Information Related to "World News Review March 2006"
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In Brief... World News ReviewContributor: Cecil E. MaranvilleLeadership Versus Politics "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried"—Winston Churchill. As the United States leads the West in attempting to promote democracy around the world, news reports continue to give evidence that even the best form of human government is doomed to failure. Repeatedly, we witness confirmation of the fact that the world needs to be rescued by the leadership of Jesus Christ through the government of God. Review the philosophy by which He will govern: "Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord . "He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will never judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay. He will defend the poor and the exploited. He will rule against the wicked and destroy them with the breath of his mouth. He will be clothed with fairness and truth" (Isaiah 11:1-5, New Living Translation). Consider that against the backdrop of the Abramoff scandal in the American Congress. Christ will not rule via lobbyist influence. As we go to press, Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declared a snap election in an attempt to fend off a national uprising over perceptions of his misrule and shady business dealings by his family. The Philippines suffered an attempted coup d'état a few weeks ago, when a group of military officers attempted to overthrow President Gloria Arroyo. She has been embroiled in controversy ever since she succeeded the corrupt Joseph Estrada in 2001. Having said she would not be a candidate for the presidency in the scheduled 2004 election, she changed her mind and won the contest, which was later challenged on legal grounds. Her campaign was accused of using taxpayer funds, and she was personally accused of interfering with election officials. London Mayor Ken Livingstone has been suspended from office for the entire month of March, as a disciplinary measure over his comparing a Jewish reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard. Iran's "democratically" elected leaders—more interested in stirring resentment toward the West than leading their people in productive and positive ways—are inciting riots around the world over the publication of a series of editorial cartoons that feature Muhammad. On the opposite side of the issue are people claiming the democratic "right" to publish offensive material, in the name of the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion. Radical Islamics who decry the publication of anything critical of their faith also readily embrace the freedom of religion that democracy affords Muslims in Western countries. They also frequently lampoon Christianity and Judaism in their press. The underpinning philosophy of democracy is that people rule themselves and that they possess the judgment, insight and wisdom to select leaders who will govern them well. Yet the Palestinians selected a self-proclaimed terrorist group as their leaders in a democratic election, leaving the world's democracies scrambling to figure out whether to deal with Hamas at all and, if so, how. Democracy affords many wonderful benefits, but because it is government by people, it will eventually break down with scandal and self-interest. No human being has the qualifications listed in that messianic prophecy. That is why Jesus Christ came to proclaim the good news ("the gospel") that He would return to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, administering it fairly, justly, efficiently, without bias and without corruption. Only then will the world actually experience government for the people. Please take advantage of our booklet to familiarize yourself with this central message of the New Testament Church of God. This is the message the United Church of God declares today. WNP |
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Keywords: democracy freedom of religion
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