Consensus Conformity in Practice - Part 1

I could have never imagined that such an obvious example of consensus conformity would have have played out on a public stage as happened just a couple of days ago.

In case you missed it, Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell asked her opponent, Chris Coons, where separation of church and state was found in the Constitution. In the typical sniggering fashion of all statists, he replied that it was in the 1st amendment (as the audience laughed). If you haven't seen or heard the exchange, you can catch it here...and many other places.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6972772n


Don't be confused by the text, because CBS, like most of the other mainstream media and Chris Coons, is dead wrong and, hard as it may be to grasp, candidate O'Donnell was right to question her opponent (it is not shown as often, but Mr. Coons also failed to recall the 5 freedoms which are actually included in the 1st amendment).

The "wall of separation" and "separation of church and state" (frequently including an appeal to authority by invoking the sacred name of Thomas Jefferson) are fallback positions for those of the statist persuasion whenever they find themselves contradicted by reality and the imprinted circuits of there modified brains are beginning to sizzle. The consensus conformity here is that there is a constitutional protection from having to ever confront any religious ideas.

Too bad for the media, Chris Coons, and all those soon-to-be incompetent lawyers, that was the exact opposite of what Jefferson, et al, meant by the idea.

If you want to learn a tad more, check out this short review:


http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/lpbr/subpages/reviews/Dreisbach104.htm

Why can we not take the country back? Because the only ones left who really understand the problems are the same ones the Stepford elites want to destroy.

So a solitary judge in California overturned an expensive and divisive constitutional amendment...is anyone really surprised? His being a homosexual had nothing to do with his ruling, though, well not a lot.

This opinion now means a whole lot of money will be given to attorneys to do a lot of meaningless legal work (maybe they can get stimulus funds)and bunch of sweet, loving gays and lesbians can spend their boundless energy attacking and villifying people who dare to have an opinion and even more religious folk can fill the airwaves with senseless drivel about how the state licensing non-traditional marriage will destroy the moral fiber of the nation.

Well I call bullshit.

The judge made a correct ruling - probably for the wrong reasons, but correct.

Why, you may ask.

Because marriage licenses are issued by the state and the state makes the rules. Therefore, if the state wants to license same-sex marriage, it can. If the state wants to license polygamy, it can. If the state wants to enable NAMBLA's desires, it can and it probably will in the not too distant future.

Both sides of the conflict are populated by idiots - complete and cognitively defective idiots.

Why does anyone want the government, at any level, to decide and regulate and license who can marry who?

If either the pro or con side had spent any time in deep thought (and knew anything about history)they would be demanding the state get out of the marriage business.

Same-sex marriage will not bring the nation to ruin, it is a symptom of the ruin that already occurred because we made the state a god and forgot the real one.

Separation

The purpose for writing what I do here is not to instruct or lecture but to express myself on select issues and to make public my search, our search, for a way for my family, friends and me to navigate The Way while residing physically in a foreign land.

I know that there is an answer to the question.

Much time has been invested in researching how to remove, or more correctly separate, from the world. Many schemes to rescind numbers, certificates and liscenses have been reviewed. Dozens of legal strategies for overcoming the state with tricks and avoiding traps have been heard.

All of the propositions have one major flaw: they use they system to subvert the system or to defeat the system. Going to one part of the secular government to try to win immunity from another part of the secular government is akin to a chicken going to KFC to be protected from Tyson...you are still gonna be dinner.

If you use a process, designed into the system, to escape the world, what is there about that process that makes you believe you are free?

It seems to me that there are only three ways to separate completely from the world:

1. Leave the territory under their control,
2. Overthrow the rulers,
3. Be set free.

Since the entire world is under the control of the usurper and his forces, there is no where to go.

There are few, a remnant as it were, who seek this liberty, Rebellion is neither possible nor acceptable. I can find no-where where we are instructed by God or true Apostles to engage in an overthrow of any government of the world - locally, nationally or internationally. In fact, i can't even find a suggestion, much less a command, to engage with the world system to modify it. This precludes a dominionist concept of rule on the part of believers.

