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dtom

Secular Theocracy: The Folly of Modern Tyranny

We live in an increasingly secularized world of massive and pervasive nation states in which traditional religion, especially Christianity, is ruled unwelcome and even a real danger on the basis of a purported history of intolerance and "religious violence." This view is found in most all "public" domains, including the institutions of education, business, government, welfare, transportation, parks and recreation, science, art, foreign affairs, economics, entertainment, and the media. A secularized public square policed by government is viewed as providing a neutral, rational, free, and safe domain that keeps the "irrational" forces of religion from creating conflict and darkness. And we are told that real progress requires expanding this domain by pushing religion ever backward into remote corners of society where it has little or no influence.

In short, modern America has become a secular theocracy with a civic religion of national politics (nationalism) occupying the public realm in which government has replaced God.

For the renowned Christian scholar and writer C.S. Lewis, such a view was fatally flawed morally, intellectually, and spiritually, producing the twentieth-century rise of the total state, total war, and mega-genocides. For Lewis, Christianity provided the one true and coherent worldview that applied to all human aspirations and endeavors. As he wrote in The Weight of Glory, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

In his book, The Discarded Image, Lewis revealed that for Medieval Christians, there was no sacred/secular divide and that this unified, theo-political worldview of hope, joy, liberty, justice, and purpose from the loving grace of God enabled them to discover the objective, natural-law principles of ethics, science, and theology, producing immense human flourishing.

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  • http://christianworldview.net/ John H

    A great book that clearly lays out this myth that Christians have swallowed (that our faith and God have no right to influence the public square) is Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth. Use the Look Inside feature to get a taste.
    http://www.amazon.com/Total-Truth-Study-Guide-Pap

    Unless and until Christians realize that the true reality of this world is as God says it is and not mankind's to define, we will see continued decline and increased persecution of those few who do speak out. If you don't believe it, just look north of the U.S. to see one example of where we are headed. http://chalcedon.edu/research/articles/the-push-i

  • http://www.missiontoisrael.org TedRWeiland

    "Not all theocracies are Christian. Some are Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, and some are secular. There is no escaping theocracy. A government’s laws reflect its morality, and the source of that morality (or, more often than not, immorality) is its god. It is never a question of theocracy or no theocracy, but whose theocracy. The American people, by way of their elected officials, are the source of the Constitutional Republic’s laws. Therefore, the Constitutional Republic’s god is WE THE PEOPLE.

    "People recoil at the idea of a theocracy’s morality being forced upon them, but because all governments are theocracies, someone’s morality is always being enforced. This is an inevitability of government. The question is which god, theocracy, laws, and morality will we choose to live under?" Excerpted from "The Preamble: WE THE PEOPLE vs. YHWH" at http://www.missiontoisrael.org/biblelaw-constitut….

    Find out how much you really know about the Constitution as compared to Yahweh's moral law (His commandments, statutes, and judgments). Take our Constitution Survey at http://www.missiontoisrael.org/constitutionsurvey… and receive a free copy of the "Primer" (an 85 page book, normally $7 plus shipping) of "Bible Law vs. the United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective."

    • http://rationalresponses.blogspot.com/ Jeff Dixon

      A secular view is not a theocracy. That is your second mistake. Your first is assuming that a belief in Jesus is actually any type of valid belief.

    • Vladimir

      Ted, you said, "…all governments are theocracies". Let me help you out a bit. The definition of a theocracy is:

      "…a form of government in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided…"

      Unless you can show otherwise, the only countries that are theocracies are Islamic. And they only claim divine guidance through their Mullahs and Imams. We all know that's false, so it seems that there are, in actuality, no theocracies in current operation.

      • http://www.missiontoisrael.org TedRWeiland

        Vladimir, I'm not sure where you got your definition (please let me know) for "theocracy," but I love it, and, in my opinion, it only goes to prove my point. The framers admitted that their inspiration (and their authority, power, etc.) came from themselves, not Yahweh:

        "George Washington (who presided over the Constitutional Convention) confirmed this self-originating authority in his 'Farewell Address':

        'This government, the offspring of our own choice uninfluenced and unawed, adopted upon full investigation and mature deliberation, completely free in its principles, in the distribution of its powers, uniting security with energy, and containing within itself a provision for its own amendment, has a just claim to your confidence and support.' (George Washington, Worthington Chauncey Ford, ed., The Writings of George Washington, 14 vols. (New York; NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1892) vol. 13, p. 297.)

