Christians have been targeted by Evil ever since Day One, because Christians believe in and teach LOVE for others.
That is the important, worldly part of Christianity. Christians aren't persecuted because they are going to Heaven; they are persecuted because here, in THIS world, they believe in and teach LOVE -- and that requires that they not align themselves with cruelty and other evil -- which almost always includes the State.
The same is true for other true religions -- that is, religions that teach LOVE instead of accepting and teaching malice. Align yourself with Evil in this world and you're usually left alone; refuse Evil, preach and practice love and compassion, and [they] come after you.
My fondest hope for the Great Awakening is that it bring an END to that, so that decent, compassionate people are left alone and unharmed because Evil no longer has such power in this world.
So everyone on this board is going to Hell in a handbasket then, I take it. All of America is cursed because our ancestors fought the Authority of the British Empire.
Romans 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to higher powers: for there is no power but from God: and those that are, are ordained of God. Therefore he that resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God. And they that resist, purchase to themselves damnation.
Naturally, we are not to obey any laws which would cause us to sin, but outside of this, we are called to obey the government.
MOST of today's laws and regulations ARE SINS -- they harm the innocent, steal from the productive to wreak havoc in aggressive wars and among the American people with "regulation" that harms the masses while enriching the hyper-wealthy, and so on.
The now-mostly-forgotten Common Law was a reasonable framework, and Jesus' single new Commandment (to love one another) is truly ALL we need for the base of a legal framework, since Love includes allowing others their Freedom (you don't enslave, harm, steal from, or tyrannize those you love).
As Cicero pointed out: The more laws, the more corruption. What does that make modern America, for instance?
Even in Jesus' day, governments were nightmares of corruption, cruelty, and evil. I've always questioned those two verses; I can't comment on the translation but the plain-text reading of them is simply WRONG and I can't help but wonder if a scribe or whoever wrote them (don't say "God" because human hands wrote the words and humans do NOT always get things right -- not to mention all the tinkering that was done as time went on) was perhaps either describing something that SHOULD and WOULD be right IF the world were a healthy place instead of being run by criminals and psychopaths, AND/OR was trying to shield the young Christian movement from government attacks and outright democide.
John: 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Christians have been targeted by Evil ever since Day One, because Christians believe in and teach LOVE for others.
That is the important, worldly part of Christianity. Christians aren't persecuted because they are going to Heaven; they are persecuted because here, in THIS world, they believe in and teach LOVE -- and that requires that they not align themselves with cruelty and other evil -- which almost always includes the State.
The same is true for other true religions -- that is, religions that teach LOVE instead of accepting and teaching malice. Align yourself with Evil in this world and you're usually left alone; refuse Evil, preach and practice love and compassion, and [they] come after you.
My fondest hope for the Great Awakening is that it bring an END to that, so that decent, compassionate people are left alone and unharmed because Evil no longer has such power in this world.
Romans 13 tells us that the State is good and that we are to obey it.
So everyone on this board is going to Hell in a handbasket then, I take it. All of America is cursed because our ancestors fought the Authority of the British Empire.
Etc.
Romans 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to higher powers: for there is no power but from God: and those that are, are ordained of God. Therefore he that resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God. And they that resist, purchase to themselves damnation.
Naturally, we are not to obey any laws which would cause us to sin, but outside of this, we are called to obey the government.
MOST of today's laws and regulations ARE SINS -- they harm the innocent, steal from the productive to wreak havoc in aggressive wars and among the American people with "regulation" that harms the masses while enriching the hyper-wealthy, and so on.
The now-mostly-forgotten Common Law was a reasonable framework, and Jesus' single new Commandment (to love one another) is truly ALL we need for the base of a legal framework, since Love includes allowing others their Freedom (you don't enslave, harm, steal from, or tyrannize those you love).
As Cicero pointed out: The more laws, the more corruption. What does that make modern America, for instance?
Even in Jesus' day, governments were nightmares of corruption, cruelty, and evil. I've always questioned those two verses; I can't comment on the translation but the plain-text reading of them is simply WRONG and I can't help but wonder if a scribe or whoever wrote them (don't say "God" because human hands wrote the words and humans do NOT always get things right -- not to mention all the tinkering that was done as time went on) was perhaps either describing something that SHOULD and WOULD be right IF the world were a healthy place instead of being run by criminals and psychopaths, AND/OR was trying to shield the young Christian movement from government attacks and outright democide.
John: 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.