I’ve been really interested in the various World Federalist movement lately. As you know I don’t think Federation is a particularly great way to manage Australia, and if we Abolish the States and have ONE unified economy and parliament and legal system for Australia we’d be far better off.
However, the world is a very big place to govern. ;-) So I’m thinking that I’m for Federation, but at the global level. Instead of having diplomats behind closed doors at the UN, we should have democratically accountable open debates in a world parliament. Instead of a kind of voluntary association like the UN with ‘voluntary compliance’ to whatever it decides, we should supe-up the UN (or EU or something else) to become a democratic, accountable, and BINDING legal body on matters of world governance.
“I am not an Athenian, or a Greek, but a citizen of the world” - Socrates Violence, war, poverty, population explosion, pollution, global warming, resource abuse and monetary disorder!
These are the issues we all face no matter where we come from. Currently no effective way of coming together and solving these problems exist.
World Citizens propose a democratic global parliament be created, where global problems can be discussed and settled, laws to protect us all can be established and people from around the world are able to have a say in global issues that are getting harder to ignore.
I would also add to the list above, “Oil Depletion Protocols, and global financial and taxation rules to limit the powers of unruly multinationals (which are more powerful than some supposedly ‘sovereign nations’).
What do you think about a World Parliament, and how does it make you feel?
Many Christians of the “Left Behind” category kind of fear the rise of the anti-christ with a one world government. Now I’m personally convinced by the Sydney Anglican eschatology which basically sees Revelation as a book explaining theological relationships with our relationship to persecution, our relationship to overall history (that we await the return of our Lord), and of our relationship to ‘beasts’ which are governments opposed to God’s people. But that is ‘beasts’ in the plural, whenever they crop up. As John Dickson said, Revelation is about general theological principles NOW, not some kind of future timetable.
(See “The End of the World as we know it” CPX podcast). http://cpx.podbean.com/2009/05/11/the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it/
What do you think? Are Christians free to pursue a World Parliament as a means to some very important and compassionate ends? (Even if you think it is just a dream.) EG: Social justice policies to prevent civil wars and starvation and atrocities in Africa, etc.
Or do you think Christians supporting such a concept would be co-operating in the rise of the Anti-Christ?
I’ll say that it’s a pipe dream. Too many think along the lines of Left Behind (whether having been exposed to that series or not) for that to possibly happen.
Don’t forget 2 things: the growth of international trade and industry agreements that gradually co-ordinate various industries and economic sectors, and the development of other “EU’s” across Africa (African Union gradually becoming the “United States of Africa”) and South America (UNASUR).
1. International trade and industry agreements
The European Union had humble beginnings back in 1951 with the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. Indeed, it seems that energy may have even had something to do with the formation of the South American Union. From the Unasur wiki, “The Union’s former designation, the South American Community of Nations … was dropped at the First South American Energy Summit on April 16, 2007.[4]“ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unasur
So the EU have already done the impossible… and it started as various energy and resource agreements.
Moammar Gadhafi and Hugo Chavez are strengthening their relationship and finding common ground as two radical former military men who both want to challenge the “imperialism” of wealthy nations and aspire to speak for many poor nations.
The Libyan leader planned to meet with the Venezuelan president on Monday and was expected to sign a series of accords to deepen cooperation between their governments.
Chavez and Gadhafi led a weekend summit where South American and African leaders pledged to deepen links between the continents. Chavez made diplomatic inroads while offering African countries Venezuela’s help in oil projects, mining and financial assistance.
Gadhafi, who is making his first visit to Latin America, said the two regions should unite to wield more influence and form a defense alliance, a “NATO for the South” — calling it “SATO.”
“Those who were betting on NATO, we now say to them that we’re going to bet on SATO,” Gadhafi said during the summit. “We’re going to have our treaty, too.”
Chavez, a former army paratroop commander, says the United States poses the greatest potential threat to Venezuela, and has raised the idea of a South Atlantic defense bloc with other allies in the past.
On the economic side, Chavez said Venezuela signed agreements to work together on oil projects with South Africa, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan and Cape Verde. Chavez’s government agreed to partner with South Africa’s state oil company PetroSA in developing oil fields in Venezuela, and offered to help with oil projects in the other countries.
Venezuela also intends to form joint mining companies with nations including Namibia, Mali, Niger and Mauritania, Chavez said.
It is unclear how much investment and aid Chavez is prepared to offer in Africa since his oil-producing country is coping with a sharp drop in its revenues due to lower world crude prices.
