$1M Alligator Shoes Please

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Granite

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Originally posted by Sozo

This is the best thing you have ever written, granite!

I agree completely!

:shocked:

Sozo and me getting along???

And here I'd almost stopped believing in miracles.:D
 

Jefferson

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Originally posted by Greywolf
Right now I don't pay any tax on my income.
You should. You're enjoying the benefits of other people's taxes. The law is stealing for you. Stealing is immoral.
How would you be able to guarantee a low percentage of murder and violent crime?
The Bible commands only 3 forms of punishment. Restitution (usually double restitution for theft), corporal punishment (ie. flogging) and capital punishment (public stoning by the citizen community). There would not be our current massive (expensive) prison system draining the public funds which could be spent on more useful pursuits.

Then the company goes under and the employees haven't gained themselves anything. So?
So the owner of the company who skrimmped and saved and did without for decades in order to finally have enough savings to start a business to give jobs to those childish ingrates is now penniless. You think thats fair?

How does that relate to a law that commands people to not eat something?
If eating food God declared to be "clean" symbolized partaking in the life of God, then eating "unclean" food symbolized rebellion against the same.

How do you know which laws are applicable in this dispensation?
The New Testament shows that symbolic laws are no longer in effect now that the substance of those symbols (Christ) has come.

Who would have the authority to enforce the law in your proposed system?
The police and the courts.

Bad way to decide laws. Common sense is not a good reason to do something, and greatly differs from person to person. I'd say that the fence example is more an example of logic than common sense.
Sure, logic is probably a better word. It is logical to extrapolate fences around swimming pools from fences around roof tops.

Basically Damocles (Joe Blow of ancient Greece) decides that he can do the ruler's job as well as the ruler can. The ruler lets him be the ruler for a day and Damocles freezes under pressure (and a sword).
Reminds me of Jimmy Carter.

A monarch, but who would make him?
No one ever makes anyone else repent.

And what would happen if he went crazy?
Ever seen the movie, "The Madness of King George?"

Also, what do you think the purpose of a government is?
Primarily national defense and enforcing laws designed to prevent the strong from abusing the weak and to prevent the majority from abusing the minority.
 

Zakath

Resident Atheist
Originally posted by Jefferson

The Bible commands only 3 forms of punishment. Restitution (usually double restitution for theft), corporal punishment (ie. flogging) and capital punishment (public stoning by the citizen community).
What about basic "slaughter"? Joshua, I Kings 18, I Sam. 15, etc.

The New Testament shows that symbolic laws are no longer in effect now that the substance of those symbols (Christ) has come.
Precisely which of the 630+ laws are no longer in effect? The distinction between "symbolic" and the other seems to vary from Christian to Christian. If it was so emminently clear then why can't you people seem to agree on them after almost 2,000 years?
 

Greywolf

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Originally posted by Jefferson
You should. You're enjoying the benefits of other people's taxes. The law is stealing for you. Stealing is immoral.

I didn't say I didn't pay taxes, just not income tax. There's no income tax in my state.

Originally posted by Jefferson
The Bible commands only 3 forms of punishment. Restitution (usually double restitution for theft), corporal punishment (ie. flogging) and capital punishment (public stoning by the citizen community). There would not be our current massive (expensive) prison system draining the public funds which could be spent on more useful pursuits.

How would that guarantee a low percentage of murder and violent crime?

Originally posted by Jefferson
So the owner of the company who skrimmped and saved and did without for decades in order to finally have enough savings to start a business to give jobs to those childish ingrates is now penniless. You think thats fair?

Nope. I was just trying to point out (and doing a bad job of it) that the employees probably wouldn't do something like that.

Originally posted by Jefferson
The New Testament shows that symbolic laws are no longer in effect now that the substance of those symbols (Christ) has come.

How do you know which laws are symbolic laws?

Originally posted by Jefferson
The police and the courts.

If they're pulling their laws from the same source as the church would be, what's the difference?

Originally posted by Jefferson
Reminds me of Jimmy Carter.

Reminds me of your proposed system.

Originally posted by Jefferson
No one ever makes anyone else repent.

Then what would keep the king from acting immorally?

