Shamgar said:
Yup more unsubstantiated claims punctuated by the all defeating cry of "IS NOT!" Army of One, the bible thumper, proves his "thumping abilitites" again. . . .
Sorry, I assumed that someone as brilliant as yourself would not need me to provide chapter and verse numbers for the verses I was refering to. So here you go.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
(Romans 13: 1-7)
A few things are obvious in this passage. First, there is no question that Paul is refering to the government, and not church elders. The church elders do not bear a sword (Jesus' instruction for them to buy swords was clearly not in order for them to rule over their converts), are not an avenger to execute wrath (Ananias and Saphira were killed by God, not the apostles), and were not to receive taxes (there was a temple tax, but the recipients of it could hardly be considered righteous).
Clearly, Paul is instructing the Romans (and us) to obey the governing authorities. Not because they are righteous, but because their authority comes from God.
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.
Matt 23:1-3
"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?"
Matt 23:13-17
This is a perfect example of obeying an authority structure that is established by God. Jesus obviously thought that the scribes and Pharisees were wicked, yet he instructed his followers to respect and obey them (but not to follow their example). Elsewhere, Jesus taught that it is right to pay taxes to the government, even a wicked one like Rome (Matt. 22:21), and to the corrupted temple complex (Matt. 17:24-27).
I'm afraid you're out on a limb with your argument, and it seems that the only unsubstantiated claims are the ones that you are trying to pass off on the rest of us. Please, take off your blinders, and actually read the Bible honestly, instead of trying to twist it to support your own agenda and excuse you from any responsibility to obey the authority that God has delegated to earthly governments.
