Do you believe in Divine Right?

Nope.

Not being a believer in manifest destiny, I guess I'd have to say "no" I don't believe in Divine Right.

I believe we make choices. I choose to support my troops, my President, my country, and most of all my God.

America was founded by men and women who disagreed with the European idea of a "Divine Right of Kings." The Kings of England ruled for a long time under the "Divine Right," which held them answerable not to their subjects but to God alone. That you ascribe a "divine right" to the President of the United States seems contrary to everything that our great nation was founded upon.

God did not put Bush in office, the American people, the voters, who have free will, did.
Furthermore, the President as the Commander In Chief was established in our Constitution.

That's a political use of religion. Of course God has the power to shape world events.

Nope.

I agree with you Carol

No. There is no such thing as Divine Right. The expression is man made, ancient and was used by Kings etc. defensively.

Amen sister!

If my religious training is correct, somewhere in the Bible it states that the heart of the king (ruler/president/prime minister, etc) is in the hand of the Lord. No matter who is chosen--God is in control. God may not like our choice and we have to live with it. Israel wanting a king to rule--they wanted it, God complied--for better or worse.

Yes, he has his own purpose not for us to question.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world." -The Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson)

"AMENDMENT XXIV
Passed by Congress August 27, 1962. Ratified January 23, 1964.

Section 1.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax.

Section 2.
The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." -The United States Constitution

***

The Country from when I came from was an Absolute Monarchy granted by Divine right through Electors. After the death of the Emperor, the Electors, a group of nobility from around the Empire, would elect the new Emperor. For over Two thousend years, the Habsburgs were elected to the role of Emperor/Emperess. This was so right up to 1917. After that, Austria became a Rebulik. It has since gone through several Rebuliks.

As I said, they were very powerful people and could do as they wished. Not only were they Emperors, but until the reign of Napoleon, they were crowned the Holy Roman Emperor as well. You didn't mess with them.

England on the other hand, hasn't been a true Absolute Monarchy since the days of Cromwell. The English Revolution established the Parliment and forced the Monarch into a position that meant he had to listen to his people. Granted, by Divine right he became king- the accident of birth, but he was NOT an Absolute Monarch once the Revolution established the Parliment. The Prime Minister, he / she is elected by the people- and is, for the most part the real government, although the Monarch, like our president does have some say in what comes to them from the House of Lords. Most of Europe is that way now, incidently, even those with Monarchies.

In the Bible, and up until the end of the Holy Roman Empire, to be a King or a Queen, was considered Divine Right. Generally, your country was a Theocracy, and also operated under the concept of Absolute Rule. The King/Emperor was considered your "Sire"- more powerful than your own father, and if he said you should do something- you did it. To work for him, was a good job. The best form of Networking, especially if you were an Artist or a Musician.

The USA, is vastly different. Its the only country that I know of, in Western Civilization, that is ran on the foundation of Democratic Freethinking. There is no Divine Right- for those whom we consider leaders, are elected officials. Its right in our own constitution for that matter. We can remove them as readly as we put them in office. In a Monarchy- the only way to remove the King, is to literally commit Regicide, which, if its a Theocracy, is considered a major sin. Our Declaration of Independence declares that we are endowed with certain inalieniable rights from our creator- no where does it say anything about Divine Right or quote the Bible about why we should have a King. We, are our rulers, and We lead ourselves according to the Consititution and the laws that we as a society have agreed to. That is the wonderment of it all. That is why so many people immigrate here-its truly amazing.

This is my rebuttal.

Johannes Chrysostomus M.




"

Then--you don't believe you have the Divine Right to freely make a choice- in otherwords, Freewill?

Interesting.

Johannes

Sorry I seen no reason to believe in the divine so I certainly do not believe in 'divine rights' yours or mine or some king's. I have exactly the rights you allow me and you have exactly the rights I allow you, nothing more and nothing less. In this country we agreed back in the beginning that a government would be established to act as guardian of our individual rights lest the physically or economically stronger in a particular time or place try to force their desires on the weaker but we also agreed that should the government itself ever become the bully it might be necessary and reasonable to overthrow that government and start again. The 'divine' was very definitely not expected to be in control, we were expected to act in our own best interests.

JB said it well. Johannes says it extremely well.

I don't believe in Divine Right. That myth is what got the American colonies oppressed by England in the first place resulting in our revolution and is precisely why we are supposed to have a separation of church and state: people abusing their power in the name of God. The President may have a certain charm, but he is not without his own rudeness, and some would say, delusion. Personally, I have developed some deep concerns regarding his mental health.