That leaves liberty by release. Either the slavemasters must voluntarily free us or our price must be paid (i.e. our debt satisfied).

The idea of redemption, Christ as kinsman redeemer, would have to come into play here.

Here are some references to explore:

http://threshingfloor-radio.com/index.php/2010/07/gospel-of-kingdom/

http://www.hisholychurch.org/index.php

http://www.oneradionetwork.com/liberty%10geopolitics_-_podcasts/%93how_to_be_free_in_an_unfree_world%94/david_williams_says_there_is_a_reason_the_constitution_is_not_working_for_us__live_monday,_may_31st._201005311720

http://www.oneradionetwork.com/liberty%10geopolitics_-_podcasts/%93how_to_be_free_in_an_unfree_world%94/david_williams_says_the_constitution_does_not_apply_here_thursday_,_july_1st_10_am_central_201006301749/

Read and listen.

Come back and talk with...and with them. Clever tricks and word games are not enough. We have other work to do.

P.S. Apologies for the roughness of the post. It was written in one pass. I will edit and expand in the coming days. This is the point of all of it.

Relationship

Easter is coming soon. You can tell because the Wal-Mart shelves are crammed with toys and baskets and candy, lots of candy, most of it some pastel shade. You can tell because the church signs are in full marketing mode.

We don't practice easter or christmas or any of those other adapted pagan celebrations.

We haven't for some time.

But some of our extended family just doesn't seem to have grokked our rejection of these unholy days.

This is now leading to a moment of decision: a long-time family friend wants to have an "easter" party for our children. He's a decent guy and no doubt he thinks he is doing something nice and fun for them.

What harm can it be? All our children know what easter is about and why we prefer to observe a Passover celebration and focus on the redemption Christ provided during this time. That being the case, how could a few easter eggs and some candy be bad, right?

Besides, if we decline, it will hurt his feelings, and that would be bad, right?

Wrong.

If we go, we will be teaching our children that it OK to compromise, especially if it brings a little pleasure or it helps to maintain a relationship. We teach them to put sense ahead of knowledge and relationship ahead of God.

This is one of those subtle devices the world employs to move you, however slightly, toward the broad and easy road.

Will it hurt our friend to say we can't go, maybe, but it would be more damaging to not stand firm.

Burdens

When Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" He was not speaking to us on the nature of Christian labor. Jesus was making a promise to us of deliverance.

It is not God who burdens us with the weights of life; it is the world and the master of its hierarchy, the Adversary, that layer upon us unceasing demands for labor, blood and treasure.

In this world all must be bought with a price calculated to be just beyond the boundaries of your ability.

Every man, whether in the lowliest station or at the heights of power, is left wanting, just short of satisfaction. The poor man is beset by a dearth of means and presented the promise of an apparent escape, if only he will give a little more, do a small thing, give up something dear. The man of power is led along the trail of accomplishment with the seeds of pride and the bread of position.

At the end, all proclaim with Solomon "...vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

Jesus promises us nothing here for the world to admire.

There are no men of renown who belong to God - no titans of industry, no giants of the intellect, no paragons of virtue - those all belong to the world and they already have their reward.

God requires simplicity and He returns understanding. God requires trust and He provides sufficiency. God requires weakness and He infuses strength. God requires obedience and He is faith. God requires surrender and He gives us liberty.

If you are tired, broken, lonely, burdened by the world, the escape is Jesus. Give Him everything and He will give you more.

Government

When I began to write this essay I had an idea in mind to survey the scripture for guidance on the construction of a God-approved earthly political system.

Personally, I have made a long and fitful journey from mainstream political programming to this point where my political philosophy lies somewhere on one side or the other of the blurry line between radical libertarianism and anarchy.

I confess, I hoped my exploration would lend support to my aversion to any kind of non-voluntary organization.

It is often said that government is, at best, a necessary evil. It seems to me, however, that the amount of government (evil) considered necessary, and the extent of the power it should be granted to enforce its policies depends on the perception of personal gain to be had from supporting the state.

