In the liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox churches, there are repeated prayers for various groups and types of people. One group is “those in civil authority.” This liturgy has been in use for a long time and has been employed under various governments. The titles of those people have been highly varied and include sheriffs, mayors, governors, Presidents, and Prime Ministers.
When the church prays for these people, we use a different term than when we pray for church members and leaders. These individuals have a distinct role and a unique set of responsibilities.
British historian David Starkey discussed a major misconception in a recent YouTube video.
Christ very deliberately says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The moral values of Christianity are not those of any possible Christian state. The notion that Christianity could sustain a state is absurd.
What, then, does that mean for the authorities? What does the public expect from them or demand? We can simply refer to the Constitution’s Preamble. They are to “ensure domestic tranquility [and] provide for the common defence.” Many local police department logos contain the word “protect.” That is their primary function.
What follows will seem unbelievably primitive and uncivilized to many people. Still, it explains why the failure of our recent Western Civilization leaders to protect their citizens is causing such a visceral reaction.
Human beings are mammals. We like to think we are sophisticated creatures controlled by our minds, but in many ways, the facts of our physical nature still have a significant role in our reactions. Successful groups have strong “Alpha Males” who protect the group from outside attack and make sure, more than anything else, that the group’s females are safe from molestation by any male outside the group. The group and its resources, such as hunting areas or food, are also protected.
As groups expanded, the “Alpha Male” concept broadened to encompass a ruler and an army, among others. Throughout history, certain groups have been stronger than others. Members of weaker groups could be ritually sacrificed, eaten, or enslaved. Endless histories and dramas have been written about the toppling of a leader by a new “Alpha.” There are, of course, the famous female Alphas: Cleopatra, the English Elizabeths, Golda Meir, and Margaret Thatcher.
Today, Western women are not being protected. Various crimes are increasing. Housing and energy costs are rising far faster than personal incomes. Trust in everything from government to media and the courts is collapsing. Starkey described the problem:
… what we’ve done is confuse the intensely personal morality of Christianity (the morality of the good Samaritan) and try to pretend you can run a state on that basis
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We’ve got this absolutely terrifying pseudo-religious nexus of the belief in a universal humanity, which again is heavily grounded in a particular form of Christianity.
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We’ve tried to bring down the kingdom of heaven onto earth with the infinitely catastrophic consequences of all utopianism.
In the United States, this has been extended with horrific consequences for law enforcement. In the name of “Social Justice.” Punishment has been disconnected from crime in the United States. “No Cash Bail” laws spread rapidly on the assumption that bail was unfair to poor people. That made sense for people with no offenses other than a minor parking or traffic problem. It is insane for a violent or armed crime by a repeat offender. We are seeing random murders or other violent attacks by people with double-digit incarcerations.
To add to the public’s confusion and anger, some of the offenders were never here legally and were often deported and returned. When local mayors and governors take pride in resisting ICE, a family with a victim of someone in that category is confused.
To protect the group, a leader must sometimes be harsh. Some criticize President Truman for using nuclear weapons during World War II. I don’t. There would have been far more deaths on both sides if he hadn’t acted. Even so, it was an unbelievably difficult moral call. That is the burden of a leader.
Police officers, prosecutors, judges, and political leaders make decisions constantly about public safety. I admit I couldn’t do any of these jobs any more than I could deal with blood in an operating room. Of these, only the police officer decides in a split second, while at personal risk.
Everyone in law enforcement who can calmly sit and decide what they want to do has agreed that the time has come to be gentle with criminals. The fact that someone commits a crime, no matter how violent or how often, is not a permanent mark against them. We are supposed to forgive them “seventy times seven.” The irony is striking. These people reject every attempt to sneak religion into law yet misuse a religious idea to avoid doing their duty and thereby endanger the public. English courts won’t punish men who groom English young women but will jail someone who posts an unfavorable comment.
A dangerous time is coming in multiple European countries. The current leaders are deficient. The people, especially the women, don’t feel safe. Energy prices are climbing; blackouts are becoming more common. Companies are closing and relocating their production overseas due to the excessive cost of energy. Governments are losing “no-confidence” votes. Likely winners are being barred from running due to court prosecutions. Censorship is rampant.
I realize that the following statement may sound unusual, but I was careful in seeking credible sources. Serious writers and historians, people I trust, are warning that a civil war is imminent in Britain and other Western European countries. The European Union (EU), led by Ursula von der Leyen, has functioned as a dictatorial bureaucracy implementing policies of the World Economic Forum (WEF) despite the wishes of the voters of the member countries. Those policies have harmed the public, and they’re fed up and have had enough.
Lacking capable leadership, the EU, NATO, and European nations are all on the edge of chaos.