A Legend & Stalwart for Freedom Has Left us

[boxcar]

Last month in response to a post by Thaskalos, I reminded him that the Constitution of this country is deeply rooted in several biblical principles. It's very obvious to most thinking people that the Founders sported a very healthy distrust of big, powerful government. This distrust was learned from the scriptures and taught to them by experience when they fled to the New Word to escape oppression by the King of England. Even Obama recognized this fact when he spoke of the U.S. Constitution as a "document of negative liberties" -- a document that establishes strict limits on the reach of government. A fact that BO no doubt greatly bemoans to this day.

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...d_obama_n.html

In the two Rush quotes below, Rush expressed the primary way that government overreaches and abuses its power:

19) “For government to give, it must first take away.”

1) “What about feeling sorry for those…who pay the taxes? Those are the people NO ONE ever feels sorry for. They are asked to give and give until they have no more to give. And when they say ‘Enough!’ they are called selfish.”

But money, as important as it to liberals to enhance and consolidate their power, is by no means the only thing the government takes from us. Liberals are like the Grave, which has an insatiable appetite and can never be satisfied. Liberals want it all -- and that's not even enough! They want to take our free speech rights away. They want to take our right of political dissent away. They want to take our guns away. They want to take away our right to choose to eat our favorite foods. They openly and aggressively support and tell women to feel free to take the life in their womb away whenever its inconvenient for them to bring the infant to full term. They want to take away our right to know the Truth through censorship, cancellation or lying by commission and omission. Now, the latest meme that is being bandied about is that government should take our real property rights away because we'd all be so much happier owning nothing! True freedom, apparently, equals mediocrity -- free from the burdens and responsibilities of ownership.

There is a passage in scripture that talks quite a bit about "taking", in the very context of human government. But first let me set the historical context of that passage. After ancient Israel crossed over the Jordan from the wilderness to begin occupying the the Promised Land -- the land that flowed with milk and honey -- the good land given to them by God, He appointed judges to "rule" over them, most especially to decide in judicial matters, i.e. the Law of Moses. And this was the case for the first few hundred years or so. But over time the Israelites became dissatisfied with the God-ordained theocratic form of government, so they demanded of Samuel (a God-appointed prophet and judge) that he appoint a mortal king over them so that they could be just like all the other nations around them. This demand by the people angered and distressed Samuel but he took the matter to God. God answered the prophet and assured him that the people weren't rejecting him per se but were in fact rejecting God Almighty himself -- the supreme ruler of the universe. So, God instructed Samuel to inform the people fully what it would mean to them personally to become like all the other nations by having human kings rule over them. With this historical backdrop, here is how God answered the rebellious Israelites through the prophet:

1 Sam 8:10-18
10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, AND YOU YOURSELVES WILL BECOME HIS SLAVES 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."
NIV

Verse 17 alone deserves another post because it is pregnant with meaning, having profound implications to the entire world to this very day! But suffice it to say that the unbridled taking of property -- the things of value -- must inevitably end in the people essentially becoming indentured servants to the ruling class which is a form of slavery. The more government takes, the poorer the people become and the poorer they become, the more they must rely on the ruling class for their very existence.

All of this stands in very sharp contrast to the personal relationship the Benevolent King of this Universe has with his people. For God knows only how to give, give and give. God Himself is the gift who keeps on giving. The only thing in scripture that God actually takes away are the sins from his people (1Jn 3:5; 1 Pet 2:24, etc.)

[riskman]

Originally Posted by mostpost

I will not pretend some great sorrow over Limbaugh’s passing. In fact, I think the world would have been a better place had he never been born. He was a racist. He was a misogynist. He was an addict. He was a liar. He was a coward. He was a hypocrite. He had no real beliefs except to make money.

No intelligent person would actually listen to him, just the Mega dittoes and Rushbo crowd. HE WILL NOT BE MISSED.

You do know that Limbaugh was an entertainer first and that he was giving his audience what they wanted. RL had his faults that were well publisized. I have mine and believe it or not you have yours for all to see.


Limbaugh handled his approaching mortality with bravery and class. That’s an example for all. The mass outpouring of hate upon the news of his passing shows what garbage the left wing is made up of.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by boxcar

Last month in response to a post by Thaskalos, I reminded him that the Constitution of this country is deeply rooted in several biblical principles. It's very obvious to most thinking people that the Founders sported a very healthy distrust of big, powerful government.

It is also very obvious to most thinking people that the Founders sported a "very healthy distrust" for fundamentalist Christianity.

"It does me no injury for my neighbor to believe in twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." -- Thomas Jefferson

It appears that the Founders were way more open-minded than you are.

[fast4522]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

It is also very obvious to most thinking people that the Founders sported a "very healthy distrust" for fundamentalist Christianity.

"It does me no injury for my neighbor to believe in twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." -- Thomas Jefferson

It appears that the Founders were way more open-minded than you are.

I do not see it that way and use the KISS logic, you have to look into not only what you interpret but the reality that these guys got it right in that they felt deeply what is good in your house is fine. In no way would they be suggesting what should be for you. They got so many things right, even back then people were saying mine is better than yours.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by fast4522

I do not see it that way and use the KISS logic, you have to look into not only what you interpret but the reality that these guys got it right in that they felt deeply what is good in your house is fine. In no way would they be suggesting what should be for you. They got so many things right, even back then people were saying mine is better than yours.