In my mind, the insinuation of evil into any people, regardless of intentions or purposes, will still produce evil.

I still wish to explore what the Bible has to say about governmental structure, but I feel it necessary to expand the question to include how the individual believer is supposed to interact, or not interact, with the world outside the Church.

When I was much younger I was completely co-opted into operating within the system, captured by the idea that I could conform and work from inside and still retain my spiritual standing.

I don't believe that anymore.

In fact, I do not believe that there is any political system which meets God's standards - except the one He has already implemented in the heavenly realms - just as there no scripturally acceptable economic theory for the national government.

So I admit to coming to this examination with preconceptions - I will try not to allow these predispisitions and opinions to color my analysis of what I discover and will try to adapt to what is learned instead.

So here we go, beginning at the beginning and following the trails as they develop.

Hope I can stick with it...and I hope there will be some input from outside to instigate and question.

Sorting It Out

I come from a long line of ordinary people - common folk - from among those who conform to the world because that is what you do. You conform and hope that with some sweat and toil, with yes sir and yes ma'am, giving it all up, that everything will work out. The American dream can be had if you only do it right.

There was just one small issue: I couldn't do it. I really tried! Really I did! But there was nothing in the world, at least the ordinary world, that attracted me.

Don't take that the wrong way. I'm not saying I wasn't attracted to worldly things...pretty women, exotic ideas, mind-alteration - big things, weird things.

All I knew then was that I couldn't do what I saw everybody else doing, the way they did it, for the reasons they had.

And most of my life I have paid for it.

For years and years I was convinced that my problem was that I was lazy, or rebellious, or, sometimes, stupid. I'm still not sure that there isn't some truth there. But I find that when I start to work on something that is interesting or that I enjoy or important to me, I can work hard and long and well.

Rarely, however, do I find that what I want to do coincide with what I know the world deems to be important.

I am very dysfunctional in the ordinary world.

So the question before me is one of sorting out priorities - separating responsibilities from conformities, desires ffrom needs, right from wrong.

I am not even sure how to go about that, well, perhaps I really know, but I am finding distractions to keep me from the really hard work - the work of turning away from the world and turning to God.

The full truth is that I am sitting on the proverbial fence...and I despise myself for doing that.

What I really need to do is throw everything at the feet of Jesus and wait for Him to tell me what to pick up and work on.

Can I do that?

I don't know, but I think it is a matter of life or death.

God's Work

This is going to be a post following-up on the previous interogatory about a Christian System of Economics.

The question was whether or not there was a clear, definable, operable statement of economic principles by which existing theory could be analyzed or a unique theory developed.

On-going research and study has been quite remarkable.

Arguments can be found on the part of nearly every economic/political/social theory which cherry-pick amongst the writings of the Bible to demonstrate that Christianity favors that particular idea being promoted. Thus the Scripture has been used to defend both the Divine Right of Kings and democracy.

In truth those who attempt to prove a divine approval of their pet priciples are always wrong and, further, missing or ignoring a fundamental truth: Christian standards of behavior cannot be applied to a secular world.

It is true that God would prefer that the material society operate by the spiritual code revealed in the Bible; it is also true that God neither expects nor requires that it do so.

Only those professing to be of Christ are obligated to conform to the divine plan and even they obligate themselves by choice and by confession of a desire to be like Jesus.

Thus, in sum, Christian economics is not about how to organize the global economy but about how the Christian is to live in obedience to the Father.

If that is understood, then the next posts on Christian economics will be seen in a new light, with a peculiar view and a different purpose.

Education

Growing up in the spiritual world is similar to growing up in the material world in the sense that you start out young, lacking knowledge and experience, and in need of care and protection. In the Spirit, God is our parent and the members of the Church are our siblings.

God assumes responsibility for our care and education - duties he then delegates to one extent or another, to our brothers and sisters.

We, in return, are to be loyal and diligent, looking to our Lord for direction and to our spiritual family for edification and fellowship.

Similarly, just as the physical child gains wisdom and understanding as he develops intellectual maturity, acquires information and experiences the several common and uncommon life events, so too does the spiritual child grow and develop through study and spiritual interaction.

