He that would be a leader must also be a bridge. Leadership Quotations
Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Harold R. McAlindon
(also attributed to Emerson and others)
Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
There go the people.
I must follow them for I am their leader.
Alexandre Ledru-Rollin
The history of the world is but the
biography of great men.
Thomas Carlyle
What chance gathers she easily scatters. A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him.
General Douglas MacArthur
The real leader has no need to lead--
he is content to point the way.
Henry Miller
Go to the people. Learn from them. Live with them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. The best of leaders when the job is done, when the task is accomplished, the people will say we have done it ourselves.
Lao Tzu
A leader is a dealer in hope.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Rely on your own strength of body and soul. Take for your star self-reliance, faith, honesty and industry. Don't take too much advice — keep at the helm and steer your own ship, and remember that the great art of commanding is to take a fair share of the work. Fire above the mark you intend to hit. Energy, invincible determination with the right motive, are the levers that move the world.
Noah Porter
If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more and become more,
you are a leader.
John Quincy Adams
He who has never learned to obey
cannot be a good commander.
Aristotle
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(from Christian Leadership World)
Any one can hold the helm when the sea is calm.
Publilius Syrus
A leader is a dealer in hope.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
George Patton
(from Big Dog's Quotes)
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Proverbs 29:18
Misfortunes, untoward events, lay open, disclose the skill of a general, while success conceals his weakness, his weak points.
Horace
In this world a man must either be an anvil or hammer.
Henry W. Longfellow
I light my candle from their torches.
Robert Burton
Leadership does not always wear the harness of compromise.
Woodrow Wilson
The greater a man is in power above others, the more he ought to excel them in virtue. None ought to govern who is not better than the governed.
Publius Syrus
A bold onset is half the battle.
Giuseppe Garibaldi
The power is detested, and miserable the life, of him who wishes to be feared rather than to be loved.
Cornelius Nepos
To be a great leader and so always master of the situation, one must of necessity have been a great thinker in action. An eagle was never yet hatched from a goose's egg.
James Thomas
Ill can he rule the great that cannot reach the small.
Edmund Spenser
He who has learned how to obey will know how to command.
Solon
When I give a minister an order, I leave it to him to find the means to carry it out.
Napoleon Bonaparte
No man can stand on top because he is put there.
H. H. Vreeland
A ruler should be slow to punish and swift to reward.
Ovid
It is impossible to imagine anything which better becomes a ruler than mercy.
Seneca
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.
Abraham Lincoln
What you cannot enforce /
Do not command.
Sophocles
No general can fight his battles alone. He must depend upon his lieutenants, and his success depends upon his ability to select the right man for the right place.
Philip Armour
To do great things is difficult; but to command great things is more difficult.
Friedrich Nietzsche
It is absurd that a man should rule others, who cannot rule himself. (Absurdum est ut alios regat, qui seipsum regere nescit.)
Latin Proverb
Let he him who would be moved to convince others, be first moved to convince himself.
Thomas Carlyle
A good general not only sees the way to victory; he also knows when victory is impossible.
Polybius .
Motivational Quotations .
It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.
George S. Patton
If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes.Dr Sammy
We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Seek the lofty by reading, hearing and seeing great work at some moment every day.
Thornton Wilder
The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.
Arthur C. Clarke
Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, they is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.
Johann Gottfried Von Herder.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore,
is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle
Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need.
Voltaire
Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action.
Benjamin Disraeli
You cannot plough a field by
turning it over in your mind.
Author Unknown
The best way out is always through.
Robert Frost
Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.
William B. Sprague
Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.
Samuel Johnson
Fortune favors the brave.
Publius Terence
He who hesitates is lost.
Proverb
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.
Confucius
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Albert Einstein
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
We are still masters of our fate.
We are still captains of our souls.
Winston Churchill
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
For hope is but the dream
of those that wake.
Matthew Prior
Constant dripping hollows out a stone.
Lucretius
Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose
a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.
Mary Shelley.
Fall seven times, stand up eight. Japanese proverb
Inspirational Quotes
Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.
Albert Einstein
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.
Now put foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau
Inspiration and genius--one and the same.
Victor Hugo
To find what you seek in the road of life,
the best proverb of all is that which says:
"Leave no stone unturned."
Edward Bulwer Lytton
Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of inspiration?
George Eliot
If you would create something,
you must be something.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Every artist was first an amateur.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be.
Horace Bushnell
No great man ever complains of want of opportunities.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Men do less than they ought,
unless they do all they can.
Thomas Carlyle
Let thy words be few.
Ecclesiastes 5:2 from Words of Wisdom
Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.
Leon J. Suenes
The power of imagination makes us infinite.
John Muir
First say to yourself what you would be;
and then do what you have to do.
Epictetus .
There is always room at the top. Daniel Webster
Success Quotations
We are all motivated by a keen desire for praise, and the better a man is, the more he is inspired to glory.
Cicero
Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom.
Euripides
They can because they think they can.
Virgil
Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.
Thomas Jefferson
Keep steadily before you the fact that all true success depends at last upon yourself.
Theodore T. Hunger
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.
Robert Collier
The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.
Frank Loyd Wright
A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience.
Elbert Hubbard
There is only one success--to be able to spend your life in your own way.
Christopher Morley
The secret of success is to know something nobody else knows.
Aristotle Onassis
The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be summed in these two: common-sense and perseverance.
Owen Feltham
Failures do what is tension relieving, while winners do what is goal achieving.
Dennis Waitley
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.
Vince Lombardi
I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure--which is:
Try to please everybody.
Herbert Bayard Swope
Success does not consist in never making blunders, but in never making the same one a second time.
Josh Billings
The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.
Earl of Beaconsfield
Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration.
Evan Esar
The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius.
Jospeph Addison
Impatience never commanded success.
Edwin H. Chapin
The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do, well.
Henry W. Longfellow
To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first.
Shakespeare
Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.
Albert Einstein
The man who makes a success of an important venture never wails for the crowd. He strikes out for himself. It takes nerve, it takes a great lot of grit; but the man that succeeds has both. Anyone can fail. The public admires the man who has enough confidence in himself to take a chance. These chances are the main things after all. The man who tries to succeed must expect to be criticized. Nothing important was ever done but the greater number consulted previously doubted the possibility. Success is the accomplishment of that which most people think can't be done.
C. V. White
And one quote just for fun.....
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it.
W.C. Fields
The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates
Quotes and Proverbs About Life
Dost thou love life?
Then do not squander time,
for that is the stuff life is made of.
Benjamin Franklin
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
Helen Keller
Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.
Jawaharal Nehru
Life is like the dice that, falling, still show a different face. So life, though it remains the same, is always presenting different aspects.
Alexis
Our life's a stage, a comedy: either learn to play and take it lightly, or bear its troubles patiently.
Palladas
The geat blessing of mankind are within us and within our reach; but we shut our eyes, and like people in the dark, we fall foul upon the very thing we search for, without finding it.
Seneca
(7 B.C. - 65 A.A.)
Govern thy life and thoughts as if the whole world were to see the one, and read the other.
Thomas Fuller
Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Unrest of spirit is a mark of life; one problem after another presents itself and in the solving of them we can find our greatest pleasure.
Kal Menninger
Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, judgment difficult.
Hypocrites
After the game,
the king and the pawn go into the same box.
Italian Proverb
Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think.
La Bruyere
Life is like a library owned by the author.
In it are a few books which he wrote himself,
but most of them were written for him.
Harry Emerson Fosdick
We make our fortunes, and we call them fate.
Earl of Beaconsfield
The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.
Elbert Hubbard
Life, like a dome of many colored glass, Stains the white radiance of eternity.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Life's a voyage that's homeward bound.
Herman Melville
The whole of life is but a moment of time. It is our duty, therefore to use it, not to misuse it.
Plutarch
Life is a rich strain of music, suggesting a realm too fair to be.
George William Curtis
The boundaries which divide life from death
are at best shadowy and vague.
Who shall say where one ends,
and the other begins?
Edgar Alan Poe
One way to get the most out of life is
to look upon it as an adventure.
William Feather
There are no classes in life for beginners: right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult.
Rainer Maria Rilke
To live is like to love-all reason is against it, and all healthy instinct for it.
Samuel Butler
Life is a pure flame,
and we live by an invisible sun within us.
Sir Thomas Brown
As I grow to understand life less and less,
I learn to love it more and more.
Jules Renard.
The human race is governed by its imagination.
Napoleon Bonaparte
The imagination exercises a powerful influence over every act of sense, thought, reason,
over every idea.
Latin Proverb
Solitude is as needful to the imagination as society is wholesome for the character.
James Russel Lowell.
Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.
Louisa May Alcott
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Albert Einstein
He who has imagination without learning, has wings and no feet.
Joseph Joubert
Hope is the dream of a man awake.
French Proverb
A strong imagination begetteth opportunity.
Michel de Montaigne
Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions.
Albert Einstein
Where beams of imagination play,
The memory's soft figures melt away.
Alexander Pope
Believe that you have it, and you have it.
Latin Proverb
The imagination is the secret and marrow of civilization.
Henry Ward Beecher
Imagine every day to be the last of a life surrounded with hopes, cares, anger, and fear. The hours that come unexpectedly will be so much more the grateful.
Horace
You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
Mark Twain.
Trust the dreams for hidden in them is the gate to eternity.
Kahlil Gibran.
Follow Your Dreams
I have spread my dreams beneath your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
W.B. Yeats
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
Henry David Thoreau
All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.
T.E. Lawrence.
Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.
Henry David Thoreau
So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key.
Lyrics from Already Gone, peformed by the Eagles for their 1974 On the Border album
The end of wisdom is to dream high enough not to lose the dream in the seeking of it.
William Faulkner
I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.
Patrick Henry
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.
Lanston Hughes
You cannot dream yourself into a character: you must hammer and forge yourself into one.
Henry D. Thoreau
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer.
Marcia Wieder
Dreams are the touchstones of our character.
Henry David Thoreau
The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had means, time, influence and educational advantages; the question is what he will do with the things he has. The moment a young man ceases to dream or to bemoan his lack of opportunities and resolutely looks his conditions in the face, and resolves to change them, he lays the corner-stone of a solid and honorable success.
Hamilton Wright Mabie
The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.
Paul Valery
A skillful man reads his dreams for self-knowledge, yet not the details but the quality.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our waking hours form the text of our lives, our dreams, the commentary.
Anonymous
Hope is the dream of the waking man.
French Proverb
To unpathed waters, undreamed shores.
William Shakepeare.
Character lives in a man, reputation outside of him.
J. G. Holland.
Character Building Quotations
You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.
Henry David Thoreau
Be your character what it will, it will be known, and nobody will take it upon your word.
Lord Chesterfield
Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
Thomas Paine.
Nothing of character is really permanent but virtue and personal worth.
Daniel Webster
The essential thing is not knowledge, but character.
Joseph Le Conte
It requires less character to discover the faults of others, than to tolerate them.
J. Petit Senn
A good name will shine forever.
Proverb
A fair reputation is a plant, delicate in its nature, and by no means rapid in its growth. It will not shoot up in a night like the gourd of the prophet; but, like that gourd, it may perish in a night.
Jeremy Taylor
Sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny.
George Dana Boardman
Talents are best nurtured in solitude. Character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Our character is but the stamp on our souls of the free choices of good and evil we have made through life.
John C. Geikie
Reputation is for time; character is for eternity.
J. B. Gough
Character is a diamond that scratches every other stone.
Cyrus A. Bartol
Nature magically suits a man to his fortunes, by making them the fruit of his character.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Talents are best nurtured in solitude, but character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Men best show their character in trifles, where they are not on their guard. It is in the simplest habits, that we often see the boundless egotism which pays no regard to the feelings of others and denies nothing to itself.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Every man, as to character, is the creature of the age in which he lives. Very few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of their times.
Voltaire
Character and personal force are the only investments that are worth anything.
Walt Whitman
Character is, for the most part,
simply habit become fixed.
C. H. Parkhurst
Actions, looks, words and steps form the alphabet by which you may spell character.
Johann Kasper Lavater
Let us not say, Every man is the architect of his own fortune; but let us say, Every man is the architect of his own character.
George Dana Boardman
Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live, as well as strong to think.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.
Marcus Aurelius.
It is better to fall short of a high mark than to reach a low one. - H. C. Payne
Goals and Goal Setting
The ability to convert ideas to things is the secret to outward success.
Henry Ward Beecher
The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business--or almost anywhere else for that matter.
Lee Iacocca
wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
Francis Bacon
In everything the ends well defined are the secret of durable success.
Victor Cousins
Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is.
Vince Lombardi
Failures do what is tension relieving,
while winners do what is goal achieving.
Dennis Waitley
(as quoted in Brian Tracy's book, Eat That Frog)
A man should have any number of little aims about which he should be conscious and for which he should have names, but he should have neither name for, nor consciousness concerning, the main aim of his life.
Samuel Butler
Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.
Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog
The great and glorious masterpiece of
man is to know how to live to purpose.
Michel de Montaigne
Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,
or what's a heaven for?
Robert Browning
The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain.
Kahlil Gibran
Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor, upon which one walks as a matter of course and prescriptive right.
Aldous Huxley
If you don't know where you are going,
you'll end up someplace else.
Yogi Berra
We can always redeem the man who aspires and strives.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives.
Viktor Frankl
There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.
Henry Ford
Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.
Seneca
It is not enough to take steps which may some day lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity; who aims at mediocrity will be far short of it.
Burmese Saying
In absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.
Author Unknown
Don't bunt. Aim out of the ballpark.
David Ogilvy
There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.
Logan Pearsall Smith.
It is easy to be wise after the event. - English Proverb
Words of Wisdom /
Thoughts to Live By
Nature and wisdom never are at strife.
Plutarch
It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld
The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.
William James
The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others.
Solomon Ibn Gabriol
Years teach us more than books.
Berthold Auerbach
The wisdom of nations lies in their proverbs,
which are brief and pithy.
William Penn
The middle course is the best.
Cleobulus
The only medicine for suffering, crime, and all the other woes of mankind, is wisdom.
Thomas Huxley
A wise man learns by the mistakes of others,
a fool by his own.
Latin Proverb
Silence does not always mark wisdom.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
No man was ever wise by chance.
Seneca
Not to know at large of things remote
From use, obscure and subtle, but to know
That which before us lies in daily life,
Is the prime wisdom.
John Milton
By associating with wise people you will become wise yourself.
Menander
The seat of knowledge is in the head, of wisdom,
in the heart.
William Hazlitt
Of all parts of wisdom the practice is the best.
John Tillotson
The more a man knows, the more he forgives.
Catherine the Great
A loving heart is the truest wisdom.
Charles Dickens
One who understands much displays a greater simplicity of character than one who understands little.
Alexander Chase
How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise!
Homer
On every thorn, delightful wisdom grows,
In every rill a sweet instruction flows.
Edward Young
The man of wisdom is never of two minds;
the man of benevolence never worries;
the man of courage is never afraid.
Confucius.
By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property. Voltaire
Dealing with People
You must look into other people as well as at them. Lord Chesterfield
A good deed is never lost: he who sows courtesy reaps friendship; and he who plants kindness gathers love.
Basil
A man's own good breeding is the best security against other people's ill manners.
Lord Chesterfield
The secret of many a man's success in the world resides in his insight into the moods of men and his tact in dealing with them.
J. G. Holland
To rejoice in another's prosperity, is to give content to your own lot: to mitigate another's grief, is to alleviate or dispel your own.
Thomas Edwards
Hear the meaning within the word.
William Shakespeare
Charity, good behaviour, amiable speech, unselfishness — these by the chief sage have been declared the elements of popularity.
Burmese Proverb
Kind words are the music of the world.
F. W. Faber
We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates.
Denis Diderot
Arguing with a fool proves there are two.
Doris M. Smith
Be courteous to all, but intimate with few;
and let those be well-tried before you give them your confidence.
George Washington
Look to be treated by others
as you have treated others.
Publius Syrus
Success in life, in anything,
depends upon the number of persons
that one can make himself agreeable to.
Thomas Carlyle
Never part without loving words to think of during your absence. It may be that you will not meet again in this life.
Jean Paul Richter.
Let us believe neither half of the good people tell us of ourselves, nor half of the evil they say of others.
J. Petit Senn
The more you say, the less people remember.
François Fénelon
Never lose a chance of saying a kind word.
William Thackeray
The soul of conversation is sympathy.
Thomas Campbell
It is always good to know, if only in passing, charming human beings. It refreshes one like flowers and woods and clear brooks.
George Eliot
Every man is a volume if you know how to read him.
William Ellery Channing
If evil be said of thee, and if it be true, correct thyself; if it be a lie, laugh at it.
Epictetus
In many things it is not well to say, "Know thyself"; it is better to say, "Know others."
Menander
The less people speak of their greatness,
the more we think of it.
Lord Bacon
He who sedulously attends, pointedly asks, calmly speaks, coolly answers and ceases when he has no more to say is in possession of some of the best requisites of man.
Johann Casper Lavater
A good word is an easy obligation; but not to speak ill requires only our silence; which costs us nothing.
John Tillotson
It requires less character to discover the faults of others than is does to tolerate them.
J. Petit Senn
Do not forget small kindnesses and do not remember small faults.
Chinese Proverb.
In all things let reason be your guide.Dr Sammy D.James
Personal Growth and Self Development.
The way to gain a good reputation, is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear. - Socrates
The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can.
Robert Cushing.
The searching-out and thorough investigation of truth ought to be the primary study of man.
Cicero
The only journey is the journey within.
Rainer Maria Rilke
Know thyself means this, that you get acquainted with what you know, and what you can do.
Menander
Yes, know thyself: in great concerns or small,
Be this thy care, for this, my friend, is all.
Juvenal
Men soon the faults of others learn
A few their virtues, too, find out;
But is there one—I have a doubt—
Who can his own defects discern?
Sanskrit Proverb
Collect as precious pearls the words of the wise and virtuous.
Abd-el-Kadar
If we do not plant knowledge when young, it will give us no shade when we are old.
Lord Chesterfield
If you have an hour, will you not improve that hour, instead of idling it away?
Lord Chesterfield
Follow your honest convictions, and stay strong.
William Thackeray
He that will not reflect is a ruined man.
Asian Proverb
Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.
Doug Firebaugh
God ever works with those who work with will.
Aeschylus
Insist on yourself. Never imitate.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Heaven never helps the man who will not act.
Sophocles.
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.
Aristotle
Our ideas, like orange-plants, spread out in proportion to the size of the box which imprisons the roots.
Edward Bulwer Lytton
In learning to know other things, and other minds, we become more intimately acquainted with ourselves, and are to ourselves better worth knowing.
Philip Gilbert Hamilton
What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself.
Hecato, Greek philosopher
We are either progressing or retrograding all the while; there is no such thing as remaining stationary in this life.
James Freeman Clarke
To conquer oneself is the best and noblest victory; to be vanquished by one's own nature is the worst and most ignoble defeat.
Plato
Everybody wants to be somebody;
nobody wants to grow.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The happiest life is that which constantly exercises and educates what is best in us.
Hamerton
We only become what we are by the radical and deep-seated refusal of that which others have made of us.
Jean-Paul Sartre
Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life.
Herbert Otto
Heed the still small voice that so seldom leads us wrong, and never into folly.
Marquise du Deffand
Energy and persistence conquer all things.
Benjamin Franklin
If we all did the things we are capable of,
we would astound ourselves.
Thomas Edison
A man who finds no satisfaction in himself will seek for it in vain elsewhere.
La Rochefoucauld
Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world.
Miguel de Cervantes
The best rules to form a young man are: to talk little, to hear much, to reflect alone upon what has passed in company, to distrust one's own opinions, and value others that deserve it.
Sir William Temple
Exert your talents, and distinguish yourself, and don't think of retiring from the world, until the world will be sorry that you retire.
Samuel Johnson.
Not failure, but low aim, is crime.James Russell Lowell
Fear of Failure.
It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.
Theodore Roosevelt
Half of the failures in life come from pulling one's horse when he is leaping.
Thomas Hood
Go back a little to leap further.
John Clarke
Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.
William Shakespeare
Every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success.
Napoleon Hill
Failure is blindness to the strategic element in events; success is readiness for instant action when the opportune moment arrives.
Newell D. Hillis
There is no impossibility to him who stands prepared to conquer every hazard.
The fearful are the failing.
Sarah J. Hale
They fail, and they alone, who have not striven.
Thomas Bailey Aldrich
We learn wisdom from failure much more than success. We often discover what we will do, by finding out what we will not do.
Samuel Smiles
I was never afraid of failure, for I would sooner fail than not be among the best.
John Keats
It is foolish to fear what you cannot avoid.
Stultum est timere quod vitare non potes.
Publius Syrus
He that is down needs fear no fall.
John Bunyan
Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.
George Herman "Babe" Ruth
One who fears failure limits his activities.
Failure is only the opportunity to more
intelligently begin again.
Henry Ford
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.
Elbert Hubbard
Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them.
Washington Irving
Our greatest glory consist not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Oliver Goldsmith
Wherever we look upon this earth, the opportunities take shape within the problems.
Nelson A. Rockefeller
What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?
Vincent van Gogh
The greatest men sometimes overshoot themselves, but then their very mistakes are so many lessons of instruction.
Tom Browne
Experience teaches slowly, and at the cost of mistakes.
James A. Froude
It is the want of diligence, rather than the want of means, that causes most failures.
Alfred Mercier
A man's life is interesting primarily when he has failed--I well know.
For it's a sign that he tried to surpass himself.
Georges Clemenceau
He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.
Napoleon Bonaparte
There is no failure except in no longer trying.
