Thug Life In Religion, Government, And Your Hometown

One man's new found land was another man's previous realm.
The ambitions of men have argued thievery and killing as
beautifully and iconically written sentiments in ink from the blood of the vanquished.

Very early in human history, the concept of theft and murder was acknowledged as wrong.

A child can often times reflect how wrong theft is when something of theirs is taken from them.

The attachment to things, and even of our very selves, is very powerful.

The arguments made by men to justify the taking of what is not theirs, and even the taking of a life, is also very powerful.

For some people, they are as reactionary to committing theft and murder as a child is to complain about their toy being taken from them.

The meaning in having possessions and the perception of an elevated lifestyle by the accumulation of possessions is one factor someone may find in justifying stealing and murder, especially when a killing mind is convinced by a political and/or religious argument.

For a civilized society that has acknowledged any kind of stealing and any kind of killing to be wrong, the thievery and murderous manners of other society's may seem shocking.

But what of these same societies, apparently civilized, where stealing is justified by some people and killing is also likewise justified or allowed?

You see, the stealing and killing is not perceived as such due to the manner culture has developed.

The times throughout history, and still today, where thieving and murdering is justified or excused, was typically during times of war or as recompense / justice for harm done.

Notice how the justifications for any act or transgression can be found almost everywhere, especially religious and political corners of the psyche... and the world.

It is likely that stealing and killing is lawfully allowed where you live according to keenly written laws of men, and when we look closer we can see clear hypocrisy and expertly argued justifications.

In California where I currently reside, outright stealing is considered unlawful when done by a common citizen.

However, depending on special circumstances one's property can be confiscated and handed over to another, usually another individual, or company, or government entity.

I've written several articles about how government has written rules and codes that can remove private or real property for monies unpaid, or taxes expected, or for other reasons.

It would be at least be a rational argument if the possessions were still being financed (and lack of payment was the reason repossession was enacted), but when real property free and clear of debt can be titled to another owner via tax lien sale, one realizes they likely never really owned that property in the first place.

There is lawful and reasonable demand for tax, and then there are things which only further subjugate, exacerbate, and downtrodden one group of people to the benefit of others.

When it comes down to a litmus test, a further understanding should be acknowledged and adhered to... and then perhaps petitioning and protesting through lawful means (court case where a protest is built upon laws of the past and argued peacefully and rationally according to facts).

When Christ was asked about paying tribute / taxes to Caesar, consider His response which renders a profound teaching:

Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Yeshua to catch Him in His words. They came to Him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the Way of God in accordance with the Truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” 

But Yeshua knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap Me?” He asked. “Bring Me a denarius and let Me look at it.” They brought the coin, and He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” 

“Caesar’s,” they replied. 

Then Yeshua said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” 

And they were amazed at Him. 

- Mark 12: 13-17 

Do you see your name or image or anything mentioned belonging to you?

Perhaps your name or something that signifies being "your property" is found here..?

Looking at the back of the modern 'denarius' (dinero / dollar) or 'coin', is your name here?

As you can see, there is nothing signifying 'your' ownership of anything...
...thus why it is understood that even money itself is not owned by any person,
but is rather a manifestation of ideas while clearly portraying 'who' is owner of the money.
The 'owner' is for another article, but clearly it is not you.

The fact of this life is to enjoy the 'civilizing' aspects of society is to sustain it somehow.

Considering the money is issued into circulation by someone's hand, naturally there is a fee for this effort no matter how intriguing it becomes.

Furthermore, the money on its own is not evil, nor certain taxes demanded, but the demand of interest... since the interest amount is never issued into circulation (an insoluble conundrum).

Similar to how the Game of Monopoly has 'monopoly' money with rights reserved to those who came up with that game and its money (Parker Brothers), so also has the game of this life comes with its own monopoly money with rights reserved to those who came up with that game (currently the owners and managers of the Federal Reserve and the other entities holding title to central government currencies).

Money is simply the tool used to drive the exchange of actual things of value (goods and services).

Returning to paying taxes on land or a house (real property), the individual never realizes a first position title-wise, but finds themselves behind in standing of other entities... those who write and enforce the law and who taxes / tribute is paid to.

The individual learns a sobering lesson (one often not fully recognized regarding 'how'): they are still a subject.

Same with an impounded vehicle.

Although a vehicle is paid for and wholly 'owned', it can be auctioned off in a short amount of time for a small contrivance in law.

This type of legalized thievery is a disenfranchisement of people who are revealed to not be in complete possession of their things, but are still, like children, subject to a parent's direction.

The same with killing.

The State of California has empowered itself (or more clearly stated, men who occupy 'official' offices of government) by having written into law an 'authority' to extinguish human life.

This same political body has also granted allowance to individuals for the taking of a life of a violent person found inside a dwelling.

In California, having a firearm on one's person while out in public has been nearly banned besides certain allowances for licensed security personnel or similar.

