“Government is an evil; it is only the thoughtlessness and vices of men that make it a necessary evil. When all men are good and wise, government will of itself decay.” --Percy Shelle, poet.
Governments are a necessity if there is to be any cohesiveness to one’s society, just like the religions. It is just too easy to blame the American people for electing the idiots when all we did was elect people who told us they were going to fix everything, just like the religions. Then after the people have served their sole purpose (to elect would be liars and thieves) … they go about doing ‘whatever’, and we go about ‘assuming’ they are going to do what they said they would but don’t. We ignore their actions and go about daily life angry and upset most of the time, just like the religions. It is just too easy for most to attack secularism and ignore religious manifestations of the same things. For example … Historians distinguish four different manifestations of the Inquisition: (There are many other examples too)
- the Medieval Inquisition (1231–16th century)
- the Spanish Inquisition (1478–1834)
- the Portuguese Inquisition (1536–1821)
- the Roman Inquisition (1542 – c. 1860 )
The Great Jewish Revolt (66-70). Zealotry was described as one of the "four sects" at this time. The zealots (Jewish rebels) have been described as one of the first examples of the use of terrorism.
Most religions have both dualistic and gnostic elements which are often at odds with themselves. It seems that religious folk have no problems dismissing outright anything (everything) cruel and inhumane the religions have (still are) sponsoring as long as there is the “built into the system” that God’s will makes it right. Substitute USG for gods in the previous sentence and you have well, just what we do today, anarchy which is the desired effect.
“It is necessary for him who lays out a state and arranges laws for it to presuppose that all men are evil and that they are always going to act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they have free scope” --Niccolo Machiavelli
You cannot presuppose (to make something necessary if a particular thing is to be shown to be true or false) that all men are evil??? You know this not to be true yet you persist. Are you telling me that we have free scope here ... and that you having no free scope is anything besides a disguised social slavery.
quote who="Sinperium" reply="275" id="2939677"]
"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." -- Sir Winston Churchill[/quote]A lot of things have been said about a lot of things, that are wise, but that doesn’t make them true (or not) … is that not the purpose (that’s politics). There are in my mind no real preferences for type of government as it is totally up to the miscreants (or not) in charge (USG in our case) to live up to their own ideals which virtually never happens. America is a perfect example!
Regardless of how you feel about the book, the point is valid. People clump together and look for a "savior like them" to whom they can give absolute power in order to make people by force do what they want. That's evil.
Yep so true ... It makes me think about theology though not Kings except … your God is considered the King of kings, go figure... isn't that an exact description of the demands the religions force on the minds of their own … and of the rest of us too, if we were to allow it?
"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." --Sir Winston Churchill (who 25% of Britain's polled think is a fictional character)
I am not sure of your point unless it is that many Brits are capricious in demeanor and rather un-educated … they are not alone there?
