Highest Law...lesson one

Written by Terry Dashner


Continued from page 1

The Bible also lays down strict laws regarding property losses due to crime. The guilty party is to recompenserepparttar victim. Romans chapter 13 teaches that Christians are to obeyrepparttar 113455 law ofrepparttar 113456 land, resisting only whenrepparttar 113457 national law is opposed to God’s law. The chapter also talks about capital punishment. The state isrepparttar 113458 one entity sanctioned by God to “bearrepparttar 113459 sword...” The Nohaic Covenant establishedrepparttar 113460 right of capital punishment. If a man takesrepparttar 113461 life of another human being by murder, his life is required for that life. (I’ve never understoodrepparttar 113462 logic behind drafting a teenager to fight and die in a war, and then arguing that it’s wrong to execute a convicted killer. Maybe we should draftrepparttar 113463 convicted killer to fight and die in our wars and letrepparttar 113464 teenagers go on with their lives.)

We live in an imperfect society. Man’s justice can fail. Innocent people can get hurt. That’s why it is important to adhere to God’s order of society, laid out in His Word. God with His guidance can be our safeguard against injustices. Nevertheless, just because our justice system in America is flawed by imperfect men does not give usrepparttar 113465 right to rebel againstrepparttar 113466 law ofrepparttar 113467 land by refusing to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. God has ordained human government. Law and order is good, and God sanctions it forrepparttar 113468 good of all.

If you would, please indulge me in a few personal comments somewhat related to today’s topic.

American patriots were willing to declare war against England for their National Independence. Do you remember why? It involved more than just a complaint about “taxation without representation.” The American patriots were not lawless men. There had to be a greater cause to rebel rather than unfair trade laws. What was it? As far back in world history asrepparttar 113469 Protestant Reformation, John Calvin who was one ofrepparttar 113470 greatest thinkers and Biblical scholars of all times began to write and publish his views regarding Biblical societies (what they were and how they operate). He believed that societies could function forrepparttar 113471 good ofrepparttar 113472 believer and glorify God. He believed, among other things, that law and order had to be upheld in society to suppressrepparttar 113473 debased nature of man that could be ruthless. His ideas were put into practice and worked well. His teaching influenced many great minds ofrepparttar 113474 day. Together with Calvin, these men and their ideas revolutionized church and state governments. Over time,repparttar 113475 teachings evolved and influenced European groups likerepparttar 113476 Puritans of England. This led torepparttar 113477 expansion of Calvin’s ideas of law and order being implemented inrepparttar 113478 “New England” America. Sorepparttar 113479 philosophy regarding representative rule in government, andrepparttar 113480 sacredness of human life were sown duringrepparttar 113481 Reformation; they were later carried acrossrepparttar 113482 Atlantic byrepparttar 113483 Pilgrims and Puritans to buildrepparttar 113484 “New Jerusalem”, inrepparttar 113485 new world.

Byrepparttar 113486 18th centuryrepparttar 113487 enlightenment age was producing authors that began to expand onrepparttar 113488 idea of man’s inalienable rights. These writers agreed that man had God given rights that only God could give or take away. These enlightened writers expressed this in literature thatrepparttar 113489 European intellectuals andrepparttar 113490 American patriots were reading. The thought that men had rights that no government could infringe upon was fanningrepparttar 113491 flames of Revolution in America. Over time these American Revolutionaries began to embrace these ideas and promote them openly as America’s right to national independence. With this philosophy in hand,repparttar 113492 patriots felt they had a divine right to wage war against England. When they draftedrepparttar 113493 Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, they defended their right for Independence against tyranny by underscoring man’s divine rights: no human government hadrepparttar 113494 right to supersederepparttar 113495 Highest Law inrepparttar 113496 universe. God’s Law isrepparttar 113497 highest law.

And now here we are over 200 years later in America again divided on whether or notrepparttar 113498 U. S. Constitution isrepparttar 113499 highest law. If it is, then every state and federal law is subject to it, andrepparttar 113500 U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation ofrepparttar 113501 U. S. Constitution. I’m calling for a revolution, not with sword or rifle. I’m calling for Christians in America to stand up and be counted. I’m calling for Christians to honor God’s Law, His way of doing things. A nation that denounces God’s Law is bound to fail. That is, my friend,repparttar 113502 lesson of history. Pastor T.

Writes devotions


A month in the life of the drug war

Written by Kurt St. Angelo


Continued from page 1

On November 15,repparttar Star reported thatrepparttar 113454 state police are keeping a list of people withinrepparttar 113455 state who buy painkillers prescribed by doctors. Yet six days later,repparttar 113456 paper announced that some ofrepparttar 113457 most addictive prescription drugs onrepparttar 113458 market are not monitored at all in Indiana. This means thatrepparttar 113459 state is no more protecting us from prescription drug abuse than fromrepparttar 113460 illegal kind. And thanks to our misguided drug policies, onlyrepparttar 113461 black market offers medical privacy.

Also on November 15,repparttar 113462 Star's web site carried an interview with Lt. Randall West, 31-year police veteran and head ofrepparttar 113463 Dangerous Drugs Section ofrepparttar 113464 Indianapolis Police Department. Lt. West said almost exactly what I did during my Libertarian campaign for Prosecutor: that "(a)s long as there's a profit in dealing drugs, we're pretty much fighting an uphill battle."

On November 19,repparttar 113465 Star reported that one Indianapolis pharmacy filled 120 prescriptions of narcotic OxyContin for Colts' owner Jim Irsay. The article said that in one 24-day period last spring, Irsay got 400 tablets ofrepparttar 113466 narcotic. This quantity is almost a year's supply for thousands of other chronic pain-sufferers who needlessly struggle to get their needs met through our present system.

The Libertarian solution to our present drug mess is to treat everyone as if they owned an NFL franchise. Return to peoplerepparttar 113467 freedom to treat their own conditions any way they choose – just like rich Americans can now – with strong doses of expert consultation from doctors, pharmacists, nutritionists, and other health professionals. We shouldn’t have to be rich and fly to a foreign country to get our drug needs met. Advancing freedom of choice and self-responsibility, as opposed to governmental control, will improve health, cut costs and save lives.

November 23 was also a big day in drug news. The Star reported 1) that Damen Lake, a felon caught in a high speed car chase, was a crack addict wanted for robbery, 2) that an Indianapolis drug distribution company was fined $350,000 byrepparttar 113468 DEA because "hundreds of thousands of dosage units of controlled substances, such as hydrocodone and Tylenol with codeine, were missing," and 3) that a prominent Indianapolis plastic surgeon who supplied Irsay surrendered his federal permit to prescribe narcotics.

I have to hand it torepparttar 113469 Indianapolis Star newspaper and WTHR television. Their reporters definitely give us enough information to make good political decisions. Almost without exception, their numerous drug stories in November 2002 factually demonstraterepparttar 113470 Libertarian view that drug prohibition cannot succeed and that it does far more harm than good.

I suspect November 2002 is similar in drug news to that of today. I invite you to use your local media to chroniclerepparttar 113471 destructiveness of our drug policies in your community. If it weren’t for prohibition, there would be fewer drug store heists, car thefts, prescription abuses, car chases, murders, and acts of terrorism. There would be less bad news to report.

The solution is political. It means voting againstrepparttar 113472 political parties that gave us our dysfunctional and destructive drug policies. The ultimate solution is to free everyone from others' control. That isrepparttar 113473 meaning of liberty. What are we waiting for?

Attorney, screenwriter and Libertarian Party activist in Indianapolis


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