The summit on Venezuela’s Margarita Island addressed a wide range of concerns, from hunger in Africa to the economic crisis and a common response to climate change. It also gave Chavez an opportunity to increase his influence in Africa while criticizing U.S. and European influence in poorer nations.
“South-South” cooperation was a buzzword at the summit, which brought together both the African Union and the South American bloc Unasur.
Gadhafi, who has ruled Libya since he seized power in a 1969 coup, has sought a higher profile internationally in recent years and is currently chairman of the African Union.
He criticized the “imperialism” of some wealthy countries, and denounced the U.N. Security Council as an elite club where nations such as Libya have no voice. He called for both regions to unite to demand change in the United Nations — something all the leaders agreed to do in a summit declaration, saying the council should be more “democratic” and “representative.”
The Libyan leader said of leading world powers, without mentioning which countries: “They say they face terrorism. They’re terrified. ... But they themselves have created the phenomenon.”
“In the North, they live in a state of terror as a result of the hatred they’ve generated,” Gadhafi said through an interpreter. He said a larger role for African and South American countries can help restore “equilibrium at the international level.”
What do you think? Are Christians free to pursue a World Parliament as a means to some very important and compassionate ends?
Yes. However I can’t see how a democratic world council would do anything other than serve the interests of the majority: greed and disinterest in planning for the future.
Umm, the majority are the 3/4 of the planet that don’t earn what we earn, so I’m thinking that serving the interests of the majority might be a radical change this planet needs.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2008
Recommendation 666”,Vacant “Seat 666” and Javier Solana
_________________________________________________________________________
The European Parliament is the parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU) and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world. “Recommendation 666” is an actual document of the Western European Union saying that it will be the “military muscle” of the EU. The WEU is made up of 10 full member nations (As is the anti-christ’s one world government) and also establishes the senior ranking High Representative who has the power to call a council at any time, and to execute (quote) “emergency powers”
“The EU’s new glass parliament building is of the Space Age. The seats of its massive hemicycle are designed like the crew seats in the Star Trek space machines”. There are 679 of them allocated to Members, however, only one seat remains unallocated and unoccupied: The number of that seat is 666….......
A recent article from a well known author states :
The Vacant Seat Number 666 in the European Parliament
Report on the opening of the Fifth Elected Parliament of Europe in Strasbourg and its occupancy of the new Parliament Buildings. by Ian R.K: Paisley, M.P., M.E.P.
The recently elected Fifth Parliament of Europe met on Tuesday, 20th July, 1999, in its new glass building which cost the taxpayers of Europe an as yet uncalculated sum of billions of Pounds. The first meeting, due to begin at 10.00 a.m., did not start until 10.30 because the amplification system, which cost millions of Pounds, was defective. No doubt more defects in this Crystal Palace will be manifested in the days to come.
Incidentally, the Members of the European Parliament had no say whatsoever in where the building was to be located, what its design was to be, what amount of money was to be spent on it, or how it was to be furnished. The French Government forced it both upon Members of Parliament and upon the Governments of European Union countries, Germany and the United Kingdom being made to foot the exorbitant bill. These two countries are Europe’s pay slaves.
The prophetic significance of the European Union has been revealed as the saga unfolds. [See our two articles on “The Conspiracy behind the European Union”.] First, the sign which it chose as its symbol was the Woman riding the Beast. This comes from a prophecy in Revelation 17. The depiction of the harlot woman was reproduced on the centenary stamp of the European Union, in a huge painting in the Parliament’s new building in Brussels, and by a huge sculpture outside the new E.U. Council of Ministers Office in Brussels. The new European coinage, the Euro, bears the same insignia. The Tower of Babel has been used on the posters emanating from Europe – a truly suggestive prophetic sign.
Now, a massive Crystal Palace tower (officially called the Tower Building) houses the Fifth Parliament of Europe.
It is certainly a building of the Space Age. The seats of its massive hemicycle are designed like the crew seats in the Star Trek space machines. There are 679 of them – but wait for it! While these seats are allocated to Members, one seat remains unallocated and unoccupied. The number of that seat is 666….....
I just thought less government time and money would be wasted time in expensive international talk-fests that achieve precisely nothing. A Global Parliament could have an open democratic process yet binding legal outcomes.
