In The Road Ahead, “3.X” series, I’ll be looking at our responsibilities as citizens.
Romans 13:1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
If you are not a Christian, then the passage quoted above has no power for you. But if you are, mark well: you are enjoined to obey the law and to show respect to civil authority. Peter makes clear elsewhere (I Peter 2:13-20), that obedience to civil authority extends even to abusive civil authority.
If you don’t find those scriptures and others persuasive, let me make an appeal to conscience. Our society owes a deep debt to a tradition of the rule of law. While we see that tradition widely abused nowadays–often by those charged with enforcing the law–that does not render our obligations null and void. People of good conscience will obey the law and seek to change bad law by good conduct, working within the system to make changes as much as humanly possible.
Praying meanwhile for divine intervention in the cause of justice.
But more, it is our duty as citizens in a representative republic too much tainted by a legal fiction of democracy and dominated by a political elite and their bureaucratic leeches, to work, to strive, to peacefully militate for good law, justly enforced.
To that end, I am asking for contributions–through comments or guest posts (contact me via email or in comments if you wish to guest or cross post on this subject matter) dealing with, “What I can do to make our government, our laws and their administration, more just.” Anything from the nuts and bolts of building a precinct structure to effect political change to pressuring congresscritters and others to Do the Right Thing–and any other common sense actions that common citizens can take–is welcome.
“What I can do to make our government, our laws and their administration, more just.”
From here? Diddley squat apparently. The socialists and unions have a stranglehold here in this forever blue county. The only thing I can do to make the government above me more just is to move to where there is such a government. Third World County perhaps?
Woody, despair isn’t just a deadly sin; it’s bad tactics. 🙂 (Yeh, I stole that from Jerry Pournelle.)
Correct me if I misremember, but you’re in Buckeye country, right? Unions there will stranglehold themselves to death, sooner or later. The socialists are in the majority only insofar as they can continue to jigger the vote. Look for upcoming “TRA” posts that will deal with specific political things you can do to ameliorate things, right where you are, in what you perceive as the middle of “Injun Country”.