by Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org
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LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENTS
Legitimate Governments are established and maintained by God for the
purpose of maximizing the happiness and well-being of the people within
their jurisdiction. The people should obey the laws and regulations of
their legitimate Government.
"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.
"Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth
the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall
receive to themselves damnation."
(Romans 13:1-2 KJV)
Does this means that we must always do whatever our Government wants us to
do, no matter what? No, it does not. Jesus says that we should give the
Government whatever rightly belongs to it. But we should give God whatever
rightly belongs to God. This proves that the government's rightful powers
over us are not unlimited.
"Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar
the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things
that are God's." (Matthew 22:21b KJV)
Moreover, God requires the Government to rule wisely and to do good, not
evil to the people. The Government is supposed to be "the minister of God
to thee for good."
"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:
"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."
(Romans 13:3-4 KJV)
But what if the Government fails in its obligation to do good? What if it
does evil continuously? Then it loses its authority from God and becomes
illegitimate; and it should then be replaced with a better Government.
That is exactly what happened at the time of the American Revolution. The
Government of England was doing evil continuously to the American
colonists. Thus it needed to be replaced.
A legitimate Government will govern with the informed consent of its
people. Dictatorships which use force against the will of the people are
not legitimate; and they should be replaced. Governments which lie to
their people in order to obtain consent are not legitimate; and they
should be replaced. Just as Mankind is God's trustee for taking good care
of the Earth, so each Government is God's trustee for taking good care of
the people under its jurisdiction.
WITH POWER COMES RESPONSIBILITY
"With power, comes responsibility." We are responsible to God for our use
of whatever power He entrusts to us.
This is a true saying, supported by Scripture.
First, we know that all power belongs to God.
"Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power
belongs to God;" (Psalms 62:11 RSV)
1 CHRONICLES 29:11-12 (RSV)
_____________________________________________________________
11
Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the
glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is
in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the
kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
12
Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou rulest over
all. In thy hand are power and might; and in thy hand it
is to make great and to give strength to all.
_____________________________________________________________
Then we know that we are accountable to God for everything He entrusts to
us. This is the basic doctrine of Stewardship, as explained in the Parable
Of The Talents.
_____________________________________________________________
MATTHEW 25: 14-30 (RSV)
Parable Of The Talents
14
"For it will be as when a man going on a journey called
his servants and entrusted to them his property;
15
to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another
one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
16
He who had received the five talents went at once and
traded with them; and he made five talents more.
17
So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more.
18
But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the
ground and hid his master's money.
19
Now after a long time the master of those servants came
and settled accounts with them.
20
And he who had received the five talents came forward,
bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered
to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.'
21
His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful
servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set
you over much; enter into the joy of your master.'
22
And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying,
'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made
two talents more.'
23
His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful
servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set
you over much; enter into the joy of your master.'
24
He also who had received the one talent came forward,
saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping
where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not
winnow;
25
so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the
ground. Here you have what is yours.'
26
But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful
servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and
gather where I have not winnowed?
27
Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers,
and at my coming I should have received what was my own
with interest.
28
So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has
the ten talents.
29
For to every one who has will more be given, and he will
have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has
will be taken away.
30
And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness;
there men will weep and gnash their teeth.'
_____________________________________________________________
Finally, we know that if we know what is right, and fail to do it if it is
within our power, that is a sin. Such sins are known as "sins of
omission."
"Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for
him it is sin." (James 4:17 RSV)
Therefore we can correctly conclude that, "With Power, Comes
Resonsibility." We are responsible to God for our use of whatever power He
entrusts to us.
STEWARDSHIP OF THE EARTH
Mankind Has the Responsibility To Manage The Earth Properly For God
God Is Sole Creator And Rightful Owner Of The Earth And Everything In It
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
(Genesis 1:1 KJV)
"All things were made by him; and without him was not
anything made that was made." (John 1:3 KJV)
"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that
are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created
by him, and for him:" (Colossians 1:16 KJV)
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power:
for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are
and were created." (Revelation 4:11 KJV)
"And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it
was very good." (Genesis 1:31a KJV)
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the
world, and they that dwell therein." (Psalms 24:1 KJV)
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and
create evil: I the Lord do all these things." (Isaiah 45:7
KJV)
" . . . whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine."
(Job 41:11 KJV)
" . . . for all the earth is mine." (Exodus 9:15 KJV)
"For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon
a thousand hills." (Psalms 50:10 KJV)
" . . . for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof."
(Psalms 50:12 KJV)
<><
God Gave Man The Power And Authority To Rule Over All The Earth
Genesis 1:26-31 (RSV)
[26] Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the
air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creeps upon the earth."
[27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created
him; male and female he created them.
[28] And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the
fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing
that moves upon the earth."
[29] And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed
which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its
fruit; you shall have them for food.
[30] And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to
everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of
life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.
