http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18562
Here is another set of principles that is easier to read. I don't absolutely agree with everything it says and that is one reason why I am a conservative. We are independent thinkers. We are individuals. And those conservatives who can speak before congregations don't need teleprompters.
You liberals can also read or listen to Rush Limbaugh's CPAC speech.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_030209/content/01125106.guest.html
Remember liberals, if you want to know who you are going against, it is best to study your opponent. So get started with the CPAC speech and then you can take it here and attempt to defeat us with our own principles.
What you fail to understand is that commandments such as do not lie are part of a good foundation for a value system in our court of law. You also don't understand that no matter what your belief system is, everyone and I mean everyone, consults a framework of morality whether their concepts are considered to be religious or not. Hence, all laws can be considered to be based on morality and all abstractions of morality can be derived from various religions. You can construct new religions based on morality.
Do you understand now?
If "all laws can be considered to be based on morality and all abstractions of morality can be derived from various religions why are we picking only the Christian religion to showcase?
This is because many of us believe liberty and freedom is granted to us by God and not government. Can you imagine if liberty is granted by government? This would create an opportunity for a statist to come along and usurp the freedom allowed by God. Taoists do not have a particular God. Of course, not all countries allow their people freedom and liberty. I believe enough of those people depended too much on government and not themselves. Therefore, socialists and dictators were able to take over those countries in the name of operating under the best interests of the majority of their people. I bet they appeased some of the wishes of the minority as long as their rules fit their statist agendas. Just look at what we are writing about. We are talking about appeasing a minority by making sure that we don't offend them. These dictators help themselves.
I don't think we will ever see the Jewish star on top of post offices but I do think it is interesting how I read that an Alabama supreme court ruled to take the 10 commandments off the wall and at the same time their local government used tax payers money to build a statue of a pegan goddess. This stuck in my mind years ago. I looked for it on the net but I cannot find it but, here is these same theme here:
http://www.eagleforum.org/psr/2004/sept04/psrsept04.html
The ACLU is demanding that the county remove a tiny cross from its seal, one of nearly a dozen symbols it portrays. One need only look at the seal to see how ridiculous is the ACLU's demand. A third of the seal and the centerpiece is the Greek goddess Pomona standing on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The ACLU doesn't object to her; portrayals of pagan goddesses are okay.
I think if there are enough people who don't look to themselves and God for guidance, at some point government will take over and they will become our parents.
I think there are people out there who are waiting to be offended. They see the 10 commandments and statues of Jesus in public and they have fits. I think they are the minority. Do we as a nation aim to appease these people??? I say, "Get over it." because you are going to be miserable no matter what we do anyway. This bad attitude wasn't the same attitude that helped create the constitution.
If the statist is able to gain total power in a country, there will not be any 10 commandments anywhere in public whether the majority wants to see it near a court of law or not. Hence, this is another example of an abstract concept of morality. The unofficial religious view of the statist is one of power that suits their particular agenda.
Then how do you explain god not giving the people of north korea freedom? does god only give freedom to those lucky enough to be born in the US?
I don't know for sure but, I believe when enough people of a nation turn away from recognizing God, God turns them over to other powers and I don't think those powers are just inside the minds of people if you know what I mean. Maybe God lets them suffer from their own ignorance but then again, come to think of it, it is not just ignorance. Part of it is probably their wish to embrace forms of immorality. It is the price they pay for laziness. We are not here to be lazy. Read Hosea 4:6 "My people perish for their lack of knowledge."
You can't intellectually tell me that dictators or statists give a rats $%@ about their people when they are having $100 a pound steak and fine wines whenever they wish too.
Let me ramble on.
Why does God allow pain on earth?
Pain on earth is transitory and I wouldn't want to fear the pain here on earth but the pain that may come after when we leave the earth's surface. The chaos on earth, although it may not allow us to create a utopia, may enable the best answers for long term solutions whatever they may be.
Why doesn't God pay my bills?
Would a person be able to grow if he or she didn't experience failure? Would people grow if other people paid their bills? If God paid their bills then I think they would be spoiled brats just like parents who spoiled their children.
I am having a hard time following your logic. you say that only god gives man freedom, not governments. then you say that god turns away (does this mean takes away freedom) from those that have turned away from him.
I didn't realize it at the time but, if read the whole verse that I posted, it answers that question. If God ignores a nation of people, then it would seem to me they could easily fall under tyranny. It doesn't necessarily mean that God takes away their freedom but God lets them fall under the influence of other powers. What is convoluted about that?
"My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children."
In my world, governments decide how much freedom the people have. god may give your spirit freedom, but i don't think he/she has much to do with the "freedom to worship, travel, marry, have children, and yes carry guns." Those "freedoms" are granted by the government.
From a certain point of view this appears to be correct but you see, I believe that God transcends government. If a nation falls under tyranny, it only creates a new form of inequality and freedom. And that is freedom for the rulers and equality for the people.
If you ask me, why would God be upset when people embrace immorality?
Superficially (from a certain point of view again) it doesn't make sense but if the new age scientist William Tiller is correct that we are co-creators of our universe on some sort of quantum level then, our actions and beliefs are affecting the environment and our unborn children. At least this is one possible explanation. As you can see I have been developing the ability to see things from different angles.
I have a friend of mine from Cuba. She is an intuitive person. She told me living there was like an energetic weight was on her body all of the time. I find that interesting. What drives me crazy is when I hear about socialists who take trips there and they see good things and others, especially those who lived there, experienced another. And then Fidel blames the US for all of their problems. How can the US be the source of their problems when we have have isolated ourselves from them via a trade embargo??? They can trade with whoever they want in the world except for the US. I am beginning to ramble again.