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The Authority to Govern

Craig4

Penultimate Amazing
Craig4
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I've alluded to this in some other threads but I think it deserves one all to itself: Does the god in the bible have the authority to govern? At what point does he secure a mandate from anyway giving him the authority to set down rules and laws? Is there any reason anyone should feel compelled to follow any instruction they believe to be handed down from this god?
 
Craig4 said:
Is there any reason anyone should feel compelled to follow any instruction they believe to be handed down from this god?
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No.Believing instructions from imaginary beings is not recommended.
 
dafydd said:
No.Believing instructions from imaginary beings is not recommended.
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Ah... good catch. To clarify, I'm talking about in the context of the myth. In the myths contained in the Bible does the god thingy ever secure a mandate granting him the authority to law down laws and govern?
 
I believe that if you fail to follow the 15 10 Commandments, you will be subjected to eternity in a firey damnation. Not sure what that entails, but I've heard Vanilla Ice will be involved.
 
Craig4 said:
I've alluded to this in some other threads but I think it deserves one all to itself: Does the god in the bible have the authority to govern? At what point does he secure a mandate from anyway giving him the authority to set down rules and laws?
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God is his own authoritah and, therefore, needs no mandate!

Is there any reason anyone should feel compelled to follow any instruction they believe to be handed down from this god?
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To maintain the integrity of their personality. It would be irrational not to follow instructions one believed were handed down from God.
 
Craig4 said:
I've alluded to this in some other threads but I think it deserves one all to itself: Does the god in the bible have the authority to govern? At what point does he secure a mandate from anyway giving him the authority to set down rules and laws? Is there any reason anyone should feel compelled to follow any instruction they believe to be handed down from this god?
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There's no such thing as (mind-independent) authority, god or no god. Any authority is based on a personal appraisal so to each his own.
 
Dictators, Despots, Tyrants, Kings, Emperors, Brigands, Gang leaders, Thieves, etc. make their own authority by rapine, extirpation, genocide, torture, murder, extortion, persuasion, strong arming, terrorizing, etc. etc.

So God of the Bible, being all of the above, made his own authority by all of the above methods and more.

And just like the thieves called kings eventually gained legitimacy for themselves and became authorized by the dupes and cattle below them so did YHWH eventually have the same.
 
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Craig4 said:
Having the power to kill me does not translate to a mandate to govern.
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State's exist because they have the monopoly on violence. That's how they govern. We haven't really moved so far from the Divine Right of Kings.

But what makes you think God cares about besandaled, wishy-washy liberal notions such "mandates to govern"?

Mandate? Schmandate!
 
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JihadJane said:
State's exist because they have the monopoly on violence. That's how they govern. We haven't really moved so far from the Divine Right of Kings.

But what makes you think God cares about besandaled, wishy-washy liberal notions such "mandates to govern"?
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The state here in Belgium does not govern by violence.
 
dafydd said:
The state here in Belgium does not govern by violence.
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No, it governs by having a monopoly on violence. You are not allowed to assault your neighbor, and if you try, the Belgian cops are allowed to assault you to prevent it.
 
I doubt this question even has real meaning for theists. If there were a God, then the question would be redundant. God is the supreme authority, thus needs none. If this were not the case he wouldn't be God.

I think "mandate schmandate" is in a nutshell what Jehovah told Job.
 
Beelzebuddy said:
No, it governs by having a monopoly on violence. You are not allowed to assault your neighbor, and if you try, the Belgian cops are allowed to assault you to prevent it.
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The swine!!! Infringing on my right to beat my neighbour to a pulp. Right on JihadJane and power to the people!!!
 
dafydd said:
The swine!!! Infringing on my right to beat my neighbour to a pulp. Right on JihadJane and power to the people!!!
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Boy, ah cain't tell if yer a fruitcake, what witcher skinny pants and yer tiny shoes, but ah like yer talkin. And yer waffles. Ya can swing by Texas fer a AR-15 anytime. Jus' don't point it at no one what don't need pointin at.
 
Beelzebuddy said:
Boy, ah cain't tell if yer a fruitcake, what witcher skinny pants and yer tiny shoes, but ah like yer talkin. And yer waffles. Ya can swing by Texas fer a AR-15 anytime. Jus' don't point it at no one what don't need pointin at.
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I wonder what JihadJane would replace the rule of law with.

'You say you want a revolution, well you know
we'd all love to see the plan.'
 
JihadJane said:
State's exist because they have the monopoly on violence. That's how they govern. We haven't really moved so far from the Divine Right of Kings.

But what makes you think God cares about besandaled, wishy-washy liberal notions such "mandates to govern"?

Mandate? Schmandate!
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Then why should we care about this god's self imposed authority? He can't even be bothered to speak for himself.
 
Beelzebuddy said:
No, it governs by having a monopoly on violence. You are not allowed to assault your neighbor, and if you try, the Belgian cops are allowed to assault you to prevent it.
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With the key point being that the police must then go before a judge and show cause for why they assaulted to.
 
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