we soon find ovens alight and fueled by flesh of the defenseless. We see the severed heads of men upon pikes surrounding walled cities, and soon witness women and children who become the objects of abuse and of corrupt pleasures of the wicked. We find a degraded people who descend into the depths of behaviors that ultimately bring no pleasures, but only abject misery, darkness, ignorance, and evil.

But, there is a God and he places man within spheres wherein they are subject to and capable of abiding by the laws of that sphere in which they are placed. He holds us accountable for our obedience to those laws, learning first to judge our own actions against his laws, then the actions of those of our fellow men against those same standards. He is not an unknown God, but reveals himself to men based upon principles of obedience to his laws.

It is God who bestowed upon us, along with our agency to choose good over evil, the unalienable right and responsibility to judge the acts of our fellow man against those laws that he has delivered to men; and according to the judgments which he likewise has set before us. You might well ask yourself why he would deem to do so, and in answering that question correctly would learn something more of the nature of that Supreme Being and of your relationship to him.

Thus the correct rendering of the verse is not ‘Judge ye not lest ye be judged’ but reads ‘Judge ye not unrighteous judgment, for by that same judgment which ye judge shall ye also be judged’. First he commands us to judge, and then he commands us to judge as he would judge. He is perfect, we are imperfect. He judges perfectly, but in our imperfections has given instructions sufficient to allow imperfect men to judge more perfectly.

God does not remove from men the responsibility that we have to take an active part in the process of administering the laws. Obedience to law is key to the life that God lives. He tells us so and explains that the laws that men are abiding at this time are patterned after an even higher law that he lives.

In other words, the laws that men set forth by which they judge others must emulate the laws of God in both purpose and intent. To the extent that men create or abuse the laws in judging themselves or their fellow men, they will be held accountable before God. Intent will clearly play a key role in our own judgment by our God. If the intent of a law or that of its administrators is to deny the justice of God, they need to recognize the reality that there will be a time yet to come where they will stand before God and all men, and will be held accountable for those intentions and those judgement rendered.

If men must abide by the law of God that they should not steal nor covet the property of another, then by what authority do men grant to a government that forbidden power to steal bread and meat from one family to put into the mouths of another?

Consider the parable of the ewe lamb as delivered by Nathan the Prophet to King David after his having taken to wife Bathsheba the widow of the now murdered Uriah. (2 Samuel 12:1-7)

…There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb a four fold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man…

Can the men and women of our current government continue to steal from the poor and lowly to give to another? Will they be justified in stealling from the rich to give to the so-called poor? As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die…”Thou art the man”, an accusation that may take on it a more pointed meaning in days to come.

There is the case for being able to tax a people and for what purposes it may be done, taxations that do not violate the laws of God. Men need to understand that there are circumstances under which Governments can compel another to pay a tax. But those cases are far fewer than the innumerable seizures of that which God has placed in the hands of humble families, only to be rent from their hands and placed into the hands of the idle. I will not make that case for taxation here, but if this nation fails to understand the principles under which the laws of taxation can be applied then we become a nation without laws.

You cannot compel men to do good. The concepts of compulsion and accomplishing good are for the most part at odds with each other. You can however be justified in compelling men to comply with the law in supporting the good acts of a government, protecting the unalienable rights of the people.

If you have an enemy seeking to destroy the liberties of a people and some small group refuses to assist those who are providing protection of those liberties, God will justify men in compelling others to assist in that protection. He has commanded men to abide in the liberty wherewith he has made them free. His purposes are accomplished when men choose to do good, rather than when they are compelled to do good. To retain the ability to choose then liberty must be maintained. When others actively resist support of liberty or seek the destruction of those liberties in order to get gain or seek powers not granted to them, then the purposes of God are being thwarted.

Perhaps to avoid wrongfully administering the law we believe that we can stay away from the process of judgment entirely, but again I say that the expectation by God is that we take an active participation in that process. It is for this reason that anciently the laws of God and their administration were reviewed annually with everyone, adult and child alike, so that all understood how to act, and how to act upon others.

In the Declaration of Independence is found the verity regarding the responsibilities men have towards support of governments; firstly when governments begin to go awry – to correct them and seek for redress of wrongs, but then well delineated is the “duty” incumbent upon all good men when Governments fail to protect the unalienable rights of its people – to remove them and take back all sovereignty and establish another government that will protect those rights.

We can feign ignorance of the laws of God, continue in our feeble attempts to justify the usurpation of powers and seizures of the property of fellow citizens. But there will be a day of accounting for those wrongful acts, and I hope to live to see that day.

God will certainly judge the intentions of the hearts of those men who brought upon the world so much cruelty, for that is the very result of all their acts. But there will be very few indeed who lead these “progressive” movements who of a truth will be blameless. They do not act entirely in ignorance, but know well that their desires are not the pretended concerns for the “welfare” of their fellow citizens, and are built upon a foundation of pride, lust, greed, and power. The day will come when their lying tongues will finally be silenced.

They are filled with corruption and desire to corrupt what once was a more goodly and righteous people.

Continue to resist them will the power that God has granted to us. I likewise hope to see the day when those who resisted these evil acts can also give an accounting before God. I dare say it will go better with them at that same day than with those who lead this awful movement.