THE DIVINE RIGHT OF DISSENT

The old Roman adage says, Vox Populi Vox Dei, the voice of the people is the voice of God. By people of course they meant the majority, and here begins Roman divergence from reality. That the majority must rule, is true, but not absolute. It is true that from the moment of birth to death, a social contract exists between the individual and other individuals, society. And that this social contract, involves the individual ceding a portion of his responsibilities to a body politic, that shall perform these duties on behalf of the individual and indeed of the society. Hence, the emergence of government, be it as a council of elders or a federal superstate. Close consideration reveals that these duties, which ought to be relinquished, almost always revolved around the matter of security and hardly any more. That famed Prime Minister of France, Guizot explains more of what takes place consequent to formation of society,

“The idea of those great public agencies which regulate the affairs of all men, does not belong to the origin of societies. By degrees, in the midst of the chaos of the rising society, small aggregations are formed which feel the want of alliance and union with each other. They establish amongst themselves an administration of justice, a public militia, a system of taxation and police” - (Lecture 3, pg 33)

Gradually, these roles became extended, but the fact remains supplied, that government exists because of the voluntary ceding of responsibilities by the individual, and that the individual, though parting with certain responsibilities, in no way parts with his rights. This is because the individual is an individual by existence, and owes no shred of his existence to the government. Thus it is written…

“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.” - (US Declaration of Independence)

The individual is supreme, and consequently, the minority is equal to the majority. The majority cannot prescribe rules for the minority in everything, no matter how small that minority may be. They are equal in this, that all have an equal right to think and act as suits their inclinations. But this right is limited by the fact that all are equal, which forbids each to do anything that would encroach upon the rights of his neighbor. For that which would interfere with the rights of others is not a right. Rights cannot conflict. Rights run in parallel lines, never crossing and never clashing.

And why? Because no man gets his rights and liberties from his fellows, but from his Creator, who, as the American Declaration of Independence says, endowed him with them; and therefore only his Creator can rightfully take them away. Otherwise than this, he can be deprived of them only by suspension for misconduct. Governments exist only to protect individuals in the enjoyment of their rights, and “whenever a form of government becomes destructive to these ends” the people have another God-given right, hitherto unused, to not only dissent, but alter and abolish that form of government, and institute a new government that shall duly protect them in their enjoyment of their rights.

To many, this sounds like a call to revolt and overthrow of public order. But this mindset is grossly mistaken, and betrays a lack of understanding that governments are formed by social contract, where individuals surrender certain responsibilities and not rights. All men are created equal, and the basis of that equality is the fact that they all have and received the same rights from the same source. When a government attempts to touch upon an individual’s rights, it has placed itself in the place of God to the individual, as if to say they originated the individual’s rights, thereby becoming a tyrant and a usurper, insulting and per se abrogating the law and government of God, and this God cannot allow. The divine right of dissent is evoked, and rebellion against tyrants becomes obedience to God.