Posted on 02/02/2013 7:04:02 PM PST by John Leland 1789
A response to my column, Catholics Defy ObamaCare! What About Fundamentalist Churches and Universities? reveals a lack of understanding many people have as to the responsibility of Christians in the face of government intrusion into their ministries.
Most people obviously do not understand what all historians have known for two thousand years. The second century church leader, Tertullian observed, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Pagans (all non-Christians) observed that Christians who willingly went to their deaths influenced numerous unbelievers to trust Christ who then themselves became martyrs.
My critic sarcastically asked, "And how much stronger would the church have been made had all Christians refused and been killed?" Evidently, he did not know how persecution happened in the Roman Empire. The persecution was not constant, but took place in "fits and starts." Moreover, the worst part of persecution took place in selected localized areas, depending upon the local rulers, urban or rural areas, etc. Furthermore, many Christians did not "go public" and, therefore, did not face persecution. Believers who refused to obey Caesar and made much to do about it were given an opportunity to recant and deny Christ and some did so. And later recanted their recantation.
My critic said that case law amends the Constitution but he is wrong. If that were true, it would mean that the Constitution would be constantly changing. Case law is a constantly developing body of law which has made new interpretations of law which can be used as a precedent in similar cases. He has it backwards: case law does not amend the Constitution but case law is determined by the Constitution. The Constitution must go through the amending process before it can be changed. Radicals want the Constitution to be "flexible" so that anything can be read into it to justify things like ObamaCare, abortion, homosexuality, etc. My critic declared, "So all it would take to silence the churches in this country would be for them to all commit hairy kerry (sic) as soon as they have less then (sic) 100% religious liberty." I assume he meant to write "hara-kiri," not hairy kerry, but then I often presume too much.
But back to his previous mistake about the martyrs. No, the church would not be silenced, at least not true churches. It might be one of the best things to happen in America if a thousand preachers went to jail for refusing to obey an oppressive government order. During 1662, over 2,000 preachers in England lost their pulpits or went to jail for refusing to obey the king's order to strictly adhere to the Book of Common Prayer. In the 1600s, the government of England started losing control of religion in Wales when hundreds of independent churches and chapels were established by nonconformist Independents, Baptists, Quakers, and others. The Nonconformists were gaining too much influence in England and Wales so the King and Parliament decided to bring them under control. The Act of Uniformity of 1662 required all ministers to assent to the rites and liturgy of the Established Church. In fact, all clergy, college professors, and schoolmasters had to agree with everything in the Book of Common Prayer! All clerics who refused to follow the common prayer book were ejected from the Church. Out of approximately 10,000 preachers throughout the country, about 2,000 were ejected (and some went to jail) but 20% to 25% of the country continued to worship illegally, holding secret services in barns and other unapproved locations. That could happen here.
My critic wrote, "I understand those who have drawn the line here, and wish them success. But souls are still being saved that wont be if everyone gives up and goes home at the first sign of trouble." He made a gargantuan leap in logic when he suggested that people won't become Christians if individuals, churches, and businesses refuse to obey ObamaCare in obedience to the Bible and their conscience. I suggest that such courageous action would prove to the cynical world that there are still people who will do what is right if it costs them everythingthat was everything: reputation, job, home, business, retirement plan, and personal freedom. He accused Christians of going home at the first sign of trouble." Principled people are not running home; they are fighting in court; they are going on record that they will not obey the law even if they lose in court. Whatever happens in court, they know the end result: they will not obey the law! Wow, that takes courage, character, and commitment to biblical principles. Government officials, judges, media, and politicians have not met many people like that. They will be shocked when businesses, churches, hospitals, orphanages, schools and other entities are closed by the government and the leaders are marched off to jail!
Some potential compromisers have begun to set the stage (and self-justification) for their eventual compliance by stating that ObamaCare may force them to violate their consciences, which is not a biblical response. The principled response is, I wont comply whatever the threats or consequences. Period. No room for negotiation (read: compromise). Others have said, Americans have no choice in this matter. But of course we do. We have the choice to say, Yes or No. That is a choice. I have made my decision.
(Dr. Don Boys is a former member of the Indiana House of Representatives, author of 14 books, frequent guest on television and radio talk shows, and wrote columns for USA Today for 8 years. Three years ago, the second edition of ISLAM: America's Trojan Horse! was published, and his new eBook, The God Haters is available for $9.99 from www.thegodhaters.com. These columns go to newspapers, magazines, television, and radio stations. His other web sites are www.cstnews.com and www.Muslimfact.com. Contact Don for an interview or talk show.)
