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MORALITY AND POLITICS
All politics—as an enterprise of civilization—is moral. The entire
debate about politics, pursued at least under the American system, can be reduced to a single question: What is the
proper use of force to accomplish moral ends? People say you can't legislate morality. All legislation is a moral
enterprise. If there is not a justification for the use of power, then that use of power is illicit. That is what
despots do. Aristotle said famously that all law rests upon the necessary foundation of morality. Note that this
kind of enterprise is a prescriptive notion. In other words, Aristotle is saying that this is the nature of law and
government properly construed. It's supposed to be this way even though we know that sometimes people use their
power meant for moral ends as a means to immorally consolidate their own power and control over the very people
they were entrusted to serve. So politics is sometimes used poorly. But if you take politics as a thing, as such,
at least in the American system, the purpose of power is for the public good.
Why the United States Is a Christian Nation - David Wood - Published on Nov 8, 2016 Support my videos on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3615911
Dr. Van Til wrote in Christian Theistic Ethics, "There is no alternative but that of theonomy and autonomy." It must either be God's law or man's law. Dr. Bahnsen sets forth the antithesis between these two ethical systems and demonstrates why Christians must maintain a theonomic view of ethics.
Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other
- John Adams -
The Moral Argument Published on Jan 21, 2015 For more resources visit: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/moral View the Kalam Cosmological Argument animation video: http://youtu.be/6CulBuMCLg0 View the Fine Tuning Argument animation video: Reasonable Faith features the work of philosopher and theologian Dr. William Lane Craig and aims to provide in the public arena an intelligent, articulate, and uncompromising yet gracious Christian perspective on the most important issues concerning the truth of the Christian faith today, such as:
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Comments From Our Forbearers
John Adams (1735 – 1826)
"Statesman, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People in a greater Measure, than they have it now, they may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty.”
"...We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.
"...have you ever found in history one single example of a Nation throughly Corrupted—that was afterwards restored to Virtue—and without Virtue, there can be no political Liberty.
Patrick Henry (1736-1799)
A leader of the American Revolution and a famous orator who spoke out against British rule of the American colonies.
"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles."
William Penn (1644-1718)
"If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants."
Daniel Webster (1782-1817) United States politician and orator.
Finally, let us not forget the religious character of our origin. Our fathers were brought hither by their high veneration for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and labored in its hope. They sought to incorporate its principles with the elements of their society, and to diffuse its influence through all their institutions, civil, political, or literary. Let us cherish these sentiments, and extend this influence still more widely; in full conviction that this is the happiest society which partakes in the highest degree of the mild and peaceful spirit of Christianity."
The Bible is a book of faith, and a book of doctrine, and a book of morals, and a book of religion, of special revelation from God; but it is also a book which teaches man his own individual responsibility, his own dignity, and his equality with his fellow-man. Thank God! I -- I also -- am an American!"
If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; If the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end. "
Noah Webster (1758-1843) An American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English-language spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author. He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education." His blue-backed speller books taught five generations of American children how to spell and read, secularizing their education. Webster's name has become synonymous with "dictionary" in the United States, especially the modern Merriam-Webster dictionary that was first published in 1828 as An American Dictionary of the English Language. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the nation.
"Almost all the civil liberty now enjoyed in the world owes its origin to the principles of the Christian religion.… It is the sincere desire of the writer that our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the bible, particularly the New Testament or the Christian religion.… The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles, which enjoins humility, piety, and benevolence; which acknowledges in every person a brother, or a sister, and a citizen with equal rights. This is genuine Christianity, and to this we owe our free Constitutions of Government.… The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all of our civil constitutions and laws.… All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
In the classic Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, the most important writer of the 20th century, explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith.
One of the most popular and beloved introductions to the concept of faith ever written, ‘Mere Christianity’ has sold millions of copies worldwide. The book brings together C.S. Lewis’s legendary radio broadcasts during the war years, in which he set out simply to ‘explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times’. Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity’s many denominations, ‘Mere Christianity’ provides an unequalled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to absorb a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith. It is a collection of scintillating brilliance which remains strikingly fresh for the modern reader, and which confirms C. S. Lewis' reputation as one of the leading Christian writers and thinkers of our age.
Table of Contents: [Book I.] Right and wrong as a clue to the meaning of the universe
https://www.youtube.com/user/CSLewisInstitute/videos
GOD ARE YOU THERE?
The Fine Tuning of the Universe
Published on Sep 25, 2014 For more resources visit: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/finetu... Be sure to view the Kalam Cosmological Argument animation video: http://youtu.be/6CulBuMCLg0 Reasonable Faith features the work of philosopher and theologian Dr. William Lane Craig and aims to provide in the public arena an intelligent, articulate, and uncompromising yet gracious Christian perspective on the most important issues concerning the truth of the Christian faith today, such as: -the existence of God Read more: http://www.reasonablefaith.org We welcome your comments in the Reasonable Faith forums: Be sure to also visit Reasonable Faith's other channel which contains full-length clips: http://www.youtube.com/reasonablefait... Follow Reasonable Faith on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rfupdates Add Reasonable Faith on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/reasonablefai...