[31] And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very
good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
We Are Accountable To God For Our Management Of
Everything He Has Entrusted To Us Here On Earth
The More He Gives To Us, The More He Requires From Us
MATTHEW 25:14-30 (KJV) "The Parable Of The Talents"
NOTE: A "talent" was a sum of money
equal to about two years wages.
14
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into
a far country, who called his own servants, and
delivered unto them his goods.
15
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two,
and to another one; to every man according to his
several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16
Then he that had received the five talents went and
traded with the same, and made them other five
talents.
17
And likewise he that had received two, he also gained
other two.
18
But he that had received one went and digged in the
earth, and hid his lord's money.
19
After a long time the lord of those servants cometh,
and reckoneth with them.
20
And so he that had received five talents came and
brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou
deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have
gained beside them five talents more.
21
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and
faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22
He also that had received two talents came and said,
Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I
have gained two other talents beside them.
23
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful
servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou
into the joy of thy lord.
24
Then he which had received the one talent came and
said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man,
reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where
thou hast not strawed:
25
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the
earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26
His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and
slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I
sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27
Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the
exchangers, and then at my coming I should have
received mine own with usury.
28
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto
him which hath ten talents.
29
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he
shall have abundance: but from him that hath not
shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30
And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth.
"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him
shall be much required:" (Luke 12:48b KJV)
DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM: A SOCIO-ECONOMIC SYSTEM FOR AMERICA AND THE WORLD
"Democratic Capitalism" is the practical fusion of Capitalism and
Democracy, in which the free market productive benefits of Capitalism are
merged with the social justice benefits of Democracy, resulting in "the
greatest good for the greatest number, with basic rights for all."
In the USA, this fusion has grown up within a social/cultural environment
of common shared values, including: belief in certain human rights, among
which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; belief in the
political equality of all citizens; the right to own private property,
including real estate; the right to enter into contracts; various other
rights of personal freedom, including freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, and freedom of association; and recognition of a Divine Being,
who created mankind for His own purposes and Who gave all of these rights
to man, for the benefit of mankind.
Without these shared values -- or something very similar to them -- it
would be unreasonable to expect that Democratic Capitalism could succeed.
For more about Democracy, please see =>
http://www.lifeofgeorgewashington.org/supersearch-democracy.html
For more about Capitalism, please see =>
http://www.lifeofgeorgewashington.org/supersearch-capitalism.html
For more about Democratic Capitalism, please see =>
http://www.lifeofgeorgewashington.org/supersearch-democraticcapitalism.html
The Six Purposes Of The United States Government The six purposes of the
United States Government are clearly announced in the very first words of
the United States Constitution . . .
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect
Union, establish
Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common
defence, promote the
general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves
and our Posterity,
do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of
America."
Source: The Constitution Of The United States, shown at
http://www.loveallpeople.org/usconstitution.html
And these six purposes can be numbered (enumerated) like this . . .
1. To form a more perfect Union.
2. To establish Justice.
3. To insure domestic Tranquility.
4. To provide for the common defence.
5. To promote the general Welfare.
6. To secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.
Everything that the U.S. Government is authorized to do (at its
discretion) falls under one or more of these six enumerated purposes.
These six purposes are the very essence of the "original intent" of our
Founders.
The specific requirements for things that the U.S. Government MUST do are
spelled out in the various Articles and Amendments, which follow later,
after the six purposes are announced. For details, please see
http://www.loveallpeople.org/usconstitution.html .
The Need For Regulation Of Capitalism To Prevent Its Naturale Abuses
Capitalism and Democracy are compatible, as long as the Capitalists are
regulated carefully by the Democratically-elected Government so that the
Public interest is best served.
GOVERNMENT REGULATION IS A GOOD THING, A NECESSARY THING, TO KEEP
CORPORATIONS ON A LEASH, NOT RUNNING LOOSE IN PUBLIC, UNRESTRAINED BY
ANYTHING IN THEIR PERPETUAL QUEST FOR MAXIMUM PROFITS. THIS IS WHAT
GOVERNMENT IS FOR!
Unregulated profit-seeking corporations cannot be trusted to protect the
Public, because their main objective is to make profits, not to be a
do-gooder for the Public. Whenever profit-making conflicts with the Public
interest, profit-making wins! Thus they become Predators on the Public,
not Protectors of the Public.
This is not a radical idea, but an obvious fact, if you think about it.
Profit-seeking corporations exist to make a profit, and the more profit,
the better. Anything which increases profits is good for them; and
anything which decreases profits is bad. So they try to do whatever is
necessary to make profits. This is the essence of Laissez-faire
Capitalism: that profit-seeking corporations should be left alone to do
whatever they choose to do in order to make profits.
Employees get paid to help the company make a profit, not to be a
do-gooder for the general Public. Just suppose a local manager decided to
give away $1,000,000 of the company's money to build a playground for the
neighborhood children. "The kids need the playground!," he says. Unless
this playgound were part of some co-ordinated Public Relations effort,
intended ultimately to produce greater profit, the employee would probably
be fired, and replaced by someone with a better profit-making attitude.