Elbert Hubbard
There is no impossibility to him who stands prepared to conquer every hazard.
The fearful are the failing.
Sarah J. Hale
Disappointments are to the soul what thunderstorms are to the air.
Johann C. F. von Schiller
Failure teaches success.
Japanese Saying.
My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened. - Michel de Montaigne.
to Overcome Worry and Anxiety
Don't waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
No longer forward nor behind
I look in hope and fear;
But grateful take the good I find,
The best of now and here.
John G. Whittier.
It is not work that kills men, it is worry. Work is healthy; you can hardly put more on a man than he can bear. But worry is rust upon the blade. It is not movement that destroys the machinery, but friction.
Henry Ward Beecher
Be just, and fear not.
Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's,
Thy God's and truth's.
William Shakespeare
Never let life's hardships disturb you ... no one can avoid problems, not even saints or sages.
Nichiren Daishonen
Ask yourself this question:
"Will this matter a year from now?"
Richard Carlson, writing in Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Surely there is something in the unruffled calm of nature that overawes our little anxieties and doubts; the sight of the deep-blue sky and the clustering stars above seems to impart a quiet to the mind.
Jonathan Edwards
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.
Benjamin Franklin
Imagine every day to be the last of a life surrounded with hopes, cares, anger and fear. The hours that come unexpectedly will be much the more grateful.
Horace
The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable.
Seneca
Present fears are less than horrible imaginings.
William Shakespeare
Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those that never happen.
James Russel Lowell
How much pain have cost us the evils that have never happened.
Thomas Jefferson
It is the trouble that never comes that causes the loss of sleep.
Chas. Austin Bates
Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.
Henry David Thoreau
We also deem those happy, who from the experience of life, have learned to bear its ills and without descanting on their weight.
Junvenal
Thus each person by his fears gives wings to rumor, and, without any real source of apprehension, men fear what they themselves have imagined.
Lucan
I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.
Albert Einstein
It is idle to dread what you cannot avoid.
Publius Syrus
Enjoy the present day, as distrusting that which is to follow.
Horace
He either fears his fate too much,
Or his deserts are small,
Who dares not put it to the touch
To gain or lose it all.
Marquis of Montrose
The rose is fairest when 't is budding new,
and hope is brightest when it dawns from fears.
Walter Scott.
Circumstances! I make circumstances.Napoleon I
The great blessings of mankind are within us, and within our reach; but we shut our eyes, and, like people in the dark, we fall foul upon the very thing we search for, without finding it. - Seneca
When the best things are not possible, the best may be made of those that are. Richard Hooker
Too low they build, who build beneath the stars.Edward Young
Difficulties strengthen the mind, as well as labor does the body.Seneca
12 sept 2009
The eaglehovers over her young" in teaching them their first flight, ready in a moment to save them when in danger,we will fly like an Eagle.Dr Sam
The eagle is remarkable for strength, size, graceful figure, keenness of vision, and extraordinary flight.The figure of the eagle, as the king of birds, is commonly used as an heraldic emblem, and also for standards and emblematic devices. See Bald eagle, Harpy, and Golden eagle.You can put wings on a pig, but you don't make it an eagle.There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.First I shall name the eagle, of which there are three species: the great grey eagle is the largest, of great strength and high flight; he chiefly preys on fawns and other young quadrupeds.Don't quack like a duck, soar like an eagle. any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight. OF SPIRIT
Swiftness
Strength
Courage
Wisdom
Keen sight
Illumination of Spirit
Healing
Creation
Knowledge of magic
Ability to see hidden spiritual truths
Rising above the material to see the spiritual
Ability to see the overall pattern
Connection to spirit guides and teachers
Great power and balance
Dignity with grace
Ability to see the "big picture"
Connection with higher truths
Intuitive and creative spirit
Respect for the boundaries of the regions
Grace achieved through knowledge
And hard work.
eagle eye .1. unusually sharp visual powers; keen ability to watch or observe.
2. a person who has sharp vision or who maintains a keen watchfulness.
3. alert watchfulness.
eagle eye. Keen eyesight.
The ability or tendency to observe closely or pay attention to detail: monitors expenses with an eagle eye.
One that observes with close attention. Unusually keen sight; also, keen intellectual vision. For example,World Vision Ministries International have an eagle eye for valuable objects, or A good manager has an eagle eye.1. A chief ruler; a sovereign; one invested with supreme
authority over a nation, country, or tribe, usually by
hereditary succession; a monarch; a prince. every
inch a king.King is often used adjectively, or in combination, to
denote pre["e]minence or superiority in some
particular; as, kingbird; king crow; king vulture.the chief heraldic
of a country. In England the king-at-arms was formerly of
great authority. His business is to direct the heralds,
preside at their chapters, and have the jurisdiction of
armory. There are three principal kings-at-arms,
King vulture.a large species of vulture
(Sarcorhamphus papa), ranging from Mexico to Paraguay,
The general color is white. The wings and tail are black,
and the naked carunculated head and the neck are
briliantly colored with scarlet, yellow, orange, and blue.
So called because it drives away other vultures while
feeding.Eagle
Nesher. Leviticus 11:13. The golden eagle (W. Drake). The griffon vulture; the Arab nisr is plainly the Hebrew nesher. In Micah 1:16, "make thee bald (shaving the head betokening mourning) ... enlarge thy baldness as the nesher," the griffon vulture must be meant; for it is "bald," which the eagle is not. "A majestic and royal bird, the largest and most powerful seen in Palestine, far surpassing the eagle in size and power" (Tristram). The Egyptians ranked it as first among birds. The da'ah (Leviticus 11:14) is not "the vulture" but the black kite. The Hebrew qaarach is to make bald the back of the head, very applicable to the griffon vulture's head and neck, which are destitute of true feathers. The golden eagle; the spotted, common in the rocky regions; the imperial; and the Circaeros gallicus (short-toed eagle), living on reptiles only: Palestine Exploration Quarterly Statement, October, 1876), are all found in Palestine.
Its swift flight is alluded to, and rapacious cruelty, representing prophetically (Habakkuk 1:8; Jeremiah 4:13) the Chaldean, and ultimately, the Roman, invaders of Israel (Deuteronomy 28:49; Ezekiel 17:3-7). Compare Josephus, B. J., 6. Its soaring high and making its nest in the inaccessible rock, also its wonderful far-sightedness and strength (Job 39:27-30). Psalm 103:5 says: "thy youth is renewed like the eagle's"; not as if the eagle renewed its youth in old age, but by the Lord's goodness "thy youth is renewed" so as to be as vigorous as the eagle. The eagle's vigor and longevity are illustrated by the Greek proverb, "the eagle's old age is as good as the lark's youth." Its preying on decomposing carcass symbolizes the divine retributive principle that, where corruption is, there vengeance shall follow. "Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together," quoted by our Lord from Job 39:30; Matthew 24:28 - the vulture chiefly feeds on carcass.
The eagle's forcibly training its young to fly pictures the Lord's power, combined with parental tenderness, in training and tending His people (Deuteronomy 32:11; Exodus 19:4). In the law the fostering mother is the eagle, God manifesting His power and sternness mingled with tenderness in bringing His people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; in the gospel the fostering mother is the hen (Matthew 23:37), Christ coming in grace, humility, and obedience unto death (Bochart). Subsequently, Christ rescues His people "from the face of the serpent" by giving His church the "two wings of a great eagle" (Revelation 12:14).
The eagle "hovers over her young" in teaching them their first flight, ready in a moment to save them when in danger of falling on the rocks below. Compare Isaiah 31:5. God stirred up Israel from the foul nest of Egypt, which of their own accord they would have never left, so satisfied were they with its fleshpots in spite of its corruptions. The "stirring up the nest" spiritually corresponds to the first awakening of the soul; the "fluttering over her young" to the brooding of the Holy Spirit over the awakened soul; the "taking and bearing on her wings" to His continuous teaching and guardian care. The eagle assists the young one's first effort by flying under to sustain it for a moment and encourage its efforts.
So the Spirit cooperates with us, after He has first given us the good will (Philemon 2:12-13). The eagle rouses from the nest, the hen gathers to herself; so the law and the gospel respectively. The Persians under Cyrus had a golden eagle on a spear as their standard (Isaiah 46:11). The eagle is represented in Assyrian sculptures as accompanying their armies; Nisroch, their god, had an eagle's head. The Romans had the eagle standard, hence, the appropriateness of their being compared to an eagle (Deuteronomy 28:49).with arms and legs stretched out and apart; lay spread-eagle on the floor, stretch over; "His residences spread-eagle the entire countries. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential prey from a distance. 1. symbolic image of eagle: the image of an eagle with its wings and legs outstretched, especially when used as an emblem of W V M I. The spread eagle appears on the Great Seal of World Vision Ministries International.
2. skating figure: in ice skating, a figure performed with the blades touching heel to heel
3. posture with spread limbs: a way of standing or lying with arms and legs spread apart.Someone who has eagle eyes sees everything; no detail is too small.
Description
Eagles are differentiated from other birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and bill. Even the smallest eagles, like the Booted Eagle (which is comparable in size to a Common Buzzard or Red-tailed Hawk), have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from the vultures. The species called eagle can range in size from the South Nicobar Serpent-eagle, at 500 grams (1.1 pounds) and 40 cm (16 in), to the 6.7-kg Steller's Sea-Eagle and the 100-cm (39 in) Philippine Eagle.
Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong muscular legs, and powerful talons claws. They also have extremely keen eyesight which enables them to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily contributed by their extremely large pupils which ensure minimal diffraction (scattering) of the incoming light.
Eagles build their nests, called eyries, in tall trees or on high cliffs. Many species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched.
Eagles in culture
The word
The modern English name of the bird is derived from the Latin term aquila by way of the French Aigle. The Latin aquila may derive from the word aquilus, meaning dark-colored, swarthy, or blackish,
as a description of the eagle's plumage; or from Aquilo, the Latin version of Greek Boreas, or north wind.
Old English used the term Earn, related to Scandinavia's Ørn / Örn. The etymology of this word is related to Greek ornis, literally meaning "bird". In this sense, the Eagle is the Bird with a capital B.
In Britain before 1678, Eagle referred specifically to the Golden Eagle, the other native species, the White-tailed Eagle, being known as the Erne. The modern name "Golden Eagle" for Aquila chrysaetos was introduced by the naturalist John Ray.
Eagles as national symbols
Eagles have been used by many nations as a national symbol.
The coat of arms of Albania has a black double-headed eagle.
The coat of arms of Armenia has a gold eagle and lion.
The coat of arms of Austria has a black eagle.
The coat of arms of the Czech Republic integrates the symbols of Moravia and Silesia (both with female eagles in their emblems - red-and-white chequered and black respectively) on the coat of arms of the Czech Republic with Bohemia's lion.
The coat of arms of Egypt is a golden eagle looking towards the viewer's left.
The coat of arms of Germany has a black eagle.
The coat of arms of Ghana has two golden eagles holding it.
The coat of arms of Iceland has a eagle holding it, as well as a dragon, a bull and a giant.
The coat of arms of Indonesia has an eagle-like garuda carrying a shield on its neck and a banner on its feet.
The coat of arms of Iraq has the golden Eagle of Saladin
The coat of arms of Jordan has a black eagle.
The coat of arms of Mexico golden eagle perched upon a cactus devouring a snake.
The coat of arms of Moldova consists of a stylized eagle holding a cross in its beak and a sceptre and a branch in its claws.
The coat of arms of Montenegro represents the two-headed eagle in flight.
The coat of arms of Navarre/Basque Country Kingdom has a black eagle.
The coat of arms of Nigeria has a red eagle on top.
The Insignia of the Pakistan Air Force includes the Peregrine Falcon State Military national bird.
The coat of arms of Panama has a harpy eagle
The coat of arms of the Philippines has the bald eagle of the United States as a symbol of its colonial past, but the Monkey-eating Eagle is the de jure National Bird of the country.
The coat of arms of Poland has a white eagle with a golden beak and talons wearing a golden crown.
The coat of arms of Romania has a golden aquila holding a cross in its beak and a mace and a sword in its claws.
The coat of arms of Russia has a gold double-headed eagle.
The coat of arms of Serbia has a white bicephalic eagle of the House of Nemanjić.
The coat of arms of Syria formerly had the eagle of Saladin.
The Great Seal of the United States has a bald eagle.
The coat of arms of Yemen depicts a golden eagle with a scroll between its claws.
The coat of arms of Zambia has a orange red eagle on top.
Historic uses:
The Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt used it as their seal.
Napoleon Bonaparte used the Roman Golden Eagle as the symbol of his new French empire.
Persian Empire: the symbol of Persian Army was an Eagle
The Romans used it on the standards of their armies. From this derives:
*The late Byzantine Empire chose a two-headed golden eagle as its symbol. It is popularly that one head symbolised ancient Rome, and the other head symbolised "new Rome" at Constantinople. From this derives:
**The two-headed eagle is the emblem of "Shqipëria" or Land of the Eagles, which is known in English as Albania (see The Tale of the Eagle for the legendary origin of the name)
**After the fall of Constantinople, the Russian Empire took the two-headed eagle as its own symbol.
*After his crowning as the new Roman Emperor, Charlemagne adopted the ancient Roman eagle as his own symbol. The Holy Roman Empire born of his kingdom took the eagle, but the Habsburgs replaced the golden eagle by an imperial eagle. From this derives:
**The Austrian Empire had a two-headed eagle as its symbol. After the abolition of Austria-Hungary, Austria took as its symbol a one-headed eagle in the modern coat of arms of Austria.
**Prussia, and later Germany have used a black eagle as their national symbol.
**The Spanish Catholic monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, used the eagle as a part of the royal shield representing Saint John the Evangelist. The eagle was again on the Spanish shield under the Francoist regime and the transition to Democracy (1939–1981).
The Seljuk Turks and Ottoman Turks used a double-headed eagle as coats-of-arms.
The eagle is the symbol used to depict John the Apostle in some Christian churches, whose writing most clearly witnesses the divinity of Christ. In art, John, as the writer of the Gospel, is sometimes depicted with an eagle. See Names of John.
The eagle is a sacred bird in some cultures and the feathers of the eagle are central to many religious and spiritual customs, especially amongst Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada, as well as among many of the peoples of Meso-America. Some Native American peoples revere eagles as sacred religious objects and the feathers and parts of Bald and Golden Eagles are often compared to the Bible and crucifix. Eagle feathers are often used in various ceremonies and are used to honor noteworthy achievements and qualities such as exceptional leadership and bravery. In the cultures of the Northwest Coast, Eagle is also a supernatural being and also the ancestor and features in the heraldic crests of important clans known as totem poles.
The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped the animal and often depicted eagles in their art.
Despite modern and historic Native American practices of giving eagle feathers to non-indigenous people and also members of other tribes who have been deemed worthy, current United States eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual reasons. In Canada, poaching of eagle feathers for the booming U.S. market has sometimes resulted in the arrests of First Nations person for the crime.Eagle
(Herb. nesher; properly the griffon vulture or great vulture, so
called from its tearing its prey with its beak), referred to for
its swiftness of flight (Deut. 28:49; 2 Sam. 1:23), its mounting
high in the air (Job 39:27), its strength (Ps. 103:5), its
setting its nest in high places (Jer. 49:16), and its power of
vision (Job 39:27-30).
This "ravenous bird" is a symbol of those nations whom God
employs and sends forth to do a work of destruction, sweeping
away whatever is decaying and putrescent (Matt. 24:28; Isa.
46:11; Ezek. 39:4; Deut. 28:49; Jer. 4:13; 48:40). It is said
that the eagle sheds his feathers in the beginning of spring,
and with fresh plumage assumes the appearance of youth. To this,
allusion is made in Ps. 103:5 and Isa. 40:31. God's care over
his people is likened to that of the eagle in training its young
to fly (Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11, 12). An interesting illustration
is thus recorded by Sir Humphry Davy:, "I once saw a very
interesting sight above the crags of Ben Nevis. Two parent
eagles were teaching their offspring, two young birds, the
maneuvers of flight. They began by rising from the top of the
mountain in the eye of the sun. It was about mid-day, and bright
for the climate. They at first made small circles, and the young
birds imitated them. They paused on their wings, waiting till
they had made their flight, and then took a second and larger
gyration, always rising toward the sun, and enlarging their
circle of flight so as to make a gradually ascending spiral. The
young ones still and slowly followed, apparently flying better
as they mounted; and they continued this sublime exercise,
always rising till they became mere points in the air, and the
young ones were lost, and afterwards their parents, to our
aching sight." (See Isa. 40:31.)
I,Dr Sammy.I have a clear vision.And believe in what God show me.
Swiftness
Strength
Courage
Wisdom
Keen sight
Illumination of Spirit
Healing
Creation
Knowledge of magic
Ability to see hidden spiritual truths
Rising above the material to see the spiritual
Ability to see the overall pattern
Connection to spirit guides and teachers
Great power and balance
Dignity with grace
Ability to see the "big picture"
Connection with higher truths
Intuitive and creative spirit
Respect for the boundaries of the regions
Grace achieved through knowledge
And hard work.
eagle eye .1. unusually sharp visual powers; keen ability to watch or observe.
2. a person who has sharp vision or who maintains a keen watchfulness.
3. alert watchfulness.
eagle eye. Keen eyesight.
The ability or tendency to observe closely or pay attention to detail: monitors expenses with an eagle eye.
One that observes with close attention. Unusually keen sight; also, keen intellectual vision. For example,World Vision Ministries International have an eagle eye for valuable objects, or A good manager has an eagle eye.1. A chief ruler; a sovereign; one invested with supreme
authority over a nation, country, or tribe, usually by
hereditary succession; a monarch; a prince. every
inch a king.King is often used adjectively, or in combination, to
denote pre["e]minence or superiority in some
particular; as, kingbird; king crow; king vulture.the chief heraldic
of a country. In England the king-at-arms was formerly of
great authority. His business is to direct the heralds,
preside at their chapters, and have the jurisdiction of
armory. There are three principal kings-at-arms,
King vulture.a large species of vulture
(Sarcorhamphus papa), ranging from Mexico to Paraguay,
The general color is white. The wings and tail are black,
and the naked carunculated head and the neck are
briliantly colored with scarlet, yellow, orange, and blue.
So called because it drives away other vultures while
feeding.Eagle
Nesher. Leviticus 11:13. The golden eagle (W. Drake). The griffon vulture; the Arab nisr is plainly the Hebrew nesher. In Micah 1:16, "make thee bald (shaving the head betokening mourning) ... enlarge thy baldness as the nesher," the griffon vulture must be meant; for it is "bald," which the eagle is not. "A majestic and royal bird, the largest and most powerful seen in Palestine, far surpassing the eagle in size and power" (Tristram). The Egyptians ranked it as first among birds. The da'ah (Leviticus 11:14) is not "the vulture" but the black kite. The Hebrew qaarach is to make bald the back of the head, very applicable to the griffon vulture's head and neck, which are destitute of true feathers. The golden eagle; the spotted, common in the rocky regions; the imperial; and the Circaeros gallicus (short-toed eagle), living on reptiles only: Palestine Exploration Quarterly Statement, October, 1876), are all found in Palestine.
Its swift flight is alluded to, and rapacious cruelty, representing prophetically (Habakkuk 1:8; Jeremiah 4:13) the Chaldean, and ultimately, the Roman, invaders of Israel (Deuteronomy 28:49; Ezekiel 17:3-7). Compare Josephus, B. J., 6. Its soaring high and making its nest in the inaccessible rock, also its wonderful far-sightedness and strength (Job 39:27-30). Psalm 103:5 says: "thy youth is renewed like the eagle's"; not as if the eagle renewed its youth in old age, but by the Lord's goodness "thy youth is renewed" so as to be as vigorous as the eagle. The eagle's vigor and longevity are illustrated by the Greek proverb, "the eagle's old age is as good as the lark's youth." Its preying on decomposing carcass symbolizes the divine retributive principle that, where corruption is, there vengeance shall follow. "Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together," quoted by our Lord from Job 39:30; Matthew 24:28 - the vulture chiefly feeds on carcass.
The eagle's forcibly training its young to fly pictures the Lord's power, combined with parental tenderness, in training and tending His people (Deuteronomy 32:11; Exodus 19:4). In the law the fostering mother is the eagle, God manifesting His power and sternness mingled with tenderness in bringing His people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; in the gospel the fostering mother is the hen (Matthew 23:37), Christ coming in grace, humility, and obedience unto death (Bochart). Subsequently, Christ rescues His people "from the face of the serpent" by giving His church the "two wings of a great eagle" (Revelation 12:14).
The eagle "hovers over her young" in teaching them their first flight, ready in a moment to save them when in danger of falling on the rocks below. Compare Isaiah 31:5. God stirred up Israel from the foul nest of Egypt, which of their own accord they would have never left, so satisfied were they with its fleshpots in spite of its corruptions. The "stirring up the nest" spiritually corresponds to the first awakening of the soul; the "fluttering over her young" to the brooding of the Holy Spirit over the awakened soul; the "taking and bearing on her wings" to His continuous teaching and guardian care. The eagle assists the young one's first effort by flying under to sustain it for a moment and encourage its efforts.
So the Spirit cooperates with us, after He has first given us the good will (Philemon 2:12-13). The eagle rouses from the nest, the hen gathers to herself; so the law and the gospel respectively. The Persians under Cyrus had a golden eagle on a spear as their standard (Isaiah 46:11). The eagle is represented in Assyrian sculptures as accompanying their armies; Nisroch, their god, had an eagle's head. The Romans had the eagle standard, hence, the appropriateness of their being compared to an eagle (Deuteronomy 28:49).with arms and legs stretched out and apart; lay spread-eagle on the floor, stretch over; "His residences spread-eagle the entire countries. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential prey from a distance. 1. symbolic image of eagle: the image of an eagle with its wings and legs outstretched, especially when used as an emblem of W V M I. The spread eagle appears on the Great Seal of World Vision Ministries International.