        "The Constitutional Republic’s fifth president, James Monroe, concurred: 'The people, the highest authority known in our system, from whom all our institutions spring and on whom they depend, formed it.' (James Monroe, “Views of the President of the United States on the Subject of Internal Improvements,” 4 May 1822, http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents

        "John Adams confessed to the same humanism regarding the States’ Constitutions:

        'It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service [the establishment of the States’ Constitutions] had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the inspiration of Heaven … it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses…. Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone….' (John Adams, The Works of John Adams, 10 vols. (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company, 1865) vol. 4, pp. 292-93.)

        Excerpted from "The Preamble: WE THE PEOPLE vs. YHWH" at http://www.missiontoisrael.org/biblelaw-constitut….

        I stand by my previous statement: "There is no escaping theocracy. A government’s laws reflect its morality, and the source of that morality (or, more often than not, immorality) is its god. It is never a question of theocracy or no theocracy, but whose theocracy."

  • Thinkings

    Thoughtful and clear, well said. Today with the rise of National Socialism (our black swan!) it is interesting to see how National Socialism of the 30's – how they used “religion” and took over the German church which oaths to the state were greater than that to Christ. In fact Eucharist was centered on the state not Jesus. We are in the same days as the French revolution, The Weimar Republic, and the Russian overthrow of 1917. Today we have the fruit of the last 100 years of Progressive Democrats and our current Occupy Now soros movement/Unions/Government Triune godhead that is now leading us into it! _IF all is met with silence again by the church we can expect the same result – death, loss of freedom, violence in and by the state on different mosaic groups that don’t fit their vision. We see this with Islamist Brotherhood, SOTU, Occupy Now and from the Federal Gov against anything Christian. If we don’t speak out clearly (as you are!) and act as we must…we are faced with two choices – one that is right and the other which is painfully easy._

  • JudyY

    Just wanted to pass along this email I received.

    This Coming Sunday– Set Your DVR for the Fox News channel at 9:00 PM eastern. Maybe this is why the White House has been discounting FOX. Sounds like this could be history in the making – someone may go down – either Obama or Fox News. It may be that Fox has been holding this information back due to the sensitivity of it and out of courtesy. But, Obama has taken on Fox and it appears they are ready to spill the ugly beans of truth about the background of this individual who has had an extremely radical past. This Sunday, Fox News is going to air a very important documentary about Barack Obama, Sunday night at 9P.M. Eastern. The report will go back to Obama's earlier days, showing even then his close ties to radical Marxist professors, friends, spiritual advisers, etc.

  • toothful

    Are y'all prepared to meet our responsibility, our duty, and our right as set forth in The Declaration of Independence?

    Our Founding Fathers warned U.S. that whenever our Government BEGINS to become destructive of our Creator endowed rights and liberties, that we are to attempt to ALTER its course by means of the ballot box, and if unsuccessful, then, We the People of the United States of America are to ABOLISH (off throw) such government and reestablish a new one upon the original precepts and principles of a Nation "under" GOD, as well as replacing all of the irresponsible watchmen with new, loyal patriots.

    Ya' can't get any more destructive of our Creator endowed rights and liberties than to "rid" U.S. of our Creator!

    Did you read about the atheistic, humanistic, secularistic, naturalistic evolutionists' "foolish", favorite, physicist, Hawking, recently declaring that there is no Creator?

    Vote wisely, may be our last attempt,
    mercy, grace, peace

  • Chris P

    "National Socialism" – are we a little paranoid. Probably better than a theocracy.

    So which religion gets to write the rules? Show me which religion has total agreement on what their religion is all about and how their members are all wonderful people that are more moral and correct than any other group of people?

  • indian cowboy

    Chris P. Wow, that's a toughie. Take it you don't get out much. Don't expect others to open your eyes for you.