I wasn’t presenting a Global Parliament as ushering in a golden age of the church or solving ALL human suffering or woes. We’d still have our job to do. ;-) I just thought it was a ‘fair’ social thing to argue for, like chocolate companies not using child slavery or Africa being fed *somehow* (through sheer wishful thinking perhaps?)
For example, I was thinking that Global Parliaments would prevent starvation, enable the globe to be ‘fairer’ socially and economically and sustain-ably, and reduce some of the ineffectiveness of today’s international relations in preventing warfare.
EG: If the world had a truly Federal government, why do you think Africa would still be in the mess it was in today? Wouldn’t Africa constitute 800 million of that Federation’s citizens?
EG: In Australia’s Federation how often do droughts result in millions of people actually starving? What about the European Union? What about America’s Federation?
Dave, you would save government time and money on expensive international talk-fests that achieve precisely nothing by stopping holding them, not by giving them even more time and money to gabber on with.
the EU Parliament is an undemocratic failure - few bother to vote; fewer still care what their legislators do.
There is a reasonable argument for taking some African countries back under colonial stewardship, but sending them more international bureaucrats to corrupt local politicans and distort the local economy will only make matters worse.
Arthur - it’s not a pipe dream; it would be flipping nightmare - a giant distraction which would stop local people solving local problems. The more remote the government, the more useless it is - which is why the Federal Commonwealth says the most, and achieves the least; and if you actually want something done, you should see your local Council.
And another thing… the World Council of churches is such a wonderful functional organisation isn’t it; and the Anglican Communion too - those guys do such a lot of good. Who’d want to keep running local parish councils, when the world has those guys to take care of things?
If it doesn’t work in the church, why would anyone think it would work in the world?
Somehow I can’t see the World’s 2.4 billion muslims signing up for any sort of secular World government. As already suggested “Left Behind” reading christians would not exactly be in raptures over the idea and post colonial nations would be very suspicious of any kind of foreign rule. The US can’t even acheive consunsus between the states…and then there’s the French…
How on earth would one draft a constitution that was broad enough to encompass a host of confliting values and yet solid enough to achieve anything?
The UN is a secular product of a christian world view and this is an ongoing source of conflict as non-western nations resent the imposition of “western” ideology.
What is the secret agenda for having a “World Government” anyway ?
What do they intend ? Are they trying to outlaw wars altogether ? This alone would wreck the world economies - and destroy both the weapons and steel industries in one swift blow. Back to the stone age.
Or perhaps they just want to eradicate the need for God to intervene. Perhaps this “World Government” could be called “Babel” - but I think that terminology has already been used ;)
The more remote the government, the more useless it is - which is why the Federal Commonwealth says the most, and achieves the least; and if you actually want something done, you should see your local Council.
I love local government which should have Constitutionally guaranteed powers over local planning, and inter-council regional boards for planning regional hospitals, etc.
Because I love the idea of Local Councils actually having some Constitutionally guaranteed ‘sovereignty’ over planning, I want to abolish State governments and have a simpler 2 tiered government system. Australia can share the ONE driver’s licence, seamlessly integrated national economy with consistent National laws, etc, and yet have all these emotionally charged local decisions made at the truly local level (not some distant state representative).
Where certain National *laws* make sense, why not just apply them Nationally? When you want to get something more practical and specific done locally, I agree, go local.
None of this in any way contradicts my assertion that having better World Parliamentary bodies would be able to tackle the really BIG issues, such as having an international mechanism for dealing with multinational corporations. Even magazines like The Economist are starting to publish articles expressing this desire.
PS: The Lisbon treaty would make the EU more democratic. It’s a good beginning, but I think has some far more effective mechanisms coming. As it is however it is a far more democratic and OPEN organisation than, say, the United Nations where unelected Diplomats to “Deals” behind closed doors, rather than elected representatives actually voting on *laws* in public.
It is interesting that the Lisbon treaty has finally been signed. This is in effect the nations of Europe saying, “We want to be less ‘nation-like’ to solve problems we have in common, we need a more streamlined, co-operative international process to improve our lives and deal with our common problems.”
My only problem with it now is the names. For crying out loud, do we really need the “European Commission” to be called that? Why not call it “The European Executive”?
The European Parliament is pretty clear, but most people are not going to bother figuring out the difference between the Commission and the Council.
The Lisbon Treaty has finally been fully ratified, eight years after European leaders launched a process to make the EU “more democratic, more transparent and more efficient”.
Under EU rules, the treaty had to be ratified by all 27 member states before coming into force…..