2. skating figure: in ice skating, a figure performed with the blades touching heel to heel
3. posture with spread limbs: a way of standing or lying with arms and legs spread apart.Someone who has eagle eyes sees everything; no detail is too small.
Description
Eagles are differentiated from other birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and bill. Even the smallest eagles, like the Booted Eagle (which is comparable in size to a Common Buzzard or Red-tailed Hawk), have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from the vultures. The species called eagle can range in size from the South Nicobar Serpent-eagle, at 500 grams (1.1 pounds) and 40 cm (16 in), to the 6.7-kg Steller's Sea-Eagle and the 100-cm (39 in) Philippine Eagle.
Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong muscular legs, and powerful talons claws. They also have extremely keen eyesight which enables them to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily contributed by their extremely large pupils which ensure minimal diffraction (scattering) of the incoming light.
Eagles build their nests, called eyries, in tall trees or on high cliffs. Many species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched.
Eagles in culture
The word
The modern English name of the bird is derived from the Latin term aquila by way of the French Aigle. The Latin aquila may derive from the word aquilus, meaning dark-colored, swarthy, or blackish,
as a description of the eagle's plumage; or from Aquilo, the Latin version of Greek Boreas, or north wind.
Old English used the term Earn, related to Scandinavia's Ørn / Örn. The etymology of this word is related to Greek ornis, literally meaning "bird". In this sense, the Eagle is the Bird with a capital B.
In Britain before 1678, Eagle referred specifically to the Golden Eagle, the other native species, the White-tailed Eagle, being known as the Erne. The modern name "Golden Eagle" for Aquila chrysaetos was introduced by the naturalist John Ray.
Eagles as national symbols
Eagles have been used by many nations as a national symbol.
The coat of arms of Albania has a black double-headed eagle.
The coat of arms of Armenia has a gold eagle and lion.
The coat of arms of Austria has a black eagle.
The coat of arms of the Czech Republic integrates the symbols of Moravia and Silesia (both with female eagles in their emblems - red-and-white chequered and black respectively) on the coat of arms of the Czech Republic with Bohemia's lion.
The coat of arms of Egypt is a golden eagle looking towards the viewer's left.
The coat of arms of Germany has a black eagle.
The coat of arms of Ghana has two golden eagles holding it.
The coat of arms of Iceland has a eagle holding it, as well as a dragon, a bull and a giant.
The coat of arms of Indonesia has an eagle-like garuda carrying a shield on its neck and a banner on its feet.
The coat of arms of Iraq has the golden Eagle of Saladin
The coat of arms of Jordan has a black eagle.
The coat of arms of Mexico golden eagle perched upon a cactus devouring a snake.
The coat of arms of Moldova consists of a stylized eagle holding a cross in its beak and a sceptre and a branch in its claws.
The coat of arms of Montenegro represents the two-headed eagle in flight.
The coat of arms of Navarre/Basque Country Kingdom has a black eagle.
The coat of arms of Nigeria has a red eagle on top.
The Insignia of the Pakistan Air Force includes the Peregrine Falcon State Military national bird.
The coat of arms of Panama has a harpy eagle
The coat of arms of the Philippines has the bald eagle of the United States as a symbol of its colonial past, but the Monkey-eating Eagle is the de jure National Bird of the country.
The coat of arms of Poland has a white eagle with a golden beak and talons wearing a golden crown.
The coat of arms of Romania has a golden aquila holding a cross in its beak and a mace and a sword in its claws.
The coat of arms of Russia has a gold double-headed eagle.
The coat of arms of Serbia has a white bicephalic eagle of the House of Nemanjić.
The coat of arms of Syria formerly had the eagle of Saladin.
The Great Seal of the United States has a bald eagle.
The coat of arms of Yemen depicts a golden eagle with a scroll between its claws.
The coat of arms of Zambia has a orange red eagle on top.
Historic uses:
The Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt used it as their seal.
Napoleon Bonaparte used the Roman Golden Eagle as the symbol of his new French empire.
Persian Empire: the symbol of Persian Army was an Eagle
The Romans used it on the standards of their armies. From this derives:
*The late Byzantine Empire chose a two-headed golden eagle as its symbol. It is popularly that one head symbolised ancient Rome, and the other head symbolised "new Rome" at Constantinople. From this derives:
**The two-headed eagle is the emblem of "Shqipëria" or Land of the Eagles, which is known in English as Albania (see The Tale of the Eagle for the legendary origin of the name)
**After the fall of Constantinople, the Russian Empire took the two-headed eagle as its own symbol.
*After his crowning as the new Roman Emperor, Charlemagne adopted the ancient Roman eagle as his own symbol. The Holy Roman Empire born of his kingdom took the eagle, but the Habsburgs replaced the golden eagle by an imperial eagle. From this derives:
**The Austrian Empire had a two-headed eagle as its symbol. After the abolition of Austria-Hungary, Austria took as its symbol a one-headed eagle in the modern coat of arms of Austria.
**Prussia, and later Germany have used a black eagle as their national symbol.
**The Spanish Catholic monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, used the eagle as a part of the royal shield representing Saint John the Evangelist. The eagle was again on the Spanish shield under the Francoist regime and the transition to Democracy (1939–1981).
The Seljuk Turks and Ottoman Turks used a double-headed eagle as coats-of-arms.
The eagle is the symbol used to depict John the Apostle in some Christian churches, whose writing most clearly witnesses the divinity of Christ. In art, John, as the writer of the Gospel, is sometimes depicted with an eagle. See Names of John.
The eagle is a sacred bird in some cultures and the feathers of the eagle are central to many religious and spiritual customs, especially amongst Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada, as well as among many of the peoples of Meso-America. Some Native American peoples revere eagles as sacred religious objects and the feathers and parts of Bald and Golden Eagles are often compared to the Bible and crucifix. Eagle feathers are often used in various ceremonies and are used to honor noteworthy achievements and qualities such as exceptional leadership and bravery. In the cultures of the Northwest Coast, Eagle is also a supernatural being and also the ancestor and features in the heraldic crests of important clans known as totem poles.
The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped the animal and often depicted eagles in their art.
Despite modern and historic Native American practices of giving eagle feathers to non-indigenous people and also members of other tribes who have been deemed worthy, current United States eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual reasons. In Canada, poaching of eagle feathers for the booming U.S. market has sometimes resulted in the arrests of First Nations person for the crime.Eagle
(Herb. nesher; properly the griffon vulture or great vulture, so
called from its tearing its prey with its beak), referred to for
its swiftness of flight (Deut. 28:49; 2 Sam. 1:23), its mounting
high in the air (Job 39:27), its strength (Ps. 103:5), its
setting its nest in high places (Jer. 49:16), and its power of
vision (Job 39:27-30).
This "ravenous bird" is a symbol of those nations whom God
employs and sends forth to do a work of destruction, sweeping
away whatever is decaying and putrescent (Matt. 24:28; Isa.
46:11; Ezek. 39:4; Deut. 28:49; Jer. 4:13; 48:40). It is said
that the eagle sheds his feathers in the beginning of spring,
and with fresh plumage assumes the appearance of youth. To this,
allusion is made in Ps. 103:5 and Isa. 40:31. God's care over
his people is likened to that of the eagle in training its young
to fly (Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11, 12). An interesting illustration
is thus recorded by Sir Humphry Davy:, "I once saw a very
interesting sight above the crags of Ben Nevis. Two parent
eagles were teaching their offspring, two young birds, the
maneuvers of flight. They began by rising from the top of the
mountain in the eye of the sun. It was about mid-day, and bright
for the climate. They at first made small circles, and the young
birds imitated them. They paused on their wings, waiting till
they had made their flight, and then took a second and larger
gyration, always rising toward the sun, and enlarging their
circle of flight so as to make a gradually ascending spiral. The
young ones still and slowly followed, apparently flying better
as they mounted; and they continued this sublime exercise,
always rising till they became mere points in the air, and the
young ones were lost, and afterwards their parents, to our
aching sight." (See Isa. 40:31.)
I,Dr Sammy.I have a clear vision.And believe in what God show me.
Leadership attitude by Dr, Sammy D.James
Attitudes for leadership development.Whatever you are going to is behind God.The future is unreleased destiny.Your future is not ahead of you,but is trapped within you.God is more committed to your success than you are.You are not free until your past has no effect on your future.Your destiny is choosen by God,you future is certain,whether you arrive there is up to you.Say to yourself,i will success this year,i will.God places the future of everything in itself.Only those who dare to fail greatly,can ever achieve greatly.Leader very unique people,their thinking is different,leaders do not think like followers,what made them cross the line was a certain mentality that kicked in somewhere.Something happened to them that made them think differently.And i normally call that attitudes that influence people.If you want to be an impactful personality,you have to develope certain types of thinking and perceptions.That change the way you see yourself,and see the world.And i call this the spirit of leadership.And there are only two animals on the planet,that the creator identified himself with.Those who read my statement,if you,re going to become influence in the world,you have to be a reader.The first animals is eagle,second animals is lion.And i find out the nature of these animals and also the attitude of these animals.Both of them are the kings of their domain.The eagle is a king of the birds kingdom,and the lion is a king of the animals kingdom.I want to spoke about the lion for while.The lion has what i call the spirit of leadership,and these word spirit refers to attitude.A leader has an attitude that makes him or her different from followers.The lion have this attitude.We have somewhere trapped on the inside,these same potential attitudes.1-the lion is not the tallest animal in the jungle,2-the lion is not the largest animals in the jungle,3-
the lion is not the heaviest animal in the jungle,4-the lion is not the smartest or the most intelligent animal in the jungle.And yet the lion is the king. You are not black or white,or short,or tall,big or small but you could be the leader.The lion therefore cancels all of your excuses for not becoming a leader.I realize something,an army of sheep lead by lion will always defeat,an army of lions lead by sheep.Because leadership can transform cowards into violent warriors,leadership is the powerful.Leadership determines everything the lion is not have many think i was talking,but the lion have something we need to have i call attitude.The lion have different attitude that makes every animals afraid of him.Now we don,t want to lead by fear,but it does take respect for you to become a leader.The elephant 10 times more biggest than a lion,but the lion does,nt look at size or weight and strenght and power,and the lion acts the way he thinks.The size is not the problem, the weight of the elephant is not his concern,your color is not the problem,the way you look is not the problem.But the way you are thinking is the problem.What makes lion act is the way he thinks,and because he think,he can eat the elephant,he atack him.Leadership attitude.T elephant ore biggest, more smart,morand all,but the elephant is controlled by the way he thinks.The elephant thinking is lunch or food.His size,his weight, his power, his authority is a victim of the way he thinks.The elephant believes an his food, food ,food.But the lion believe he is a leader,he can stop elephant do whatever he want too.Measure people by the size of their hearts,not by their position or authority.Keep in mind that the giggest groth in your career probably resulted from a challenge.
Qualities of a leader.
1-Character,
talent is a gift,but character is a choice.
2-Charisma,3-Commitment,4-Communication,5-Competance,6-Courage.
Courage deals with principle,not perception.
7,Discernment,8-Focus,9-Generosity,10-Initiative,11-listening,12-Passion.
The truth is that you can never lead something,you don,t care passionately about.
13-Positive attitude,14-Problem-Solving,15-Relationship,16-Responsability,17-Security,18-Self-Disciple,19-Servanthood.
You have to love your people,more than your position.
I,Dr Sammy D.James. I measure people by the size of their hearts,not by their position or authority.
the lion is not the heaviest animal in the jungle,4-the lion is not the smartest or the most intelligent animal in the jungle.And yet the lion is the king. You are not black or white,or short,or tall,big or small but you could be the leader.The lion therefore cancels all of your excuses for not becoming a leader.I realize something,an army of sheep lead by lion will always defeat,an army of lions lead by sheep.Because leadership can transform cowards into violent warriors,leadership is the powerful.Leadership determines everything the lion is not have many think i was talking,but the lion have something we need to have i call attitude.The lion have different attitude that makes every animals afraid of him.Now we don,t want to lead by fear,but it does take respect for you to become a leader.The elephant 10 times more biggest than a lion,but the lion does,nt look at size or weight and strenght and power,and the lion acts the way he thinks.The size is not the problem, the weight of the elephant is not his concern,your color is not the problem,the way you look is not the problem.But the way you are thinking is the problem.What makes lion act is the way he thinks,and because he think,he can eat the elephant,he atack him.Leadership attitude.T elephant ore biggest, more smart,morand all,but the elephant is controlled by the way he thinks.The elephant thinking is lunch or food.His size,his weight, his power, his authority is a victim of the way he thinks.The elephant believes an his food, food ,food.But the lion believe he is a leader,he can stop elephant do whatever he want too.Measure people by the size of their hearts,not by their position or authority.Keep in mind that the giggest groth in your career probably resulted from a challenge.
Qualities of a leader.
1-Character,
talent is a gift,but character is a choice.
2-Charisma,3-Commitment,4-Communication,5-Competance,6-Courage.
Courage deals with principle,not perception.
7,Discernment,8-Focus,9-Generosity,10-Initiative,11-listening,12-Passion.
The truth is that you can never lead something,you don,t care passionately about.
13-Positive attitude,14-Problem-Solving,15-Relationship,16-Responsability,17-Security,18-Self-Disciple,19-Servanthood.
You have to love your people,more than your position.
I,Dr Sammy D.James. I measure people by the size of their hearts,not by their position or authority.
11 sept 2009
Dr,Sammy D.James.
The title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the people of the country to whom he or she is accredited and the country of which he or she is a representative. This distinguishes the consul from the ambassador, who is, technically, a representative from one head of state to another. Thus, while there is but one ambassador representing a nation's head of state to another, and his or her duties revolve around diplomatic relations between the two countries, there may be several consuls, one in each of several main cities, providing assistance with bureaucratic issues to both the citizens of the consul's own country travelling or living abroad, and to the citizens of the country the consul is in who wish to travel to or trade with the consul's .
Consulates and embassies.
The office of a Consul is termed a Consulate, and is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in that foreign country, nowadays usually an Embassy (or High Commission between Commonwealth countries, many of which still have the British Monarch as common Head of State) in the capital city of the host state. In the capital, the consulate may be a part of the embassy itself.
A consul of higher rank is termed a "consul-general", and his or her office a "consulate-general". He or she typically has one or several Deputy Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls and Consular Agents working under the consul-general. Consulates-general need not be in the capital city, but instead in the most important/appropriate cities in terms of bilateral relations (commerce, travel...). In the United States, for example, many countries have a consulate-general in New York City, and some have consulates-general in several major cities (e.g. Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Boston). The same is the case for countries like Germany, where many consulates-general are located in cities such as Frankfurt and Munich.
Consuls of various ranks may have specific legal authority for certain activities, such as notarizing documents. As such, diplomatic personnel with other responsibilities may receive consular Letters patent (commissions). Aside from those outlined in the Vienna conventions, there are few formal requirements outlining what a consular official must do. For example, for some countries, consular officials may be responsible for the issuance of visas; other countries may limit "consular services" to providing assistance to compatriots, legalization of documents, etc. Nonetheless, consulates proper will be headed by consuls of various ranks, even if such officials have little or no connection with the more limited sense of consular service.
Contrary to popular belief, although many of the staff of consulates may be career diplomats they do not generally have diplomatic immunity (unless they are also accredited as such). Immunities and privileges for consuls and accredited staff of consulates – consular immunity – are generally limited to actions undertaken in their official capacity and, with respect to the consulate itself, to those required for official duties. In practice, the extension and application of consular privileges and immunities can be subject to wide discrepancies from country to country.
Consulates are more numerous than diplomatic missions (e.g. embassies), since the latter are posted only in a foreign nation's capital (exceptionally even outside the country, in case of a multiple mandate, e.g. a minor power may well accredit a single Ambassador with several neighbouring states of modest relative importance that are not considered important allies), while consular ones are also posted in various cities throughout the country, especially centres of economic activity, or wherever there is a significant population of its citizens (expatriates) in residence.
Consulates are subordinate posts of their home country's diplomatic mission (typically an embassy, in the capital city of the host country). Diplomatic missions are established in international law under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, while consulates-general and consulates are established in international law under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Formally, at least within the US system, the consular career (ranking in descending order: Consul-General, Consul, Vice-Consul, Honorary Consul) forms a different hierarchy from the diplomats in the strict sense. However, it is common for individuals to be transferred from one hierarchy to the other, and for consular officials to serve in a capital carrying out strictly consular duties within the 'consular section' of a diplomatic post, e.g. within an embassy.
Activities of a consulate include protecting the interests of their citizens temporarily or permanently resident in the host country, issuing passports; issuing visas to foreigners and public diplomacy. However, the principal role of a consulate lies traditionally in promoting trade—assisting companies to invest and to import and export goods and services both inwardly to their home country and outward to their host country. And although it is never admitted publicly, consulates, like embassies, may also gather intelligence information from the assigned country.
Between Commonwealth countries, both diplomatic and consular activities may be undertaken by a High Commission in the capital, although larger Commonwealth nations generally also have consulates and consulates-general in major cities. For example, Toronto in Canada, Sydney in Australia and Auckland, New Zealand, are of greater economic importance than their respective national capitals, hence the need for consulates there.
In British colonies, most notably Hong Kong before the transfer of its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997, senior envoys from Commonwealth states in these missions are usually known as Commissioners. (All previous Commissioners in Hong Kong are now styled Consuls-General. Yet in most cases, as is the case for both the U.S. and the UK, consuls-general to Hong Kong are not subordinate to the ambassadors in Beijing —unlike consuls(-general) posted elsewhere in the People's Republic of China- but report directly back to their foreign ministries as if they were ambassadors.)
Home of Poland's honorary consul in Jerusalem.Some consuls are not career officials of the represented state at all; some are locally-engaged staff with the nationality of the sending country,[3] and in smaller cities, or in cities that are very distant from full-time diplomatic missions, a foreign government which feels that some form of representation is nevertheless desirable may appoint a person who has not hitherto been part of their diplomatic service to fulfil this role. Such a consul may well combine the job with their own (often commercial) private activities, and in some instances may not even be a citizen of the sending country. Such consular appointments are usually given the title of honorary consul. Many members of the public are not aware that honorary consuls are not full-time diplomats. Graham Greene used this position as the title of his 1973 novel The Honorary Consul. Certain U.S. military personnel also have statutory authority to act as consuls for military administration purposes,[4] more broadly for military personnel and dependents,[5] and for merchant seamen in a port lacking an accredited U.S. consul.[6] In order to perform their functions to the best of their ability, Honorary (Vice) Consuls (General) are afforded by their commissioning countries a military-equivalent rank. Thus Honorary Consular Officers rank immediately after Naval Lieutenants/Lieutenants/Flight Lientenants, Honorary Vice Consuls after Lieutenant Commanders/Majors/Squadron Leaders, Honorary Consuls after Naval Captains/Colonels/Group Captains & Honorary Consuls General after Rear Admirals/Major Generals/Air Vice Marshalls. This is done in order to "cut to the chase", i.e. in a sensitive situation to get the Consul (of whatever rank) to someone with whom he/she can negotiate with confidence.
Notwithstanding their other roles, Honorary Consular Officers (in the widest use of the term) also have responsibility for the welfare of Citizens of the appointing country within their bailiwick. Thus, particularly within a port town, an Honorary Consul may be called out (at any time, day or night) to attend to the well-being of a citizen of the appointing country who has been arrested, frequently for smuggling, often of drugs. Their role in this situation is to ensure that the arrested persons are treated in a like manner as would be the citizen of the country in which this person was arrested, and understand their rights & obligations.
Colonial and similar roles
Under certain historical circumstances, a major power's consular representation would take on various degrees of administrative roles, not unlike a colonial Resident Minister. This would often occur in territories without a formal state government (thus warranting a full diplomatic mission, such as an embassy) or in relatively insignificant "backwaters."
Protectorates
When a state falls under the "amical" protection of a stronger (often colonial) power, the latter is usually represented by a high ranking diplomatic and/or gubernatorial officer, such as a Resident general, Resident Minister or High Commissioner. However, if there is no such representation (in modern terms often at ambassadorial level), the task may fall to the only available "diplomatic" alternative: consular representation.
in the German West African Kamerun, 6 July 1884–26 June 1885, provisional consul Heinrich Randad filled the void between the first Reichskommissar (titled—for West Africa, 5–6 July 1884 only) and the subsequent series of regular incumbents
In parts of present Nigeria, British Consuls were in charge of the following West African protectorates:
the Bight of Benin May 1852–6 August 1861
the Bight of Biafra 30 June 1849–6 August 1861
the Bights of Biafra and Benin since the merger of the two above on 6 August 1861; the last incumbent was promoted on 5 June 1885 to stay on as first Consul general (of two) of the Bights
From 7 November 1889, Samoa, previously a Polynesian kingdom, was governed by the joint German-British-U.S. Samoa Tripartite Convention, which made Samoa a protectorate of those three powers. On 10 June 1899, a provisional (colonial) government sui generis was formed, consisting of the consuls of the three protecting powers:
Friedrich Rose (German Consul) (b. 1855–d. 1922)
Ernest George Berkeley Maxse (British Consul) (b. 1863–d. 1943): to 23 June 1899, succeeded by a Mister Nair (acting British consul)
Luther Wood Osborn (U.S. Consul) (b. 1843–d. 1901).
