[+Donny]

Originally Posted by Danny

I guess you have a point, though I still think you may be taking too much of a "letter over spirit" interpretation to the Romans letter. The way I see it, the dictatorships of ancient Rome can't really be compared to the democratic America of today. In a dictatorship, one man has absolute power and authority over everything. In our current system, that's obviously not the case. The President, the House, the Senate, the courts, etc., etc., and even the citizens to a large degree, work together to make laws which are supposed to be in concordance to the Constitution, which is basically a representation of the democratic ideal (that all men have certain rights, that those rights ought to be protected, etc.). (And yes, ideals change and develop through the progression of society, but if nothing else, that is the most basic, unchanged principle in the book.) The way I see it, that ideal has more authority than any of the officials supposed to be representing it. When it is determined that the Constitution is not upholding that ideal to the fullest extent, we amend it, and every President must take an oath to defend and represent the Constitution to the best of his ability. Can you really consider King's actions "opposition to the government" because he had to disobey some officials to uphold that all-authoritative ideal? I don't think Paul would have thought so. I realize I'm kind of repeating myself again, I just get the feeling I'm not really communicating what's actually in my head very coherently.

No, understand, but that ideal is mediating through actual legislation and duly elected magistrates. The authority of officials and their laws are by virtue of their office, not by their character and actions within said office. Now, if their actions are reprehensible, they will be removed by the checks and balances, but those are legally placed and part of the structure as a whole.

[Ridley's Own]

Originally Posted by +Donny

No, understand, but that ideal is mediating through actual legislation and duly elected magistrates. The authority of officials and their laws are by virtue of their office, not by their character and actions within said office. Now, if their actions are reprehensible, they will be removed by the checks and balances, but those are legally placed and part of the structure as a whole.

The problem that King encountered is that all of that didn't work. The law said no more segregation. The southern governments refused to work in accordance with the Constitutional checks and balances. That's when King began the civil disobediance movement.

[+Donny]

Oh, hmmm, that is a bit different. Yes, he did make an appeal to the supreme court decision. Is this tied at all into the "lesser magistrate" doctrine I have heard in connection with reformed theology?

[Ridley's Own]

Originally Posted by +Donny

Oh, hmmm, that is a bit different. Yes, he did make an appeal to the supreme court decision.

People forget that part, particularly people in the deep south, where we should know better. The Governor of Virginia did this thing called "massive resistance" and closed down all public schools for a year. It wasn't just that segregation was wrong, it was that the segregation laws violated basic tenets of American identity. That was the core 'thing' King kept pointing out and that Gandhi pointed out: you have these ideals of democracy and freedom for all, now live up to them.

Is this tied at all into the "lesser magistrate" doctrine I have heard in connection with reformed theology?

Beats me.

[+Donny]

Alright, that makes sense enough for now. Political science makes my head hurt.

[Ridley's Own]

Donny,

Let me make a few movie/book reccomendations:

1. Gandhi (the movie). Good movie and a good introduction to the life and philosophy of Gandhi.
2. Gandhi: A Memoir by William Shirer
3. Here I Am: The Jonathon Daniels Story. A movie/documentary on Daniels. Probably can't rent it, but if you see it at a Public Library, get it.
4. Civil Disobedience by Thoreau. The basic primer.

[+Donny]

Thanks, I'll jot that down.