Two perceptive comments on the evils of statism:
And one symptom from the news today:
In the year since November 2008, when the [Baby P] case came to light, more than 8,000 children have been taken into care, an increase of 40 per cent...
John Hemming, MP, found that of the 8,173 care orders applied for in 2007... only 21 were refused outright [by the judge]. “In other words the judgment of risk of the social workers ... was so good that they were only completely refused by the judge 0.27 per cent of the total,” he notes. Nowhere else in the legal system is the hit rate so high.
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Love the last line in that second link.
And it is interesting that you would use the word "symptom" in your news article intro.
In more democratically inclined societies, statism survives and thrives only when "the people" tolerate it.
Under such rule, each successive generation becomes just a little more numb to the usurpation of personal liberty. Many even think they REALLY want it. That is, until the monster grows out of control and begins to devour those who thought it would solve all their problems.
God warned His people Israel what would happen if they refused to serve Him with joyfulness during times of abundance. Not sure how that translates to "the Church", but one thing I've noticed that the Lord unquestionably hates is prideful thanklessness and an attitude of self-sufficiency. We get this picture right from the Garden scenario.
What we see in our governmental systems right now is symptomatic of the overall spiritual state of the societies in which we live.
Happily, God has given us the prescribed treatment for such a time as this:
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Again, not sure how this translates to the church and current political ugliness. Perhaps it simply will result in spiritual healing in spite of unhappy physical circumstances.
However, if our governments and societies are to have any chance to be healed, it seems the church must return to its first Love. When we have the right attitude, I expect the Lord will direct the appropriate action.
JMO
The Baby P case is absolutely heartbreaking :(
Don't know much about politics in the UK, but I was pleased to read the Westminster 2010 Declaration of Christian Conscience, which was issued on Easter Sunday. It begins with a brief Trinitarian statement of faith, followed by a summary of traditional Christian teaching on human life, marriage and freedom of conscience.
The Westminster 2010 Declaration avoids the ecumenical pitfalls that plague last year's Manhattan Declaration in America. Many of us here couldn't sign the latter document, as it compromises our witness to the gospel by glossing over essential theological differences between evangelicals, Catholics, and Orthodox.
It's too bad that we didn't go the route of the Westminster 2010 Declaration, as I'm sure that many more Americans would have signed on to a document like it, without the zealous ecumenism of the Manhattan Declaration.
Statism is the worlds problem. It stems from the Catholic Church and carried out by the Jesuits. They are actually whats behind the joke word "illuminati". History proves this over and over from Constantinople to Rome to present day. Statists are religious to the core and have been completely indoctrinated by the Jesuits of Rome. They have literally no ability to critically think or question whats happening. They merely wrap themselves up in a corporations flag and yell racism until they get what they want. Malignant narcissistic sociopaths control the world, but are you really surprised in a sin fallen world with the greatest deceiver as their leader?