This arrangement lasted until 1 March 1900, when the archipelago was annexed by imperial Germany, with the exception of the eastern islands, which remained under U.S. control and became the territory of American Samoa).
On Tonga, a British protectorate since 1900, the British Empire was only represented by its consuls from 1901 until Tongan independence in 1970. From 1901 until 1952, the protectorate was also under the administrative authority of the High Commissioner of the British Western Pacific Territories (always the British Governor of Fiji).
Occupied territories under similar control
In the Suez Canal Zone, even before it was officially established under that name in 1936 (from then on with a formal Governor in charge), the British were represented since 1922 by Vice Consuls in Port Suez, the last of which stayed on in 1941 as first of several Consuls till the 1956 Egyptian nationalisation.
From December 1941 to August 1945, Japanese troops invaded the Portuguese colony of Macau several times, giving the Japanese control over the access of people and goods. This made it by 1943 a virtual protectorate, with Japanese consul Fukui Yasumitsu controlling all contact until 1945 with the Portuguese governor, Gabriel Maurício Teixeira.
Similar functions have been performed elsewhere by consular officers of other ranks: Consular Agent, Honorary Consul and Consul general.
Concessions and extraterritoriality
Even within another state, a foreign power often has extraterritorial rights over its official representation (such as a consulate). If such concessions are obtained, they are often justified as protection of the foreign religion (especially in the case of Christians in a Muslim state) such as the ahdname or capitulations granted by the Ottoman Sultan to commercial Diasporas residing in the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan did not see this agreement as a bilateral agreement between equals, but merely as acknowledging the nation of foreigners living within his territory and offering them privileges similar to those given to non-Ottoman subjects. However, the European states viewed the ahdname as formal and official and therefore had difficulty enforcing the privileges to their satisfaction on many occasions.[7]
A few examples:
In 1261, the Genoese assisted Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palæologus in reconquering Constantinople and were rewarded with Smyrna and Pera as well as a Black Sea trade monopoly. They rapidly developed markets along the Black Sea's shores, the principal one being Caffa, and carried on a brisk trade, exporting mainly wine, oil, woolens and silks, and importing skins, furs, corn and Persian goods. A consulate general of the empire of Gazaria was established as the local government of these colonies. Some Genoese moved to Caffa where they remained a minority, but were able to govern the city to suit their interests because of the presence of the Genoese consul. The Genoese also had a consular presence in Chilia as early as 1322 where the consul served the interests of the merchants trading grain, honey, and other goods. Chilia and Caffa are examples of places where a wide variety of merchants came to trade and where consuls would have been used.[8] The Genoese had a consul in Alexandria “who was empowered to settle disputes brought by a Saracen against a Genoese” after the agreement between Genoa and Mamluk in 1290.[9]
In 1453 Sultan Mehmed II laid siege to Constantinople thus ending the Byzantine Empire. However, the Genoese merchants of Galata declared their neutrality before the battle and Mehmed II restored the trading rights to the merchants through an ahidname after capturing the city. Mehmed II “[left] intact the Genoese community council of Pera, grant[ed] the district legal and some political autonomy, exempt[ed] its Genoese inhabitants from all extraordinary taxes and forced conversion, and concede[d] its alien residents the freedom to trade an travel in the Ottoman domains.”[10] This is not unprecedented, but was probably one of the most important examples of the ahdname being granted.[11]
In 1855, Sir John Bowring signed a new treaty whereby Siam agreed to the appointment of a British consul in Bangkok and to that official exercising full extraterritorial powers. British subjects were permitted to own land in certain defined districts, customs and port dues and land revenues were fixed, and many new trade facilities were granted. This important arrangement was followed at intervals by similar treaties with the other powers, the last two being those with Japan in 1898 and Russia in 1899. A later convention established a second British consular district in northern Siam, while Britain and France both appointed vice-consuls in different parts of the country. Thus Westerners in Siam (the Chinese had no consul) could only be tried for criminal offences, or sued in civil cases, in their own consular courts. A large portion of the work of the foreign Consuls, especially the British, was consequently judicial and in 1901 the British government appointed a special judge and an assistant judge to this post. Meanwhile, trade steadily increased, especially with Great Britain and the British neighbouring colonies of Hong Kong and Singapore.
In other cases a part of a weaker state is complete handed over (without the formal surrender of "naked" sovereignty) to be administered as a concession, including the indigenous local population:
In the small Italian concession in Tientsin (a treaty port, now Tianjin), the Consul was in charge of the entire local administration. A long list of French consuls-general in Shanghai served as both overseers of the French concession in this Chinese port as well as presidents of the metropolis's Municipal Council. This arrangement lasted from January 1848 until 15 May 1946 (shortly after the 28 February formal restoration of power from France to China).
History of European Consuls in the Ottoman Empire
The European consuls in the Ottoman Empire began as informal relationships between merchants residing in the Empire and the Sultan. The relationships were defined by the ahdname granted by the Sultan which would stipulate the religious freedom and exemption from the taxes that non-Muslim subjects had to pay. The religious implications of these relationships diminished over time as the commercial aspects took over.[12]
The Italian city states initially appointed resident ambassadors to other Italian states to create some peace between the conflicting powers. From the twelfth-century onward the merchants from the Italian city states would organize and select a consul to represent them in the Ottoman Empire, but soon after these consuls were more formally chosen by the government. By the fifteenth-century other Western European nations adopted similar practices and diplomacy has been characterized as a Western European phenomenon ever since.[13] Another cause of the consular phenomena was the military hardening of borders which meant that Europeans could not infiltrate another area by force so they relied on economic and commercial ties to gain entry.[14] In the early stages of these consular relationships the Ottomans' did not reciprocate in sending consuls to European capitals, partly because European Christians were less welcoming towards Muslims than Muslims were towards Christians.[15]
The consuls and the trading communities, of which they were in charge, had wide implications for European-Ottoman relationships. Since consuls and merchants would remain in Istanbul (and other Ottoman cities) for longer periods of time, they would return home with a more accurate depiction of the Ottoman culture than the earlier negative depiction. Reporting home with political news was one of the consul’s primary responsibilities which also helped in re-shaping the opinions of the Ottoman’s held by Europeans. A new respect–not necessarily for Ottoman people, but for the Ottoman accomplishments—eventually broke the old barriers and Ottomans appointed representatives to European states.[16]
Venetian consuls
The Venetians appointed principal consuls to important commercial centers like Aleppo and Alexandria because this was where there was a large nation of their merchants. They also appointed vice-consuls to less important areas where they had less commercial interest. The principal consuls were in contact with their home country’s authorities, while the vice-consuls had a more informal position. The consuls were Venetian nobility and appointed on a three year contract which for the most part was strongly adhered to. Also, it was important that they did not have commercial interests or have ties to the merchant community in the area to which they were appointed, but frequently that was not observed in practice. The consuls would have a fixed salary and no other means of income. The Venetian consul would have a council of twelve to assist him and would be responsible for approving all expenditures of the nation’s treasury. Also in the event of the consuls death, the council would appoint a vice-consul until a new consul could be sent from Venice.[17] Through the sixteenth and seventeenth-centuries the Venetians practiced a policy of neutrality which was only possible through their strong diplomatic corps—chiefly the bailo (who acted as consul and ambassador). The bailo needed personal skills that would allow him to be-friend high ranking Ottoman officials in order to ensure Venetian interests.[18] One of the main tasks of the bailo was to collect information on the Ottomans’ politics and social life and report back to the Venetian senate regularly. Second in importance was his consular role of promoting and protecting Venetian interests.[19] The bailo was in charge of all Venetians in the Ottoman territory, but he would appoint consuls and vice consuls where he thought it was necessary.[20]
French consuls
The French appear to have kept most intact the medieval tradition of the consul—a representative of the nation of merchants.[21] When the state assumed control of the consuls in the later sixteenth century they diminished the privileges of the nation of merchants. The primary function became financial. However, the state then lost control again over the consuls and the position became a personal one that could be succeeded by an heir.[22] The French consuls did not have fixed incomes like the Venetians, which caused them to "farm" the position out to someone able to pay a higher price for it. This meant that the nation of merchants was potentially represented by someone who was unqualified. The consul had no legal right to collect supplementary taxes. However a voluntary agreement could be reached, but if one member of the French nation refused to pay or lodged a complaint against the consul it would sabotage the agreement.[23] The French had success in the Ottoman Empire notably through their political and diplomatic initiatives rather than their commercial ones. The consuls were responsible for promoting French trade in the Levant through persuasion (gifts, donations, favours etc..)[24] The French consuls were not allowed to participate in trade and commerce themselves, but they were to report political and economic information back to the French government.[25] However, the consulate was frequently headed by corrupt consuls and many of them did engage in commerce.[26]
Dutch consuls
Before the Dutch had their own consuls in the Levant, they traded under the French Capitulations of 1569 until they sent Cornelis Haga as a Consul to Istanbul in 1611.[27] The States-General was responsible for appointing the consul, but the Levant merchants in these cases were closely consulted. The poor payment system for the consuls disrupted the potential successes of the relationship between consul and merchant community. The merchants requested changing to the Venetian fixed salary payment, but the States-General went against their wishes and tried to find other means of income.[28] This posed problems for the Dutch consuls, and there are many reports of cases where consuls exerted their authority over the nations members who did not want to pay consulate and embassy dues.[29] Despite internal struggle within the Dutch nation, it had a good relationship with the Ottoman’s and in 1804 Sultan Selin III (1789–1807) appointed the first resident representative to Amsterdam.[30]
English consuls
The English consuls were appointed by and affiliated with the Levant Company. The consuls were not in any way a representative for the crown, but merely representing the interests of the Company. It is interesting that if any issues arose with the Ottoman officials, the nation of merchants would meet with the consul to reach a decision on what to do and the company would never interfere in the decisions of the nation.[31] It was not until 1605 that the Company gained the formal right to appoint consuls and vice consuls which were solely concerned with the nation of merchants who were members of the Company. If a consul was absent or died the vice consul would remain in charge until a new consul could be sent. England had the simplest hierarchy when it came to consular representation because the Company was in charge of the nation and consuls below, whereas the crown used other representation abroad.A consul of higher rank is termed a "consul-general", and his or her office a "consulate-general". He or she typically has one or several Deputy Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls and Consular Agents working under him/her. Consulates-general need not be in the capital city, but instead in the most appropriate cities. In the United States, for example, many countries have a consulate-general in New York City, and some have consulates-general in several major cities (e.g. Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Boston). The same is the case for countries like Germany, where many consulates-general are located in cities such as Frankfurt and Munich.
Consuls of various ranks may have specific legal authority for certain activities, such as notarizing documents. As such, diplomatic personnel with other responsibilities may receive consular commissions. Aside from those outlined in the Vienna conventions, there are few formal requirements outlining what a consular official must do. For example, for some countries, consular officials may be responsible for the issuance of visas; other countries may limit "consular services" to providing assistance to compatriots, legalization of documents, etc. Nonetheless, consulates proper will be headed by consuls of various ranks, even if such officials have little or no connection with the more limited sense of consular service.
Consulates and embassies.
The office of a Consul is termed a Consulate, and is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in that foreign country, nowadays usually an Embassy (or High Commission between Commonwealth countries, many of which still have the British Monarch as common Head of State) in the capital city of the host state. In the capital, the consulate may be a part of the embassy itself.
A consul of higher rank is termed a "consul-general", and his or her office a "consulate-general". He or she typically has one or several Deputy Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls and Consular Agents working under the consul-general. Consulates-general need not be in the capital city, but instead in the most important/appropriate cities in terms of bilateral relations (commerce, travel...). In the United States, for example, many countries have a consulate-general in New York City, and some have consulates-general in several major cities (e.g. Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Boston). The same is the case for countries like Germany, where many consulates-general are located in cities such as Frankfurt and Munich.
Consuls of various ranks may have specific legal authority for certain activities, such as notarizing documents. As such, diplomatic personnel with other responsibilities may receive consular Letters patent (commissions). Aside from those outlined in the Vienna conventions, there are few formal requirements outlining what a consular official must do. For example, for some countries, consular officials may be responsible for the issuance of visas; other countries may limit "consular services" to providing assistance to compatriots, legalization of documents, etc. Nonetheless, consulates proper will be headed by consuls of various ranks, even if such officials have little or no connection with the more limited sense of consular service.
Contrary to popular belief, although many of the staff of consulates may be career diplomats they do not generally have diplomatic immunity (unless they are also accredited as such). Immunities and privileges for consuls and accredited staff of consulates – consular immunity – are generally limited to actions undertaken in their official capacity and, with respect to the consulate itself, to those required for official duties. In practice, the extension and application of consular privileges and immunities can be subject to wide discrepancies from country to country.
Consulates are more numerous than diplomatic missions (e.g. embassies), since the latter are posted only in a foreign nation's capital (exceptionally even outside the country, in case of a multiple mandate, e.g. a minor power may well accredit a single Ambassador with several neighbouring states of modest relative importance that are not considered important allies), while consular ones are also posted in various cities throughout the country, especially centres of economic activity, or wherever there is a significant population of its citizens (expatriates) in residence.
Consulates are subordinate posts of their home country's diplomatic mission (typically an embassy, in the capital city of the host country). Diplomatic missions are established in international law under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, while consulates-general and consulates are established in international law under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Formally, at least within the US system, the consular career (ranking in descending order: Consul-General, Consul, Vice-Consul, Honorary Consul) forms a different hierarchy from the diplomats in the strict sense. However, it is common for individuals to be transferred from one hierarchy to the other, and for consular officials to serve in a capital carrying out strictly consular duties within the 'consular section' of a diplomatic post, e.g. within an embassy.
Activities of a consulate include protecting the interests of their citizens temporarily or permanently resident in the host country, issuing passports; issuing visas to foreigners and public diplomacy. However, the principal role of a consulate lies traditionally in promoting trade—assisting companies to invest and to import and export goods and services both inwardly to their home country and outward to their host country. And although it is never admitted publicly, consulates, like embassies, may also gather intelligence information from the assigned country.
Between Commonwealth countries, both diplomatic and consular activities may be undertaken by a High Commission in the capital, although larger Commonwealth nations generally also have consulates and consulates-general in major cities. For example, Toronto in Canada, Sydney in Australia and Auckland, New Zealand, are of greater economic importance than their respective national capitals, hence the need for consulates there.
In British colonies, most notably Hong Kong before the transfer of its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997, senior envoys from Commonwealth states in these missions are usually known as Commissioners. (All previous Commissioners in Hong Kong are now styled Consuls-General. Yet in most cases, as is the case for both the U.S. and the UK, consuls-general to Hong Kong are not subordinate to the ambassadors in Beijing —unlike consuls(-general) posted elsewhere in the People's Republic of China- but report directly back to their foreign ministries as if they were ambassadors.)
Home of Poland's honorary consul in Jerusalem.Some consuls are not career officials of the represented state at all; some are locally-engaged staff with the nationality of the sending country,[3] and in smaller cities, or in cities that are very distant from full-time diplomatic missions, a foreign government which feels that some form of representation is nevertheless desirable may appoint a person who has not hitherto been part of their diplomatic service to fulfil this role. Such a consul may well combine the job with their own (often commercial) private activities, and in some instances may not even be a citizen of the sending country. Such consular appointments are usually given the title of honorary consul. Many members of the public are not aware that honorary consuls are not full-time diplomats. Graham Greene used this position as the title of his 1973 novel The Honorary Consul. Certain U.S. military personnel also have statutory authority to act as consuls for military administration purposes,[4] more broadly for military personnel and dependents,[5] and for merchant seamen in a port lacking an accredited U.S. consul.[6] In order to perform their functions to the best of their ability, Honorary (Vice) Consuls (General) are afforded by their commissioning countries a military-equivalent rank. Thus Honorary Consular Officers rank immediately after Naval Lieutenants/Lieutenants/Flight Lientenants, Honorary Vice Consuls after Lieutenant Commanders/Majors/Squadron Leaders, Honorary Consuls after Naval Captains/Colonels/Group Captains & Honorary Consuls General after Rear Admirals/Major Generals/Air Vice Marshalls. This is done in order to "cut to the chase", i.e. in a sensitive situation to get the Consul (of whatever rank) to someone with whom he/she can negotiate with confidence.
Notwithstanding their other roles, Honorary Consular Officers (in the widest use of the term) also have responsibility for the welfare of Citizens of the appointing country within their bailiwick. Thus, particularly within a port town, an Honorary Consul may be called out (at any time, day or night) to attend to the well-being of a citizen of the appointing country who has been arrested, frequently for smuggling, often of drugs. Their role in this situation is to ensure that the arrested persons are treated in a like manner as would be the citizen of the country in which this person was arrested, and understand their rights & obligations.
Colonial and similar roles
Under certain historical circumstances, a major power's consular representation would take on various degrees of administrative roles, not unlike a colonial Resident Minister. This would often occur in territories without a formal state government (thus warranting a full diplomatic mission, such as an embassy) or in relatively insignificant "backwaters."
Protectorates
When a state falls under the "amical" protection of a stronger (often colonial) power, the latter is usually represented by a high ranking diplomatic and/or gubernatorial officer, such as a Resident general, Resident Minister or High Commissioner. However, if there is no such representation (in modern terms often at ambassadorial level), the task may fall to the only available "diplomatic" alternative: consular representation.
in the German West African Kamerun, 6 July 1884–26 June 1885, provisional consul Heinrich Randad filled the void between the first Reichskommissar (titled—for West Africa, 5–6 July 1884 only) and the subsequent series of regular incumbents
In parts of present Nigeria, British Consuls were in charge of the following West African protectorates:
the Bight of Benin May 1852–6 August 1861
the Bight of Biafra 30 June 1849–6 August 1861
the Bights of Biafra and Benin since the merger of the two above on 6 August 1861; the last incumbent was promoted on 5 June 1885 to stay on as first Consul general (of two) of the Bights
From 7 November 1889, Samoa, previously a Polynesian kingdom, was governed by the joint German-British-U.S. Samoa Tripartite Convention, which made Samoa a protectorate of those three powers. On 10 June 1899, a provisional (colonial) government sui generis was formed, consisting of the consuls of the three protecting powers:
Friedrich Rose (German Consul) (b. 1855–d. 1922)
Ernest George Berkeley Maxse (British Consul) (b. 1863–d. 1943): to 23 June 1899, succeeded by a Mister Nair (acting British consul)
Luther Wood Osborn (U.S. Consul) (b. 1843–d. 1901).
This arrangement lasted until 1 March 1900, when the archipelago was annexed by imperial Germany, with the exception of the eastern islands, which remained under U.S. control and became the territory of American Samoa).
On Tonga, a British protectorate since 1900, the British Empire was only represented by its consuls from 1901 until Tongan independence in 1970. From 1901 until 1952, the protectorate was also under the administrative authority of the High Commissioner of the British Western Pacific Territories (always the British Governor of Fiji).
Occupied territories under similar control
In the Suez Canal Zone, even before it was officially established under that name in 1936 (from then on with a formal Governor in charge), the British were represented since 1922 by Vice Consuls in Port Suez, the last of which stayed on in 1941 as first of several Consuls till the 1956 Egyptian nationalisation.
From December 1941 to August 1945, Japanese troops invaded the Portuguese colony of Macau several times, giving the Japanese control over the access of people and goods. This made it by 1943 a virtual protectorate, with Japanese consul Fukui Yasumitsu controlling all contact until 1945 with the Portuguese governor, Gabriel Maurício Teixeira.
Similar functions have been performed elsewhere by consular officers of other ranks: Consular Agent, Honorary Consul and Consul general.
Concessions and extraterritoriality
Even within another state, a foreign power often has extraterritorial rights over its official representation (such as a consulate). If such concessions are obtained, they are often justified as protection of the foreign religion (especially in the case of Christians in a Muslim state) such as the ahdname or capitulations granted by the Ottoman Sultan to commercial Diasporas residing in the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan did not see this agreement as a bilateral agreement between equals, but merely as acknowledging the nation of foreigners living within his territory and offering them privileges similar to those given to non-Ottoman subjects. However, the European states viewed the ahdname as formal and official and therefore had difficulty enforcing the privileges to their satisfaction on many occasions.[7]
A few examples:
In 1261, the Genoese assisted Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palæologus in reconquering Constantinople and were rewarded with Smyrna and Pera as well as a Black Sea trade monopoly. They rapidly developed markets along the Black Sea's shores, the principal one being Caffa, and carried on a brisk trade, exporting mainly wine, oil, woolens and silks, and importing skins, furs, corn and Persian goods. A consulate general of the empire of Gazaria was established as the local government of these colonies. Some Genoese moved to Caffa where they remained a minority, but were able to govern the city to suit their interests because of the presence of the Genoese consul. The Genoese also had a consular presence in Chilia as early as 1322 where the consul served the interests of the merchants trading grain, honey, and other goods. Chilia and Caffa are examples of places where a wide variety of merchants came to trade and where consuls would have been used.[8] The Genoese had a consul in Alexandria “who was empowered to settle disputes brought by a Saracen against a Genoese” after the agreement between Genoa and Mamluk in 1290.[9]
In 1453 Sultan Mehmed II laid siege to Constantinople thus ending the Byzantine Empire. However, the Genoese merchants of Galata declared their neutrality before the battle and Mehmed II restored the trading rights to the merchants through an ahidname after capturing the city. Mehmed II “[left] intact the Genoese community council of Pera, grant[ed] the district legal and some political autonomy, exempt[ed] its Genoese inhabitants from all extraordinary taxes and forced conversion, and concede[d] its alien residents the freedom to trade an travel in the Ottoman domains.”[10] This is not unprecedented, but was probably one of the most important examples of the ahdname being granted.[11]
In 1855, Sir John Bowring signed a new treaty whereby Siam agreed to the appointment of a British consul in Bangkok and to that official exercising full extraterritorial powers. British subjects were permitted to own land in certain defined districts, customs and port dues and land revenues were fixed, and many new trade facilities were granted. This important arrangement was followed at intervals by similar treaties with the other powers, the last two being those with Japan in 1898 and Russia in 1899. A later convention established a second British consular district in northern Siam, while Britain and France both appointed vice-consuls in different parts of the country. Thus Westerners in Siam (the Chinese had no consul) could only be tried for criminal offences, or sued in civil cases, in their own consular courts. A large portion of the work of the foreign Consuls, especially the British, was consequently judicial and in 1901 the British government appointed a special judge and an assistant judge to this post. Meanwhile, trade steadily increased, especially with Great Britain and the British neighbouring colonies of Hong Kong and Singapore.
