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Full Idea
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained by God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Gist of Idea
Power is ordained by God, so anyone who resists power resists God, and will be damned
Source
St Paul (06: Epistle to the Romans [c.55], 13:1-2)
Book Ref
'The Bible', ed/tr. the Church [Collins 1950], p.546
A Reaction
This notorious passage was used to justify the Divine Right of Kings in England in the seventeenth century. It strikes me as being utterly preposterous, though you might say that violent resistance to an evil dictator only brings worse evil.
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| 19938 | Allowing religious ministers any control of the state is bad for both parties [Spinoza] |
| 19849 | In early theocracies the god was the king, and there were as many gods as nations [Rousseau] |
| 7339 | Because human life is what is sacred, Mosaic law has no death penalty for property violations [Johnson,P] |
| 7337 | In Mosaic legal theory, crimes are sins and sins are crimes [Johnson,P] |
| 7825 | The politics of Leibniz was the reunification of Christianity [Stewart,M] |