.....How similar is Lisbon to the draft constitution?
It contains many of the changes the constitution attempted to introduce, for example:
* A politician chosen to be president of the European Council for two-and-a-half years, replacing the current system where countries take turns at being president for six months.
* A new post - called High Representative - combining the jobs of the existing foreign affairs supremo, Javier Solana, and the external affairs commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, to give the EU more influence on the world stage.
* A smaller European Commission, with fewer commissioners than there are member states, from 2014.
* A redistribution of voting weights between the member states, phased in between 2014 and 2017 - qualified majority voting based on a “double majority” of 55% of member states, accounting for 65% of the EU’s population.
* New powers for the European Commission, European Parliament and European Court of Justice, for example in the field of justice and home affairs.
* The parliament will be on an equal footing with the Council - the grouping of member states’ governments - for most legislation, including the budget and agriculture. This is called “co-decision”.
* Removal of national vetoes in a number of areas, including fighting climate change, energy security and emergency aid. Unanimity will still be required in the areas of tax, foreign policy, defence and social security.
Most European leaders acknowledge that the treaty preserves the main substance of the constitution.
Reform Treaty in detail
If it contains the same substance, why is the Lisbon Treaty not a constitution?
The constitution attempted to replace all earlier EU treaties and start afresh, whereas the new treaty amends the Treaty on the European Union (Maastricht) and the Treaty Establishing the European Community (Rome).
It also drops all reference to the symbols of the EU - the flag, the anthem and the motto - though these will continue to exist.
How long did it take to agree the treaty?
A declaration issued at the EU’s Laeken summit in 2001 called for a Convention on the future of Europe to look into the simplification and reorganisation of the EU treaties, and raised the question whether the end result should be a constitution.
The Convention began work in February 2002 and a constitution was signed in Rome two-and-a-half years later, in October 2004. But that text became obsolete when it was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.
Work began in earnest on a replacement treaty during the German EU presidency, in the first half of 2007, and agreement on the main points of the new treaty was reached at a summit in June that year.
Negotiations continued behind the scenes over the following months, until a final draft was agreed by the leaders of the 27 member states in October 2007.
Why was the constitution dropped?
France and the Netherlands said they would be unable to adopt the constitutional treaty without significant changes, following the 2005 referendums.
The UK also pressed hard for a modest “amending treaty”, which could be ratified by means of a parliamentary vote, like earlier EU treaties.
Does the Charter of Fundamental Rights feature in the new treaty?
No. There is a reference to it, making it legally binding, but the full text does not appear, even in an annex.
The UK has secured a written guarantee that the Charter cannot be used by the European Court to alter British labour law, or other laws that deal with social rights. However, experts are divided on how effective this will be.
Poland has an opt-out from parts of the Charter covering family issues and morality, such as abortion.
The Czech Republic also has an opt-out - secured by the Eurosceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus as a condition for signing the treaty. He wanted a guarantee that his country would not be exposed to property claims by Germans expelled from the then Czechoslovakia after World War II.
If my wishes came true the EU would become a WU (World Union) and we’d all adopt their Lisbon treaty. It’s utopian, but I’m trying to imagine a world where we save truly VAST sums of money on problems we could solve together, instead of apart.
EG: Just feeling more secure with an international democratic legal process might help us save truly ENORMOUS sums of money, just by cutting military spending back 5% or 10%! Professor Ian Lowe of the ACF says that just 5% of the world’s military budget could meet the physical, shelter, educational, medical and family planning needs of everyone on the planet.
As to petty questions as to where such a world government would ‘live’ and how could it not be biased towards the home countries, well, when we are saving money like that why not rotate the home place of the Parliament every 4 years or so?
We’d be saving SO much money that there could be a dozen World Parliament, World Council, and World Executive buildings scattered around the globe. The 3 or 4 main functions of World government would never be hosted in the same country at the same time.
(In between hosting the world parliament, these buildings could be rented out to the local universities or serve as corporate conference halls, etc. They’d pay for themselves somehow).
(If we DID need a World Parliament building housed permanently in one place, why not the birthplace of homo sapiens, Africa? It’s about time something went right for them.)
Anyway, enough dreaming, just saying I’m glad the EU has made their process of government more transparent and democratic. Cheers all.
This is in effect the nations of Europe saying, “We want to be less ‘nation-like’ to solve problems we have in common, we need a more streamlined, co-operative international process to improve our lives and deal with our common problems.”