In other cases a part of a weaker state is complete handed over (without the formal surrender of "naked" sovereignty) to be administered as a concession, including the indigenous local population:
In the small Italian concession in Tientsin (a treaty port, now Tianjin), the Consul was in charge of the entire local administration. A long list of French consuls-general in Shanghai served as both overseers of the French concession in this Chinese port as well as presidents of the metropolis's Municipal Council. This arrangement lasted from January 1848 until 15 May 1946 (shortly after the 28 February formal restoration of power from France to China).
History of European Consuls in the Ottoman Empire
The European consuls in the Ottoman Empire began as informal relationships between merchants residing in the Empire and the Sultan. The relationships were defined by the ahdname granted by the Sultan which would stipulate the religious freedom and exemption from the taxes that non-Muslim subjects had to pay. The religious implications of these relationships diminished over time as the commercial aspects took over.[12]
The Italian city states initially appointed resident ambassadors to other Italian states to create some peace between the conflicting powers. From the twelfth-century onward the merchants from the Italian city states would organize and select a consul to represent them in the Ottoman Empire, but soon after these consuls were more formally chosen by the government. By the fifteenth-century other Western European nations adopted similar practices and diplomacy has been characterized as a Western European phenomenon ever since.[13] Another cause of the consular phenomena was the military hardening of borders which meant that Europeans could not infiltrate another area by force so they relied on economic and commercial ties to gain entry.[14] In the early stages of these consular relationships the Ottomans' did not reciprocate in sending consuls to European capitals, partly because European Christians were less welcoming towards Muslims than Muslims were towards Christians.[15]
The consuls and the trading communities, of which they were in charge, had wide implications for European-Ottoman relationships. Since consuls and merchants would remain in Istanbul (and other Ottoman cities) for longer periods of time, they would return home with a more accurate depiction of the Ottoman culture than the earlier negative depiction. Reporting home with political news was one of the consul’s primary responsibilities which also helped in re-shaping the opinions of the Ottoman’s held by Europeans. A new respect–not necessarily for Ottoman people, but for the Ottoman accomplishments—eventually broke the old barriers and Ottomans appointed representatives to European states.[16]
Venetian consuls
The Venetians appointed principal consuls to important commercial centers like Aleppo and Alexandria because this was where there was a large nation of their merchants. They also appointed vice-consuls to less important areas where they had less commercial interest. The principal consuls were in contact with their home country’s authorities, while the vice-consuls had a more informal position. The consuls were Venetian nobility and appointed on a three year contract which for the most part was strongly adhered to. Also, it was important that they did not have commercial interests or have ties to the merchant community in the area to which they were appointed, but frequently that was not observed in practice. The consuls would have a fixed salary and no other means of income. The Venetian consul would have a council of twelve to assist him and would be responsible for approving all expenditures of the nation’s treasury. Also in the event of the consuls death, the council would appoint a vice-consul until a new consul could be sent from Venice.[17] Through the sixteenth and seventeenth-centuries the Venetians practiced a policy of neutrality which was only possible through their strong diplomatic corps—chiefly the bailo (who acted as consul and ambassador). The bailo needed personal skills that would allow him to be-friend high ranking Ottoman officials in order to ensure Venetian interests.[18] One of the main tasks of the bailo was to collect information on the Ottomans’ politics and social life and report back to the Venetian senate regularly. Second in importance was his consular role of promoting and protecting Venetian interests.[19] The bailo was in charge of all Venetians in the Ottoman territory, but he would appoint consuls and vice consuls where he thought it was necessary.[20]
French consuls
The French appear to have kept most intact the medieval tradition of the consul—a representative of the nation of merchants.[21] When the state assumed control of the consuls in the later sixteenth century they diminished the privileges of the nation of merchants. The primary function became financial. However, the state then lost control again over the consuls and the position became a personal one that could be succeeded by an heir.[22] The French consuls did not have fixed incomes like the Venetians, which caused them to "farm" the position out to someone able to pay a higher price for it. This meant that the nation of merchants was potentially represented by someone who was unqualified. The consul had no legal right to collect supplementary taxes. However a voluntary agreement could be reached, but if one member of the French nation refused to pay or lodged a complaint against the consul it would sabotage the agreement.[23] The French had success in the Ottoman Empire notably through their political and diplomatic initiatives rather than their commercial ones. The consuls were responsible for promoting French trade in the Levant through persuasion (gifts, donations, favours etc..)[24] The French consuls were not allowed to participate in trade and commerce themselves, but they were to report political and economic information back to the French government.[25] However, the consulate was frequently headed by corrupt consuls and many of them did engage in commerce.[26]
Dutch consuls
Before the Dutch had their own consuls in the Levant, they traded under the French Capitulations of 1569 until they sent Cornelis Haga as a Consul to Istanbul in 1611.[27] The States-General was responsible for appointing the consul, but the Levant merchants in these cases were closely consulted. The poor payment system for the consuls disrupted the potential successes of the relationship between consul and merchant community. The merchants requested changing to the Venetian fixed salary payment, but the States-General went against their wishes and tried to find other means of income.[28] This posed problems for the Dutch consuls, and there are many reports of cases where consuls exerted their authority over the nations members who did not want to pay consulate and embassy dues.[29] Despite internal struggle within the Dutch nation, it had a good relationship with the Ottoman’s and in 1804 Sultan Selin III (1789–1807) appointed the first resident representative to Amsterdam.[30]
English consuls
The English consuls were appointed by and affiliated with the Levant Company. The consuls were not in any way a representative for the crown, but merely representing the interests of the Company. It is interesting that if any issues arose with the Ottoman officials, the nation of merchants would meet with the consul to reach a decision on what to do and the company would never interfere in the decisions of the nation.[31] It was not until 1605 that the Company gained the formal right to appoint consuls and vice consuls which were solely concerned with the nation of merchants who were members of the Company. If a consul was absent or died the vice consul would remain in charge until a new consul could be sent. England had the simplest hierarchy when it came to consular representation because the Company was in charge of the nation and consuls below, whereas the crown used other representation abroad.A consul of higher rank is termed a "consul-general", and his or her office a "consulate-general". He or she typically has one or several Deputy Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls and Consular Agents working under him/her. Consulates-general need not be in the capital city, but instead in the most appropriate cities. In the United States, for example, many countries have a consulate-general in New York City, and some have consulates-general in several major cities (e.g. Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Boston). The same is the case for countries like Germany, where many consulates-general are located in cities such as Frankfurt and Munich.
Consuls of various ranks may have specific legal authority for certain activities, such as notarizing documents. As such, diplomatic personnel with other responsibilities may receive consular commissions. Aside from those outlined in the Vienna conventions, there are few formal requirements outlining what a consular official must do. For example, for some countries, consular officials may be responsible for the issuance of visas; other countries may limit "consular services" to providing assistance to compatriots, legalization of documents, etc. Nonetheless, consulates proper will be headed by consuls of various ranks, even if such officials have little or no connection with the more limited sense of consular service.
ambassador is a diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another) ambassador (an informal representative) "an ambassador of good will.
Each country has an Ambassador. An Ambassador is the one that represents the country in any international meetings, organization or whatever that the president can't go to.Ambassador is the official representative in any country by the government to serve official duties for his own country. He is also there to build a friendly atmosphere between the two countries. The host country permits them to manage a special region called the embassy. The staff and other facilities are provided by the host country to the ambassador.
They also allow or permit visas for entry into his country to the people of host country. His duty is to update the current developments between the countries. Basically he is responsible for making mutual relations in all fields, and guaranteeing the security of interest of his own country. We often read that the ambassador of some country came to your country to make some business deals or to solve some stress between the countries. Many conferences take place in different countries where all the ambassadors get together to resolve different matters with the help of dialogue. They can go back if their security is not proper or if the host countries do not allow them to stay there any more.
Secondly not on officially base ambassador is also the representative of a company or an organization which is selected by the company to the promotion of his products.This ambassador works only for the organization. The advantage of the ambassador in a country is to have a brotherhood with other countries, to have some good contact to reduce the difference between the countries to spend a peace full life.
Each country has an Ambassador. An Ambassador is the one that represents the country in any international meetings, organization or whatever that the president can't go to.Ambassador is the official representative in any country by the government to serve official duties for his own country. He is also there to build a friendly atmosphere between the two countries. The host country permits them to manage a special region called the embassy. The staff and other facilities are provided by the host country to the ambassador.
They also allow or permit visas for entry into his country to the people of host country. His duty is to update the current developments between the countries. Basically he is responsible for making mutual relations in all fields, and guaranteeing the security of interest of his own country. We often read that the ambassador of some country came to your country to make some business deals or to solve some stress between the countries. Many conferences take place in different countries where all the ambassadors get together to resolve different matters with the help of dialogue. They can go back if their security is not proper or if the host countries do not allow them to stay there any more.
Secondly not on officially base ambassador is also the representative of a company or an organization which is selected by the company to the promotion of his products.This ambassador works only for the organization. The advantage of the ambassador in a country is to have a brotherhood with other countries, to have some good contact to reduce the difference between the countries to spend a peace full life.
Dr,Sammy D.James
Politics is a process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behaviour within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic and religious institutions. It consists of "social relations involving authority or power"[1] and refers to the regulation of a political unit,[2] and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy.[3]
The word "Politics" comes from the Greek word "polis" meaning state or city. "Politikos" describes anything concerning the state or city affairs. In Latin, this was "politicus" and in French "politique". Thus it became "politics" in .I think study science polotic don,t make onyone politician,The samme like medecin,theologian don,t make you a pastor,Before you born God already have a plan for all of us.Some of us became who we are by accident,not the will of God.God say to Jeremiah before you born iknow you,the reason why we have false diplomat,lie,false president,and so on.Never doing thing you are never born to do.You can in,but you don,t know what to do.Because it,s not place.you are in whong place.Every nations seaching for good government,good leader.Dr,Sammy D.James.
Why Liberal values are American values.
Liberal? Absolutely.
Seems these days Conservatives have convinced themselves, and some of the American public, that being a Liberal is akin to being a card-carrying member of the Communist Party. While this may be a great smear tactic for an election year, to believe such a notion proves that the believer is uneducated in the fundamentals of the American political system. Our nation was founded on Liberalism. Embodied in the Declaration of Independence are its three tenets: "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." The very term, itself, is taken from the same root as the second of these precepts. To be a Liberal is to defend the freedom - the Liberty - of all people who make up our great nation. To be a Liberal is to trust individuals and families to run their own lives as they see fit. To be a Liberal is to create a nation where anyone can excel if they are willing to do the work.
In order to understand the true nature of Liberalism, and to dispel the misconceptions fomented by those whose agenda is counter to our freedom, I will detail the tenets of Liberal thought and dispel the misconceptions so often put forth by Conservative rhetoric.
Liberalism is "Life." It is freedom from physical dangers that can kill or disable us. The Liberal believes it is a nation's job to protect its citizens from physical harm, whether from external sources, such as hostile nations, or internal ones, like crime, disease, or hunger. Without the solid ground of physical wellbeing, our nation and its citizens cannot enjoy the benefits of being free. Liberals believe in a strong military, well suited to defend the nation. Liberals believe in good laws, hard-working police, and a just legal system to protect its citizens from crime. Liberals believe in affordable health care for everyone, to keep our people strong. And Liberals believe in the availability of food and shelter for its needy, not as a hand out but as a reasonable step in moving all Americans toward self-reliance and the freedom that comes with it.
Liberalism is "Liberty." It is the freedom to do as your conscience dictates without impeding another's rights. Fleeing oppression in mother Europe, our founders established a nation where personal belief and self-determination are protected, not persecuted, where hard work is rewarded, not demanded, and where each person is bestowed with the ability to better his or her life because of citizenship, not class. Liberals believe in freedom of speech to protect us from political oppression. Liberals believe in sound regulations to protect us from economic oppression. Liberals believe in just laws to protect us from social oppression. And Liberals believe in quality education to protect us from the oppression of ignorance.
Liberalism is "The Pursuit of Happiness." It is the freedom to create an environment where the individual can excel. What is freedom if it cannot be used to better our lives? A truly free society must be one where its members can rise above their limitations and expand their futures. We call it "The American Dream," and it's alive and well in the heart of the Liberal. Liberals believe in equal opportunities for all to rise above our means. Liberals believe in equal opportunities to rise above our education levels. Liberals believe in equal opportunities to rise above our social status. And Liberals believe each and every family should have an equal opportunity to make this world better for their children.
Based on these tenets, we can see that Liberalism is not the monster it's made out to be by the opposition. It is pro individual and pro family. It is pro community and pro country. Liberalism is, by its very definition, the heart and soul of what it means to be an American. It stands against tyranny of any kind, whether international or domestic. It works to remove abuse and fight crime. And it strives to eliminate the idea of a wasted life by not wasting resources and opportunities.
By this time someone might ask, "if that is a Liberal, then what is a Conservative?"
Liberals and Conservatives received their names for good reasons. Just as Liberals get their label by standing for Liberty, Conservatives get their label from the desire to "conserve" a style of living. They, too, claim they are fighting to conserve our personal rights and our economic opportunities, but they do it with a different ideal than the Liberal. The term they use for the difference is "values." Values are norms or codes by which people live their lives. While most Americans share some common values, such as the right to own property and the right to protect our families, we also have many divergent values with which we raise our children. So if we try to impose values into the political framework of the nation, we are forced to ask, "whose values?" And in the search for such absolutes, we must also ask, "which generation's values?"
As the nation ages and new generations take over leadership, the values of its population change. Where once a woman was valued for how well she cooked, cleaned and entertained, today's women are gaining recognition that they offer as much, if not more, to the work force than men. Where once African Americans were forced to live as second-class citizens, now they have a legal status equal to that of whites, even if we still have a ways to go in actual practice. Changing values brings confusing times for many - especially for those who believe that America was better with an older set of values. These people want to "conserve" a style of American living they believe once existed, what they call, "traditional family values." They want to conserve the system that they believe made America wealthy and strong. Unfortunately that also means they want to force all of us to live according to their values.
Conservatives don't really fight for our rights - they fight for what they think our rights should be - putting limits on our freedom of speech in order to "conserve" an older, more traditional norm of what should be said. Conservatives don't really fight for our family values - they fight for what they believe our family values should be - putting limits on our behavior, even behavior between consenting adults, in order to "conserve" an older, more traditional view of acceptable personal activity. Conservatives don't really fight for our income - they fight for little or no regulations - putting limits on our ability to be treated fairly by large companies, who if left without restriction, can form monopolies that choke out competition and drive down wages.
Conservatives are willing to curb our freedom of speech if it clashes with their interpretation of "traditional" values, values from an older time where woman were in domestic servitude to men, where child abuse, sexual abuse, wife abuse, and homosexuality were all kept locked in closets, where minorities were second-class citizens and discrimination was free from incrimination, and where the inability to plan a family's growth meant an explosion of mouths to feed - a population explosion that today threatens to bankrupt our nation's retirement funds. The Conservative position, therefore, is inherently contradictory. You cannot be for legislating away freedom in the name of "family values" and also claim you are protecting individual and family rights.
As new generations have placed their own values into the laws that govern our land, Conservatives have sought to fight back by limiting the size and power of the government. Conservatives are willing to give away the very power needed to protect our liberties in the work place. Their idea of a smaller, less-intrusive government means a return to the days where business decisions and profits were more important than clean air and clean water, where a business could abuse its employees without incrimination, and where minorities and women could be passed over for jobs or paid less then white males for the same jobs. Again the Conservative position is at odds with itself. You cannot claim you are fighting for families at the same time that you allow the family bread winner to be overworked and underpaid and allow neighborhoods to be overrun by non-regulated big business. The Conservative would effectively shift power away from the people, who can elect public officials to fight for their rights, and into the hands of private businesses, who need not answer to the public when making decisions that affect us all.
Because Liberals fight to protect every citizen from having other people's values imposed on them, Conservatives like to label Liberals as being evil. The following list shows what Conservatives like to say against Liberals, and then goes on to show why such assertions are false:
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-family.
However . . .
Conservatives want to define what your family should be
Whereas . . .
Liberals put you in charge of your family
Liberals support your right to define what your family will be
Liberals fight for your family's rights against economic and political oppression
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-business.
However . . .
Conservatives are pro-money, but that often translates into monopolies, which hurt small business and competition, which hurts us all
Whereas . . .
Liberals protect small businesses by regulating the larger ones and by breaking up monopolies
Liberals protect workers in order to create a healthy workforce that will help businesses grow
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-religion.
However . . .
Conservatives are often for one dominant religion, and are, therefore, against others
Whereas . . .
Liberals support complete freedom of religion and from religion so that all citizen are free to choose the manner in which faith is a part of their lives
Liberals strive to keep government completely out of a family's religious choices
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-freedom.
However . . .
Conservatives want to stop homosexuals, stop abortions, stop the women's movement, and stop freedom of expression through the use of censorship
Whereas . . .
Liberals leave it up to the parents to teach such values to their children
Liberals believe each person or family should be free to choose how to behave as long as it does not interfere with another's rights
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-morality.
However . . .
Conservatives are for one specific kind of morality
Whereas . . .
Liberals are for the morality of free choice, where each person or family decides their own values
Liberals want the government to protect our freedom to choose what is important to us rather than to impose the laws and codes of another's morality
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-military.
However . . .
Conservatives see the military as a means to impose their values and standards on others
Whereas . . .
Liberals see the military as a vital protection of our freedoms and our liberties, giving us a space in which to pursue happiness
Liberalism's Stance on Specific Issues
With the desire to promote Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness as the central motivation, the Liberal always defends these tenets when deciding how to stand on a particular issue. The following will show why Liberals often take the stance they do:
Abortion/Contraception - Liberty means the freedom to control your body, your reproductive system, and your future.
Affirmative Action - Liberty means having fair opportunities for those in society who are discriminated against.
Education - Liberty means the freedom to learn in order to build a better future for yourself, your family, your community, and your country.
Environment - Liberty means the fair use of our nation's natural resources for all citizens. Where possible, without unreasonable restriction to private enterprise, the government should strive to protect our natural environment so all can enjoy its bounty.
Gun Control - Liberty means the freedom to protect yourself, your family, and your property, with deadly force if necessary. People have a right to keep guns for such a purpose. People also have a right to use guns in sporting activities and in the event that citizens should be called on to form a citizen militia. We do not, however, have a right to own all the latest people-killing technology. The People, through the government, can restrict some of the more deadly weapons being sold today.
Health - Liberty means the freedom to overcome physical limitations in order to better yourself, your family, your community, and your country.
Regulations - Liberty means the freedom to live and work in an environment that best allows individuals and families to grow in the pursuit of happiness. Bad air, bad water, bad living and working conditions only stifle that liberty.
Sexuality - Liberty means the freedom to share mutual intimate affection with the person of your choice, regardless of gender.
Substance Abuse - Liberty means the freedom to decide what you put in your body. Unless the use of a substance is a danger to unwilling victims, its use should be kept legal. In situations where use of a substance may or may not effect bystanders, regulations - such as in the case with tobacco - should be enacted to protect the bystander without denying the individual's choice to use the substance. Smoking and non-smoking areas in public places are a prime example of this.
Taxation - Liberty is found within a system. That system does not happen by itself. It is created and supported by us, the People, and it is funded by our labors. The money we pay in taxes is what allows us to thrive in Liberty and work in fairness. Reasonable taxation is necessary because without it, many of us would find it difficult to get paid even a fraction of what we are paid now. And those who benefit more from the system should expect to pay more to help support it.
Women's/Minority Rights - Liberty means the freedom to be valued and judged on talent and work, not on the physical characteristics over which we have no control.
In closing let me state that freedom sometimes brings situations we don't like. Some people will choose to use their freedom to engage in activities that go against our personal values. It is a great temptation to use our democratic rights to try and enshrine our own personal values - whether they come from religious or humanistic origins - in the laws of the nation. The inherent problem with this is that when Liberty is restrained by any one group's values, even if that group represents the majority of the population at the time, it can easily be changed from one generation to the next, meaning that you could be forced to live under someone else's values as easily as you might force someone to live under yours.
The only true defense of our values is the defense of our liberties.
If you don't want to be forced to live under a foreign set of values, don't force others to live under yours. Instead, fight for the freedom to believe as you want while others believe as they want. Freedom of choice, as long as it does not infringe on another's rights, is the foundation upon which this nation was built. Liberalism is the ideology that strives to defend that freedom for everyone. And for that reason it pleases me to no end to state that I am proud to be Liberal.
