By Jeff Daiell
The Christmas season is too often the only time of year in which Jesus – Yeshua, in the Hebrew – is referred to as The Prince Of Peace. Yet, that was Yeshua's message: love of the Father, and peace among Humans.
So it is puzzling that some (definitely not all!) Christians not only countenance, but, in many cases, encourage, force -- that is, force used by Government to promote ends they find desirable. Morally/ethically speaking, of course, there is no distinction between coercion and force employed by politicians and the same means used by private citizens. Nor is there any moral/ethical distinction between violating Human Rights for supposedly noble goals and engaging in such violations for odious purposes.
To give a concrete example: what moral difference is there among the Barbary Pirates demanding "tribute money" to operate in "their' territory; the Mafia demanding "protection money" to operate in "its" territory; and The State demanding "sales tax" to operate in "its" territory? Another example: what moral difference is there between a mugger using force to compel a person to finance the mugger's distaste for work, and a tax collector's use of force to compel a person to finance a hospital, a regulatory agency, or a war? The philosophy of "the ends justify the means" is the ultimate amorality.
Given that, no follower of Yeshua should vote for any candidate willing to abridge Rights, regardless of the ends toward which such abuses are aimed.
That, of course, would disqualify virtually every candidate nominated by either the Democrats or the Republicans. Although the Democrats and Republicans have agendas which differ somewhat, the method is the same: the initiation of force (as opposed to defensive or retaliatory force) against individuals or groups.
If one forswears using a tactic directly, is it not inconsistent (I will not invoke the term 'hypocritical' as many such individuals have never pondered the contradiction) to accept -- or worse, vote for -- the use of that tactic by politicians and bureaucrats?
Jeff Daiell is Proprietor of Jeff Daiell Communications and a long-time political activist. He has a wife, three children, and four grand-children, and assures us that all eight are perfect.