I submit that the mistaken view that the state, that is, a government having a legalized monopoly on the use of coercive power, is actually beneficial and necessary, has brought untold affliction on humanity over the centuries, and is presently enabling a more and more rapid movement toward achievement of a hidden agenda of worldwide tyranny.

Consequently, the point I seek to convey in this article is that coercive government is neither good nor beneficial nor necessary, and if this is true, it is an important truth for us all to understand more effectively. Not in terms of spiritual reality where neither error nor evil even exist, but in terms of thinking wisely, penetratingly and validly in the human experience, where the proper handling of evil, or sin, is gravely important.

Let's come back to our title -- why is there a connection, and what is the connection?

It would appear that Christian Scientists, or most other Christians, for that matter, do not ordinarily connect sin with government, or government with sin. But consider--if we take wrong thinking and wrong doing to be a very simple and basic definition of sin, or, more simply, willful disobedience--it is fairly easy to see there can be much sin involved in operations of coercive government. However, having said that much about the connection, I'd like to leave it for the moment, until we have reviewed how fundamental in the theology and mission of our church and movement is the handling and destruction of sin. Consider the following five quotations from the Bible and our Leader's writings in this regard.

John 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

I John 3:8 For this
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Rud 2:23-27 (to ;)
Healing physical sickness is the smallest part of Christian Science. It is only the bugle-call to thought and action, in the higher range of infinite goodness. The emphatic purpose of Christian Science is the healing of sin;

S&H 150:10 the
the mission of Christian Science now, as in the time of its earlier demonstration, is not primarily one of physical healing. Now, as then, signs and wonders are wrought in the metaphysical healing of physical disease; but these signs are only to demonstrate its divine origin,--to attest the reality of the higher mission of the Christ-power to take away the sins of the world.

Man 19:1
THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, IN BOSTON, MASS., is designed to be built on the Rock, Christ; even the understanding and demonstration of divine Truth, Life, and Love, healing and saving the world from sin and death; thus to reflect in some degree the Church Universal and Triumphant.

In this fifth quotation, in our Church Manual, the most important words with regard to our present discussion are, "healing and saving the world from sin and death." These words represent, to me, our Leader's mature vision of the mission of her church and movement. Robert Peel, who had a deep and faithful understanding of both the details and the broad perspective of our Leader's life, identified these words as "the designated purpose" of her church, in an article in the July 1982 Journal, p.403. He even amplified by placing the word 'world' all in caps, possibly to highlight a much broader framework than merely the handling of personal sins.

I believe our Leader saw her church and movement as having potentially a very necssary and significant impact for "healing and saving the world from sin and death." However, unless we inquire diligently, both individually and collectively, into exactly what this mission statement means, and what will be required to realistically make progress toward it, and what has been keeping us from it, I believe we as a movement have not a chance of moving significantly toward fulfillment of this goal.

Consider a few candidates that we might think of as sins of the world, or of the nations: a) population wide sinful morality, b) governmental sin (war, corruption, predation, sin-driven economic policies and programs), c) conspiratorial sin (deliberate corruption of the morals and mental capacity of the populace in order to be able to control it for purposes of control and power and wealth aggrandizement).

So how are we to handle the sins of the nations and the world? Individual prayer, consistent thinking in terms of spiritual reality and divine Science, is primary and greatly important, but is it sufficient by itself? Those pithy and pungent words of our Master found in both Matthew and Luke come frequently to mind: "these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." So in our present consideration of handling sin, or wrongful thinking and acting, willful or ignorant disobedience--in a way to bring about the healing and saving of the entire world--what is the 'other' which we cannot afford to leave undone?

May it not be the essential activity of uncovering the subtle claims of sin of all kinds to be pleasing, convincing, even valid--uncovering these claims as being on the contrary, hurtful, fraudulent and invalid? Our Leader speaks of the necessity for uncovering in a number of places in her writings, but my favorite perhaps is in her book Miscellaneous Writings:

Mis 352:28
The only difference between the healing of sin and the healing of sickness is, that sin must be uncovered before it can be destroyed, and the moral sense be aroused to reject the sense of error; while sickness must be covered with the veil of harmony, and the consciousness be allowed to rejoice in the sense that it has nothing to mourn over, but something to forget.