Christian Politics in the 21st Century.By Dr Sammy D.James
One thing we know for sure about politics in the next century is that Jesus Christ will still be Lord over all authorities on earth. This is the confession that Christians have made from the beginning. Whether living under democratic or authoritarian governments, whether persecuted or free, Christians have trusted that Christ rules the world both for judgement and for blessing. God's kingdom embraces the whole world, the entire creation. We also believe that because of God's patience the climax of Christ's kingdom lies in the future and will come by God's decision, not ours. Christian politics in the 21st century must grow from this faith. It will build on this confession: that Christ is Lord over all, and that the full and final revelation of his government is still to come.
Time for creative Christian thinking and engagement
What does this confession mean for us today - for Christians in every other corner of the world? The first thing it means is that we need to engage in new and creative thinking about Christian political responsibility. During most of the last 2000 years, Christian thinking about politics took shape in contexts that have either disappeared or are no longer predominant. With few exceptions, open societies with representative and constitutionally limited governments are new to the world: less than 100 years old in most places where some form of democracy is now practised.
No longer relevant for us are the arguments developed during the western Middle Ages to justify the Roman Church's superior authority over governments. Nor may we allow the idol of nationalism, which still grips the hearts of many Christians in Europe, the United States, and all over the world, to be our guide. Ideologies inspired by the longing for liberation from foreign colonialists or military conquerors are also inadequate to fashion the Christian framework we need to define just governments after liberation. And many practices that have helped promote economic growth and distributive welfare within countries are insufficient or irrelevant for establishing international practices that will be economically just.
This transition moment in human history offers Christians a tremendous opportunity to pray and work together in new ways for new political understanding, for an understanding that will allow us to become more faithful witnesses in politics to the God who rules the world through Jesus Christ.
Three competing visions
When we stop to ask about Christian politics in the 21st century, we should remind ourselves that after the recent collapse of international communism, there are three major visions of the world's future that still compete for the human heart. I speak here of world-transforming visions of global unity - of how all peoples on earth should eventually be united.
The dominant vision appears to be the human-centred one generated by western secularism: the vision of a world organised for the purpose of achieving perpetual economic and technological growth, governed by enlightened elite who seek to satisfy humanity's common desire for peace and prosperity. A second vision of the world's future is that of Islam - of the world brought to submission before God on Muslim terms. The third vision is the biblical one. It is the vision of Christ's king-dom fulfilled. As Paul explains to the Corinthians, this will come when Christ has reconciled all things to God and has defeated every evil, including death that stands in the way (I Cor. 15:24-8). Christ's kingdom, organised for the glory of God, embraces everything that is human, including all technological, economic, and political dimensions of life. But it will be achieved not by secular design or by Islamic quest, but by God through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our political challenge as Christians is to learn how to exercise our earthly political responsi-bilities in obedience to Christ. What does this mean? How should we conduct ourselves politically between the times of Christ's first and second comings? In most countries around the world, Bible-believing Christians are a minority. But whether a minority or a majority, it should make no difference as regards the principles Christians appeal to in exercising the political responsibilities they have.
Gaining a Christian perspective on politics
Far too many Christians have, for too long, approached politics as if it lies outside their primary responsibility as Christians. When the distinction is drawn between "church" and the "world," for example, it usually implies that politics, economics, science, technology, and mass media are part of "the world." The Christian life is thus confined to personal piety, to church activities, to family prayer and Bible study. From this point of view, a Christian's engagement in politics or business is seen as a step into the secular world where Christian principles may apply to one's personal behaviour but not to the structures and functions of the political order or the corporation.
From a biblical point of view, this dualistic distinction between church and world, between the sacred and the secular, is mistaken. Christ is lord of the whole world, over every dimension of creation. Non-Christian aims and purposes may predominate in politics, business, and the public media, but that does not mean these areas of life exist outside God's standards for creaturely life or outside the domain of Christ's kingdom. To the contrary, from a Christian point of view, we should see that, in Christ, believers have been called to bring every thought, every activity, every responsibility, captive to Christ. All of life is God's creation and is claimed by Christ. Or if we want to insist that the word "secular" means what it originally meant in Latin, namely, "of or pertaining to this world," then even the church is a secular institution. In either case, our conclusion will be the same: everything in all creation, including everything secular, belongs to God and comes under Christ's sacred authority and claim of ownership.
Christian politics, therefore, must amount to more than the attempt to maintain upright personal behaviour in a non-Christian environment. It must mean more than crusading for a few moral causes by political means. Christian politics must be about politics in its entirety. It must be about defining the very nature of government - about the structure, limits, and policy responsi-bilities of government. Our personal piety and heart-deep dedication to Jesus Christ should work their way out in the way we seek to obey God with all the political responsibilities we bear as public officials and as citizens.
When we approach politics this way, we can see that the political arena is neither neutral nor non-religious. Rather, it is a world shaped by the religiously deep drives, commitments, and habits of a culture. Politics is organised by the vision of life that controls citizens and governments. Our challenge now is to avoid the easy path of simply going along with democratic, economic, and technological changes as they occur. Instead, our challenge is to develop a coherent Christian political perspective that will allow us to make judgements about the justice and injustice of the changes taking place. Even more, we should be seeking, as Christians, to exercise as much leadership as possible - leadership in our national parliaments, in our governments, in international organisations - to propose principled policies and changes in political structures that advance justice domestically and internationally.
Dr Sammy
Come Dine.
We should not fear that such a bold approach would give the appearance that we are trying to inject Christianity where it does not belong. Other religions, including humanist secularism, are seeking to lead and direct society and politics. Religions are what constitute and direct people's lives. They encompass and drive different cultures and their institutions. And what we find throughout the world today is that different religions are increasingly competing with one another within the same society. Few places on earth have only one religion that integrates the entire culture. Christians, therefore, must take their faith seriously in political life as most other religions do.
If Christians mistakenly assume that their religion can be confined to private and personal life, they will fail to come to grips with the various religious visions that are competing to shape their society and its politics. In fact, those who operate with a privatised understanding of Christianity will not be sufficiently aware that they themselves are being shaped by religions other than Christianity. In public life they develop the habit of accommodating themselves to other religious visions that take the lead in shaping politics and society. This is what has happened over a long period of time in the United States. Most American Christians hold to some form of civil religion, or liberal progressivism, or economic materialism in public life. They do not realise how their lives have become divided between Christian faith and competing religious visions. They have become double-minded by accepting the division of reality into the sacred and the secular, into private Christianity and public secularity.
We must fight to overcome this dualism in the 21st century. We must encourage one another to build communities of coherent Christian witness, communities of obedience to God in Christ through whom we can work to develop thoroughly Christian approaches to politics, business, science, and the media. The body of Christ is a community that cannot survive without wholeheartedly living out of the Spirit of Christ, as branches living in the vine, which is Christ. If Christians try to follow two spirits or two or more "ways of life," they deny the truth of Christ and they will not bear fruit. They will be cut off as dead branches. Our entire way of life, including political life, must exhibit the religion that binds us, the lordship of the Christ who owns us, the Creator-Redeemer in and through whom all things exist and by whom all things are being reconciled to God.
Christian citizens and public officials need to think and work together to generate ideas, strategies, and reform proposals. Without the full-time labours of Christians dedicated to developing a Christian approach to politics, Christian citizens will be dependent on the thinking, strategies, and reform proposals generated by people with other views of life.
What should characterise Christian politics in the next century?
When Christians make the commitment to change their approach to politics so that it becomes part of their wholehearted service to God, what should they expect? What kind of politics should they be calling for in the 21st century? On what basis will they be joining together, as Christian citizens, to labour in the political arena of God's world?
For our purposes today, allow me to make five brief points.
1. Christian politics must always be principled and comprehensive.
In politics, whether in the legislative chambers or in the executive branch of government, political issues come and go, and they usually require highly focused attention. One day the issue is defence policy, another day it may be welfare or education, the next it is monetary policy. Issues will often come to public attention in a crisis situation, as a matter of urgency. Even without a crisis, diverse opinions will be voiced and the time for weighing evidence and making decisions will be short. These are not the circumstances in which Christian officials will have time to construct a political philosophy and a comprehensive framework for evaluating specific issues. They will have to rely on what they already know and on the expertise of others. The groundwork of Christian thinking must have already been laid. The principled vision must already control the actors. The ability to relate each issue to the principles of justice involved must already belong to the decision-makers.THE CHRISTIAN AND POLITICS
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4).
One would think that after a verse like that, no further commentary would be necessary. However, in light of increasing involvement of professing Christians in politics it has become necessary to expound more specifically such texts. Every Christian is a soldier of the Lord, and like it or not, is engaged in warfare. And one reason why so many wage an ineffective spiritual warfare, not being able to “fight the good fight of faith,” is entanglements. This world system dangles before every Christian various spider-webs of entanglement, and politics is one of those. The Lord, the One who enlisted us as soldiers, is never pleased with any such entanglement, let us be clear about that at the outset. Why, then, do Christians become entangled in politics?
Mixed Motives
Putting the best possible construction on the situation, we must say first of all that there are those who entangle themselves because in their heart they really believe that they are doing good and that God does not object, but rather approves. As our text insists, they are sadly, but honestly mistaken. There is nothing wrong with wanting things to be better, or being against injustice and the like. To those who feel that way, we say that we share their desire. But politics is tricky business, and there are others with other motives, such as fame, money, power, and self-aggrandizement. Of course, the only way to have those things that the political system offers is to be voted in, and to be voted in you must, among other things, be popular with people. And to be popular with people, you must tell them that you are interested in helping them and serving them, or else you'll get no votes from them. So there remains a serious question about the purity of motives and the depth of true, untarnished, humanitarian interest in all politicians. Those who deny it are either naive or not completely honest. The trouble is, a good number of people seem to not want to face that reality. Politics offers not only what it tells you, namely, improvements, but also power and fame and money. Those who sincerely enter for “good” motives soon find themselves in a large tree where many other birds can and do roost, or to put it another way, they find themselves in an entanglement. But this involves the voters, too, and not just those who run for office. Think of the hours spent campaigning and listening to campaigns. Think also of the money spent in the most modest campaign, and ask yourself if this time and money would not do more if invested in the kingdom of God, the progress of the gospel? They answer that it is ridiculous to suppose that alternative, because the political parties will not spend money on the gospel. We must reply, then, with the simple question, “Then what is a Christian doing entangled with them, devoting time and money to such things?”
Black Holes In Space
Perhaps you're aware of the discovery of what they call “black holes in space,” those collapsed stars, extremely dense, whose gravitational pull even draws light rays from nearby stars into them to disappear forever. Nothing ever appears again once it enters. That is an illustration of what has happened to some Christians, and will happen to others, who give their time and energy to the politics of this planet. It is a hopeless situation. Think about it, how many years of recorded history are there on this planet? Something over 3,000. How many of the basic problems of mankind today are the same as when they began? All of them. Selah. How many sins has man eliminated in all these thousands of years? Not one. Just think of all the myriads of kings, governors, parliaments, congresses, courts, and other officials and governing bodies that there have been. From all over the world, in every age, in every conceivable circumstance, they have been trying politics from every possible human angle of approach, and they still have not been able to solve mankind's problems. No, dear Christian, they don't merit one cent of the money nor one second of the time that God has entrusted to us as stewards who will give account.
On the other hand, consider the gospel. How many of the basic problems of mankind does the gospel solve? “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things have passed away, behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). What can repair marriages? The gospel. What can reform prisoners? The gospel. What can affect employer/employee relations? The gospel. What can guarantee the care of the elderly and sick? The gospel. Every time a person gets saved he becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit, and not only changes inwardly, but outwardly as well, and so his change affects those around him, permanently. Consider, then, which is the best investment of time regarding the world and it's problems. Politics, or the gospel? But don't make the mistake of trying to mix them, they're like oil and water!
There has never been a political system that has ushered in the millennium, nor will there be. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself will personally introduce that era when He comes to reign in glory. What the politicians can do, as history proves, is rearrange the problems, treat the symptoms of sin, and even at times impede its advance, but they can't eliminate it. Therefore the Christian who becomes involved in the politics of this world unfortunately sees his time and money disappear into this “black hole in space,” instead of seeing them invested in the gospel and bringing him everlasting results. Politics cannot produce those kinds of results. Why not? Because mankind's basic problem is spiritual in nature, and not related in any way to political science. If someone has pneumonia, they need internal medicine and not a band-aid. The gospel gives man that internal medicine that he needs, but politics can only offer a band-aid.
Human Government Established By God
“But,” they argue back, “in Romans 13 and other passages the Bible supports human government going back as far as the time of Noah after the flood. After all, God ordained human government.” That is correct, God ordained human government. But He did not ordain all the accompanying political science that adorns government today. Neither did He ordain government to be the Savior of mankind. Politics cannot save souls or produce a truly better world to live in.
More laws! Better laws! Enforced laws! More law enforcers!” they cry to us. Well, if these are the tools of the politicians, then they only make loud confession that politics is not working, or else why would such things be needed? Yet they propose to us that through these administrative, executive, and judicial functions the Christian can serve God in the world today by making it a better place in which to live. Are they ignorant or arrogant who hang their hopes on such ideas? Let us ask a question. Who can make better laws than God? Is not His law good, perfect, and holy? But when will Christians learn that the law, not even God's Law, cannot impart to us the needed power to keep it? You cannot eliminate sin or wickedness by legislation, but you can by salvation.
Moral Obligation
Eliminate sin - that is a feat that the best of political scientists is absolutely powerless to achieve. So they tell us that they know they can't eliminate sin, but that Christians have a moral obligation to get involved (entangled) in government/politics as a means of restraining lawlessness. Well then, let them produce verses, in context, to support such claims. The Bible tells us in plain language that as Christians we have a moral obligation to obey the law, but it never tells us that we have a so-called moral obligation to become involved in politics. No, not even once.
Combating Humanism
No true Christian is in favor of any form of humanism or its creeds. On that we are agreed. However, it is a favorite approach of Christian political activists to alarm the Christian community with reports/statistics of how the humanists are taking over the government and what will happen as a result. They propose that we should all go to the polls and vote for the pro-Christian candidates to prevent this. The idea is to organize Christians as a powerful voting block. To this end they even produce reports and voting guides for Christians, giving the profiles of the views of different candidates on the issues. For example, they said we all should have voted for Reagan because he is for prayer in public schools and against abortion. So in not four, but eight years of President Reagan which of those two very specific issues has been solved? What they couldn't tell you is that the President wouldn't do anything about those items, but that he would subject himself and the affairs of the nation he represents to such occult influence as astrology. That is just one example. However, the main problem is not the surprises that elected officials produce, but the basic idea of fighting humanism in government by what amounts to a Christian version of humanism - producing a man/men who have the answers. Does man have the answers?
Human Responsibility
“What about our human responsibility?” they insist. “What are we supposed to do, then, just sit in Sunday School and let the world get worse and worse?” They insist that we cannot take such an passive and unrealistic approach to problems, but that it is our responsibility to vote, to campaign for certain candidates, and even to run for office so as to have Christians in government. The cry of “human responsibility!” is intended to wake us up to the fact that we're being overly spiritual and, in their eyes, irresponsible in the matter, taking an extreme position. In these days of “balance,” “balance,” and more “balance”, calling someone extreme is like calling them a heretic. But the early Christians were extreme enough to not get involved in politics, not even a little.
Another angle of attack is when we are told, “if you don't vote, then don't complain later about who is in office or what they do.” That's a nice political-scientist cliche, intended to shame us into entangling ourselves, but we reply that we will not complain, because it is a sin to do so, even if you do vote! And isn't it odd how the very ones who campaign and vote are the ones who are the most vocal with their complaints? Think about it.
Yet we must answer in the affirmative regarding our human responsibility. We do believe very much in being responsible Christians. But that responsibility is defined for the Christian by the Bible, not by university professors or political scientists or campaign advertisements. First of all, it is the responsibility and obligation of every Christian to PRAY as the Lord teaches us in 1 Timothy 2:1-2. This tremendous responsibility is often neglected by professing Christians. Some are disinterested. Others say they don't have time. Let us ask the Christian political activists how regular and consistent and fervent their personal prayer lives are, and if they are consistently devoted to the prayer meeting of their local assembly? If not, they should be ashamed to talk about responsibility to others. They talk about “putting feet to your prayers” - one of those sayings not found in the Bible. How about putting knees to your prayers? How about putting fasting to your prayers? God did say to pray, but He did NOT say to vote. Think about this - we can do more in 5 minutes on our knees in prayerful communion with God than we can do if 5 minutes in a voting booth. So why do they offer to provide transportation to vote but not to prayer meetings? A look at the private prayer lives of many, and the attendance at the prayer meetings of their churches, will tell you why professing Christians turn to politics. They do so because they believe that politics gets results, and that prayer doesn't. What kind of Christianity is that?
Second, we believe strongly that it is our human responsibility and moral obligation as Christians to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). We believe that we should follow the example of the early Christians, who according to Acts 8:4 “went everywhere preaching the word.” If we really believe this, then we believe that we can do more by going door-to-door for Christ, or by distributing gospel literature, than by canvassing door-to-door for some politician, however pious. Which campaign should we work for and support? The gospel campaign! What a shame it is to see some spending time and money in politics, laboring tirelessly, devotedly, always talking about politics and candidates and votes. They do it so well that they have little or no time for testimony or impact for Christ in the way that the early Christians did. They are entangled, and it is wrong, and Christ is not pleased. How much worse is the case when their own local church is struggling along and in need of help, or when we consider the tremendous amount of work that remains to be done in planting and edifying assemblies of God's people around the world. What responsibility to these who are involved in politics feel towards seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness as the Bible commands?
Love Not The World
1 John 2:15 instructs us, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” This is violated by those who give themselves to politics. It is never our responsibility to help the world system nor much less to love it. Yet they will tell us openly that they love politics! They pursue the mirage of doing good through politics in a way that the unsaved political scientists admire. But politics is something that the world has produced, not God. It is one of the things that is in the world. If you don't believe that, just read Luke 4:5-8 and see who is behind this world's kingdoms. We must remember that the world is an orderly system, organized and headed by the devil, leaving God out, designed for the purpose of making man happy without God. Why should any Christian want to mix with such a system, much less find it lovable? What communion has light with darkness? What ever happened to “come out from among them and be ye separate?”
The problem is often a case of misplaced love. As someone said, “Some Christians love the world so much that they anticipate making it their heaven.” But God expressly prohibits love of and entanglement with the world system. His Son received no justice from the best-developed political system that the world of that day knew, the Roman empire. The Holy Spirit, speaking by Paul, warned the Christians in Corinth against going to law and seeking justice before the unjust (1 Cor. 6:1-8). To whom does he refer as “unjust”? The context is clear, he refers to the lawmakers/enforcers of that day as “the unjust.” Why? Not just because spiritually speaking they are unjust in God's sight, but also because for the Christian, that is NOT the way to solve problems. But we are then told that Paul himself got involved in the political/legal system in order to continue propagating Christianity. They cite for us his trials first in Caesarea and then in Rome. Need we remind them that it was his unsaved enemies, and not Paul, who brought all that about? Also remember that the same system that freed Paul after his first trial in Rome later condemned and martyred him. And in all his trials there were never any votes or petitions or demonstrations concerning getting him released. It doesn't present a very solid case for the “Christian political scientists.”
Verses, Please
It's time we thought about asking these folks to defend their position from the Scriptures. What verses do they find that clearly teach the obligation of Christian political involvement? Careful! Don't let them quote you any verses about Moses or Daniel or Nehemiah or the good kings of Israel, all of whom were Jews, promised by God a land, a king, and a kingdom, all here on the earth. The Christian, on the other hand, is never promised any such thing, nor encouraged to get involved in the kingdoms of this world. His hope is heavenly, not earthbound (see Colossians 3:1-4). The Lord Jesus’ words to Pilate are full of meaning for us: “My kingdom is not of this world, else would my servants fight” (John 18:36). Since we are questioning them about “Christian” political involvement, they will have to give us some New Testament verses, teaching of the Lord or His apostles, that clearly and unmistakably teach Christians to become involved in any way in politics. Oops - there are none! This is one reason why saying “verses please” infuriates some religious politicians, because they know they cannot produce any!
Citizens Of Heaven
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). A citizen of one country cannot participate in the politics of another. That is a forgotten part of the Christian life. We are citizens of heaven. Some will argue for dual citizenship, that is, in heaven and in an earthly country at the same time. But this is merely what men impose by their laws, and is not something that requires our active participation. Our interests and our activities should be “heaven-oriented”, and we should decline to become entangled in another kingdom. Let us be like those of Hebrews 11, who “all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return, But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
Those heroes of the faith knew nothing of being entangled with the affairs of this life. They were “underwhelmed” with what the world system had to offer them, because they fixed the eye of faith on the promises of God, and desired a BETTER country. Did God tell them that they were being irresponsible? Did He tell them that they were so heavenly minded that they were no earthly good? No! The Scripture says, “God is not ashamed to be called their God.” This expression by implication introduces the possibility of living in such a way as to make God ashamed of our use of His name. Those who live separated from the world system do not make God ashamed. Are we in their company? Christians, let us remember that our heavenly citizenship is to be real, practical, not just a theory. Part of the practical application is to not become in any way involved with the politics of this present evil world. The same is true of those who are ambassadors. They most certainly may not become active in the politics of the country where they live. Their relationship is with another country, and there alone may they participate in such affairs. We, as Christians, are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), and our activity should be with the things of His kingdom. We should not become involved (entangled) in this world's politics.
