No man has the right to rule over another man, otherwise such a right necessarily, and immediately becomes the right of the strongest. As the tiger in the jungle rules over the defenseless antelope, so on the banks of the Nile a Pharaoh ruled over the progenitors of the fellaheen of Egypt. Nor can a group of men, by contract, from their own right, compel you to obey a fellow-man. What binding force is there for me in the allegation that ages ago one of my progenitors made a ‘Contract Social,’ with other men of that time? As man I stand free and bold, over against the most powerful of my fellow-men. I do not speak of the family, for here organic, natural ties rule; but in the sphere of the State I do not yield or bow down to anyone, who is man, as I am.
Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920)
Lectures on Calvinism (1898)
Firstly to note, the quote by Kuyper thus his lecture series were delivered at Princeton Theological Seminary, when the institution still stood nearly alone as a beacon for methodical, systematic theology. To historically recall, it was regularly proposed and consistently defended until late 19th and early 20th centuries by theologians, mathematicians, logicians, physicists, scientists (in general), polymaths; while Logic the Science of Sciences, fundamentally Theology the Queen of Science. I studiously contend once such interdependent, inseparable understandings were covetously, presumptuously, arrogantly undone then abandoned, so Logic therefore Sciences incrementally declined then exponentially deteriorated. What we witnessed the last several years was not an one-off, an anomaly, rather the inevitable result of longstanding corruptions even depravities. But I have digressed...
It is fascinating the repeated phenomena throughout history, that such concepts and ideas (Kuyper's quote) must be revisited over and over again. That is to say, concepts and ideas fiercely argued then broadly established decades even centuries prior, however shockingly forgotten later by generations well educated on paper, equally presumptuous and arrogant in practice, consequently yet astonishingly erroneous as well oblivious per actions and behaviors.
Yet, here we stand well into 21st century, naked unashamedly and drenched entirely by our own pride.
I cannot count the times when retorted, usually with much emotion, "Do not tell me what I already know!" As though there is nothing more to experience and learn thus the ego's declaration, "I am modern man, I am sufficiently enlightened thus evolved!"
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Come let us Reason. Peace is always a Choice.
Study, Ponder, Labor, till last Breath.
Is 1:18 / Mt 5:9 / 2 Tm 2:15 / Cl 3:23
