Democracy … A Double-Edged Sword
When God banned Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He gave each a double-edged sword and said: “Welcome to democracy.”
“What’s democracy,” queried Eve.
“Freedom,” answered God.
“Don’t know what to make of it,” replied Adam, “that word doesn’t ring a bell … freedom?”
God responds: “Let me make it clear. Here are three gifts for humankind. I have not endowed any other living organism with what I’m about to give you.”
“Let’s just get back to the Garden of Eden. Are we in a bad dream?” asks Eve.
“Too late,” insists God. “I’m granting you a double-edged sword with
1) your sin nature on one side and
2) my God nature on the other; with,
3) free choice or free will to deploy your sword.
From now on and forever, you are free to choose to be good, bad, or ugly. You’re on your own,” and continues, “but I’m here. I’m always with you.”
Outside the Garden of Eden, life created in God’s image becomes a pandemonium between good and evil, right and wrong, and joy and sorrow. Liberty and the pursuit of happiness come with a price.
“Democracy comes at a high price,” says Saint Pope John Paul II in ‘The High Price of Democracy.’ His Holiness continues:
“the money to pay for it is minted from the noble metal of honesty, reasonableness, respect for others, the spirit of sacrifice, and patience. To claim that it can be bought with a different currency is to run the risk of bankruptcy.”
How do politicians play the game? Can you entrust your democracy to politicians with conflicting and diametrically opposing talking points? Last week, America basked in its 2020 Democratic Convention. This week, the Republicans will have their turn.
How does one discern one from the other? With your head!
Discernment is not just a spiritual term. You can fast and pray all you want. If you don’t think, if you don’t discuss, preferably contest, the issues, you’re nowhere. Discernment demands due diligence and passionate prayer.
You question, you scrutinize, you investigate. You review and evaluate. You verify empirically with others. You discuss to learn. You debate to expand your blinders. In short, you think.
Human beings are not created as mindless sheep to follow other mindless sheep (*Introduction: Golden Calves; Section: Will Christ Come Soon; Page xi; Kindle Location 53). Democracy is like a tug of war. Some pull to the right, others to the left. Keeping it in balance is almost like playing the game on thin ice. Who wins? Who loses? Don’t worry! Let’s invoke our God-like nature to make sure everyone wins.
The essence is God; God, within us and us in God.
Read more … ‘The High Price of Democracy.’
With Every Good Wish to You, I am,
Sincerely,
Building the Bridge Foundation, The Hague
Abraham A. van Kempen
Senior Editor
*‘Christian Zionism … Enraptured Around a Golden Cal” (2nd Edition)
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