The Ultimate Paradox?

In this Oct. 21, 2019, photo, a poster promoting a cartoon version George Orwell’s novel “Animal … [+] ASSOCIATED PRESS

The people of this country will never fix what is wrong with this country as long as they cannot come to any sort of agreement as to what function government is supposed to serve. If you listen to people debate politics, (who should hold office, and what they should be allowed to do once they get there), you will find a wide variety of thoughts as to what things government should do. Some think government should created jobs; others think it should keep the world safe; while there are others who believe it should provide benefits for those in need.

What I find interesting is the fact that, when asked where people get their beliefs on the matter from, most of them cannot tell you. People align themselves behind the different political parties without being able to fully explain why that party is better than the other one. The sad thing is, when someone comes along and shows them a historical document that tells the people what function government is supposed to serve, the people act as if you are a heretic; a blasphemer.

That is why we will never fix what is wrong; we cannot agree with one another over the question of what function government is supposed to serve. Without that starting point, that baseline reference, how are we to discern if government is, or is not, serving the function that it is supposed to?

There is a movie called The Gods Must Be Crazy about a tribe of African people who live away from industrialized society. One day they encounter an empty coke bottle that was tossed out of an airplane and decide it must be a gift from their gods. The problem is, as they do not know what the bottle is, they begin to argue with one another over how it should be used. Finally Xi, one of the tribesmen, embarks on a journey to toss the bottle off the end of the world.

As an analogy, that coke bottle is government; people fight amongst one another over how to use it without knowing what purpose it is supposed to serve. And, as an analogy, the best solution is to get rid of that which causes such discord among the people. The problem, in our case, is that people have become addicted to, dependent upon, that which causes all this discord – government. When one suggests getting rid of government, they are looked upon as if they have lost their cotton-picking minds.

If you were to ask people what function government is supposed to serve, then ask them what document outlines that function, I would be willing to bet that many would tell you that the function of government is found in the Constitution; in the Preamble, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Nice try, but that answer would be incorrect; simply because people do not know what a preamble is. A preamble is defined as an introductory statement that explains the purpose for which a document is written. The Constitution outlines a system of government, and the Preamble defines the purpose the drafters sought to achieve when outlining that system of government. There is a rather large difference between what function government is supposed to serve, and what goal the drafters of the Constitution sought to achieve by establishing this particular system of government.

To understand the function of government, at least in this country, one must understand a bit about the history of this country. Rather than going into a lengthy discussion on the matter, I felt it best I provide a simple timeline of events.

– In 1630 the ‘Pilgrims’ establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony;

– Soon, other Colonies began to spring up along the eastern seaboard;

– in 1754 England goes to war with France; with the war spilling over into the Colonies;

– 1765 The Crown imposes a direct tax upon the Colonies to recover the cost of defending them during the French and Indian War;

– The Colonies refuse to comply and a see saw of laws/resistance ensues;

– In 1776 the Colonies declare their independence; believing the ultimate goal of the Crown is to reduce them under absolute despotism;

– In 1781 Cornwallis surrenders and the Colonies become free and independent states;

– In 1787 fifty-five men gather together in Philadelphia to draft up a system of government to replace the Articles of Confederation;

And the rest, as the old saying goes, is history…

So, if the Preamble only explains the purpose this particular system of government is supposed to serve, then the function of government must be sought for in something that was written BEFORE the Constitution was, as the saying goes, a twinkle in James Madison’s eyes; a stirring in his loins.

I don’t know whether it is ironic, or if it is sad, but every July 4th the American people celebrate Independence Day; yet how many of them have ever read the document that declared our independence from Great Britain? That document is where the function of government is to be found, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, – That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Not only does that passage explain the function government is supposed to serve, it tells us what rights we have when government ceases to serve that function. Yet I am the crazy one for saying that we should abolish this system of government because it has become tyrannical! I wonder what Patrick Henry, or Samuel Adams, would have to say about a people who, not only submit to far more tyranny than they were willing to submit to, they openly defend and support the tyrants who rule over them. I think John Adams provides you with a hint as to what they would say in a letter he wrote to his wife in 1777, “Posterity! You will never know, how much it cost the present Generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good Use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.”