Recognizing that spiritual growth is a process that takes time and demands dedicated effort with education is vital to the Christian fellowship. We should no more expect that a new believer have the discernment and understanding of an older Christian than we would expect a three-year-old to operate a car like a fifty-year-old adult would.

Spiritual growth is also dependent on the relationship between the individual believer and the Godhead. Data flows and rote memorization are dry and lifeless without the inspiration of the Christian by the Spirit of God.

Because understanding and discernment become more complete and more acute as the believer grows and learns, it is reasonable to expeect that young believers will have simpler, less-developed theologies than older believers. New Christians will not perceive the spiritual natures of people nor the nature of the spirit informing events as readily as a more mature Christian. Thus it is not surprising that as we grow up in the Spirit we will find that people, acts, events, or things once viewed as benign or even acceptable in previous times may one day, perhaps in a sudden flash, be recognized as a temptation or a source of evil.

Spiritual immaturity is blindness.

Those of us who are further along in our spiritual life are as obligated to bringing light to the believers oppressed by the darkness of this material world as we are to shining the light of Christ into the physical world at large.

Infiltration

Those of us born in the post-war era (so-called boomers) are unacquainted with the actual practice of the many unique concepts imbedded into the nascent nation following the Revolutionary War - ideas which the Founders attempted to make actual principles of governance. Each succeeding generation drifted further off the foundation to the degree that today's nation has completely lost contact with it.

In case you may be unfamiliar with the fundamental principles underlying the philosophy of our republican system, they were stated in the Declaration of Independence:

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. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security

Not a complex philosophy. One could restate this; but it could not be said more eloquently.

Sadly, in this day, to take the position of the Declaration, even to believe in the principles upon which this nation was built, principles derived from the Christian philosophy, at the least, is not to be acting with honor in the eyes of this and previous regimes, but is defined as unpatriotic, if not outright treason.

How horrified would Jefferson, Madison, Washington, be to see what we have become - not surprized as they knew how fragile the balance was and many warned, even predicted these very moments.

Blessing

Some of us are going to be called to martyrdom...prison and death are near for a few. Now is the day to be sure of your calling. Do not desire to be a martyr; rather pray that you may be a vessel for the gospel and be bold. To die is to be blessed - to live is to be a blessing. Long to bless those around you. Ask Jesus what it is you are to be about and get busy. The time is short and the fields are white.

For one walking by faith and not by sight, it would be very easy to see spooks behind every rock and tree along the trail...and there may be, in a manner of speaking, as we know we are, each of us, solitary lights in a world of darkness. But the evil lurking and stalking us comes from the other dimensions and is merely channeled through human beings.



I used to say that we blamed far too much of the blackness of this world on Satan and his crew; now I realize that it is not possible to attach too much blame to the fallen ones. Those rebellious angels never rest in the seeding of their intentions into the minds of men. In fact, I have come to believe that not enough recognition is given to the successful infiltration of satanic philosophy and traditions into all arenas of human society.



All of us are corrupted, but most of us are not manifestly evil. The greater number of people are not inclined to devious, destructive behavior (except as regards ourselves) and are, in the main, friendly, at times compassionate, and non-violent. Unfortunately, we are also selfish, greedy and lazy - and therein is where the problem lays.

As Paul has said, we all have a knowledge of God, and we deliberately, knowingly act against that knowledge when we choose to align ourselves with the world system to any degree. It truly is black and white, yes or no, right or wrong.

Either you, and I, are with God or you are against God.

In But Not Of...

After a period of forced silence, I return with a refined message.

Separation.

The Lord wants us to understand what separation means; how we are to understand and live in separation.

The first understanding is to know that God has created, is creating and will create all that exists in the moment of the bereshith of His choice to make and remake the universe. Because creation is in the mind of the Lord, spoken forth through His Word, implemented by His Spirit is and always is, that which He purposed is already accomplished.

In simple linear terms, the future is set, the outcome assured, the battles won.

