Re: Fwd: [asa] Creation Care Magazine

Against my better judgment to jump in here, but are you suggesting that
Jesus' love command abrogates any other aspect of the moral law? Seems to
me that would be antinomian in the extreme.

While the OT laws on land use no longer directly apply to us, the moral
principles underlying them do. Without doubt, a principle underlying the OT
land use laws, as well as all of the OT wisdom and prophetic literature, is
the priority of concern for the poor. And all of that is summed up in --
not superseded by -- Jesus' love command.

Moreover, contrary to the extremist libertarian rhetoric, the scope of
potential property rights is not summed up by the poles of absolute
individual ownership vs. absolute state ownership. Even property theorists
who posit a natural moral right in property suggest limitations on
"ownership" based on the common good.

This is perhaps most notable in the father of American property theory,
whose views directly and substantially influenced the contours of the U.S.
Constitution: John Locke. Locke argued for a natural right (or, more
accurately, "privilege") to property based on labor, but that right is
limited by his "enough and as good" proviso: an individual's privilege to
possess property extends only insofar as there is enough and as good left
over for others.

On Jan 22, 2008 12:49 PM, Janice Matchett <janmatch@earthlink.net> wrote:

> At 12:33 PM 1/22/2008, Rich Blinne wrote:
>
> The Ten Commandments not only prohibits theft but also has the promotion
> of the Sabbath.
>
>
>
> *@ *Sorry ace, but Jesus (who IS our Sabbath rest) has only two
> Commandments.
>
> http://www.freerepublic.com/~matchettpi/
>
> Excerpt from my profile page:
> A moral relativist, by definition, makes up his own moral truth as he goes
> along; basing his changable ideas of right and wrong on the situation.
>
> Moral relativists are the biggest danger to the undermining of our
> Constitution because the Constitution was only put into place to guard
> ABSOLUTE (UNchangeable/self-evident) moral truths. It is a meaningless
> document otherwise.
>
> "Subjectivism about values is eternally incompatible with democracy.
> Subjectivism leads to tyranny. "The very idea of freedom presupposes some
> objective moral order which overarches both ruler and ruled alike.
>
> We and our rulers are of one kind only so long as we are subject to one
> law, but if there is no law of nature, the ethos of any society is the
> creation of its rulers, educators, and conditioners, and every creator
> stands outside his own creation." ~ C.S. Lewis - The Abolition of Man
>
> That expresses precisely the dilemma of the postmodern age. And *remember
> who the barbarians are. The barbarians come,* Lewis told us, *not over the
> parapet, not carrying their clubs and wielding their weapons, but they come
> with polished fingernails and blue pin-striped suits, gathering in
> well-lighted conference rooms. They are the good people who say that they
> know how to make life better for all of us. *They are pharisaical
> mentalities. They were known as "busybodies" in my grandmother's day. They
> are known as the "politically correct", today. This quote most effectively
> exposes them for who and what they are:
>
> *"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its
> victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under live
> robber barons than under omnipotent moral busibodies. The robber baron's
> cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but
> those who torment us for our own good, will torment us without end, for they
> do so with the approval of their own conscience."* ~ C.S. Lewis
>
> *"Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever."
>
> How does one "glorify God*"?
>
> *If you love God above all others, you will love others as much (and no
> more than) you love yourself.*
>
> *No rational person would ever deliberately do harm to himself - he loves
> himself too much.*
>
> "*If a man say, I love God, and hates (harms) his brother (by lying to
> him, stealing from him, defrauding him in any way, murdering him, etc.) he
> is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love
> God whom he hath not seen*" 1 John 4:20<http://www.searchgodsword.org/desk/?query=1jo+4:20>
>
> Mark 12:28-31 The *two greatest commandments* of all: "Then one of the
> scribes ... asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus
> answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the
> Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all
> your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your
> strength.' This is the first commandment. And *the second is like it: 'You
> shall love your neighbor as much as you love yourself*'(and no more).
> There is no other commandment greater than these." Matt. 25:35-36<http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Mat/Mat025.html#35>
>
> "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: *Fear God
> and keep his [two] commandments*, *for this is the whole duty of man.* For
> God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing,
> whether it is good or evil." ~ Eccl. 12:13-14<http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Ecc/Ecc012.html#13>
>
> ~ Janice
>
>
>

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Received on Tue Jan 22 13:04:47 2008