So, in a nutshell it boils down to this; government exists to secure the rights of the people, and when government no longer serves that function, the people have a right to abolish government and replace it with a system that does serve that function. The question is; can any system of government ever serve that function without, in the end, devolving into despotism?

Now that I have provided you with an answer to the question of what function government is supposed to serve, let me ask another question; why is government necessary? To put it in other terms; if government exists to secure our rights, then what necessitates government; where does the danger to our rights come from? Although James Madison was one of the men who participated in establishing our current system of government (which has nothing to do with securing our rights) he did provide us with an answer to that question in Federalist 51, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”

Why would Madison say that? Well, I believe he said it because we, as human beings, have a tendency to interfere with the ability of others to exercise their rights. This brings about an important question; what is a right? The problem with that is, what kind of rights are we talking about? There are civil rights; which are those rights which are granted/protected by law. Then there are Natural Rights; those rights that are inherent in every human being; those rights which are bestowed upon every individual by their Creator.

The Declaration of Independence states that ‘among these are’ life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That passage ‘among these’ is of supreme importance; for it implies that there are others that are not specifically listed; similar to how the 9th Amendment purports to protect other, unlisted, rights, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

I find it ironic that the people believe that the Constitution bestows government with all kinds of ‘implied’ powers, but they do not believe that there are rights we retain that are not ‘specifically’ enumerated in the Bill of Rights; such as the right of self-defense.

Yet, in 1772, Samuel Adams wrote, “Among the Natural Rights of the Colonists are these First. a Right to Life; Secondly to Liberty; thirdly to Property; together with the Right to support and defend them in the best manner they can–Those are evident Branches of, rather than deductions from the Duty of Self Preservation, commonly called the first Law of Nature.”

I have spoken to a great many people who do not believe that there is any such thing as the Laws of Nature; believing that laws can only come from man. I find that troubling on many levels. For one thing, the Declaration of Independence declares that those who signed it believed in the existence of Natural Law, “When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God…”

Secondly, it implies that people do not believe in God. If you are among those who call yourselves Christians, how can you not see how to say you do not believe in Natural Law is the same as saying you do not believe in God’s Law? In the first Chapter of the Book of John we read: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)

If you believe in God, then you must also accept that His Laws command your obedience before any laws written by man. That, I believe, is why Madison stated that if men were angels, no government would be necessary. If men obeyed God’s Laws then they would not seek to deprive others of their rights, their liberty, or their property. Since men are not capable of adhering to God’s Laws, government becomes necessary to enact laws, that carry the weight of punishment, for those who refuse to comply with the Laws of Nature.

John Locke wrote about this Law of Nature in his Second Treatise, stating, “The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.”

Locke also wrote, “By the same reason may a man in the state of nature punish the lesser breaches of that law. It will perhaps be demanded, with death? I answer, each transgression may be punished to that degree, and with so much severity, as will suffice to make it an ill bargain to the offender, give him cause to repent, and terrify others from doing the like.” (Second Treatise §12)

Remember, this is Natural Law we are talking about. In 1850, a Frenchman by the name of Frederic Bastiat wrote a book that ought to be read by all if they want to glean an understanding of what has gone wrong in America today. I his book Bastiat states, “What, then, is law? It is the collective organization of the individual right to lawful defense.

Each of us has a natural right – from God – to defend his person, his liberty, and his property. These are the three basic requirements of life, and the preservation of any one of them is completely dependent upon the preservation of the other two. For what are our faculties but the extension of our individuality? And what is property but an extension of our faculties?

If every person has the right to defend – even by force – his person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that a group of men have the right to organize and support a common force to protect these rights constantly. Thus the principle of collective right – its reason for existing, its lawfulness – is based on individual right. And the common force that protects this collective right cannot logically have any other purpose or any other mission than that for which it acts as a substitute. Thus, since an individual cannot lawfully use force against the person, liberty, or property of another individual, then the common force – for the same reason – cannot lawfully be used to destroy the person, liberty, or property of individuals or groups.”

In that short passage we see that we all have a natural right to defend what is rightfully ours. We also see that the function of government acts as a common force for a right possessed by each individual. Finally, we see that the common force (government) cannot be used to destroy that for which it was established; which in our case, is exactly what our system of government is doing…and has been ever since it went into effect in 1789.

