Have you noticed the that more 'certain people' prattle about 'our great democracy' and the need to 'count every vote' (often more than once) - the more likely they are to hate* the Bill of Rights, Constitution for these united States, and - especially - the Word of YHVH?
And they virtually NEVER seem to know that the word 'democracy' never - not once - appears in any of the founding documents? Not the Declaration, nor the Bill of Rights, nor the Constitution. And it doesn't appear in the Bible, either.
But there is plenty of condemnation of "demonocracy" in all of them, in one form or another. While those same Founders were overt in their hatred of "the devil's own government" in their letters and papers, including the 'Federalist Papers'.
And I suggest - bluntly - that the regular (annual cycle) Torah reading for this week is perhaps one of the most clear warnings AGAINST any form of a 'vote' in a Bible that is full of them.
What I have referred to as "The First Recorded Vote in Human History" (the story of the spies, in parsha "Shelach Lekha," Numbers chapter 13 through 15) is one of at least three obvious places in Scripture where some form of 'vote' is clear. And two fellows - Joshua and Caleb - lost that one, 10-2.
What tends to be 'overlooked,' however, is that EVERYONE - and Scripture is clear, that means EVERY single male, not only of the 603,550 'fighting-age' men counted earlier in this same Book, but evidently Levites, too - who even "participated" by supporting the 'spies' and their rebellion to YHVH, died as a result. They all whined at the door of their tents, and NOT ONE entered the land, as their "carcasses fell in the wilderness."
Their is a message here. Many will not like it.
But I defy those who don't to show me how Scripture is wrong. Or even what you can claim I 'missed'.
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* Actually, the Hebrew word used twice in this portion, in context, is really better rendered as they "despise the Word of YHVH."
And they virtually NEVER seem to know that the word 'democracy' never - not once - appears in any of the founding documents? Not the Declaration, nor the Bill of Rights, nor the Constitution. And it doesn't appear in the Bible, either.
But there is plenty of condemnation of "demonocracy" in all of them, in one form or another. While those same Founders were overt in their hatred of "the devil's own government" in their letters and papers, including the 'Federalist Papers'.
And I suggest - bluntly - that the regular (annual cycle) Torah reading for this week is perhaps one of the most clear warnings AGAINST any form of a 'vote' in a Bible that is full of them.
What I have referred to as "The First Recorded Vote in Human History" (the story of the spies, in parsha "Shelach Lekha," Numbers chapter 13 through 15) is one of at least three obvious places in Scripture where some form of 'vote' is clear. And two fellows - Joshua and Caleb - lost that one, 10-2.
What tends to be 'overlooked,' however, is that EVERYONE - and Scripture is clear, that means EVERY single male, not only of the 603,550 'fighting-age' men counted earlier in this same Book, but evidently Levites, too - who even "participated" by supporting the 'spies' and their rebellion to YHVH, died as a result. They all whined at the door of their tents, and NOT ONE entered the land, as their "carcasses fell in the wilderness."
Their is a message here. Many will not like it.
But I defy those who don't to show me how Scripture is wrong. Or even what you can claim I 'missed'.
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* Actually, the Hebrew word used twice in this portion, in context, is really better rendered as they "despise the Word of YHVH."
