Wednesday, December 28, 2011

God, Government and Roger Williams' Big Idea

Not just religious liberty, but separation of church and state. Check it this latest article on Williams here.

2 comments:

Angie Van De Merwe said...

Williams still put the transcendent above the political, as this was how he defended the right of government. This is not too far from how Aquinas arged for human rights, is it? God was the justification the basic rights of the individual and of governments.

Resistance theory is the basis/foundation of a rights claim to resist government in general, whether spiritual or material, if it oversteps personal boundaries of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Government does not have to be defended, it has to be evaluated, because government is to maintain a state of peace for its citizens, not creating undue havoc through a liberalization of our Constutional protections.

The social order is created by laws that protect and define the what is of value or importance within a Representative Republic. But, now, it seems that Congress will legislate without or in spite of, the people's consent. This is where the conflict abides today.

Policy decisions have been made for political expediency, without evaluating the implications on a larger scale. We cannot give up on a Constitutional form of government, that protects from power grabs. Otherwise, none of us will be safe, as to liberty. Each one of us will be prey for the next political entreprenuer.

Such protections are not about "God" but about respecting and honoring the values that the Constitution defines and defends. The Constitution defends the rights of individuals within a free society, and is "godless", in this regard (because individuals have the right of choice, as to the value of "God" in the first place).

Divided and separated powers are to balance and limit power from becoming abusive. The liberties, defended and upheld by our Constitution, are defined in our Bill of Rights.

Phil Johnson said...

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I wonder what books Roger Williams had at his disposal. ARe there records of what he read?
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