History is replete with examples of leadership by a fiat of God, or Gods, and one of the foundations of the American belief system is that the RIGHTS of the people come directly from God...they are a natural inheritance...and are not first imbued in a leader.In more authoritarian cultures, the leader holds all of these rights in his, or her, capacity as a representative of a God, and the people must believe and respect that god-given power. This was true in the monarchies of Europe, where Kings and Queens could not effectively rule until blessed by the religious figures of the day. It was true in tribal societies, where the leader was approved by the Shaman or medicine man of the tribe.
Worship of the God was partially transferred to the human leader...this sanctification endorsed the leader as having the powers of life and death over those being ruled.
Our founding fathers understood the danger of this concept...they had witnessed it their entire lives unlike modern Americans, and though of a religious bent they understood that the only fiat from the almighty was that men and women be allowed to be free. They wished the American people to rule themselves...not to be ruled by others, but to employ some among them to administer to community needs by the use of a minimalist government.
There is, and always will be, however, an emotional need within some to be led...protected...to become part of a nurturing flock...and this need can be found manifested in both religious belief and, in defiance of our constitution, in the belief of the power of a government.
This perception is based upon a fiction. It is one thing to believe that a God is greater than human kind...after all a God is a concept of all-knowing and all-seeing power...but power which an individual can make personal choices in regard. In other words...God may say, "Thou shall not covet they neighbor's wife" but the individual decides for himself whether to covet his neighbor's wife or not. God allows us the right of choosing what path we take. God is not going to strip us of our rights and have us executed. (Of course that's exactly what happens under Sharia law...which is an entirely different conversation...where men make assumptions as to God's will and their power to carry out God's will...this being the ultimate self-delusion.)
It is quite another thing to make the leap into seeing government or people in government, especially in a constitutional republic, as being all powerful. The folks who work in government are the employees of the people...we are their employers...they are workers...nothing more and nothing less.
The American President, referred to by media buffoons as the most powerful man in the world, is literally nothing more than the chief administrator of a large bureaucracy. He has no real power, only responsibilities, which we have granted him, to get certain jobs done.
Despite this very real job description and clarification, which is strictly controlled by our constitution, there will always be those who view presidents as being far more than they can, or should, be. When they ask a president for better jobs or housing; when they cry, sob, and carry on in his presence; when they flock together under his false aura of benevolent power...they are simply playing the part of fools in a rather cheesy drama; a drama ready made for the simple-minded and those with little or no self-image or self-respect.
Even here, in the Unites States where the individual is held up as the ideal, where we respect each person for whom they are and what they can be, there exists this mind-set along with a certain inclination to worship politicians, celebrities, movie stars, athletes and others.
Recently we have been inundated with portraits and doctored photos of elected officials in the US where they are presented in poses reminiscent of biblical scenes. Examples; a statue of the president riding a donkey while palm fronds were strewn before him, or a portrait of the president wearing a crown of thorns, or a photo with a halo emananting behind him...all are examples of a rather weird worship mentality not normally afforded our employees in the political arena.
Respect for a person's accomplishments is one thing...some people set examples for others...hit goals which we admire and we can aspire to reach ourselves. Worship of another human being, one whom we don't really personally know, is normally a sign of something lacking in our own lives...a gap in our own self-image that we desperately need to fill. It's this gap that demagogues and would-be tyrants seek out and try to take advantage of.
Sometimes it's simply for sexual gratification...such as a rock star who sleeps with hundreds of nameless women and girls as he passes through on tour. Sometimes it's for cash...con artists of every type excel in this skill. Sometimes it's for political power...and there have been so many examples throughout history that we could never account for them all.
Even US Presidents have, on occasion, become objects of worship to those desperate for answers. Fortunately, our constitution prevents such politicians from using these human weaknesses to take too much power from the people...and when the politician is gone, the people are normally able to wrest that power back and to put the brakes on their government (such as when the 22nd Amendment was passed after FDR won a fourth term in office...by the way...there are people in our Congress right now who are putting forth a bill to delete the 22nd Amendment for good).
Our founders understood these human emotions and the resulting dynamics and prepared our constitutional system to guard against such disasters; and the resulting tyranny. Unfortunately, there will always be a substantial portion of any population, human nature being what it is and always will be, prone to being victimized by the desire to worship a human being...a human being who is really no more nor less than they themselves.
Times may change...the names and the faces may change...but people will never really change. Understanding this, it is incumbent upon the remainder of us, the majority actually, to rise above the fray of popular opinion and culture and view the world in the context of history and in the harsh light of reality. And in the center of that light...thanks be to a real God...there lies our rule of law and the US Constitution. Let's make sure it stays intact, and remains in the spotlight.
The Professor
Respect for a person's accomplishments is one thing...some people set examples for others...hit goals which we admire and we can aspire to reach ourselves. Worship of another human being, one whom we don't really personally know, is normally a sign of something lacking in our own lives...a gap in our own self-image that we desperately need to fill. It's this gap that demagogues and would-be tyrants seek out and try to take advantage of.
Sometimes it's simply for sexual gratification...such as a rock star who sleeps with hundreds of nameless women and girls as he passes through on tour. Sometimes it's for cash...con artists of every type excel in this skill. Sometimes it's for political power...and there have been so many examples throughout history that we could never account for them all.
Even US Presidents have, on occasion, become objects of worship to those desperate for answers. Fortunately, our constitution prevents such politicians from using these human weaknesses to take too much power from the people...and when the politician is gone, the people are normally able to wrest that power back and to put the brakes on their government (such as when the 22nd Amendment was passed after FDR won a fourth term in office...by the way...there are people in our Congress right now who are putting forth a bill to delete the 22nd Amendment for good).
Our founders understood these human emotions and the resulting dynamics and prepared our constitutional system to guard against such disasters; and the resulting tyranny. Unfortunately, there will always be a substantial portion of any population, human nature being what it is and always will be, prone to being victimized by the desire to worship a human being...a human being who is really no more nor less than they themselves.
Times may change...the names and the faces may change...but people will never really change. Understanding this, it is incumbent upon the remainder of us, the majority actually, to rise above the fray of popular opinion and culture and view the world in the context of history and in the harsh light of reality. And in the center of that light...thanks be to a real God...there lies our rule of law and the US Constitution. Let's make sure it stays intact, and remains in the spotlight.
The Professor
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