Originally posted by Jefferson
Ever seen the movie, "The Madness of King George?"

Nope.
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
Now this is interesting...

Now this is interesting...

Originally posted by OMEGA

Gerald, you must believe in something.

Are you an Atheist like zakath ?
You rewrote your whole post.

Mind telling us all why?
 

Granite

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Originally posted by Jefferson

No system this side of the millenial reign of Jesus Christ will be ideal.

Assuming of course that pre-mil eschatology isn't the sensational claptrap some people believe it to be...
 

Zakath

Resident Atheist
Originally posted by granite1010

Assuming of course that pre-mil eschatology isn't the sensational claptrap some people believe it to be...
:shocked:

Now there's someone calling a spade a spade. :D
 

Yorzhik

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If the ACM Constitution will not present any significant check on the monarch, then why bother with one in the first place?
Why do we bother with one now? It can be, and is, ignored just as easily. The difference is, at least the world can point the finger at the guy who is responsible for changing it. That's more than can be had with the current situation.

Is it only a sop to appease the populace so they will go along with a monarchy?
No, it has a real function because there is only one person that can change (or ignore) the constitution in a monarchy, unlike the unaccountable faceless group that changes (ignores) our constitution today. A sop would be something like the vote that people who are in the Constitution Party have.
 

Yorzhik

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I asked this before and supporters of dictatorship ignored it:
Actually, I'm just limited on time. But I'll accept the accusation, and I'll probably be guilty much more in the future since my time is limited to the point of be unfair to readers in a thread. Sorry.

But now I have a question for you: is there any possibilty that the King would be good? And if so, would be King be generaly known as the "dictator"?

given the church's disastrous track record when mingled with the state--the Inquisition, Puritan hangings and pressings unto death, the complete failure of Prohibition, the mixture of paganism and Christianity thanks to Constantine--what makes us think a "constitutional monarchy" wrapped in a flag and a Bible will have better results?
Because the problems you mentioned are prohibited.

I mean, what really makes us think we're ready to run society? We can't even run our churches.
Right. Even if we could run our churches, would we know how to vote correctly? There are a ton of issues that I have to study because I need to have an informed vote that I would rather not waste my time on. And EVERY citizen is obliged in the same way. It's a huge waste of time that shouldn't be forced on the citizens. Any citizen that doesn't put 100% of the study necessary into every single issue they vote on is NEGLIGENT. But, since negligence is a way of life since the opposite is IMPOSSIBLE, they do little if any study at all. Right, we are not ready to run society.

I can't think of one instance of the church and state working hand in hand that resulted in anything less than tyranny. It is simply not a good combination. Let Christians work in government. Fine. But prevent the church as an institution from getting in bed with Uncle Sam.
Amen. I'm certain the majority of Monarchs won't care a wit about what the church thinks.
 

Granite

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Prohibiting abuses of power on paper is fine, till someone just sidesteps it with an executive order, national emergency, or what have you.

What worries me about these abuses in a monarchy is the potential for so much worse to happen--and in the name of the church. That's why Lewis's comment seems so relevant: the worst kind of abuses occur when we're dealing with a religious tyranny, not a secular one. (Religious regimes also tend to last a lot longer.)
 

Zakath

Resident Atheist
Originally posted by Yorzhik

Why do we bother with one now? It can be, and is, ignored just as easily. The difference is, at least the world can point the finger at the guy who is responsible for changing it. That's more than can be had with the current situation.
The U.S. Constitution is not ignored. Where do you get that idea? Changing the U.S. Constitution is very difficult (as it should be) and has only been successfully accomplished eighteen times in more than 200 years. The most recent amendment passed (33 years ago) was to lower the voting age in federal elections to 18 years.

No, it has a real function because there is only one person that can change (or ignore) the constitution in a monarchy, unlike the unaccountable faceless group that changes (ignores) our constitution today. A sop would be something like the vote that people who are in the Constitution Party have.
There is no representative body in the ACM with any power, so there is nothing to prevent the monarch from changing the constitution to his whim, other than a military coup or uprising of the citizenry.

Your proposed constitution is thus a sham.
 

Zakath

Resident Atheist
Originally posted by granite1010

Where can one see this phantom ACM constitution?
I think Enyart and Co. removed it from the web for their own reasons.