It's more than that. We have many people today who believe that the "Christian values" are a prerequisite for a moral and just society. Jefferson plainly states that no harm whatsoever comes from our neighbors believing in "twenty gods or no God". REAL "morality" and 'justice' exist -- or don't exist -- in a person REGARDLESS of what his religious proclivities are.

[fast4522]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

It's more than that. We have many people today who believe that the "Christian values" are a prerequisite for a moral and just society. Jefferson plainly states that no harm whatsoever comes from our neighbors believing in "twenty gods or no God". REAL "morality" and 'justice' exist -- or don't exist -- in a person REGARDLESS of what his religious proclivities are.

I do not give a rats ass how many people today anything, the founding fathers did not believe in taxing people up to their eyeballs either. If someone says that there is only one way, tell them to blow it up their ass. You will get a real big Amen from me.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by fast4522

I do not give a rats ass how many people today anything, the founding fathers did not believe in taxing people up to their eyeballs either. If someone says that there is only one way, tell them to blow it up their ass. You will get a real big Amen from me.

SEE? We finally find something to agree on.

[fast4522]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

SEE? We finally find something to agree on.

We agree on way more than you would admit on a number of things, but expectations are vastly different.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

It's more than that. We have many people today who believe that the "Christian values" are a prerequisite for a moral and just society. Jefferson plainly states that no harm whatsoever comes from our neighbors believing in "twenty gods or no God". REAL "morality" and 'justice' exist -- or don't exist -- in a person REGARDLESS of what his religious proclivities are.

Brilliant!

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

It is also very obvious to most thinking people that the Founders sported a "very healthy distrust" for fundamentalist Christianity.

"It does me no injury for my neighbor to believe in twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." -- Thomas Jefferson

It appears that the Founders were way more open-minded than you are.

No one ever claimed that each and every founder was a born again Christian. But even the deists of the that time had decent knowledge of the scriptures. Don't forget: The colonists fled to this country because of religious persecution by the king of England. Most people knowledgeable of American history know at least that much.

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

It's more than that. We have many people today who believe that the "Christian values" are a prerequisite for a moral and just society. Jefferson plainly states that no harm whatsoever comes from our neighbors believing in "twenty gods or no God". REAL "morality" and 'justice' exist -- or don't exist -- in a person REGARDLESS of what his religious proclivities are.

There is no real morality apart from God's holy law. Everyone will come to find this out on judgment day. God's law is absolutely good and holy, not merely relatively good or perfect or just as most individual's private moral preferences.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by boxcar

There is no real morality apart from God's holy law. Everyone will come to find this out on judgment day. God's law is absolutely good and holy, not merely relatively good or perfect or just as most individual's private moral preferences.

You talk in absolutes, Boxcar...even though religion is known as the "Great Mystery". What you really mean is that "No morality exists apart from YOUR God's holy law"...and that labels all those who believe differently than you as "immoral". And that's terribly unfair...IMO.

[mountainman]

I thought Limbaugh occasionally crossed the fine line between showmanship and insincerity. In other words, I always suspected that a larger portion of his radio persona was fake than his multitude of followers would have been comfortable in knowing. No proof, just my gut.

And I had mixed feelings about his performances. Nobody, in my opinion, who seeks to publicly humiliate a child possesses even a shred of true character. However, his inspired and relentless skewering of political correctness struck me as much needed and extremely persuasive.

In any event, Rush Libaugh was a great entertainer.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Somebody who I knew back in college lived in the Watergate Hotel, where Dole was living at the time.

She had a very interesting story to tell about him...maybe I'll retell it after he goes...it's not flattering to say the least.

I had an Air Force buddy years ago who said he knew Dole’s family. He used to say Dole really got “shell shocked” during his time in Italy during WWII. Said he was a little off.........

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

You talk in absolutes, Boxcar...even though religion is known as the "Great Mystery". What you really mean is that "No morality exists apart from YOUR God's holy law"...and that labels all those who believe differently than you as "immoral". And that's terribly unfair...IMO.

Yes, there are things even in the bible that are characterized as "mysteries"; yet that doesn't mean the entire bible is a mystery. (You're committing the fallacy of composition.) God Almighty himself would be incomprehensible if he had not chosen to reveal things about himself, his creation, etc. But even so...this doesn't imply either that God can be understood comprehensively. But we believe and act on what we can and do understand. (As a matter of fact, isn't this precisely what public health officials having been telling us all these months about the covid virus!? They repeatedly have told us that they don't know everything about covid, but has that stopped them from taking action!?)

And you're misunderstanding me about the existence of morality. Since man is created in God's image, this means, among other things, that we are moral beings. This is what we are in our essence. But obviously, as we observe the world and people around us, we see that people have different ideas of morality. (Welcome to the absurd , self-defeating worldview of Moral Relativism!) So, yes, morality exists in everyone because we're all moral beings -- but the question is: Which morality is the right one?

Finally, this rabbit trail you have created is a non sequitur and has nothing to do with my post that expanded on a couple of Limbaugh's quotes. The irrefutable fact is that this country was founded substantially and essentially on Christian principles by people who experienced religious persecution first hand. And because of this bad experience and their collective knowledge of scripture, they went out of their way to try to ensure that their descendants would not suffer the same experience, which is why they never declared this country to officially be a "Christian nation". They understood the importance of religious freedom -- the importance of everyone to have the right to make up their own mind about what to believe. And this was indeed the right, biblical choice they made!