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"But law comes from nation-states!"

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That's a common belief...

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But let's examine this belief.  Let's dig deeper.

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Where do nation-states get the authority to make law?

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"What do you mean 'where do they get it?'  They're the sources of it!"

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If they have it, they must have gotten it from somewhere.  What is the source?  What gives nation-states the authority to make law?  Can you prove that they have such authority?  Where do they get it from?

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"They get it from the fact that they have the power to enforce the laws they make.  If they make a law, and you break it, they can punish you.  Whether their laws are good or evil , just or unjust, doesn't matter - what matters is that they have the power to enforce the laws they make, and that's what makes their laws real."

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In that case, what you're saying is that you believe law comes from power. 

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"Yes."

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Well in that case, if you here came from the Objections Main Menu, you clicked the wrong button, didn't you?  At the question of "where does law come from?"

 

Perhaps you meant to click this one:

"Ok, nevermind.  Law doesn't come from power.  That's not where nation-states get the authority to make law.  Sorry."

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Then where DO they get it?

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"They get it from We the People.  When the majority of the People want something to be a law, then the government has the right to make that thing into a law.  That's what Democracy is!  Don't you believe in Democracy?"

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Well in that case, if you came here from the Objections Main Menu, you probably clicked the wrong button, at the question of "Where does law come from?" 

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Perhaps you meant to click this one:

"Ok, nevermind.  Law doesn't come from consensus - it comes from God!  Our great and awesome nation gets the authority to make law directly from the Lord!" 

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Well in that case, if you came here from the Objections Main Menu, you probably clicked the wrong button, at the question of "Where does law come from?" 

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Perhaps you meant to click this one:

"Ok, nevermind.  Law doesn't come from consensus, or from power and weaponry.  And even if we believe in a God or gods, I admit that my nation-state government is not His/Her/Their divine representative.  Power, consensus, and religion are not the sources of my nation-state's authority to make law.  Fine."

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So in that case, where do nation-states get the authority to make law?

 

"Nowhere, I guess."

 

Bingo! 

 

So how about trying the last option, for where law comes from?

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