Well, the GOVERNMENTS of Europe at least Dave. The nations - i.e. the people of those nations, haven’t been given that much of a say. Unfortunately the EU is a profoundly undemocratic set of institutions, and the way the Lisbon Treaty has been forced through is a birth stain which deserves to doom it.
Sorry mate, but that’s technically incorrect. Nations have interacted with this change according to their established mechanisms for doing so. From the little I know it does appear that some nations have not had a referendum to pass this, instead democratically elected representatives have done so. (Not to dissimilar to the manner in which our governments pass whatever legislation they can get through, once we have elected them, and then face the ballot box next time around). And what is wrong with that?
On the other hand, Ireland rejected the proposal last year at a referendum. Please, do tell what the Irish referendum decided this year? ;-)
Hi Alan,
In the meantime, here’s something that both you and I want to avoid re: global governance.
George Soros Wants Global Governance Under UN Security Council
World markets need global governance. Their regulation, which is currently
too bogged down, has its roots in national sovereignty. We should be
adopting a new system of control, which would simultaneously satisfy the
interests of all countries. The system can then decide which of the
financial organizations become too large and require a division, there must
also be new rules to control the movement of capital , said Soros.
In addition, he said, the new system should be part of the UN, and
especially the Security Council, so that you can also control processes such
as global warming and the global nuclear threat. The creation of this
system must be initiated by the United States, but other major countries
should enter into it on an equal footing, he concluded.
No thanks! I don’t want un-elected diplomats doing deals behind closed doors.
We need something a bit more like the EU, with an increasingly open, democratic, and ultimately accountable system of governance that in some form or other answers to the citizens of this world. We already have far too many large decisions being made by the likes of the IMF, World bank, and Security council and we don’t get to vote on any of these issues! That is absolutely NOT what global governance is about.
The social justice challenges, lack of clarity of operational performance standards, and lack of global accountability for global business models also frightens me precisely because we already have multinationals running amok on the world stage. We need global laws to help contain and describe best practices!
Without a world Federal government, multinationals just move their base of operations to the most tax friendly or cheap-labour friendly markets they can find. They are pitting governments against each other in a race to the bottom.
From the POV of someone in a multinational corporation trying to do the right thing, they have to deal with hundreds of sets of national legislation and then even sometimes the separate state legislation within a nation.
From the POV of a consumer of the services of the multinational, especially international banking, surely we want tighter international regulatory agreements that can prevent the GFC happening again.
From the POV of a traveller, what about the Euro becoming a world dollar standard that eliminates a trillion dollars a year in banking fees, again rewarding international bankers at the expense of the common man and woman?
These are just the financial implications of how a world Federal government could help.
This free talk from the iTunes university was interesting!
An Open, Civilized World
11/7/08 - ERNEST MAY is Charles Warren Professor of American History at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has been a consultant to the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and other agencies, and was Senior Advi…
The scientists are hopefuuly on the road to a world government , even if the pollies are not.(New Scientist this week )
“There are promising signs that science is increasingly being seen as an integral part of international politics. eg, there is a growing recognition that international science cooperation can be used to improve relations between countries” Amen
The IAP (Inter Academy Panel) was formed in India in 1993. The IAP now has 103 members. The latest addition is the Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan. It is the UN of science.
Hollywood has been warning us about these world domination conspiracies for years ;)
One big bureaucracy - ruled by one big dictatorship ? Sounds like just the plot for a sinful ‘entity’ to seek to control EVERY department of our lives. Let’s allow the anti-Christ to rule our lives, they cry. Who needs God to rule over them, when we can have a Benevolent Big Brother to nurture us and tell us how to run our lives ? Sounds like “1984” ? By comparison, “1984” was just a kindergarten excursion.
Before it’s too late, unite with me and become a “denier” and don’t be deceived by their delirious and misleading rhetoric. Don’t be seduced by the sweet sounding rhythms and promises of world peace in our time ( yet WITHOUT the true source of peace that can only come from Jesus ). Let’s talk of ‘world peace’ but avoid the real need for “personal peace”. Just follow the Pied Pipers of Peace and all will be well, they sing ( as the compromisers join in the chorus ).
Be afraid…... be very afraid.
ps Today, enjoy the freedoms that this country offers on this our National Day of Celebration - while we can - because Big Brother would like it to be our last opportunity to declare “Happy Australia Day” to one and all.