The Example of Moses
Some try to use him as an example of a man using political influence to achieve good. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is true that God let Moses be educated 40 years in “the university of Egypt”, but it is also true that after that God sent him for 40 years to the silence and solitude of the desert to care for sheep. Only then was he ready. Hebrews 11 speaks of the example of Moses:
“By faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”
Friends, the Biblical record is clear. Moses forsook the politics of Egypt: the name and the fame; the pleasures and the treasures. Yes, he is an example of faith for us. He could've tried to make Egypt a better place to live, but he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. That is a truth that we know precious little of anymore in practice: the experience of suffering affliction as the people of God. We have been sidetracked, entangled into fighting for our rights and privileges like the rest of the world. Not Moses. Perhaps he could've been the next Pharaoh, or at the least one of the most influential people in Egypt. But he gave it up to shepherd God's flock. Some assembly leaders could learn from his example. Instead of giving half of our available time to the assembly (a generous estimate!) and half to politics, whatever happened to that song we used to sing?:
All for Jesus, All for Jesus!
All my being's ransomed pow'rs:
All my tho'ts and words and doings,
All my days and all my hours.
Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I've lost sight of all beside;
So enchained my spirit's vision,
Looking at the Crucified.
Did you notice those words: “Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus, I've lost sight of all beside”? No wonder Tozer said that Christians tell more lies when they sing hymns than at all other times put together. The way around that problem in many churches is simply not to sing the old hymns, whose stanzas contain a message. They opt for the new light-weight choruses that are repetitive and shallow, and avoid the heavy, committing, convicting stuff!
“Looking at the Crucified” is a good expression of how to live. We should live as seeing by faith (not a vision) Him who is invisible, as Moses did. May the Lord Jesus Christ, crucified for us and raised for our justification, be all our vision and fill all our vision. May we go deeper than superficial, professing Christianity, and learn what it means to say: “for to me to live is Christ,” as the Apostle Paul did. Then we don't have to worry about who to vote for any longer.
When you stop and think about it, it is a pretty pathetic history. “They” told us to vote for Nixon, who turned out to be a bizarre man who broke the law and cursed with the foulest language those who pursued him. Then they said vote for Carter, who not only fumbled in office but also has turned out to be an ecumenical. Then it was “vote for Reagan,” only we found out later they must have meant Nancy, and her astrology. In eight years of Reagan’s administration that was supposedly favorable to the “evangelicals,” they did not gain one single thing from the federal government. There was no improvement under Bush. As for Clinton, as a church attending Baptist, he disgraced the office and the Baptists with his vanity, lies and adultery, not to mention his support for homosexuals. Some breathe a sigh of relief now that Bush the son is in the White House, but he has already shown the same truth-damaging ecumenical leanings. When will some people learn that the answer is not in Washington? The Lord Jesus is still saying, “come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Yes, it is a gospel verse, but there is a very real application for the Christian who in faith turns away from this world's politics to find rest in the Lord Jesus.
What The Future Holds
“...Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:10-11). Who would go into a condemned building and start painting the walls and replacing broken windows? Who would stay on a sinking ship washing dirty dishes in the galley? That's what it is like to become entangled in this world and its politics. Not only is it prohibited, not only is it not pleasing to the Lord, but it is wasting precious resources that the Savior could use for His glory. Wasted hours, wasted funds, wasted lives! The ship is going down, the building is condemned, reserved for fire. What God is doing in this age is not improving society, but saving souls and adding them to the church through the proclamation of the gospel. Don't be a cinder soul, saved as by fire, with years and works burnt, consumed, dissolved in the fire of God's judgment. The logic of the Holy Spirit in 2 Peter 3 is that since we know the end of the world and its works, we ought to be different, holy, godly, not earthbound and worldly.
It is o.k. to go to the beach and build a sand castle for fun, but not to invest your life in playing with sand castles. A few waves roll over them and the beach is smooth again. You can't even tell where the castle was. That is what the future holds for those who insist on Christian politics. They are adults playing with sand castles - investing their lives in them. The world and all its works will be dissolved. The waves of God's judgment will roll over this planet, and the works of those Christians who got involved (entangled) in politics will be erased. The beach will be smooth, and we won't even be able to tell where their “castles” were. What a sad day that will be, and may we each avoid that tremendous disappointment. There are no crowns offered in heaven for being in politics. But there are crown’s waiting for faithful elders, for saints who suffer for righteousness sake, and for those who win others to the Lord. How much better to invest our lives, the time and money that we have, in proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and making disciples. Allow me to exhort you in the Lord’s Name, even as I say these things to my self: Listen to His voice! Renounce the world system. Heed His command!
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (2 Cor.15:58).
Remember this refrain that we have heard before:
Only one life, 'twill soon be past.
Only what's done for Christ will last.
Let the world take its human responsibility, and continue to do with it what it has done for thousands of years. The Scriptures teaches us not to get entangled with them. As for you, my friend, when are you going to decide to use your one life, the only one you have, for Christ. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time! Decide to be always abounding in the work of the Lord. Decide to take your Christian responsibility to pray, to proclaim the gospel and make disciples. Then you may rest assured that you will see the difference in eternity between those who lived confessing that they were strangers and pilgrims, and those who sought to mix Christianity and politics. May God give you grace to live a separated and devoted life, for the One who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To Him be the glory forever, amen.
The word "Politics" comes from the Greek word "polis" meaning state or city. "Politikos" describes anything concerning the state or city affairs. In Latin, this was "politicus" and in French "politique". Thus it became "politics" in .I think study science polotic don,t make onyone politician,The samme like medecin,theologian don,t make you a pastor,Before you born God already have a plan for all of us.Some of us became who we are by accident,not the will of God.God say to Jeremiah before you born iknow you,the reason why we have false diplomat,lie,false president,and so on.Never doing thing you are never born to do.You can in,but you don,t know what to do.Because it,s not place.you are in whong place.Every nations seaching for good government,good leader.Dr,Sammy D.James.
Why Liberal values are American values.
Liberal? Absolutely.
Seems these days Conservatives have convinced themselves, and some of the American public, that being a Liberal is akin to being a card-carrying member of the Communist Party. While this may be a great smear tactic for an election year, to believe such a notion proves that the believer is uneducated in the fundamentals of the American political system. Our nation was founded on Liberalism. Embodied in the Declaration of Independence are its three tenets: "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." The very term, itself, is taken from the same root as the second of these precepts. To be a Liberal is to defend the freedom - the Liberty - of all people who make up our great nation. To be a Liberal is to trust individuals and families to run their own lives as they see fit. To be a Liberal is to create a nation where anyone can excel if they are willing to do the work.
In order to understand the true nature of Liberalism, and to dispel the misconceptions fomented by those whose agenda is counter to our freedom, I will detail the tenets of Liberal thought and dispel the misconceptions so often put forth by Conservative rhetoric.
Liberalism is "Life." It is freedom from physical dangers that can kill or disable us. The Liberal believes it is a nation's job to protect its citizens from physical harm, whether from external sources, such as hostile nations, or internal ones, like crime, disease, or hunger. Without the solid ground of physical wellbeing, our nation and its citizens cannot enjoy the benefits of being free. Liberals believe in a strong military, well suited to defend the nation. Liberals believe in good laws, hard-working police, and a just legal system to protect its citizens from crime. Liberals believe in affordable health care for everyone, to keep our people strong. And Liberals believe in the availability of food and shelter for its needy, not as a hand out but as a reasonable step in moving all Americans toward self-reliance and the freedom that comes with it.
Liberalism is "Liberty." It is the freedom to do as your conscience dictates without impeding another's rights. Fleeing oppression in mother Europe, our founders established a nation where personal belief and self-determination are protected, not persecuted, where hard work is rewarded, not demanded, and where each person is bestowed with the ability to better his or her life because of citizenship, not class. Liberals believe in freedom of speech to protect us from political oppression. Liberals believe in sound regulations to protect us from economic oppression. Liberals believe in just laws to protect us from social oppression. And Liberals believe in quality education to protect us from the oppression of ignorance.
Liberalism is "The Pursuit of Happiness." It is the freedom to create an environment where the individual can excel. What is freedom if it cannot be used to better our lives? A truly free society must be one where its members can rise above their limitations and expand their futures. We call it "The American Dream," and it's alive and well in the heart of the Liberal. Liberals believe in equal opportunities for all to rise above our means. Liberals believe in equal opportunities to rise above our education levels. Liberals believe in equal opportunities to rise above our social status. And Liberals believe each and every family should have an equal opportunity to make this world better for their children.
Based on these tenets, we can see that Liberalism is not the monster it's made out to be by the opposition. It is pro individual and pro family. It is pro community and pro country. Liberalism is, by its very definition, the heart and soul of what it means to be an American. It stands against tyranny of any kind, whether international or domestic. It works to remove abuse and fight crime. And it strives to eliminate the idea of a wasted life by not wasting resources and opportunities.
By this time someone might ask, "if that is a Liberal, then what is a Conservative?"
Liberals and Conservatives received their names for good reasons. Just as Liberals get their label by standing for Liberty, Conservatives get their label from the desire to "conserve" a style of living. They, too, claim they are fighting to conserve our personal rights and our economic opportunities, but they do it with a different ideal than the Liberal. The term they use for the difference is "values." Values are norms or codes by which people live their lives. While most Americans share some common values, such as the right to own property and the right to protect our families, we also have many divergent values with which we raise our children. So if we try to impose values into the political framework of the nation, we are forced to ask, "whose values?" And in the search for such absolutes, we must also ask, "which generation's values?"
As the nation ages and new generations take over leadership, the values of its population change. Where once a woman was valued for how well she cooked, cleaned and entertained, today's women are gaining recognition that they offer as much, if not more, to the work force than men. Where once African Americans were forced to live as second-class citizens, now they have a legal status equal to that of whites, even if we still have a ways to go in actual practice. Changing values brings confusing times for many - especially for those who believe that America was better with an older set of values. These people want to "conserve" a style of American living they believe once existed, what they call, "traditional family values." They want to conserve the system that they believe made America wealthy and strong. Unfortunately that also means they want to force all of us to live according to their values.
Conservatives don't really fight for our rights - they fight for what they think our rights should be - putting limits on our freedom of speech in order to "conserve" an older, more traditional norm of what should be said. Conservatives don't really fight for our family values - they fight for what they believe our family values should be - putting limits on our behavior, even behavior between consenting adults, in order to "conserve" an older, more traditional view of acceptable personal activity. Conservatives don't really fight for our income - they fight for little or no regulations - putting limits on our ability to be treated fairly by large companies, who if left without restriction, can form monopolies that choke out competition and drive down wages.
Conservatives are willing to curb our freedom of speech if it clashes with their interpretation of "traditional" values, values from an older time where woman were in domestic servitude to men, where child abuse, sexual abuse, wife abuse, and homosexuality were all kept locked in closets, where minorities were second-class citizens and discrimination was free from incrimination, and where the inability to plan a family's growth meant an explosion of mouths to feed - a population explosion that today threatens to bankrupt our nation's retirement funds. The Conservative position, therefore, is inherently contradictory. You cannot be for legislating away freedom in the name of "family values" and also claim you are protecting individual and family rights.
As new generations have placed their own values into the laws that govern our land, Conservatives have sought to fight back by limiting the size and power of the government. Conservatives are willing to give away the very power needed to protect our liberties in the work place. Their idea of a smaller, less-intrusive government means a return to the days where business decisions and profits were more important than clean air and clean water, where a business could abuse its employees without incrimination, and where minorities and women could be passed over for jobs or paid less then white males for the same jobs. Again the Conservative position is at odds with itself. You cannot claim you are fighting for families at the same time that you allow the family bread winner to be overworked and underpaid and allow neighborhoods to be overrun by non-regulated big business. The Conservative would effectively shift power away from the people, who can elect public officials to fight for their rights, and into the hands of private businesses, who need not answer to the public when making decisions that affect us all.
Because Liberals fight to protect every citizen from having other people's values imposed on them, Conservatives like to label Liberals as being evil. The following list shows what Conservatives like to say against Liberals, and then goes on to show why such assertions are false:
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-family.
However . . .
Conservatives want to define what your family should be
Whereas . . .
Liberals put you in charge of your family
Liberals support your right to define what your family will be
Liberals fight for your family's rights against economic and political oppression
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-business.
However . . .
Conservatives are pro-money, but that often translates into monopolies, which hurt small business and competition, which hurts us all
Whereas . . .
Liberals protect small businesses by regulating the larger ones and by breaking up monopolies
Liberals protect workers in order to create a healthy workforce that will help businesses grow
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-religion.
However . . .
Conservatives are often for one dominant religion, and are, therefore, against others
Whereas . . .
Liberals support complete freedom of religion and from religion so that all citizen are free to choose the manner in which faith is a part of their lives
Liberals strive to keep government completely out of a family's religious choices
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-freedom.
However . . .
Conservatives want to stop homosexuals, stop abortions, stop the women's movement, and stop freedom of expression through the use of censorship
Whereas . . .
Liberals leave it up to the parents to teach such values to their children
Liberals believe each person or family should be free to choose how to behave as long as it does not interfere with another's rights
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-morality.
However . . .
Conservatives are for one specific kind of morality
Whereas . . .
Liberals are for the morality of free choice, where each person or family decides their own values
Liberals want the government to protect our freedom to choose what is important to us rather than to impose the laws and codes of another's morality
Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-military.
However . . .
Conservatives see the military as a means to impose their values and standards on others
Whereas . . .
Liberals see the military as a vital protection of our freedoms and our liberties, giving us a space in which to pursue happiness
Liberalism's Stance on Specific Issues
With the desire to promote Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness as the central motivation, the Liberal always defends these tenets when deciding how to stand on a particular issue. The following will show why Liberals often take the stance they do:
Abortion/Contraception - Liberty means the freedom to control your body, your reproductive system, and your future.
Affirmative Action - Liberty means having fair opportunities for those in society who are discriminated against.
Education - Liberty means the freedom to learn in order to build a better future for yourself, your family, your community, and your country.
Environment - Liberty means the fair use of our nation's natural resources for all citizens. Where possible, without unreasonable restriction to private enterprise, the government should strive to protect our natural environment so all can enjoy its bounty.
Gun Control - Liberty means the freedom to protect yourself, your family, and your property, with deadly force if necessary. People have a right to keep guns for such a purpose. People also have a right to use guns in sporting activities and in the event that citizens should be called on to form a citizen militia. We do not, however, have a right to own all the latest people-killing technology. The People, through the government, can restrict some of the more deadly weapons being sold today.
Health - Liberty means the freedom to overcome physical limitations in order to better yourself, your family, your community, and your country.
Regulations - Liberty means the freedom to live and work in an environment that best allows individuals and families to grow in the pursuit of happiness. Bad air, bad water, bad living and working conditions only stifle that liberty.
Sexuality - Liberty means the freedom to share mutual intimate affection with the person of your choice, regardless of gender.
Substance Abuse - Liberty means the freedom to decide what you put in your body. Unless the use of a substance is a danger to unwilling victims, its use should be kept legal. In situations where use of a substance may or may not effect bystanders, regulations - such as in the case with tobacco - should be enacted to protect the bystander without denying the individual's choice to use the substance. Smoking and non-smoking areas in public places are a prime example of this.
Taxation - Liberty is found within a system. That system does not happen by itself. It is created and supported by us, the People, and it is funded by our labors. The money we pay in taxes is what allows us to thrive in Liberty and work in fairness. Reasonable taxation is necessary because without it, many of us would find it difficult to get paid even a fraction of what we are paid now. And those who benefit more from the system should expect to pay more to help support it.
Women's/Minority Rights - Liberty means the freedom to be valued and judged on talent and work, not on the physical characteristics over which we have no control.
In closing let me state that freedom sometimes brings situations we don't like. Some people will choose to use their freedom to engage in activities that go against our personal values. It is a great temptation to use our democratic rights to try and enshrine our own personal values - whether they come from religious or humanistic origins - in the laws of the nation. The inherent problem with this is that when Liberty is restrained by any one group's values, even if that group represents the majority of the population at the time, it can easily be changed from one generation to the next, meaning that you could be forced to live under someone else's values as easily as you might force someone to live under yours.
The only true defense of our values is the defense of our liberties.
If you don't want to be forced to live under a foreign set of values, don't force others to live under yours. Instead, fight for the freedom to believe as you want while others believe as they want. Freedom of choice, as long as it does not infringe on another's rights, is the foundation upon which this nation was built. Liberalism is the ideology that strives to defend that freedom for everyone. And for that reason it pleases me to no end to state that I am proud to be Liberal.
Christian Politics in the 21st Century.By Dr Sammy D.James
One thing we know for sure about politics in the next century is that Jesus Christ will still be Lord over all authorities on earth. This is the confession that Christians have made from the beginning. Whether living under democratic or authoritarian governments, whether persecuted or free, Christians have trusted that Christ rules the world both for judgement and for blessing. God's kingdom embraces the whole world, the entire creation. We also believe that because of God's patience the climax of Christ's kingdom lies in the future and will come by God's decision, not ours. Christian politics in the 21st century must grow from this faith. It will build on this confession: that Christ is Lord over all, and that the full and final revelation of his government is still to come.
Time for creative Christian thinking and engagement
What does this confession mean for us today - for Christians in every other corner of the world? The first thing it means is that we need to engage in new and creative thinking about Christian political responsibility. During most of the last 2000 years, Christian thinking about politics took shape in contexts that have either disappeared or are no longer predominant. With few exceptions, open societies with representative and constitutionally limited governments are new to the world: less than 100 years old in most places where some form of democracy is now practised.
No longer relevant for us are the arguments developed during the western Middle Ages to justify the Roman Church's superior authority over governments. Nor may we allow the idol of nationalism, which still grips the hearts of many Christians in Europe, the United States, and all over the world, to be our guide. Ideologies inspired by the longing for liberation from foreign colonialists or military conquerors are also inadequate to fashion the Christian framework we need to define just governments after liberation. And many practices that have helped promote economic growth and distributive welfare within countries are insufficient or irrelevant for establishing international practices that will be economically just.
This transition moment in human history offers Christians a tremendous opportunity to pray and work together in new ways for new political understanding, for an understanding that will allow us to become more faithful witnesses in politics to the God who rules the world through Jesus Christ.
Three competing visions
When we stop to ask about Christian politics in the 21st century, we should remind ourselves that after the recent collapse of international communism, there are three major visions of the world's future that still compete for the human heart. I speak here of world-transforming visions of global unity - of how all peoples on earth should eventually be united.
The dominant vision appears to be the human-centred one generated by western secularism: the vision of a world organised for the purpose of achieving perpetual economic and technological growth, governed by enlightened elite who seek to satisfy humanity's common desire for peace and prosperity. A second vision of the world's future is that of Islam - of the world brought to submission before God on Muslim terms. The third vision is the biblical one. It is the vision of Christ's king-dom fulfilled. As Paul explains to the Corinthians, this will come when Christ has reconciled all things to God and has defeated every evil, including death that stands in the way (I Cor. 15:24-8). Christ's kingdom, organised for the glory of God, embraces everything that is human, including all technological, economic, and political dimensions of life. But it will be achieved not by secular design or by Islamic quest, but by God through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our political challenge as Christians is to learn how to exercise our earthly political responsi-bilities in obedience to Christ. What does this mean? How should we conduct ourselves politically between the times of Christ's first and second comings? In most countries around the world, Bible-believing Christians are a minority. But whether a minority or a majority, it should make no difference as regards the principles Christians appeal to in exercising the political responsibilities they have.
Gaining a Christian perspective on politics
Far too many Christians have, for too long, approached politics as if it lies outside their primary responsibility as Christians. When the distinction is drawn between "church" and the "world," for example, it usually implies that politics, economics, science, technology, and mass media are part of "the world." The Christian life is thus confined to personal piety, to church activities, to family prayer and Bible study. From this point of view, a Christian's engagement in politics or business is seen as a step into the secular world where Christian principles may apply to one's personal behaviour but not to the structures and functions of the political order or the corporation.
From a biblical point of view, this dualistic distinction between church and world, between the sacred and the secular, is mistaken. Christ is lord of the whole world, over every dimension of creation. Non-Christian aims and purposes may predominate in politics, business, and the public media, but that does not mean these areas of life exist outside God's standards for creaturely life or outside the domain of Christ's kingdom. To the contrary, from a Christian point of view, we should see that, in Christ, believers have been called to bring every thought, every activity, every responsibility, captive to Christ. All of life is God's creation and is claimed by Christ. Or if we want to insist that the word "secular" means what it originally meant in Latin, namely, "of or pertaining to this world," then even the church is a secular institution. In either case, our conclusion will be the same: everything in all creation, including everything secular, belongs to God and comes under Christ's sacred authority and claim of ownership.
Christian politics, therefore, must amount to more than the attempt to maintain upright personal behaviour in a non-Christian environment. It must mean more than crusading for a few moral causes by political means. Christian politics must be about politics in its entirety. It must be about defining the very nature of government - about the structure, limits, and policy responsi-bilities of government. Our personal piety and heart-deep dedication to Jesus Christ should work their way out in the way we seek to obey God with all the political responsibilities we bear as public officials and as citizens.
When we approach politics this way, we can see that the political arena is neither neutral nor non-religious. Rather, it is a world shaped by the religiously deep drives, commitments, and habits of a culture. Politics is organised by the vision of life that controls citizens and governments. Our challenge now is to avoid the easy path of simply going along with democratic, economic, and technological changes as they occur. Instead, our challenge is to develop a coherent Christian political perspective that will allow us to make judgements about the justice and injustice of the changes taking place. Even more, we should be seeking, as Christians, to exercise as much leadership as possible - leadership in our national parliaments, in our governments, in international organisations - to propose principled policies and changes in political structures that advance justice domestically and internationally.
