The Kitchen Table is where Steve and I sit down and chat for about 8 minutes on a pressing issue of the day – it is designed for Christians and non-Christians alike….Feel free to watch, pass on, comment, subscribe, suggest topics etc. This week we just had to do the madness of crowds engulfing the Western World…We look at the rule of law, should we have police and the basis for law in Chrstianity…….Enjoy!
A Free People’s Suicide? – The End of Law and Order in the West
I think you are absolutely right – that justice is key! To paraphrase Bob Woodson (an African American former civil rights activist) – decisions governments make must be made with a view to having the best outcome for the least of God’s children. He is currently aged 83 and what an intelligent and wise man! https://youtu.be/uk0Y6woydjk
As Christians we are not called to shout out for our own rights – but for justice – for the least of these. We are called to be a voice for those who have no voice – the most weak and vulnerable – unborn babies of any colour – children of any colour – the homeless of any colour – the mentally ill of any colour – the addicts of any colour – the elderly and frail of any colour – those in poverty of any colour – victims of racism of any colour etc. And whereas the slave trade – which treated Negroes so inhumanely – was an appalling example of man’s inhumanity to man – we need to be very concerned about the modern day slave trade – which is also affecting people of every colour.
Today in Vegas – a young policeman is fighting for his life. He got shot in the head during the riots. His family and senior officers are asking the world to pray for him. https://twitter.com/LVMPDBAC. He seems like a fine young man. Does his life matter?
How foolish can we be to think that all policemen are brutes. Like in every walk of life – a few bad eggs – spoil things for everybody. But I think that is a fact of life – and we have to rise above that – by encouraging those who serve us and thanking them when they try to do something good. I grieve for the amount of unjust abuse some politicians get – police – teachers – nurses, doctors and pharmacists – supermarket assistants even etc.
We need a revolution – of decent people rising up to protect and defend good public servants and the most vulnerable! Enough is enough!
Thanks for this David. It has come as a comfort an a reassurance to me after a conversation with an activist I have had.
I have said that the law is flawed but it beat the alternative (anarchy). Her response? She claimed that I was making out that the law is not working. OK that’s not what I said, but anyway, I asked her for an alternative. Of course she won’t admit to bean an anarchist, so I got the see you next Tuesday response.
Yes – this bizarre claim that police should be de-funded so that those with “privilege” should have solidarity with those without. OK take away police, what next, no government? So yup – anarchy. Well, we sang about anarchy in the 70’s with punk rock but we were teenagers rebelling against parents and even John Lydon of the Sex Pistols now says that it was all rhetoric and though he would ironically sing “God save the queen, a fascist regime, that made you a moron, potential H bomb” he actually quite likes the queen and wonders why he didn’t get invited to sing at her diamond jubilee. If we ever thought of actively being anarchic, there would be a parent that would slap us round the back of the head. But of course that doesn’t happen now because that would be considered “assault”.
I digress.
This is where misguided ideology that starts off well leads of course. It is now impossible to point out a simple truth that a negative claim about someone simply because of their skin colour and nothing else when applied to a person that is white is an act of racism without a lynch mob of social media warriors swarming to attack. Therefore showing that dialogue is not possible in many cases. And when dialogue is not possible, that’s when violence takes over, clearly, as experienced.
So yes – absolutely there is discrimination at a corporate level with church gatherings not being allowed but protests going ahead unhindered, and also at a personal level.
And as you rightly point out we all have different talents and abilities. Therefore if they are exercised faithfully to self and to others in giving in service to benefit others there will be unequal outcomes that come from that.
Freedom results in inequality and equality results in loss of freedom in this context.
So while in principle all are equal and born with dignity from both a Christian and a human rights perspective, inequality of outcome is the product of exercising equality of opportunity.
Many people need to think differently about equality.
Equality between human beings is neither real, nor necessary, nor desirable, nor possible. What is needed is equity, not equality.
There is nothing new under the sun it seems.
Mao’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s destroyed a lot of Chinese history,
The Taliban destroying statues in Afghanistan in 1990s
Iconoclast Christians destroyed Christian statues in Byzantium in the 700s
The destruction of monasteries and Catholic relics during the Reformation
Christians destroying pagan temples and statues in the 400s
This just looks like the latest example
Actually, Mao’s partially successful attempt to destroy Chinese Culture , about which he was very knowledgeable, did not destroy that ancient Civilisation’s history.
The Maoist extirpation of Chinese cultural ossification which was exemplified by kitchen gods and such like did not impinge upon historical record.
This, I think, is helpful:
https://sojo.net/articles/change-gonna-come-reimagining-public-safety
The BLM rioting / looting situation could have been worse in the US :
https://www.lifenews.com/2020/06/15/roe-v-wade-has-resulted-in-the-deaths-of-over-20-million-black-babies-in-abortion/
I respectfully suggest a careful read of Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, “Unbelief and Revolution” (1847), now available in English.