The Kalam Cosmological Argument Published on Sep 1, 2013 For more resources visit: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/kalam
Quick links to the world's largest collection of youtube videos (from drcraigvideos) on philosopher, historian, and theologian Dr. William Lane Craig http://drcraigvideos.blogspot.com/
“The Pulpit By Chuck Baldwin
The famed 19th Century revivalist and major contributor to America’s “Second Great Awakening,” Charles Finney, said the following: “If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discernment, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in Christianity, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it.” I believe Finney was absolutely correct. Notice that Finney believed there was a direct correlation between the kind of legislation passed in Congress and the kind of preaching taking place in the pulpits of America’s churches. He also believed that the pulpits of the country were responsible for corruption in government. Again, I agree. America’s biggest threat does not come from abortionists, gay rights activists, pornographers, or drug dealers. Neither does our biggest threat come from North Korea, Iran, Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan. America’s biggest threat comes from our nation’s pulpits. In all candor, I’m increasingly frustrated with many of my pastor and Christian brethren. Over the decades, they have made a god out of government–especially the federal government. Their support for US military interventionism (justified or not) borders on worship. Plus, they have put their absolute trust in the Republican Party to the point that their support for the GOP has, for all intents and purposes, made the Republican Party more sacred than their own churches. They would abandon a church, or denomination, or pastor quicker than they would abandon the GOP–regardless of how much Big Government Republicans promote. When a Republican is in office (especially the office of President), he or she takes on the image of a god more than a civil magistrate. The Religious Right was absolutely deaf and dumb to the ubiquitous unconstitutional and unlawful conduct committed during Bush’s eight years in office. In fact, virtually everything that President Barack Obama is currently doing to circumvent constitutional government was copied from G.W. Bush’s political playbook. Then these same pastors and churches turn around and get all righteously indignant about abortion, gay rights, family decay, etc. The fact is, the government in Washington, D.C., is the chief culprit in America’s moral and cultural tailspin. DC is a cesspool whose leakage has spilled over into the entire country. And the more pastors and Christians refuse to resist the ever-burgeoning power and influence of Washington’s unconstitutional manipulation and intimidation of our states and communities, the deeper the manure gets. Yet, so many pastors and Christians continue to quote Romans 13 as justification to sit back and do NOTHING to prevent DC’s unlawful control over what was the FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES of this nation. Forgive me, but when I hear these pastors and Christian leaders bewail the conditions of America, I get kind of sick. If they would stop supporting this out-of-control federal leviathan that is swallowing our liberties, if they would stop preaching their pansy, don’t-make-anybody-mad sermonettes, if they would stop sucking up to these corrupt politicians, most of the problems they complain about would not exist. Why do you think your public schools are so liberal and socialistic in their philosophy? Why do your public school textbooks promote sodomy and other aberrant lifestyles? It started back in 1979 when the United States Department of Education (DOE) was created by President Jimmy Carter as a payoff to the National Education Association (NEA) for their political support. Ever since its creation, the DOE has coerced, intimidated, harangued, and cajoled State and local school districts to adopt its socialistic agenda. That’s why no matter what local school district one may find themselves living in, the textbooks, philosophies, and instruction of the school varies nary a bit. They are all under the thumb of the DOE. Get rid of the DOE, and local schools would be able to teach what the people of the local school districts preferred, which in many school districts would mean old-fashioned American values. That’s why, for the most part, it doesn’t matter to a tinker’s dam who you elect to your local school board. The root problem is the DOE in Washington, D.C. But when is the last time you heard any preacher in America say a word of protest against the DOE? Why is your county sheriff so reluctant to oppose the Obama/Feinstein gun control bills? Because his office is receiving millions of federal tax dollars (otherwise known as bribes) from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). In addition, the DOJ constantly sends directives, policies, agendas, etc., to your local sheriff. And, unfortunately, most sheriffs, governors, attorney generals, etc., labor under the delusion that individual states have no authority, power, or right to resist, and otherwise refuse to comply with, the wishes of Washington, D.C. That’s why, regardless what county you live in, your local sheriff’s office is not in charge. It is taking its orders from the DOJ in Washington, D.C. (Thank God not every county sheriff in the country is such a brain dead puppet of Washington. There are several hundred sheriffs who have unequivocally stated that they will NOT comply with any law out of Washington, D.C., outlawing semi-automatic rifles. Praise God for them!) Get the DOJ off the backs of your county sheriff’s office and you will see honest law enforcement return to your county. But when’s the last time you heard any preacher in America say a word of protest against the DOJ? The reason you cannot afford to build a new home is because of federal departments such as