If you are Christian, then God’s Law, or the teachings found in Scripture, should be the guide you use to live your life by; not the laws written by men. Does the Bible not tell us that, after the flood, the LORD looked down and said He would never again destroy all life; for man was evil in his heart from youth? If man is evil, and if government is run by men, then does it not seem logical that the best way to preserve our God-given rights and liberty is to severely limit the ability of government to infringe upon them? Yet instead we ask for, we beg for, we plead for government to deprive others of their rights, their liberty, and their property, to protect us from the things we fear.

Why do you think the news is constantly reporting on the evil things that happen in the world? It certainly is not for your benefit; it is to keep you in a constant state of fear, so that you will turn to the only people you trust to eliminate that which you are afraid of; which of course is your government.

God did not create government; for if He had, there would have been a government in the Garden of Eden. Government is a creation of man, and as such it is inherently flawed; full of the same weakness, the same evil, that fills the hearts of man.

What did Christ teach us in regards to government? Did he not say render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s? Did Christ not tell us to not concern ourselves with earthly affairs; rather that we should seek the Kingdom of Heaven by following the LORD’s Commandments? Did Christ not say that those who follow Him would be despised? Did He not say that there would be few who made their way into Heaven? Did he not say that we were to be faithful to the end; and only then would we be rewarded?

Government has become the religion of many in this country; with whomever sits in the Oval Office being the god they worship and obey; not to mention the 9 high priests (Pharisees) of the Supreme Court. We look to them for answers to our problems, or to tell us what we should and should not do; rather than looking to Scripture for our answers.

Scripture tells us, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths.” (Provers 3:5-6)

Two more passages from Scripture and I will wrap this up. In the Book of Hosea we read, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

If you cannot tell me what the Constitution, or Declaration of Independence, says, then how can you claim to be knowledgeable about your system of government; how can you honestly say that what it is doing is in compliance with God’s Laws? For that matter, how can you claim to know God’s Law if you are not familiar with what is found in Scripture?

How many of you get your information from other sources rather than by personal study? Is your understanding of Scripture based upon your pastors interpretation of what is written in the Bible, or is it based upon your own study and prayer? Is your understanding of government based upon hours of reading about the Constitution, or is it based upon what you were taught in school?

Do you reject knowledge that does not conform to your biases and prejudices? Or, is your heart and mind open to the truth. The Bible says that the truth shall set you free; but that freedom will only come if your heart is open to the truth.

The final quote I wish to discuss is, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Let me get this right out in the open; I am no saint; I have a long ways to go before I consider myself worthy of entering the Kingdom of Heaven… but I’m working on it day by day, inch by inch. I do not feel that I am worthy to judge others of their sins; for did not Christ tell us to remove the beam that is our own eyes before we try to remove the mote that is in the eyes of others?

Yet I cannot sit idly by while people call that which is evil good. I cannot sit idly by while homosexuality is promoted as ‘normal’ behavior when God has said it is an abomination. I cannot sit idly by while the murder of unborn children (abortion) is a woman’s right. I cannot sit idly by while the property (income) of others is stolen (taxed) and used for evil purposes. I cannot sit idly by while government deprives us of the rights and liberty that is a gift to all men from God. I simply cannot do it. What I find saddening is that there are a great many Christians who do remain silent in the face of all this evil; who not only refuse to speak out against it, they actually support and defend those who are guilty of it.

I guess I was wrong; there is one more passage from Scripture I would like to close out with:

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said,
This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
In vain to they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:7-9)

That is why I cannot support this system of government; it was conceived in iniquity, for evil purposes, and can therefore only accomplish that for which it was created; which is the pursuance of evil. God hath given us the means to discern the truth, but we have to open our hearts and minds to receive that gift.

A study of history will teach you how we got to where we are today, and it is only by studying Scripture that we can hope to come to a solution as to how we can fix all that has gone wrong in America.

Peace be upon you, and may the LORD bless you in your pursuit of the truth…

December 5, 2023

~ The Author ~
Neal Ross, Student of history, politics, patriot and staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Send all comments to: NealHRoss@outlook.com.

If you liked Neal’s latest column, maybe you’ll like his book: The Civil War: (The Truth You Have Not Been Told). Life continues to expand for this prolific writer and guardian of TRUE American history.