November 4, 2008
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Life > Liberty > Property
It’s election day.One IssueI care about many different issues, but practically speaking, I’m a one-issue voter. Abortion is the deal-breaker, so heavily weighted that it alone could tip the scale against the other issues.Randy Alcorn explains in a couple blog entries why he’s a one-issue voter and why he’s voting for a less-than-ideal candidate from a less-than-ideal party:Even if Obamanomics were to miraculously work, the idea that it would result in a net decrease of abortions is delusional.Life > Liberty > PropertyBut isn’t bread (though not alone) needed to sustain life? True, but life is needed to eat it in the first place. With life, there is at least hope. Practically speaking, somebody’s life and liberty are needed to get property. It is an evil when strangers, instead of you, eat what God has given you.What about Patrick Henry’s “give me liberty or give me death?” Again, one must first have a life in order to give it, whether through martyrdom or service to country.The Mosaic Law was described as the Israelites’ wisdom, though it made provision for their hard hearts. We can learn certain principles from it. The Ten Commandments seem to descend in order of importance, first those relating to the Great Commandment, then the Second Commandment. Of the commandments relating to people, after the duty to honor parents, the prohibitions of murder and adultery precede those of theft, perjury, and coveting.
The crimes against God, life, and family, were capital crimes. Theft of property was merely a restitution crime, but theft of liberty (kidnapping) was a capital crime. Perjury was a capital crime if it was attempted murder.Though any murder defiles the land, child sacrifice is called an abomination along with the sexual abominations in Leviticus 18 that defile the land and cause it vomit out its inhabitants. This makes them more serious than the evils of rebellion against parents, kidnapping, and perjury.
Is capitalism in the Bible?The Bible assumes capitalism, not socialism. It condemns eating without working (2 Thessalonians 3:8-12). Wages are paid according to agreement, not fairness. Envious eyes that demand fairness leave no room for generosity. Even those in the early church, which had all things in common, gave voluntarily after selling their private property. Ananias and Sapphira did not have to give their property or its proceeds as if they were taxed involuntarily. They were punished for lying, not refusing to give.What if Obama gets elected?God is in control, no matter who gets elected:God sometimes raises up bad leaders or causes leaders to make bad decisions as a judgment. In 1 Samuel 8, Israel demanded a king and received one as a judgment. In 2 Samuel 24, God was angry against Israel and caused David to number the people. Rehoboam’s foolish decision was a judgment for Solomon’s idolatry.“If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” -2 Chronicles 7:13-14
Comments (1)
Great, great post! You have some excellent material on here. Dead on. Nice to see others who recognize the libertarianism of scripture.