Another passage, more dramatic and compelling, is found in our Leader's article "Ways That Are Vain" in her Miscellany:

My 210:19-11
Certain individuals entertain the notion that Christian Science Mind- healing should be two-sided, and only denounce error in general,-- saying nothing, in particular, of error that is damning men. They are sticklers for a false, convenient peace, straining at gnats and swallowing camels. The unseen wrong to individuals and society they are too cowardly, too ignorant, or too wicked to uncover, and excuse themselves by denying that this evil exists. This mistaken way, of hiding sin in order to maintain harmony, has licensed evil, allowing it first to smoulder, and then break out in devouring flames. All that error asks is to be let alone; even as in Jesus' time the unclean spirits cried out, "Let us alone; what have we to do with thee?"

But most people don't think of government in terms of sin. One reason is that people frequently do not pause to realize that two fundamentally different types of government exist: coercive as against voluntary--those where the government in question has the power to legally and coercively (though not for the most part legitimately) tax, punish, imprison or kill those subject to their jurisdiction--as against governments of voluntary organizations not having power to use force in pursuing their purposes. This distinction involves all the difference there is between night and day.

Another reason is that most people have been taught from childhood that government (coercive) is necessary and, in large part, beneficial. In the case of coercive government, careful consideration reveals that nothing could be farther from the truth.

A third reason is that people generally avoid thinking through the inethical (sinful, evil) nature of coercive government and of the economic policies such governments predominantly put into effect to enable their depredations.

So, having this distinction between coercive and voluntary in view, let's once again pick up the question why we should make a connection between coercive government and sin. The answer to this question is, in brief, because coercive governments, and those associated with or empowered by those governments, are arguably the greatest sinners on the planet, responsible for the greatest amount of theft, injustice, murder, violence, impoverishment, starvation, crime, rapine, war, known to the world throughout history. In our present time, we have reached a point of war without end--permanent war--under the highly misleading title 'war on terror.' I use the word misleading because experience in the last decade has shown that in practice this 'war' has turned out to be a war on the liberties of the law-abiding public (because this public is the major bulwark against the aggrandizement of tyranny). It has been said, perceptively, that war is the health of the state (state, of course, being another name for coercive government).

And why can we postulate that it has been inevitable that these things should come about? Because governments (the coercive variety) have been given a legal monopoly on coercion--and because of this they attract and empower predators--seekers of power and wealth who become uncaring or self- deluded regarding harm done to others.

Let me interrupt myself here for just a little with an arresting two- paragraph observation by a business analyst named Kel Kelly in August 2012 in a journal called "'The Free Market."

Consider this remarkable irony: citizens put their faith in government-- the entity that steals from us, causes wars, imprisons and starves innocent citizens, and is an absolute monopoly--to provide for us and keep us safe.

At the same time, they see businesses--which have eradicated diseases and starvation, engaged in peaceful exchanges instead of war, produced virtually everything we currently own and enjoy, paid us our wages and provided capital for us to improve our productivity, all the while being fully restrained by hungry competitors (in free markets)--as our enemies from whom we need protection.

Pungent irony, in my view. But let me continiue my thread of thought.

If the designated purpose of our church is to heal and save the world from sin and death, then must not the uncovering and expunging of the sins of coercive governments be an important focus in the healing activities of all the channels of our church and movement? If we do not take this as an important focus, can our church succeed in healing and saving the world from sin and death?

Consider--governments are made up of people, and the sins of the governments are enacted by individuals or groups, including those seeking illicit benefits from governments; therefore those individuals and groups must ultimately be seen and uncovered as accountable, in order to heal or destroy the sins. (Destroy, not improve--with its derivatives, which are used over 560 times in her writings--is our Leader's chosen word in her Third Tenet of Christian Science and in many other places in her writings.)