the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). The reason you cannot afford to buy property or do much of anything with the property you own is because of federal departments such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The reason you cannot get a loan at your “local” bank–or the reason you lost your business, house, or job during the past five years–is mostly because of the draconian and damnable decisions of the Federal Reserve. But when is the last time you heard any preacher in America say a word of protest against OSHA, the EPA, or the Federal Reserve? Where did abortion-on-demand come from? Did you vote for it? Did your State legislators and senators vote for it? No! It was forced upon the states by the US Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Yet, when Congressman Ron Paul of Texas introduced (several times) the Sanctity of Life Act, which would have, in essence, overturned Roe vs. Wade and given the states the authority to restrict or outlaw abortion-on-demand, what did America’s pulpits do to support it? NOTHING! The GOP leadership didn’t support Dr. Paul’s pro-life bill, so neither did America’s pulpits. And where are America’s pulpits regarding the current attempt by Washington, D.C., to make criminals out of God-fearing Americans who believe in the Second Amendment and who own a semi-automatic rifle? They are AWOL! They are deserters from battle. They are traitors to freedom and the Bill of Rights. They follow constitutionally-ignorant Christian leaders such as Franklin Graham and Richard Land. (By the way, Land is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a notorious Big-Government, globalist organization. I just thought you should know.) Oh, trust me, I know that there are a handful of courageous preachers (true men of God) around the country who actively resist the tyrannical tentacles of the Beast in Washington, D.C., but, unfortunately, they are a small minority of the hundreds of thousands of preachers across America. Again, what do you hear from the vast majority of our pulpits? “Romans 13.” “Obey the government.” “Don’t resist the government.” And by “government,” they almost always mean the federal government in Washington, D.C. So, our pastors and churches actively support the DOE, the DOJ, OSHA, the EPA, the Federal Reserve, etc. By their complicity with Big Government zealots in Washington, D.C., our pulpits are culpable in the escalation of virtually every piece of vice and villainy that currently engulfs our country. Every bit of it can be traced back to the manipulation, coercion, intimidation, regulation, oppression, bastardization, calculation, constriction, repression, and contamination spewing forth from Washington, D.C. This is why when I hear these preachers lamenting the deteriorating conditions in America, I get nauseous! Give pulpits back to honest and courageous pastors who will preach the Bible without fear of losing the tax exempt status that Washington, D.C., hangs over their heads, and give America back to the states and to the people who could enact their own civil laws and cultural norms without interference from Washington, D.C., and watch the re-birth of freedom take place; watch tens of thousands of communities return to the streets of Mayberry; watch the crime rates drop like an anvil; watch the demand for abortion drop; watch education test scores skyrocket; watch people go to work; watch houses being built; and watch prosperity thrive. Sure, I realize that there would be hundreds of communities (mostly large, metropolitan areas and socialist-dominated states controlled by large, metropolitan areas) that would continue to promote the same Big-Government programs and policies that we see now. So be it. If people want to live in those pig pens, let them. But give people an opportunity to choose for themselves communities that respect old-fashioned decency, honesty, integrity, limited government, true republicanism, etc., and see how many people would flee to these refreshing, modern-day Cities of Refuge. Instead of gun free zones, America needs “Washington, D.C., Free Zones.” After all, that’s what America was intended to be; that was the purpose of the Tenth Amendment, and rest of the Bill of Rights. By refusing to resist the Big-Government machinations of Washington, D.C.; by hiding behind an erroneous, passive, and compliant interpretation of Romans 13; by fearing the IRS more than they fear God; by worshipping the state more than they worship God; by refusing to teach their congregations the Biblical and Natural Law principles of liberty, America’s pulpits are the ones that are the most culpable in the deterioration and destruction of our blessed country. Instead of blaming the abortionists, gay rights activists, pornographers, and drug dealers, they need to be looking in the mirror. Charles Finney was right: “If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it.” P.S. Now that 14 people have been injured in a multiple-stabbing attack at a college in Texas, will Barack Obama and Dianne Feinstein call for a ban on “assault knives”? And will Franklin Graham and Richard Land call for national registration and universal background checks for all knife buyers? And if not, why not? I guess we had better watch out for those “assault rocks” and “assault baseball bats” next, huh? (c) Chuck Baldwin
LINK: ANSWERING THE PROBLEMS OF EVIL AND SUFFERING
Moral Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Midair
Greg Koukl UCLA 2001 Moral relativism, says Koukl, is not an alternative way to think about morality, nor is it a refinement of how we are to think of morality—rather, it is an outright denial of morality. In this talk, Koukl addresses what he calls the "myth of moral neutrality," discusses the implications of moral relativity, and illuminates several fatal flaws inherent to the moral relativist position. Ultimately, he argues that moral relativism is untenable and that the best reason for the existence of morality is a moral Lawgiver.
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