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To: Aquamarine
Personally, I've never read anything about constitutional government in the Bible, which seems to have a distinctly monarchist slant. I've never read a bible story about President David or the wisdom Prime Minister Solomon, though in the case of the former, I think parliamentary oversight might have helped. Jesus certainly wasn't crucified for claiming to be a democratically elected representative of the Jewish people.

Of course you do find a lot of this democracy stuff in the secular humanist writings of Locke and Hobbes. But yes, you're probably right. Its in the Bible, probably buried somewhere between Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

And just what is Judeo-Christianity, anyway? Christianity without the compassion? Judaism without the intellect? Islam without the submission? Someone please explain.
23 posted on 07/12/2004 7:58:26 PM PDT by californialiberal
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To: californialiberal
Christianity without the compassion?

It's full of compassion for the innocent. The link that I made to the article on post 16 will answer all of your questions or did you just want to argue?

25 posted on 07/12/2004 8:41:11 PM PDT by Aquamarine
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To: californialiberal
May I suggest that you read I Samuel chapter 8
8:1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
8:2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
8:3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
8:5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 8:7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
8:8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
8:9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
8:10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
8:11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
8:12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
8:13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
8:14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
8:15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
8:16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
8:17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
8:18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

8:19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
8:20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
8:21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
8:022 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.
Written before Athens was free, this is one of the earliest attacks on monarchy in the world.
For that matter, read the other prophets. Far more kings were evil than good.
30 posted on 07/12/2004 10:49:21 PM PDT by rmlew (Peaceniks and isolationists are objectively pro-Terrorist)
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