|
|
"WHY POLITICAL CORRUPTION" by Forrest Keener Moore, OK "Yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord" This, of course, is not limited to our city. We can’t help wondering if any honest man ever runs for office, or if he can stay honest in office, if he should run and win. Whether you agree with me in all this or not, you’ll agree that political corruption is literally everywhere and the question echoes from every mouth, Why? Why? Why? Some are saying the answer is infinitely complex. I answer NO! it is ridiculously simple. The reason for political corruption is MORAL CORRUPTION.Proverbs 8:12-17 speaks thus, "I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me." This passage clearly indicates that if kings are to reign justly and princes decree justice, it must be by the leadership of God (verse 15). Verse 14 states that counsel and sound wisdom must come from God. This virtue, of union with God, is missing in our politicians today. When men consider qualifications of a candidate today, this characteristic of a vital union with God is not what they seek; they look for secular education, human experience, political pull, and more frequently someone who they hope can and will do favors for them. It is, therefore, inevitable that they will elect thugs and not patriots. Not only so, but men of moral stature and Godly character are shunning the responsibility of government. They will not shoulder the adversity of taking a vocal stand for right, when their friends stand for wrong, or for nothing. They will not hurt, or embarrass, or convict a personal friend, for the sake of a Godly principle. This is terribly, terribly wrong. We forsake the responsibility of speaking out in behalf of good principles, and of always trying to acquaint ourselves with candidates and issues, and then voting accordingly. Godly men seldom seek office, for the sake of promoting right principles. This ought not to be. READ YOUR BIBLE FOR THE ANSWER. Congressman, governors, state senators, etc., etc., etc., have been accused, tried, convicted, acquitted and what have you, until we are absolutely unable, in our hearts, to really trust any man, who for very long holds a place in the political arena. Within the last forty years we have seen both the President and the Vice President resign because of criminal charges being held over their heads. Congressmen have been removed from office for crimes. Others have resigned to avoid prosecution, and many more of them should be in prison right now. Candidates for offices from the president on down have been forced out of races because of proven immorality or vice. Such episodes are repeated by the thousands nation-wide. In the case of Richard Nixon, we can’t help but wonder how much arm twisting was done in how many areas. I do not defend Richard Nixon in my mind but the men who accused and convicted him are of equally questionable character. Who can help but wonder how many impeachment votes were bought with promises of future favor, and how many were acquired by holding the threat of exposure for past illegal acts over the congressmen’s heads? I wish I could, but at this point I can’t help but doubt that ten percent of the people in politics are honest enough to carry out any action of any kind without an ulterior motive.(Psalm 144:15). It seems that in the last 30 years political corruption has flourished as though it were being fertilized and the last decade of that period has probably produced as many cases as the other two combined. I have lived in my city for thirty-six years and in that period we have seen the county sheriff, the chief of police and the city investigator go to prison for criminal acts of corruption. There have been others caught with their ‘hands in the till’. Others in high city and county positions have been tried and acquitted for lack of evidence. In some of those cases guilt was certain, but the proof was covered up or was hard to come by. |
