Authority

The interesting thing about authority, is that the 'good ones' never seek it, but always end up with it. The 'bad ones' who are seeking it, usually ruin it in one way or another [along with the lives of everyone around them] Do you want authority? Why or why not? That isn't an easy one to figure, either. If you want authority, you could either be 'godly' or 'ungodly' depending upon the motivations involved. Wanting authority could easily draw you in to a power struggle with those in politics where you are found.

So, what is right/wrong? Should we seek influence or not? Should that influence turn to authority or not? Why or why not? I find myself jumping back and forth on this one...wanting to be involved in changing the world for my children and their children, then the next day wanting to be 'free' of all this responsibility and just push carts at Walmart [everyone is smiling at Walmart at least]. I guess it comes down to what God wants and how we respond to the circumstances He has provided...in a biblical way. I guess if God wants you to get influence, He can either take care of that or push you to it.

What I find most interesting of all is the serious dichotomy of rationality that exists in [sometimes] very intelligent human beings when it comes to this idea. Of course, as a Bible-believing Christian who puts God's Word in authority as the rule and norm for life and thought, I will fall into the category of "Jesus Freak" at times. At least that produces some sort of consistency [in spite of my sinfulness].

But what really 'gets me' is the authority which comes from an atheist/agnostic. I just don't understand how they can come up with any rational viewpoint on what is authoritative and what isn't. For example, most atheists believe that it is wrong to kill [unless they were trained at Oxford...check out Ravi Zacharias' encounter in debating some of their 'best']. I guess my question is..."Why?" If we are just random chance chemicals that happened to get together at some point along the way, what makes 'not killing' more 'moral' than killing? Actually, to be consistent with the "theology" of evolution, death is a good thing, because it brings life, change and progression [in theory, just not in reality - or empirical evidence]. If our whole existence is brought about by random chance, then so is our brain and it's function. If that is true, then what makes one morality better than another? The only consistent answer is...nothing! I know that Richard Dawkins [Yes, the guy who believes it is "child abuse" to teach children about God and religion] tries to work with this by supposing that at some point and time, this randomness takes on some 'meaning' and 'purpose,' but there is little in support of this theory which runs counter to all evolutionary intuition.

At any rate...what is your authority? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? [Ask 'why' five times, and you usually get to the 'root' of the issue, which can be a helpful tool in evaluating the ideas in question.]

In the end: Fear God and keep His commandments. May He bless you in doing just that.