Dr Sammy
Come Dine.
We should not fear that such a bold approach would give the appearance that we are trying to inject Christianity where it does not belong. Other religions, including humanist secularism, are seeking to lead and direct society and politics. Religions are what constitute and direct people's lives. They encompass and drive different cultures and their institutions. And what we find throughout the world today is that different religions are increasingly competing with one another within the same society. Few places on earth have only one religion that integrates the entire culture. Christians, therefore, must take their faith seriously in political life as most other religions do.
If Christians mistakenly assume that their religion can be confined to private and personal life, they will fail to come to grips with the various religious visions that are competing to shape their society and its politics. In fact, those who operate with a privatised understanding of Christianity will not be sufficiently aware that they themselves are being shaped by religions other than Christianity. In public life they develop the habit of accommodating themselves to other religious visions that take the lead in shaping politics and society. This is what has happened over a long period of time in the United States. Most American Christians hold to some form of civil religion, or liberal progressivism, or economic materialism in public life. They do not realise how their lives have become divided between Christian faith and competing religious visions. They have become double-minded by accepting the division of reality into the sacred and the secular, into private Christianity and public secularity.
We must fight to overcome this dualism in the 21st century. We must encourage one another to build communities of coherent Christian witness, communities of obedience to God in Christ through whom we can work to develop thoroughly Christian approaches to politics, business, science, and the media. The body of Christ is a community that cannot survive without wholeheartedly living out of the Spirit of Christ, as branches living in the vine, which is Christ. If Christians try to follow two spirits or two or more "ways of life," they deny the truth of Christ and they will not bear fruit. They will be cut off as dead branches. Our entire way of life, including political life, must exhibit the religion that binds us, the lordship of the Christ who owns us, the Creator-Redeemer in and through whom all things exist and by whom all things are being reconciled to God.
Christian citizens and public officials need to think and work together to generate ideas, strategies, and reform proposals. Without the full-time labours of Christians dedicated to developing a Christian approach to politics, Christian citizens will be dependent on the thinking, strategies, and reform proposals generated by people with other views of life.
What should characterise Christian politics in the next century?
When Christians make the commitment to change their approach to politics so that it becomes part of their wholehearted service to God, what should they expect? What kind of politics should they be calling for in the 21st century? On what basis will they be joining together, as Christian citizens, to labour in the political arena of God's world?
For our purposes today, allow me to make five brief points.
1. Christian politics must always be principled and comprehensive.
In politics, whether in the legislative chambers or in the executive branch of government, political issues come and go, and they usually require highly focused attention. One day the issue is defence policy, another day it may be welfare or education, the next it is monetary policy. Issues will often come to public attention in a crisis situation, as a matter of urgency. Even without a crisis, diverse opinions will be voiced and the time for weighing evidence and making decisions will be short. These are not the circumstances in which Christian officials will have time to construct a political philosophy and a comprehensive framework for evaluating specific issues. They will have to rely on what they already know and on the expertise of others. The groundwork of Christian thinking must have already been laid. The principled vision must already control the actors. The ability to relate each issue to the principles of justice involved must already belong to the decision-makers.THE CHRISTIAN AND POLITICS
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4).
One would think that after a verse like that, no further commentary would be necessary. However, in light of increasing involvement of professing Christians in politics it has become necessary to expound more specifically such texts. Every Christian is a soldier of the Lord, and like it or not, is engaged in warfare. And one reason why so many wage an ineffective spiritual warfare, not being able to “fight the good fight of faith,” is entanglements. This world system dangles before every Christian various spider-webs of entanglement, and politics is one of those. The Lord, the One who enlisted us as soldiers, is never pleased with any such entanglement, let us be clear about that at the outset. Why, then, do Christians become entangled in politics?
Mixed Motives
Putting the best possible construction on the situation, we must say first of all that there are those who entangle themselves because in their heart they really believe that they are doing good and that God does not object, but rather approves. As our text insists, they are sadly, but honestly mistaken. There is nothing wrong with wanting things to be better, or being against injustice and the like. To those who feel that way, we say that we share their desire. But politics is tricky business, and there are others with other motives, such as fame, money, power, and self-aggrandizement. Of course, the only way to have those things that the political system offers is to be voted in, and to be voted in you must, among other things, be popular with people. And to be popular with people, you must tell them that you are interested in helping them and serving them, or else you'll get no votes from them. So there remains a serious question about the purity of motives and the depth of true, untarnished, humanitarian interest in all politicians. Those who deny it are either naive or not completely honest. The trouble is, a good number of people seem to not want to face that reality. Politics offers not only what it tells you, namely, improvements, but also power and fame and money. Those who sincerely enter for “good” motives soon find themselves in a large tree where many other birds can and do roost, or to put it another way, they find themselves in an entanglement. But this involves the voters, too, and not just those who run for office. Think of the hours spent campaigning and listening to campaigns. Think also of the money spent in the most modest campaign, and ask yourself if this time and money would not do more if invested in the kingdom of God, the progress of the gospel? They answer that it is ridiculous to suppose that alternative, because the political parties will not spend money on the gospel. We must reply, then, with the simple question, “Then what is a Christian doing entangled with them, devoting time and money to such things?”
Black Holes In Space
Perhaps you're aware of the discovery of what they call “black holes in space,” those collapsed stars, extremely dense, whose gravitational pull even draws light rays from nearby stars into them to disappear forever. Nothing ever appears again once it enters. That is an illustration of what has happened to some Christians, and will happen to others, who give their time and energy to the politics of this planet. It is a hopeless situation. Think about it, how many years of recorded history are there on this planet? Something over 3,000. How many of the basic problems of mankind today are the same as when they began? All of them. Selah. How many sins has man eliminated in all these thousands of years? Not one. Just think of all the myriads of kings, governors, parliaments, congresses, courts, and other officials and governing bodies that there have been. From all over the world, in every age, in every conceivable circumstance, they have been trying politics from every possible human angle of approach, and they still have not been able to solve mankind's problems. No, dear Christian, they don't merit one cent of the money nor one second of the time that God has entrusted to us as stewards who will give account.
On the other hand, consider the gospel. How many of the basic problems of mankind does the gospel solve? “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things have passed away, behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). What can repair marriages? The gospel. What can reform prisoners? The gospel. What can affect employer/employee relations? The gospel. What can guarantee the care of the elderly and sick? The gospel. Every time a person gets saved he becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit, and not only changes inwardly, but outwardly as well, and so his change affects those around him, permanently. Consider, then, which is the best investment of time regarding the world and it's problems. Politics, or the gospel? But don't make the mistake of trying to mix them, they're like oil and water!
There has never been a political system that has ushered in the millennium, nor will there be. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself will personally introduce that era when He comes to reign in glory. What the politicians can do, as history proves, is rearrange the problems, treat the symptoms of sin, and even at times impede its advance, but they can't eliminate it. Therefore the Christian who becomes involved in the politics of this world unfortunately sees his time and money disappear into this “black hole in space,” instead of seeing them invested in the gospel and bringing him everlasting results. Politics cannot produce those kinds of results. Why not? Because mankind's basic problem is spiritual in nature, and not related in any way to political science. If someone has pneumonia, they need internal medicine and not a band-aid. The gospel gives man that internal medicine that he needs, but politics can only offer a band-aid.
Human Government Established By God
“But,” they argue back, “in Romans 13 and other passages the Bible supports human government going back as far as the time of Noah after the flood. After all, God ordained human government.” That is correct, God ordained human government. But He did not ordain all the accompanying political science that adorns government today. Neither did He ordain government to be the Savior of mankind. Politics cannot save souls or produce a truly better world to live in.
More laws! Better laws! Enforced laws! More law enforcers!” they cry to us. Well, if these are the tools of the politicians, then they only make loud confession that politics is not working, or else why would such things be needed? Yet they propose to us that through these administrative, executive, and judicial functions the Christian can serve God in the world today by making it a better place in which to live. Are they ignorant or arrogant who hang their hopes on such ideas? Let us ask a question. Who can make better laws than God? Is not His law good, perfect, and holy? But when will Christians learn that the law, not even God's Law, cannot impart to us the needed power to keep it? You cannot eliminate sin or wickedness by legislation, but you can by salvation.
Moral Obligation
Eliminate sin - that is a feat that the best of political scientists is absolutely powerless to achieve. So they tell us that they know they can't eliminate sin, but that Christians have a moral obligation to get involved (entangled) in government/politics as a means of restraining lawlessness. Well then, let them produce verses, in context, to support such claims. The Bible tells us in plain language that as Christians we have a moral obligation to obey the law, but it never tells us that we have a so-called moral obligation to become involved in politics. No, not even once.
Combating Humanism
No true Christian is in favor of any form of humanism or its creeds. On that we are agreed. However, it is a favorite approach of Christian political activists to alarm the Christian community with reports/statistics of how the humanists are taking over the government and what will happen as a result. They propose that we should all go to the polls and vote for the pro-Christian candidates to prevent this. The idea is to organize Christians as a powerful voting block. To this end they even produce reports and voting guides for Christians, giving the profiles of the views of different candidates on the issues. For example, they said we all should have voted for Reagan because he is for prayer in public schools and against abortion. So in not four, but eight years of President Reagan which of those two very specific issues has been solved? What they couldn't tell you is that the President wouldn't do anything about those items, but that he would subject himself and the affairs of the nation he represents to such occult influence as astrology. That is just one example. However, the main problem is not the surprises that elected officials produce, but the basic idea of fighting humanism in government by what amounts to a Christian version of humanism - producing a man/men who have the answers. Does man have the answers?
Human Responsibility
“What about our human responsibility?” they insist. “What are we supposed to do, then, just sit in Sunday School and let the world get worse and worse?” They insist that we cannot take such an passive and unrealistic approach to problems, but that it is our responsibility to vote, to campaign for certain candidates, and even to run for office so as to have Christians in government. The cry of “human responsibility!” is intended to wake us up to the fact that we're being overly spiritual and, in their eyes, irresponsible in the matter, taking an extreme position. In these days of “balance,” “balance,” and more “balance”, calling someone extreme is like calling them a heretic. But the early Christians were extreme enough to not get involved in politics, not even a little.
Another angle of attack is when we are told, “if you don't vote, then don't complain later about who is in office or what they do.” That's a nice political-scientist cliche, intended to shame us into entangling ourselves, but we reply that we will not complain, because it is a sin to do so, even if you do vote! And isn't it odd how the very ones who campaign and vote are the ones who are the most vocal with their complaints? Think about it.
Yet we must answer in the affirmative regarding our human responsibility. We do believe very much in being responsible Christians. But that responsibility is defined for the Christian by the Bible, not by university professors or political scientists or campaign advertisements. First of all, it is the responsibility and obligation of every Christian to PRAY as the Lord teaches us in 1 Timothy 2:1-2. This tremendous responsibility is often neglected by professing Christians. Some are disinterested. Others say they don't have time. Let us ask the Christian political activists how regular and consistent and fervent their personal prayer lives are, and if they are consistently devoted to the prayer meeting of their local assembly? If not, they should be ashamed to talk about responsibility to others. They talk about “putting feet to your prayers” - one of those sayings not found in the Bible. How about putting knees to your prayers? How about putting fasting to your prayers? God did say to pray, but He did NOT say to vote. Think about this - we can do more in 5 minutes on our knees in prayerful communion with God than we can do if 5 minutes in a voting booth. So why do they offer to provide transportation to vote but not to prayer meetings? A look at the private prayer lives of many, and the attendance at the prayer meetings of their churches, will tell you why professing Christians turn to politics. They do so because they believe that politics gets results, and that prayer doesn't. What kind of Christianity is that?
Second, we believe strongly that it is our human responsibility and moral obligation as Christians to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). We believe that we should follow the example of the early Christians, who according to Acts 8:4 “went everywhere preaching the word.” If we really believe this, then we believe that we can do more by going door-to-door for Christ, or by distributing gospel literature, than by canvassing door-to-door for some politician, however pious. Which campaign should we work for and support? The gospel campaign! What a shame it is to see some spending time and money in politics, laboring tirelessly, devotedly, always talking about politics and candidates and votes. They do it so well that they have little or no time for testimony or impact for Christ in the way that the early Christians did. They are entangled, and it is wrong, and Christ is not pleased. How much worse is the case when their own local church is struggling along and in need of help, or when we consider the tremendous amount of work that remains to be done in planting and edifying assemblies of God's people around the world. What responsibility to these who are involved in politics feel towards seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness as the Bible commands?
Love Not The World
1 John 2:15 instructs us, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” This is violated by those who give themselves to politics. It is never our responsibility to help the world system nor much less to love it. Yet they will tell us openly that they love politics! They pursue the mirage of doing good through politics in a way that the unsaved political scientists admire. But politics is something that the world has produced, not God. It is one of the things that is in the world. If you don't believe that, just read Luke 4:5-8 and see who is behind this world's kingdoms. We must remember that the world is an orderly system, organized and headed by the devil, leaving God out, designed for the purpose of making man happy without God. Why should any Christian want to mix with such a system, much less find it lovable? What communion has light with darkness? What ever happened to “come out from among them and be ye separate?”
The problem is often a case of misplaced love. As someone said, “Some Christians love the world so much that they anticipate making it their heaven.” But God expressly prohibits love of and entanglement with the world system. His Son received no justice from the best-developed political system that the world of that day knew, the Roman empire. The Holy Spirit, speaking by Paul, warned the Christians in Corinth against going to law and seeking justice before the unjust (1 Cor. 6:1-8). To whom does he refer as “unjust”? The context is clear, he refers to the lawmakers/enforcers of that day as “the unjust.” Why? Not just because spiritually speaking they are unjust in God's sight, but also because for the Christian, that is NOT the way to solve problems. But we are then told that Paul himself got involved in the political/legal system in order to continue propagating Christianity. They cite for us his trials first in Caesarea and then in Rome. Need we remind them that it was his unsaved enemies, and not Paul, who brought all that about? Also remember that the same system that freed Paul after his first trial in Rome later condemned and martyred him. And in all his trials there were never any votes or petitions or demonstrations concerning getting him released. It doesn't present a very solid case for the “Christian political scientists.”
Verses, Please
It's time we thought about asking these folks to defend their position from the Scriptures. What verses do they find that clearly teach the obligation of Christian political involvement? Careful! Don't let them quote you any verses about Moses or Daniel or Nehemiah or the good kings of Israel, all of whom were Jews, promised by God a land, a king, and a kingdom, all here on the earth. The Christian, on the other hand, is never promised any such thing, nor encouraged to get involved in the kingdoms of this world. His hope is heavenly, not earthbound (see Colossians 3:1-4). The Lord Jesus’ words to Pilate are full of meaning for us: “My kingdom is not of this world, else would my servants fight” (John 18:36). Since we are questioning them about “Christian” political involvement, they will have to give us some New Testament verses, teaching of the Lord or His apostles, that clearly and unmistakably teach Christians to become involved in any way in politics. Oops - there are none! This is one reason why saying “verses please” infuriates some religious politicians, because they know they cannot produce any!
Citizens Of Heaven
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). A citizen of one country cannot participate in the politics of another. That is a forgotten part of the Christian life. We are citizens of heaven. Some will argue for dual citizenship, that is, in heaven and in an earthly country at the same time. But this is merely what men impose by their laws, and is not something that requires our active participation. Our interests and our activities should be “heaven-oriented”, and we should decline to become entangled in another kingdom. Let us be like those of Hebrews 11, who “all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return, But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
Those heroes of the faith knew nothing of being entangled with the affairs of this life. They were “underwhelmed” with what the world system had to offer them, because they fixed the eye of faith on the promises of God, and desired a BETTER country. Did God tell them that they were being irresponsible? Did He tell them that they were so heavenly minded that they were no earthly good? No! The Scripture says, “God is not ashamed to be called their God.” This expression by implication introduces the possibility of living in such a way as to make God ashamed of our use of His name. Those who live separated from the world system do not make God ashamed. Are we in their company? Christians, let us remember that our heavenly citizenship is to be real, practical, not just a theory. Part of the practical application is to not become in any way involved with the politics of this present evil world. The same is true of those who are ambassadors. They most certainly may not become active in the politics of the country where they live. Their relationship is with another country, and there alone may they participate in such affairs. We, as Christians, are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), and our activity should be with the things of His kingdom. We should not become involved (entangled) in this world's politics.
The Example of Moses
Some try to use him as an example of a man using political influence to achieve good. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is true that God let Moses be educated 40 years in “the university of Egypt”, but it is also true that after that God sent him for 40 years to the silence and solitude of the desert to care for sheep. Only then was he ready. Hebrews 11 speaks of the example of Moses:
“By faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”
Friends, the Biblical record is clear. Moses forsook the politics of Egypt: the name and the fame; the pleasures and the treasures. Yes, he is an example of faith for us. He could've tried to make Egypt a better place to live, but he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. That is a truth that we know precious little of anymore in practice: the experience of suffering affliction as the people of God. We have been sidetracked, entangled into fighting for our rights and privileges like the rest of the world. Not Moses. Perhaps he could've been the next Pharaoh, or at the least one of the most influential people in Egypt. But he gave it up to shepherd God's flock. Some assembly leaders could learn from his example. Instead of giving half of our available time to the assembly (a generous estimate!) and half to politics, whatever happened to that song we used to sing?:
All for Jesus, All for Jesus!
All my being's ransomed pow'rs:
All my tho'ts and words and doings,
All my days and all my hours.
Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I've lost sight of all beside;
So enchained my spirit's vision,
Looking at the Crucified.
Did you notice those words: “Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus, I've lost sight of all beside”? No wonder Tozer said that Christians tell more lies when they sing hymns than at all other times put together. The way around that problem in many churches is simply not to sing the old hymns, whose stanzas contain a message. They opt for the new light-weight choruses that are repetitive and shallow, and avoid the heavy, committing, convicting stuff!
“Looking at the Crucified” is a good expression of how to live. We should live as seeing by faith (not a vision) Him who is invisible, as Moses did. May the Lord Jesus Christ, crucified for us and raised for our justification, be all our vision and fill all our vision. May we go deeper than superficial, professing Christianity, and learn what it means to say: “for to me to live is Christ,” as the Apostle Paul did. Then we don't have to worry about who to vote for any longer.
When you stop and think about it, it is a pretty pathetic history. “They” told us to vote for Nixon, who turned out to be a bizarre man who broke the law and cursed with the foulest language those who pursued him. Then they said vote for Carter, who not only fumbled in office but also has turned out to be an ecumenical. Then it was “vote for Reagan,” only we found out later they must have meant Nancy, and her astrology. In eight years of Reagan’s administration that was supposedly favorable to the “evangelicals,” they did not gain one single thing from the federal government. There was no improvement under Bush. As for Clinton, as a church attending Baptist, he disgraced the office and the Baptists with his vanity, lies and adultery, not to mention his support for homosexuals. Some breathe a sigh of relief now that Bush the son is in the White House, but he has already shown the same truth-damaging ecumenical leanings. When will some people learn that the answer is not in Washington? The Lord Jesus is still saying, “come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Yes, it is a gospel verse, but there is a very real application for the Christian who in faith turns away from this world's politics to find rest in the Lord Jesus.
What The Future Holds
“...Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:10-11). Who would go into a condemned building and start painting the walls and replacing broken windows? Who would stay on a sinking ship washing dirty dishes in the galley? That's what it is like to become entangled in this world and its politics. Not only is it prohibited, not only is it not pleasing to the Lord, but it is wasting precious resources that the Savior could use for His glory. Wasted hours, wasted funds, wasted lives! The ship is going down, the building is condemned, reserved for fire. What God is doing in this age is not improving society, but saving souls and adding them to the church through the proclamation of the gospel. Don't be a cinder soul, saved as by fire, with years and works burnt, consumed, dissolved in the fire of God's judgment. The logic of the Holy Spirit in 2 Peter 3 is that since we know the end of the world and its works, we ought to be different, holy, godly, not earthbound and worldly.
It is o.k. to go to the beach and build a sand castle for fun, but not to invest your life in playing with sand castles. A few waves roll over them and the beach is smooth again. You can't even tell where the castle was. That is what the future holds for those who insist on Christian politics. They are adults playing with sand castles - investing their lives in them. The world and all its works will be dissolved. The waves of God's judgment will roll over this planet, and the works of those Christians who got involved (entangled) in politics will be erased. The beach will be smooth, and we won't even be able to tell where their “castles” were. What a sad day that will be, and may we each avoid that tremendous disappointment. There are no crowns offered in heaven for being in politics. But there are crown’s waiting for faithful elders, for saints who suffer for righteousness sake, and for those who win others to the Lord. How much better to invest our lives, the time and money that we have, in proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and making disciples. Allow me to exhort you in the Lord’s Name, even as I say these things to my self: Listen to His voice! Renounce the world system. Heed His command!
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (2 Cor.15:58).
Remember this refrain that we have heard before:
Only one life, 'twill soon be past.
Only what's done for Christ will last.
Let the world take its human responsibility, and continue to do with it what it has done for thousands of years. The Scriptures teaches us not to get entangled with them. As for you, my friend, when are you going to decide to use your one life, the only one you have, for Christ. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time! Decide to be always abounding in the work of the Lord. Decide to take your Christian responsibility to pray, to proclaim the gospel and make disciples. Then you may rest assured that you will see the difference in eternity between those who lived confessing that they were strangers and pilgrims, and those who sought to mix Christianity and politics. May God give you grace to live a separated and devoted life, for the One who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To Him be the glory forever, amen.
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