Is Democracy a Myth?
Chapter 10
I confess that in America I saw more than America; I sought the image of democracy
itself, with its inclinations, its character, its prejudices, and its passions, in order to
learn what we have to fear or hope from its progress.
Alexis de Tocqueville
There
is no greater champion of democracy than the
United States of America! The vote is
sacrosanct. Democracy is considered the key to success. In his inaugural
address, President Bush said,
“Our democratic faith is more than the creed of our country, it is the inborn hope of our humanity, an ideal we carry but do not own, a trust we bear and pass along… The enemies of liberty and our country should make no mistake: America remains engaged in the world by history and by choice, shaping a balance of power that favors freedom. We will defend our allies and our interests. We will show purpose without arrogance. We will meet aggression and bad faith with resolve and strength. And to all nations, we will speak for the values that gave our nation birth.”
The entire world awaited the result of that great demonstration of democracy – the vote in Iraq and it was an apparent success, at least in terms of turn out. Is this really the hope of the world? Freedom and democracy?
Before examining the concept of democracy, I offer this caveat. The Bible is truly “apolitical”. Christian slaves are urged to submit to their masters, not revolt. Christians are urged to honor their leaders and pray for them, not revolt but pray for them. It doesn’t matter whether the government is good or bad, whether they are abusing “civil rights” by crucifying Christians on the Appian Way or throwing them to the gladiators or lions. The writer of Hebrews is clear:
9By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 9:9-10)
15And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16But 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. (Hebrews 11:15-16)
Our hope is not in this world. The entire world is corrupted whether you are on the left or the right, conservative or liberal. Our citizenship is not of this world. No where in the Bible are Christians told to right the wrongs of the world by revolution or voting. It is only the transformed life that matters, only the life lived in the presence of the Lord that counts.
Original Intent – A Little Lesson in Civics
Our “Pledge of Allegiance” reads “and to the Republic for which it stands.” The word “democracy” is not found in the Constitution. Article IV, Section 4 states, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” There is a big difference between a Democracy and a Republic. In fact, they are antithetical. A “Republic” safeguards the individual and minority. There was a reason why the founding fathers did not establish a Democracy.
The term “Democracy” means more than a popular government. Contrary to popular opinion, “Democracy” does not safeguard the rights of the individual and minority. The rights of the majority are unlimited. The chief characteristic of a Democracy is: Rule by the Omnipotent Majority. In a Democracy, the individual, and any group of individuals composing any Minority, have no protection against the unlimited power of The Majority. The ancient Greeks warned about “the tyranny of the majority” which is why the unalienable rights were spelled out in the Bill of Rights. The dangers of the “excesses of Democracy” are discussed in the Federalist Papers.
The Republic originally proposed a very different form of government – one that protects individuals from the majority—a constitutionally limited representative government. The following definitions come from the Military Training Manual TM2000-5, 1928:
Republic: Authority is derived through the election of public officials best fitted to represent them. Attitude toward property is respect for laws and individual rights, and a sensible economic procedure. Attitude toward law is the administration of justice in accord with fixed principals and established evidence, with a strict regard for consequences. A greater number of citizens and extent of territory may be brought within its compass. Avoids the dangerous extreme of either tyranny or mobocracy. Results in statesmanship, liberty, reason, justice, contentment and progress.
Democracy:
A government of the masses.
Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of direct
expression. Results in a mobocracy. Attitude toward people is communistic,
negating property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the
majority shall regulate whether it is based upon deliberation or government by
passion, prejudice, and impulse without restraint or regard to consequences.
Results in demogogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy.
I would encourage you to look at what the founding fathers such as James Madison, or Thomas Jefferson who said “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Academics consider it to be the difference between rule by law or rule by the minority: the constitution or the law.
“Democracies always self-destruct when the non-productive majority realizes that it can vote itself handouts from the productive minority by electing the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury. To maintain their power, these candidates must adopt an ever-increasing tax and spend policy to satisfy the ever-increasing desires of the majority. As taxes increase, incentive to produce decreases, causing many of the once productive to drop out and join the non-productive. When there are no longer enough producers to fund the legitimate functions of government and the socialist programs, the democracy will collapse, always to be followed by a Dictatorship.”
Does Democracy Work?
There is a universal belief in America that we exercise our freedom by voting which is the key to peace, prosperity and liberty. There is something magical about the voting poll. Yet, today’s modern campaign uses another type of poll to craft the message – focus groups, whatever it takes to win – usually by attacking the opponent rather than dealing with issues. That isn’t to say that there is any real choice other than the lesser of two evils.
As we pointed out yesterday, speaking in slogans, general promises and sound bites is all that is needed to sway the mob. The fact that in the past election the Republicans were able to appeal and win on moral and fear (of terrorism) issues, and Kerry’s swift boat affair shows how disconnected the country is from real issues such as the economy, the national debt, jobs, veterans’ issues, education, health care, the logic of preemptive wars, outsourcing jobs, loss of the manufacturing base, trade deficits, etc. The point is both campaigns were carefully scripted to appeal to the masses. Neither were concerned with the truth or solving problems.
Seventy years ago, Hitler came
to power by democratic vote after staging several terrorist acts such as the
burning
of the Reichstag. On
February 27, 1933, Adolf Hitler stood in front of the rubble and declared,
"You are now witnessing the beginning of a great epoch in history," he
proclaimed, standing in front of the burned-out building, surrounded by
national media. "This fire," he said, his voice trembling with emotion, "is
the beginning." He used the occasion - "a sign from God," he called it
- to declare an all-out war on terrorism and its ideological sponsors,
a people, he said, who traced their origins to the Middle East and found
motivation for their evil deeds in their religion.”
