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<blockquote data-quote="ilostabet" data-source="post: 1393970" data-attributes="member: 13181">I am not against leaders and authority, but I also don't confuse them with rulers and power. What strikes me in that passage from Luke is the fact that Jesus does not contradict satan, he doesn't tell him 'you're wrong', he doesn't say 'all this power and all these kingdoms belong to me, not you'. He concedes what satan said as fact and merely tells him to piss off. What this tells me is that political power is inherently of the devil. And seeing how utterly Jesus despises and ridicules political figures and power throughout the Gospels, it underlines this to me.This of course does not mean there aren't worse and less worse evil rulers. Of course there are. But I think it important to always keep in mind that the choice is between, indeed, two evils. And to never, ever, ever swear loyalty to them.If I am to say something positive about monarchy, is that it doesn't guarantee that the monarch will be a ruler - half the time they are just moochers and don't interfere too much in the lives of people, especially those who are living outside the city walls. This is the best we can expect, though not in our time unfortunately, as power reaches every inch of the earth.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="ilostabet, post: 1393970, member: 13181"] I am not against leaders and authority, but I also don't confuse them with rulers and power. What strikes me in that passage from Luke is the fact that Jesus does not contradict satan, he doesn't tell him 'you're wrong', he doesn't say 'all this power and all these kingdoms belong to me, not you'. He concedes what satan said as fact and merely tells him to piss off. What this tells me is that political power is inherently of the devil. And seeing how utterly Jesus despises and ridicules political figures and power throughout the Gospels, it underlines this to me. This of course does not mean there aren't worse and less worse evil rulers. Of course there are. But I think it important to always keep in mind that the choice is between, indeed, two evils. And to never, ever, ever swear loyalty to them. If I am to say something positive about monarchy, is that it doesn't guarantee that the monarch will be a ruler - half the time they are just moochers and don't interfere too much in the lives of people, especially those who are living outside the city walls. This is the best we can expect, though not in our time unfortunately, as power reaches every inch of the earth. [/QUOTE]

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