"We have a problem with policing the world, and using the military as a puppet for the whims of the deep state officials. Still, we need to remember that there are good people in our military with a true desire to serve people, and stick up for the little guys in the world."
Lydon, your statement here has put things in a good perspective.
Each of us, in our travel through this life, go through sometimes almost unbelievable transformations as we grow in our knowledge and understanding. Recognizing this about myself gives me considerable compassion for most others in whatever chapter of life they may be.
I also strongly believe that what @dodecahydra has said is true:
"Evil acts done with ignorant good intentions are still evil acts."
It is my very sorrowful observation that the evil underlying the deep state, the evil working silently and all too effectively behind the scenes, has coopted a majority of "well intentioned" people into choosing paths and actions that ultimately result in a fundamental violation of the second great commandment, that we "love our neighbor as ourselves."
As for myself, I try to interact with everyone, regardless of their present life path, with compassion and understanding. At the same time, I do feel that it is of great importance to try to convey some of the very fundamentally important things that I have learned, things I wish I had really learned and had clearly pointed out to me decades ago, to the people around me and particularly to those about whom I care deeply.
Among those lessons, and perhaps most significant is this:
I profess to believe and follow Jesus' command "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Professing that belief, I must ask myself: When I look in a mirror, am I truly following that command with respect to all my interactions with and support of coercive human governments?
I applaud your familial love for and your support of the good and positive things that your brother seeks out and does.
Brother, I love love love your reply, and wanted to highlight that point there in particular.
Knowledge of the deep state, and the shenanigans that go on behind closed doors has only come to my attention in the past year.
I am FAR from happy with the way things are, and communicate with Corb fairly often.
I'm grateful for your reply in light of what you shared with me about human governments. I haven't forgotten about you.
Frankly, I am still wrestling with your post on Romans 13 in light of the context, and of course 1 Peter 2.
Hello, bro,
Far be it from me to claim to have all the answers, but as your friend and brother I am beyond happy to discuss any and all of this with you as transparently as I can.
Trying to be as open as possible, I would have to say that those two passages (Ro. 13, 1 Pe. 2) are probably the most apparently problematic. And I do intend to continue from time to time publishing articles in an attempt to "unpack" Ro. 13 a little bit better. I struggle with those who seem to want to simply point at those passages as if they are some kind of "open and shut" case refuting everything else the bible has to say about governments.
However, I've already "crossed the divide" in the sense that I am persuaded that, whatever those two passages truly mean or are trying to teach us, they are not teaching the most widely promulgated view of reverence for and submission to human government as we presently know it.
I view the bible as a sort of holographic body of literature, and expect it to be, at the most fundamental level, consistent in its message. There is just too much else in scripture, a preponderance of evidence, to allow me to accept the simplistic "obey your leaders" superficial understanding of those two very isolated passages.
Thanks for your gracious response to my comment.
Ever since I studied at a Presbyterian school, my respect for the whole bible has skyrocketed. I agree, only looking at these passages, or any others in Scripture for that matter, as a simplistic do this because is not being a Berean.
We'll keep talking. :)