Anyway, when would be an appropriate day to celebrate this coming “World Domination Day” - might I suggest April 1st - ALL FOOL’S DAY ?
“One big bureaucracy - ruled by one big dictatorship ?”
Is Victoria less free than NSW?
Or Queensland than WA?
They all belong to a democratically elected Federation.
Now we have a ‘sort’ of world government, or organisation, as it is. There’s the United Nations where Diplomats do dirty deals behind closed doors. There’s the world bank, and who knows how it makes its decisions? There’s the G8, who meet and pow-wow and make decisions without the citizens of this world being able to VOTE on the issues they are discussing. There’s multinational corporations moving money and capital into and out of nations depending on whim and the circumstances of tax breaks and cheap labor laws, and do so with impunity without any international framework to monitor their behaviour.
So tell us all which system would function more like a Dictatorship: the current non-accountable, non-democratic system or a world Federation where you and I actually get to vote on global issues, where multinationals are accountable to a global court and global police system, where nations use a global dollar simplifying all economic transactions, and eventually other global systems can take over for efficiency of government and international cooperation.
I don’t know where any of this conflicts with Christianity, and indeed as a global Federation of this sort gradually spread through Africa, the Middle East, and China, I can imagine the desperate plight of Christians in some of those nations really improving!
This may be an impossible dream for our generation, but unless someone dreams it the idea will never get a chance.
You can keep your big un-Australian “ONE UNITED NATIONS” idea.
God placed me in THIS country where I was born - to live and serve Him here. As for me and my house, we LOVE being AUSTRALIANS…. just like this song proclaims :
Billy Thorpe’s Aussie tune in time for Australia Day
By Stephen Downie From: The Daily Telegraph January 26, 2010
SONGWRITERS often say some songs take five minutes to write, while others can take five years to get right. Late great Aussie rocker Billy Thorpe and his band the Aztecs toiled away for three weeks on a track which never saw the light of day. Until now.
Original Aztecs rhythm guitarist Tony Barber recalls arguing with Thorpe over a new song they had written. It was called Sunshine Friends.
Click here to listen to the song - and here to download it. It will be available from midnight January 25 until 11.59pm January 26.
``We were head to head, slogging away, arguing like crazy,’’ Barber said. ``And believe me, you had not argued until you’d argued with Billy.’‘
The reason why they were so fired up was because they realised this was not just another song.
It was a song about Australia, which had become home for the two Brits.
``It was a song about country, a place we’d come to as migrants and loved dearly. And we were trying to convey that in the song. ``We just wanted to say, `Thanks Australia’.’‘
Barber can’t exactly remember when the track was recorded, but estimates it is more than 30 years old…......
As to United Nations and World Banks etc - they are indeed all filled with sinners ( just like all of our human groups ) - so you’ll understand why I don’t look towards any UTOPIA here on Earth this side of Christ’s return.
Now Dave, it’s time to turn off the computer, walk outside, relax and go and have a great day with your kids, family and friends - and give thanks for ALL that God has blessed us with right now - right here - in Australia. Sure there are many things that need improving ( some radically so ) - but today - right now - it’s time to join with other Australians and rejoice - by either throwing another shrimp on the barbie - or ( like us ) BBQing a leg of lamb roast ( Sam Kekovich will be pleased ).
TODAY I cry out “Happy Australia Day” to Dave and everyone else - for tomorrow is another day !
As to United Nations and World Banks etc - they are indeed all filled with sinners ( just like all of our human groups ) - so you’ll understand why I don’t look towards any UTOPIA here on Earth this side of Christ’s return.
Interesting, I don’t remember presenting Utopia ... but hey, you certainly sound like you’ve found it in Australia.
As for ‘world peace’ without personal PEACE found in Jesus… isn’t that a false dichotomy and semantic game? Nations can be at ‘peace’, as in a state of not being at war, while still being at WAR with God, while individuals can find real PEACE with God even in the middle of a world war. So I’m not really sure what you were trying to communicate but it didn’t really do it for me.
I’m pretty sure the abject failure of Copenhagen, the ever-hilarious merry-go-round that is the UN and the current economic crisis enveloping the monetary EU (with the PIGS) should torpedo any serious suggestion of One World Government.
Since any Federation would have involved going to the lowest common denominator, I don’t think I like Libya or China or Uzbekistan’s definition of democracy. We shouldn’t lower ourselves to their standard and their is no way those countries would willingly allow themselves to be subjected to our standards so it just won’t happen.
