November 28, 2012

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsletter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                Understanding Torah Society continuing series
                November 28, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is Torah society a democracy? Many people today just assume that it is. However, as we examine in detail what Scripture says about this important topic, we find something very different.

We hope you enjoy this challenging study!

This week we are launching our redesigned website. It has taken months upon months to get it this far. We are very excited about the new look and hopefully the express format which should make it easier to get around our website.

We are far from being done, though. We have a long way to go. It will be a continuing project, which we expect will be a long time in completing. In fact, when we get done, it will be time to start the process all over again. We are continuing to learn and have several innovative ideas we hope to implement in the days and months ahead. Stay tuned and we hope this new look and feel to the website will be a blessing to you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Understanding Torah Society - part 21, Is Torah society a Democracy? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHWH your Elohim which I command you."

Before one can answer the question of whether the Torah society of Israel is to be a democracy or something else, one must define what a democracy is. We have chosen the following definition as it is fairly concise and is the common understanding of what a democracy is.

Democracy - government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.[1]

In short, a democracy consists of people who are self-ruled. In one very small sense then, the Torah society is a democracy, in the sense that each individual has covenanted with all the others of said society to follow the rules of the society in which they all live. However, if this conclusion was where a person stopped, that Torah society is a democracy, then he would be wrong because such a conclusion would be incomplete.

While in this one small sense Torah society could be viewed as a democracy, that is about as far as it goes. Beyond that, Torah society is not a democracy. Torah society is not a democracy because the members of the society do not make the rules, regulations, and statutes which govern their everyday living. YHWH has already done this by giving Israel the Torah. Furthermore, as the opening passage of Scripture states, the Torah society is forbidden to alter the Torah in any way. The society cannot add to the Torah, nor can the society ignore or delete any part of the Torah. Rather, the society, in order to be a true Torah society, must adhere to every bit of the Torah-every jot and every tittle without alteration.