Hitler’s “Patriot Act”, called the "Decree on the Protection of People and State”, also passed a few weeks later over the objection of legislators and had a four year “sunset” provision. Within weeks of the terrorist attack, the nation's now-popular leader had pushed through legislation - in the name of combating terrorism and fighting the philosophy he said spawned it - that suspended constitutional guarantees of free speech, privacy, and habeas corpus. Police could now intercept mail and wiretap phones; suspected terrorists could be imprisoned without specific charges and without access to their lawyers; police could sneak into people's homes without warrants if the cases involved terrorism. Federal police agencies stepped up their program of arresting suspicious persons and holding them without access to lawyers or courts. I might point out. All these things can also now be done in America in the guise of protecting us from terrorists.
So
does democracy work or does it just allow demagogues to manipulate the
sheeple to their own ends? Condoleezza Rice was approved as Secretary of
State today and announced that “democracy is on the march” as if we are going
to bring democracy to the world whether they want it or not. Gee, maybe some
don’t. Did you ever think of that? As I recall, they had elections a couple
of years ago in Iraq and Saddam won by
a land slide… just another example of the sham of elections.
We have other examples of democratically elected presidents removed by America. President Allende was duly elected in Chile and later overthrown by a CIA coup. Jaime Roldós was a duly elected president of Ecuador who didn’t bow to U.S. interests and died in a mysterious plan crash as did Omar Torrijos, president of Panama a few months later. These are just to mention a few. Our support for democracies has been selective at best.
On the other side, the U.S. has a long history of supporting dictators around the world, who looked out for American interests. As we mentioned in the second article in this series, America used the World Bank and IMF to tie developing countries into the US sphere of influence, heaping up debt in exchange for concessions and favors. American foreign policy is selective and inconsistent at best when it comes to democracies and dictatorships.
Leaving the republic vs. democracy issue right now, are countries such as those in the Middle East ready for democracy? Do they even want it? Isn’t this all about self-determination? Wouldn’t the majority vote for an Islamic fundamentalist state? Can you imagine the U.S. allowing that to happen? Isn’t it strange that we chose to impose democracy in Iraq rather than Sudan or Rwanda? Could it possibly have to do with something more than people’s right to vote?
The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost us in the range of $200 billion and the President has just asked for another $80 billion at a time when our budget deficits are running at a half trillion dollars, the dollar is falling in value, inflation and interest rates are going up, jobs are leaving the country and being replaced with low paying service jobs, etc.? Is it worth the 11,000 wounded, and the 1,400 killed? What did they die for? Are we there for elections or something else? Are we spending hundreds of billions of American dollars in order to bring freedom and liberty to all? Or do we have more sinister aims?
Analysis
Historically, democracies have ended badly. Most lasted no more than a couple of hundred years before they degenerated into a socialist state or dictatorship. Study it for yourself. What is being set up now is not just our attempt to spread “truth, justice and the American way” but a clash of civilizations that will result in the Gog-Magog War and the rise of the antichrist and his wars of global conquest. It is no coincidence that American armies are in place in the Middle East and half the other countries of the world.
What
better cover than to go around the world conquering in the name of
“democracy”, globalism and freedom? Although most Americans don’t get it, the
rest of the world sits in wonder. What has happened to the
United States they once admired and
respected? The
world sees the difference. Go on the internet and read their newspapers.
See what they are saying.
The idea of democracy is being sold to the world as the cure all, the secret to prosperity and self actualization. But could this be the white horse of the apocalypse on the march, only to be followed by the red horse?
2”And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 4Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.” (Revelation 6:2,4)
The white horse symbolizes the “good guy”. He even has a bow but no arrows. He goes forth bring peace and promises. Jeremiah 51 parallels Revelation 18 in many respects in describing prophetic Babylon. It says,
7”Babylon
was a golden cup in the LORD's hand,
That made all the earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
Therefore the nations are deranged.”
No doubt, America was at one time a force for good in the world, even of the “good news” of Jesus Christ, used by God… and then something happened to her. She goes around the earth with a beguiling message and the promise of great wealth, but the nations are instead corrupted by her wiles, by the lust for more things and the promise of a better life that only materializes for a few elites.
In searching for prophetic Babylon, one would expect to find a nation surrounded by myths of its greatness and grandeur. America is recognized by the entire world as the most successful, wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world. America attributes that success to democracy, a concept it is committed to bring to the world.
American Christians, in particular, revere their form of government almost as if it were God given and inspired. The idea of democracy has almost become an unspoken article of faith. The American dream has taken on mythical and magical proportions. The flag and the cross adorn the pulpits of America as evangelicals rally in a holy war against the axis of evil (Islam). Christians caught up in this myth are destined for deception.
A Christian that is at home in this world and is a stake holder in any political philosophy, is caught in the web. If ever there was a time for the light of God’s Word to shine in our hearts and expose our compromise, it is now. The Word is clear that the apostasy of the last days leads to betrayal within the body of Christ. 9"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:9-12). There are many false prophets – just watch Christian programming on television and you will see (John Hagee, James Kennedy, Jerry Fallwell, Rod Parsley, etc.).
Over 60 years ago, the great Christian theologian Donald Barnhouse had this to say about Democracy:
“Thus, in the name of Democracy and popular rights, comes absolute Dictatorship and Imperialism; in the name of Freedom, comes complete and universal enslavement. In the name of the better Reason which tramples on religion and revelation, comes a great consolidated system of gross idolatry; in the name of a charitable Liberalism, which disdains allegiance to any creed, comes a bloody Despotism which compels men to worship the base image of a baser man, or die. Here is one star in the crown of this world’s boasted Progress” (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Revelation, an Exposition Commentary, p. 246)
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