In contrast, a 'stand your ground' law in the State of Florida has empowered individuals with the arguable justification to defend themselves (and possibly take a life) if they feel threatened, whether outdoors or indoors.

Besides the tumultuous arguments on either side of these issues, the point from Above is less about arguing for one of these sides, but rather to see things clearer than media or political slogans or human arguments would speak them.

So, is there an argument to be made that allows for thievery or killing on the part of the disenfranchised?

Absolutely NOT.

Some of us understand in clearest terms there is never a justification to steal or kill.

Never.

Self defense or self preservation is also never a justification... regardless of what man's laws have allowed, what religious men have argued, or what politicians have beguiled.

But interestingly, many governments still execute / kill human beings... while having laws against the killing of human beings.

Men are replete with hypocrisy at every turn.

Even the hu-man writing this article has his humanity to wrestle with... and this man recognizes how his hypocrisy is not something to avoid, but to rather deal with and bring continually into the light.

It isn't about suspecting one's self not having any shortcomings or being absent any hypocritical tendencies, but rather recognizing the human factor that reveals hypocrisy in the self.

The same exercise should be done when looking through the paradigm of religious, tribal, political, and other identities.

It is very simple to look back on the past after a horrific event occurs and wonder 'what if'.

What if a certain action was (or not) taken, or a certain thing was (or not) said, or a certain law had not (or had) been passed.

The Example of Christ, what He taught, is a Way most noble and reflective of He who lives within the believer.

With God there is no what if, but what is . . . to be done.

When following God's Way, the desire to ask what if eventually goes away as do the concepts of luck or karma.

Why?

Because it takes faith to actually obey the calling of the Way.

You have to actually believe God will protect you (or save you spiritually) when / if danger comes near when you obey His teachings and not the teachings of men.

And when one obeys, it is by such experience the kingdom of God is revealed to them in ways previously misunderstood or unclear.

If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 

- Luke 6: 29-30

For many people, this passage in Luke may sound beyond ideal... and impossible to follow.

Considering the world's cultures and the manners of men, the idea of simply allowing a thief to have something of yours may seem ridiculous... or to turn your already stricken cheek for another possible blow, likewise ridiculous.

The issue is that of peace and life.

These are the teachings of holiness and righteousness before God and man.

This is why God appeared in the flesh.

He taught us first-hand how He will initially deal with the wicked (with grace) and, living a human life as the Perfect Example (the Perfect Man) for us to follow . . . follow Him back to heaven.

The disciple of God is not to dirty their hands.

The disciple of Christ is not to get divided over the hypocritical arguments in politics or religions.

Putting up a resistance is what breaks the peace one has and may lead to the harming or taking of life, either that of the thief or the victim or someone else.

The concept and definition of a thug is nothing new to the world, only the term thug being term made popular.

Read the history of the term thug (thuggee) and notice how that lifestyle is one not new to mankind's crawling along the dust of the earth yet thinking they are soaring with eagles.

Proverbs 1: 10-19 warns against following the ways of wicked men who lie in wait (ambush) for others, to steal from them, or take their lives for whatever justified reason.

Although it is clear for some of us, these very manners have been religiously justified by other popular religions as God-allowed (al-Tawba 5, al-Baqara 191, etc.) or some other contradiction to peace and love.

Many are the justifications for such adoration of thuggery: political injustice (or self-centered justice), historical prejudices, repression of sorts, etc..

But such things are a blinding focus on the things of this world, hardly what has been revealed from Above.

Haven't the 'heroes' of the past been thugs in their own unique ways?

Yet because those thugs were atop a political, or business, or religious apparatus, they were somehow legitimized and called something else, but never thugs.

Yet, by definition of actions and how things come to pass (in this article's case, the forced passing of possessions from one hand into others, and the taking of life), hypocrisy is clearly evident despite the noisy and lengthy justifications.

One doesn't have to go back hundreds or thousands of years to find how stealing and murdering have been justified and codified.

The legacy of constructed systems that confuse right with wrong has been, at times, mainstreamed into certain aspects of societies.

Every country has its criminal element, usually engrossing the wide spectrum of that society (upper, middle, lower society). 

Sadly, the criminal element is in one manner praised and honored (typically higher positions in society), while the others are vilified and criminalized (typically the lower positions in society).

But these two extremes also have their exchanging of places, with thuggery being popularized in various art forms and thugs made heroes or idols of a sort (similar to how some religions started and continued).

The justifications are many (at least in the minds of the wicked) and those justifications are repeatedly argued by people accustomed to sidestepping the Truth for lies made to sound intelligent.

No religious brand has escaped the hypocrisy or litany of crimes.

This is why faith in Christ is not a religion in its own right (or rite), but rather a journey that breaks free and away from the pigeon holes that all the other identities (faulty and found wanting) usually demand of the believer.

Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.” 

- Luke 9: 23-24

Denial of self and the weight of one's personal cross includes not only the individual's hypocrisies, but those of his previous self (his politics, religion, faulty identity, etc.).