We cannot see with our limited physical senses on up the timeline, however, with the spiritual senses of the regenerated mind we may see that Babylon the Great has fallen...and we should rejoice to see that day.

Thus we are separated from the world for what they see as destruction we know to be regeneration, the renewal promised from the beginning, the salvation given before we are born.

We are separate in Spirit and cannot be united with the spirit of this world. Our spirit is with the Spirit and we know who is of this world and who is of His Spirit.

We must recognize this separation - those on the other side do. That is why they play with you, tease you, persecute you and kill you. The world knows who, and what, you are...it is His will that you recognize as well.

We owe no loyalty to the world and to the spirit of the fallen. This is why Paul says all things are permissible: we could legitimately take spoils of the conquered without guilt. The reason we do not is because all the riches and materials of this world are meaningless and tainted and we reject them for the eternal reward of the promise...as Paul says...not all are expedient. We desire only that which enhances.

If we are aware that we are separate and not of this world and that our citizenship is in another land (a land far away and yet among us), we are no longer concerned with the worries of this land. Our only interest here is to remain separate and to find our fellow citizens of the Kingdom.

In this is the instruction on how to interact with this world: give to them only what is theirs and only what is not opposed to the requirements of our land and leave them to themselves. Wait on orders from our King.

Separation

Materialism, legalism, worldliness.

The manners of the pulpits persistently warn us to be wary of these traps. "Don't let the world pull you in," they warn us, "Don't be judgemental (fill the plate)."

They lie.

But, don't judge. The ministers of deceit have a job to do.

Materialism is everywhere and subtle in its strategy.

Do you have debt? Gotcha. How about your credit rating...do you know your score? Gotcha. Upgrading? Remodeling?

Do you rely on God for the electric bill? or are you on a budget?

What are you going to do when the Father says to give your money to the family on the corner? Argue with Him?

You want the rewards of a life of faith?

Give it all away and watch the Lord replenish ... I dare you!

And Another Thing...

While I am on a soapbox, let me add one more item:

If there is a church out there wherein a member is going to bed hungry or living in a shelter or suffering from abuse and that congregation has not worked to the limits of their ability to resolve these needs, then that is a failed church.

If you say, we did not know, then further shame on you.

I have grown weary of the endless campaigns for political positions and sniping at the opinions of others while two pews back, one of yours is in pain.

If the churches had done their job, there would be no socialism rampant today.

That's right, Mr. Christian...I blame you!

Repent now and fall on your face before an almighty God!

A Short Word

I will second that!
As if Zeph needed a word from me, but let me shoot out a confirming thought on the last audio.I have been quite uncomfortable with the survivalist meme growing among the underground church - awhile back I told an aquaitance who is building a compound in an isolated area that he was building his and his family's coffins, because the NWO would find them and target them.More importantly, to think you could outlast the world, store enough wheat and weapons, and ride out the tribulation - what a silly notion!If God can protect us from poison and vipers, can He not keep us safe from chemtrails and MSG?It is time we lambs decided to put our whole trust in Christ no matter the outcome.Listen for His voice, let Him tell you what to do. If He says to put in food for the neighbors, then we seem to be able to do that. But, if He says to sell it all and follow Him to Duluth or stay put and wait on Him...well that seems much harder.Hiding in the hills is not faith - we are to be ready to minister and be bold.The time is for prayers for strength and compassion, courage and mercy.With all that most of us have experienced, the coming tribulation will be like old times.Pray for me; I will pray for you!

Sacrifice?!

President-elect Obama says there will need to be sacrifices...what do you think that means?

I just bet there will be - don't you?

Double-Cross

Just wondering...

What if the New World Order, the Fascist/socialist government structure we all see building around us, is not the real end-game. What if it is a double-cross.

The socialist elitists get their wish and, for all practical purposes, gain world-wide control of the governments and the economics and the disaster beginning now keeps growing and growing and growing and everyone, even the elites figure out the plans have failed.

Then, with every aspect of human life seemingly at the lowest possible point, voila!, up steps a messiah who, with signs and wonders, promises to restore the world to the good old days of prosperity and apparent liberty.