Copyright 2013, Don Boys, Ph.D.
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answer - some will. the more liberal the denomination, the more likely they will, if they are not already paying for it.
There are some things you can compromise and some you can’t.
Agreeing to pay for the killing of babies is not something that any real Christian can possibly agree to.
The line in this case is very clear.
Compromise is when both sides give up something. I have yet to see Obama give up anything.
How can we compromise on Obama are? We would be bargaining our rights away.
I agree.
But I say to my shame that my tax dollars already pay for abortions and I have not refused to pay my taxes. As long as our taxes are going to Planned Parenthood we are enabling the vast majority of abortions in this country simply by earning a wage and being willing to pay our taxes. The time to go to jail over this started a long, long time ago.
That’s no reason to not start over and do the right thing now. But the way the forces of evil wear us down is by bloodying our hands before we even know it’s being done, and then it’s much harder to draw a line in the sand, knowing you’ve already violated the logical line.
What compromise? “My way or the highway” only means something when there IS a highway to get away from this monstrosity that is misnamed “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2011”.
MASSIVE RESISTANCE TO ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS OF THIS PILE OF CRAPOLA IS THE ONLY SANE RESPONSE. That said, what effective means do we have to resist the effects of this unworkable and ineffectual piece of legislation? Escape to another country does not seem to be an option, as there are fewer and fewer places anywhere that are not also mired in their own set of cockamamie rules and counter-intuitive actions against both the will and the best interests of those subjects ensnared by such gimmicks.
First, take back responsibility for your own health. By refusing to either maintain a government-sanctioned “insurance policy” filled with mandates and exclusions, or to pay the fines imposed for refusing to participate in this fraudulent practice, there is a very real probability that at some time or another, you shall be found in violation of the law as written. But if enough people resist, there are simply not enough law enforcement officers out there to capture them all.
This is much like trying to locate all the illegal immigrants in this country, both those who came legally but overstayed their visa, or those who entered clandestinely and never had a visa at all. The job of finding them is judged to be “impossible”, so their presence is unoffically tolerated by the supposed authorities in this country. Likewise with a sufficient number of people who resist this health legislation, throwing maybe 10% or more of the population into some kind of detention is not a practical response to the problem.
There would just be a lot of hardened attitudes, and just possibly, the nucleus of the creation of a breakaway republic within that territory once known as “the United States of America”.
Secession has never been tested in a court of law as to whether it is legal or not, it has only been suppressed by superior military action and economic embargo. “One Nation, under God, Indivisible” would still be operable, if in fact, we WERE “under God”, but effectively, nearly half of the people of this country no longer believe this nation is “under God”.
So the part that believes breaks away from the part that does not sincerely believe in that maxim.
“But back to his previous mistake about the martyrs. No, the church would not be silenced, at least not true churches. It might be one of the best things to happen in America if a thousand preachers went to jail for refusing to obey an oppressive government order. During 1662, over 2,000 preachers in England lost their pulpits or went to jail for refusing to obey the king’s order to strictly adhere to the Book of Common Prayer. In the 1600s, the government of England started losing control of religion in Wales when hundreds of independent churches and chapels were established by nonconformist Independents, Baptists, Quakers, and others. The Nonconformists were gaining too much influence in England and Wales so the King and Parliament decided to bring them under control. The Act of Uniformity of 1662 required all ministers to assent to the rites and liturgy of the Established Church. In fact, all clergy, college professors, and schoolmasters had to agree with everything in the Book of Common Prayer! All clerics who refused to follow the common prayer book were ejected from the Church. Out of approximately 10,000 preachers throughout the country, about 2,000 were ejected (and some went to jail) but 20% to 25% of the country continued to worship illegally, holding secret services in barns and other unapproved locations. That could happen here. “
Well said.
Diogenesis~:” “Who cares if the Constitution says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”
Since when did Socialism , or humanism become a religion ?
These are rights , ‘God given rights’ to all men of this
country, and they shall not be abridged or infringed .
You can rewrite history , but you cannot rewrite the Constitution !
I don’t trust anybody in Washington to rewrite any of my rights,
nor the Constitution, as they all have proven unworthy !
The ‘Founding Fathers’ have proven their worth by their blood and their sacrifice on our behalf
I admire your stand for principals and I believe you have the fortitude to act on those principals. Yet when the JBT's (jack booted thugs) come knocking on doors, most Americans will cave as they have no principals.
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