INSTRUCT THE IGNORANT!!! TRUTH BE TOLD!!!
QUESTION?
Could you give me some biblical and church teaching references that allow us the right and duty to speak out against corrupt political leaders? Biblical references are better because I'm talking to a "Sola Scriptura" person but Church teaching would help also. Thank you and God bless!
ANSWER!
The prophet Ezekiel (33: 1-11) tells us to warn the people of their sin or we will be accountable:
The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman; and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people; then if any one who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes, and takes any one of them; that man is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. "So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life. "And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: `Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?' Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
*It is a spiritual work of mercy (CCC 2247) – to “Instruct the ignorant.”
*Edmund Burke an 18th British Philosopher said, “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.”
* Jesus taught us to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's...so we have a duty to both the civil society and the kingdom of God. And we don't choose one over the other. Don't check out of Politics because you're a Christian. The idea of rejecting this world for heaven leads to quietism. On the other hand, rejecting heaven for the world leads to secularism. True Christianity says we are not called to choose one or the other; Christians are called to do both because God has made both. God is both Creator and Redeemer. Patriotism is an expression of the 2 greatest commandments (Matt 22:36-44). If we truly love God we are going to care about eternity. And if we truly love our neighbor, we are going to care about the civil society our neighbors live in. Particularly we are going to care about the person who is being overly controlled by the government or singled out in some way for abuse. Patriotism is the affection of love turned unselfishly for the good of one's neighbor and ultimately for the glory of God. This is something we need to teach, but more importantly, we need to live it. (AFA June 2010, p.15). Let's not be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.
I personally want to conserve the truth – God, faith and family in order to be liberated from sin.