My view when it comes to world politics is: life sucks and then you die. Yes, it is pessimistic but humanity has never been united and I don’t see it happening anytime in the future, not without paying a heavy price (ie. we could have one world government but it wouldn’t be a democratic one).
Here are some of the paths the [ur=http://www.worldcitizens.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39&Itemid=7]WCA sees…
[/url] and I think the main approach will be what they call the “Regional” approach, as bodies such as the EU gradually grow and finally, at some point a generation or so in the future, integrate together.
Some of the possible paths to a global democratic parliament include:
* Reform of the United Nations. Through constitutional reform the United Nations could transform itself into a genuine domocratic world federation of nations. An example of this would be the United Nation Parliamentary Assembly.
* Enlargement of the European Union. Gradual enlargement of the European Union to include countries outside the borders of Europe.
* The Functional Approach. Functionalists such as David Mitrany would argue for what might be called the “look, no hands!” approach. The functional needs of the world community will demand their own solutions. Agencies and committees will be set up to handle these common problems, and little by little the various national sovereignties will be whittled away and transferred to the growing network of international agencies. There is no need to set up any formal political structures to achieve integration.
* The Regional Approach. Following on from the success of the European Common Market, other economic integration and free trade organisations have sprung up for example, North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). This can lead on to other associations been built like the Organisation of American States (OAS), African Union, Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Nordic Council and the League of Arab States (Arab League). Although none of these organisations have a political structure like the EU, it is a start and may follow the same road that the EU began.
* The Evolutionary Approach. This strategy is to begin with an association of a few of the more progressive states, with a specific and limited set of aims, and then let it evolve in a natural, state-by-stage fashion towards a more deeply integrated community with wider membership.
So rather than trying to win over all nations into a government structure right now, the carrot of better trade will gradually win nations over into trading blocks in their area, which will coalesce into larger trading and joint citizenship blocks, which in turn will increase prosperity (all things being equal, which they usually aren’t) and finally form new “EU’s” around the globe… such as Kevin Rudd’s mentioning an “Asian Union”, and the “African Union”.
This is the goal of the AU, but it starts with smaller integrated economic blocks.
Just check out all the titles here… http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/C38/
David Muwanga (Busiweek)—East African Community (EAC) member states are getting prepared for the establishment of a monetary union that is aimed at introducing a single currency across the five states.
At that stage he had been working for 16 years for Anglican charity Anglicare, as a residential youth worker helping teenage wards of the state get their ...
Indeed, the bill prohibits doctors from performing an abortion to avoid a serious risk that the woman may commit suicide. The obvious goal here is to ...
Thank heaven for the Anglican Communion, in which all churches are autonomous and not every PC fad can be imposed worldwide. Another thing which impressed ...
The Archbishop of Canterbury has condemned evangelist "bulies" who attempt to convert people of other faiths to Christianity. Dr Rowan Williams said it was ...
For her honours thesis, Blaber studied the entire range of proteins in a stem cell sequence, establishing that microgravity influences human cell function. ...
The Christian coalition includes Anglican, Catholic, indigenous and Muslim community leaders, including the professor who formerly headed up the Cancer ...
Anglicare Victoria says it is paying the fees of at least three state-care leavers, for VCE and other courses. Last year it paid for books, train tickets ...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's health care bill would change federal policy on abortion, but not open the spigot of taxpayer dollars that some ...
Praise God for bringing three Moslems from Saudi Arbaia to the Bible study we run for internationals! Please pray they will continue to come! — Dannii Willis
A community Prayer meeting will be held tonight at 7.30pm at Ingleburn Anglican for Melissa Parker - 9 yrs girl killed by a bus yesterday. — Kevin Goddard
My mother in-law died last week as a result of 12 years of dementia. Pray that the funeral will go well and that the weather would fine up. — Sheldon Ryan
Praise God for saving two international students, through the ministries of Bible Cub and the Fellowship of Overseas Uni Students (FOCUS)! — Dannii Willis
Baptism service at my church, Grace Church Kogarah. 9 people baptised today ... pray for them to continue growing in their Christian faith. — Arthur Lee
Back to St Andrew's Sunday - Roseville on 15 Feb. Over 100 families with whom we've had some contact with being invited + baptism contacts. — Mark Calder
Welcome to the prayer micro blog! Feel free to post a quick prayer request, & prayers for this site & community would be appreciated too :) — Luke Stevens
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