But also, must not the framework which makes possible these sins, namely the legalized monopoly of coercive force called the state (coercive government) be done away with? We need to remember that our Third Tenet makes very plain that sin is not healed, or forgiven, until it and the belief in it is entirely destroyed. Specifically, it states that "the belief in sin is punished so long as the belief lasts." Another application of this fundamental truth is to recognize that the affected population will suffer detrimental effects so long as the governmental and economic errors (sins, evils) are allowed to continue.

Let's look at some of the ramifications of what we have elucidated thus far.

Ethics

We've barely mentioned this huge subject as yet--(we've only done so by way of the word inethical, in our third reason why people don't ordinarily think of government in terms of sin). Let's start then by setting out in brief, my working definition for ethics--ethics has to do with what is right or wrong, good or bad, in human thought and action, and the reasons therefor. That being posited, it should be clear that anything inethical is sinful (because sin is wrongness), and therefore anything inethical should be of significant concern to true Christians and Christian Scientists.

Here's a repeat of what I said a little earlier--"people generally avoid thinking through the inethical (sinful, evil) nature of coercive government, and of the economic policies such governments predominantly put into effect." That is, they tend to think of government merely as unavoidably being there, and whether, 1. the particular government is more or less to their liking, and 2. can they influence it, or benefit from it, more to their liking.

So let's explore a little into that inethical nature of coercive government that I have referred to.

The most fundamental ethical issue before us is the question whether coercion (the use of force or violence against others, or the threat thereof) is ever ethical (or justified, or legitimate), and if so, under what circumstances.

My own conclusion and conviction is that there is only one truly legitimate reason for using force against others (whether by individuals or governments), and that is for the purpose of defending or protecting against violent, aggressive or predatory action by others. Of course, there exists a very important distinction between legitimacy and legality. It is one of the evils of coercive government that states (coercive governments) have made a great many things legal which are not legitimate, and have also made a great many legitimate things illegal. Coercive government corrupts everything it touches, because not only does it not confine itself to defense against predation, it intrudes illegitimately (sooner or later) into every nook and cranny of human experience, and itself becomes the greatest predator of all.

A second important ethical principle we must keep in mind is that things that are wrong for individuals to do, such as theft or murder, are also wrong and illegitimate for governments or their agents to do, even if made legal by edict or legislation or by mere tacit general acceptance. It is just one horrifying sign of our times that reports are surfacing with ever increasing frequency from all parts of America of police officers murdering innocent people, sometimes children, simply because these persons are not compliant enough, or can't figure out quickly enough how to be compliant in the right way, or are unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Equally disturbing is the fact that the officers who have committed murder, are almost never held accountable in any meaningful way. Their actions, which should be regarded as criminal, are rationalized (sophistically and dishonestly) by fellow officers, policemen's unions, police chiefs, mayors, and district attorneys.

The current professed chief god (idolatrous belief) of American governmental theory is democracy, and the essence of democracy is majority rule. The problem is that actions or policies which are wrongful or inethical cannot be made right or justified merely by majority vote.

Economics

It is arguably a sad truth that most economics taught or promulgated in most schools or mainstream media and put into effect by governments, can be demonstrated to be invalid, that is, will be found to be in service to augmentation of the coercive state, and will be found to lead in practice to impoverishment and a diminishing of liberty rather than to prosperity and well-being for the population at large, whereas a valid economics will be found to lead consistently to increased well-being for all levels of a population, and to minimization or disappearance of the coercive state, when and if put into practice. This is one of the criteria by which one can determine whether one has found a valid economics.

"Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17).

War

It should be obvious, although it does not appear to be so to large swaths of the population, including many professed Christians--that constant wars all over the world is not the way to go for our nation (or any nation). Just war is exceedingly rare, and the professed rationales for most wars have been found in retrospect to be fabricated from untruths and manufactured circumstances--i.e., more sin.

To come to a conclusion for now, in the words of our Leader (S&H 129), "We must look deep into realism instead of accepting only the outward sense of things." This is true not only in ontology, but very much also with regard to all things having to do with those governments having a legalized monopoly of illegitmate evil and sinfulness, i.e. illegitimate use of coercive power.