I could probably email you a copy. I think I've got it on my old computer... PM me if you're interested.
 

Jefferson

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Originally posted by Greywolf
I didn't say I didn't pay taxes, just not income tax. There's no income tax in my state.
What about federal income taxes?

How would that guarantee a low percentage of murder and violent crime?
All you have to do is look at the low percentage of murder and violent crime in countries which today impose a swift death penalty for murder such as Singapore. It's proven to work.

Nope. I was just trying to point out (and doing a bad job of it) that the employees probably wouldn't do something like that.
They'd do something close. I know employees. I have employees. Many of them think that just walking in off the street and filling out an application is the equivalent of the owners years of saving and that they deserve to make as much money as he does. They're socialists. They think doctors and janitors should make the same amount of money. This childish attitude is epidemic.

How do you know which laws are symbolic laws?
The laws which contain no intrinsic protection against harm to one's self, one's neighbor or society in general are usually symbolic laws.

If they're pulling their laws from the same source as the church would be, what's the difference?
Like I said before, our death penalty for murder comes straight from the Bible but it is not enforced by the clergy. So where is the revolution by atheists and agnostics?

Then what would keep the king from acting immorally?
Nothing. Some kings will act immorally just like our entire country acts immorally today by voting for candidates who promise to keep abortion legal.
 

Zakath

Resident Atheist
Originally posted by Jefferson

The laws which contain no intrinsic protection against harm to one's self, one's neighbor or society in general are usually symbolic laws.
Nice weasel word, "usually".

How about the one administering capital punishment for committing adultery?
 

Jefferson

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Originally posted by Zakath
How about the one administering capital punishment for committing adultery?
Great law! Can you imagine how many murders would not have been committed over the decades in this country if we had the death penalty for adultery? Most of the adulterys would not have occurred to begin with.
 

Granite

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Originally posted by Jefferson

Great law! Can you imagine how many murders would not have been committed over the decades in this country if we had the death penalty for adultery? Most of the adulterys would not have occurred to begin with.

How exactly is this a manageable law? Are we going to just take a husband's word for it, if he accuses his wife of cheating on him? We would require hard evidence ala private investigator? What would the litmus test be for executing a guilty party, and would mitigating circumstances--sterility; abuse; on and on--be called into question as well?
 

Zakath

Resident Atheist
Originally posted by Jefferson

Great law! Can you imagine how many murders would not have been committed over the decades in this country if we had the death penalty for adultery?
Think about the number of preachers we could watch walk to the gallows. All those people free at last! :D
 

Zakath

Resident Atheist
Originally posted by granite1010

How exactly is this a manageable law? Are we going to just take a husband's word for it, if he accuses his wife of cheating on him? We would require hard evidence ala private investigator? What would the litmus test be for executing a guilty party, and would mitigating circumstances--sterility; abuse; on and on--be called into question as well?

That's easy...

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him by sleeping with another man, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure-or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure- then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder offering to draw attention to guilt.

" 'The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the LORD . Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. After the priest has had the woman stand before the LORD , he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, "If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have defiled yourself by sleeping with a man other than your husband"- here the priest is to put the woman under this curse of the oath-"may the LORD cause your people to curse and denounce you when he causes your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell. May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells and your thigh wastes away."

" 'Then the woman is to say, "Amen. So be it."

" 'The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water. He shall have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water will enter her and cause bitter suffering. The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the LORD and bring it to the altar. The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water. If she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then when she is made to drink the water that brings a curse, it will go into her and cause bitter suffering; her abdomen will swell and her thigh waste away, and she will become accursed among her people. If, however, the woman has not defiled herself and is free from impurity, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.

" 'This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and defiles herself while married to her husband, or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before the LORD and is to apply this entire law to her. The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.' "

Numbers 5:12-31
Of course only women, who were considered property, have a test like this. There is no equivalent test for men. ;)
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
Originally posted by Jefferson

Great law! Can you imagine how many murders would not have been committed over the decades in this country if we had the death penalty for adultery? Most of the adulterys would not have occurred to begin with.
Adultery causes murder, does it?

Whose hat did you pull that out of?
 
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