Suppose an auto manufacturer had some kind of a safety problem, perhaps
gas tanks that sometimes exploded on impact. And suppose it would cost a
hundred million dollars to fix the problem, but it would only cost ten
million to let the problem continue, and pay off the victims who sued and
won. What do you suppose the company would do? It would let the problem
continue, of course! Deny that a problem exists, claim it was the user's
fault, and pay off damages only when forced to do so. These kinds of
decisions happen all the time. Why do you suppose the corporations are so
eager to get "Tort Reform?" To limit their payoffs for damages, of course!
So their profits aren't hurt so much! "To hell with the Public," they
think. "They should be more careful!"
And if the Management of a profit-seeking corporation ever did choose the
Public interest over a higher profit (unless it were forced to do so by
some kind of government regulation), then that corporation would be
violating its financial duty to its stockholders. And the stockholders
would be entitled to replace the do-gooder Management with a
profit-oriented Management.
UNREGULATED PROFIT-SEEKING CORPORATIONS HARM THE PUBLIC THESE FIVE WAYS
Unregulated profit-seeking corporations harm the public these five ways.
We are talking mainly about the larger, publicly-traded, profit-seeking
corporations like those whose stocks are traded on the stock exchanges.
But the same ideas can apply to any unregulated profit-seeking
corporation, even the smaller ones and the private ones.
We recognize that profit-seeking corporations can be a great force for
good in the world, creating and providing wonderful goods and services
that would be unavailable by any other means. But we also recognize that
if they are unregulated, they harm the public these five ways. An
unregulated corporation is like a loose elephant in your neighborhood. Who
can stop it from trampling over whatever it chooses?
1. NOT PAY TAXES -In order to maximize profits, they always seek to avoid
or minimize their taxes.
2. ELIMINATE COMPETION -In order to maximize profits, they always seek to
eliminate or control their competition.
3. CUT WAGES AND SALARIES - In order to maximize profits, they always seek
to reduce their labor costs.
4. DISREGARD THE ENVIRONMENT - In order to maximize profits, they always
seek to avoid all environmental restraints.
5. SELL DANGEROUS, HARMFUL PRODUCTS - In order to maximize profits, they
are tempted to sell dangerous or harmful products.
So what should we do? We need profit-seeking corporations because they are
very efficient and very innovative. They are quick to provide products and
services to fill needs, if the profit is there. They can do great things
very quickly. But they cannot be trusted to protect the Public, if it
hurts their profits to do so. And it is unreasonable to expect that they
should - unless they are somehow compelled to do it. But we cannot allow
them simply to run loose, like rampaging elephants, trampling down
whatever is in their path.
The answer is GOVERNMENT REGULATION! Yes, Government Regulation of
profit-seeking corporations. Reasonable regulations, applied fairly, so
that all the companies are in the same boat and nobody gets any special
advantage. This is not difficult to do, but it does require some effort.
And it requires going against the current right-wing Republican policies
of Laissez-faire Capitalism: that profit-seeking corporations should be
left alone to do whatever they choose to do in order to make profits.
Tipping The Balance Too Far To The Right, In Favor Of The Free-Market
Capitalists, Against The Public Interest
The inherent tensions between Capitalism and Democracy are not new. We
have faced them before, about a hundred years ago, and we resolved them
then, largely under leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt. But now
they have re-emerged in new forms, under the permissive,
look-the-other-way eye of the Republican party's Anti-regulation
extremists, who have tipped the balance too far to the right, in favor of
the unrestrained free-market Capitalists.
President Theodore Roosevelt wrote these words almost a hundred years ago,
They applied then, and they still apply today.
"I hold that a corporation does ill if it seeks profit in restricting
production and then by extorting high prices from the community by reason
of the scarcity of the product; through adulterating, lyingly advertising,
or over-driving the help; or replacing men workers with children; or by
rebates; or in any illegal or improper manner driving competitors out of
its way; or seeking to achieve monopoly by illegal or unethical treatment
of its competitors, or in any shape or way offending against the moral law
either in connection with the public or with its employees or with its
rivals. Any corporation which seeks its profit in such fashion is acting
badly. It is, in fact, a conspiracy against the public welfare which the
Government should use all its powers to suppress.
"If, on the other hand, a corporation seeks profit solely by increasing
its products through eliminating waste, improving its processes, utilizing
its by-products, installing better machines, raising wages in the effort
to secure more efficient help, introducing the principle of coperation and
mutual benefit, dealing fairly with labor unions, setting its face against
the underpayment of women and the employment of children; in a word,
treating the public fairly and its rivals fairly: then such a corporation
is behaving well. It is an instrumentality of civilization operating to
promote abundance by cheapening the cost of living so as to improve
conditions everywhere throughout the whole community."
Source: Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt
Please see =>
http://www.lifeofgeorgewashington.org/supersearch-autobiographyoftheodoreroosevelt.html
**************** Blessings to you. May God help us all.
Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org
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