Religion and Politics

[wisper]

There is not enough history to show what is great about a republic; ancient Greece in Athens and America, for a short period. We were warned that the fore fathers were giving us (in the Constitution) a republic, with an inferred warning,
IF YOU CAN KEEP IT!
As far as politics goes, we are supposedly a democracy, but some would say thats just another word for socialism, or at least, the first step. In one of the religion threads I posted as the solution to most the legal problems, the CONSTITUTION OF THE UNIVERSE. hERE IT IS AGAIN

The Constitution of the Universe

(1976)

Preamble

*The purpose of conscious life is to live creatively, happily, eternally.

*The function of government is to provide the conditions that let individuals fulfill that purpose. The Constitution of the Universe guarantees those conditions by forbidding the use of initiatory force, fraud, or coercion by any person or group against any individual, property, or contract.

Article 1

No person, group of persons, or government shall initiate force, threat of force, or fraud against any individual's self, property, or contract.

Article 2

Force is morally-and-legally justified only for protection from those who violate Article 1.

Article 3

No exceptions shall exist for Articles 1 and 2.

Premises

1. Values exist only relative to life.

2. Whatever benefits a living organism is a value to that organism.

3. Whatever harms a living organism is a disvalue to that organism.

4. The value against which all values are measured is conscious life.

5. Morals apply only to conscious individuals.

* Immoral actions arise (1) from individuals who harm others through force, fraud, or coercion and (2) from individuals who usurp, degrade, or destroy values created or earned by others.


* Moral actions arise from individuals who honestly create and competitively produce values to benefit self, others, and humanity.

THIS CONSTITUTION AND CICERO'S TREATISE ON LAW IS WHERE WE NEED TO BE:

Cicero's Natural Law

Below is Cicero’s definition of natural law from his book, On the Republic, published in 51 BC. While reading, substitute the secular word “Nature” for the mystical word “God”:

"True law is right reason in agreement with nature, universal, consistent, everlasting, whose nature is to advocate duty by prescription and to deter wrongdoing by prohibition. Good men obey its prescriptions and prohibitions, but evil men disobey them. It is forbidden by God to alter this law, nor is it permissible to repeal any part of it, and it is impossible to abolish the whole of it. Neither the Senate nor the People can absolve us from obeying this law and we do not need to look outside ourselves for an expounder or interpreter of this law. There will not be one law at Rome and another law at Athens. There is now and will be forever one law, valid for all peoples and all times. And there will be one master and ruler for all of us in common, God, who is the author of this law, its promulgator, and enforcing judge. Whoever does not obey this law is trying to escape himself and to deny his nature as a human being. By this very fact, he will suffer the greatest penalties, even if he should somehow escape conventional punishments."


Next lets just review what history shows regarding religion:
http://www.infidels.org/library/mode...ught/holy.html

What makes it easy for these (religion & politics) to take control of whole populations?

[The Great Owl]

I was trying to enlighten a friend this weekend and he basically ran a similar logic that basically the natural tendancy of the masses is to let themselves slip into the grip of tyrany.

Most people don't like responsibility (freedom is slavery) and want to be taken care of and told what to do. A very few people lust for power and will use any means necessary to lord over the masses.

Humans seem to have a unique "God sense" call it the duality of man, immortal soul, whatever, we tend to seek higher truths and a connection with a greater infinite wisdom (God). This is a MAJOR drive/need for the human being, it's as real as hunger, thirst, and need to procreate. The few who lust for power take advantage of this.

I would have to say that a Republican form of government is the highest ideal ever formulated. Unfortunately, apathy, laziness, and ignorance of the masses are it's downfall... and the reason that the few can enslave the many so easily. My personal theory is that people en masse will need to reach a new spiritual paradigm before a lasting republic could ever last.

[wisper]

[quote=The Great Owl]I was trying to enlighten a friend this weekend and he basically ran a similar logic that basically the natural tendancy of the masses is to let themselves slip into the grip of tyrany.

Rather than a natural tendancy to slip, which would be terrible, I think that Pete Hendrickson ( CRACKING THE CODE) has defined the problem more like being *lead down a path*,and admonishes us to share with the new generations, the fable THE EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES, so they can learn much of human behavior and particularly the foibles of institutionalized power.

"Most people don't like responsibility (freedom is slavery) and want to be taken care of and told what to do. A very few people lust for power and will use any means necessary to lord over the masses."

It is my opinion that many good people like responsibility and though it is true that there are those who lust for power, they are an unchecked minority. Hendrickson goes on to make the point that there is indeed a vast conspiracy
of deception, and there are many players, but it is a soft conspiracy, as opposed to a hard, cold and calculated one. It is a conspiracy without an explicit plot, but nonetheless advancing a common agenda, which he compares to paracitic infestation. Each individual parasite isn't necessarily aware of the activities of its fellows, but each in undirected concert contributes to the destruction of the host!


"Humans seem to have a unique "God sense" call it the duality of man, immortal soul, whatever, we tend to seek higher truths and a connection with a greater infinite wisdom (God). This is a MAJOR drive/need for the human being, it's as real as hunger, thirst, and need to procreate. The few who lust for power take advantage of this."

Conscious humans-- yes I agree. I respectfully disagree that all feel the drive/need for the wisdom however. Once man has satisfied his basic needs it is for those in search of the reasons to exist, *happiness and productive contribution* to be exposed to a philosophy of life in the conscious realm. Only from a philosophy come the conscious understandings of ethics (and morality), and in my opinion, Ayn Rand's *PHILOSOPHY-WHO NEEDS IT* explains it so well! As far as a lust for power, it could be softened somewhat to accommodate the future leaders in not only the republican government, but-that governmant existing in another scenario which has hardly been tried in man's history-that being capitalism, which stearted and ended in America in a short span within the 20th century.


"I would have to say that a Republican form of government is the highest ideal ever formulated. Unfortunately, apathy, laziness, and ignorance of the masses are it's downfall... and the reason that the few can enslave the many so easily. My personal theory is that people en masse will need to reach a new spiritual paradigm before a lasting republic could ever last.

And I would add- a Republican form of government, embracing hands off free enterprise Capitalism, and the expose' of myth and mysticism (ala the Matrix)
are closer to the new reality than the end of our civilisation at the thresh hold of annilation. To be right, will require the end of mysticism ,from the Platonic meme, through the Attila and the witch doctor memes( politics and religious). Hendrickson says , "It is a conspiracy of sloth,and ignorance and plunder and fear. And a good share of corruption and lies, of course."