Of course, to begin with, to appease the masses, the old elites are destroyed (some of them anyway), peace reigns, the markets begin to work, and then he springs the trap.

Just thinking...

New World Order

Whenever folks get together and the talk turns to politics, religion or other controversial subjets, it is inevitable that someone will bring up the New World Order. The NWO is the ultimate bogeyman - it embodies all imaginable evils into one convenient descriptive - and almost everyone has heard something about it.

But is the New World Order really new? Or is it a new name for something very old?

In order to answer those questions, it requires that the New World Order be analyzed and described in some definitive way - that is, what are the characteristics of the NWO? Is it a philosophy, a religion, a political system? Who wants it?

Truthfully, I think many people have ideas of what the term "New World Order" symbolizes, but I am pretty sure that there are nearly as many definitions of the term as there are people thinking about it.

Over the past seven or eight years, I have invested a good deal of time in learning about the NWO. I've read books and articles, listened to radio shows and archived lectures, and participated in discussion groups both on the internet and in person. Admittedly, my studies have not been systematic, but they have been constant, varied and fruitful.

The assessment of what constitutes the New World Order that I have made, at least to this point in my education, is that the NWO, rather than a tightly-knit, coordinated and impenetrable cult, is really an umbrella label which is short-hand for hundreds, perhaps thousands of various groups and individual persons, who are working simultaneously toward changing the world to suit their multiple and complimentary visions of utopia.

Some of these are fixated on one specific goal, e.g., preventing environmental decline, or redistirbuting wealth, or changing the economic/political systems of the several nations or even the whole world. Others have more generalist visions and seek to integrate economic, politics and religion and synthesize a universally acceptable culture. Some must use persuasion; others have extraordinary power and use it ruthlessly.

There do seem to be some commonalities, however:

1. The centralization of authority
2. Denial of inequality in any form
3. Denial of exclusivity
4. Requiring conformity
5. A dimunition of lifestyle
6. Opposition to private ownership
7. A redefinition of human rights
8. A willingness to use force
9. Disdain for Christian values (and a commensurate dislike of Christ himself)
10. Belief in godless or at least unguided evolution (which they now want to guide)

There also appears to be an invocation of alien intelligence and intervention (some more openly than others). The spirituality of all of these people who come down on the side of support for the NWO is universally pantheistic, gnostic, and humanistic, with a great deal of technocratic rationalism heaped on top.

You could sum it up simplistically by saying: the NWO has an overarching, common philosophy that mankind can, with the right pattern of thought, the aquiring of the right knowledge, the appropriate application of science, under the leadership of those who truly know best (and may or may not be human), evolve to the next level, gods or extinction, whichever is best.

Sadly, it appears that yet another general assumption is that only a few of us are qualified to make that leap.

How to Begin?

Jews analyze every aspect of the Torah. It is an obsession so pervasive that I could almost infer that it is a genetic trait rather than learned behavior. The Jews have dissected every word, every letter, even every blank space thousands upon thousands of times - and then each succeeding generation began anew at bereshith and incorporated and parsed the analyses of the previous generations.

If this people, whose lives are thoroughly steeped in the traditions and ideas of their near and distant forbears, can yet find room for dissent and dispute, how am I, uneducated and untrained, lacking the most basic tools to search for these truths in the manner of the Jews, ever to hope to glean the simplest precept with any clarity or certainty?

Near as I can tell, this immersion in the study of the Torah and the oral traditions did not begin with the destruction of the Temple and the Diaspora, but dates back to at least the Babylonian Exile, and probably began at the base of Sinai, where the written and oral Laws are believed to have been given.

If I am grafted into the tree and am adopted as an heir - having equal standing - would I not share equal responsibility for study? We are told to study, to meditate, that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word.

But where do I begin?

Do I start as a Jewish child would? What am I to study? How am I to study? Are there parts of the Jewish tradition, writings, teachings which I should not study? How do I meld the old and the new?

This is exciting and intimidating simultaneously.