Peaceful protesting is a right guaranteed by our Constitution. Participating in a peaceful protest is not breaking the law.
Micha, a minor prophet with a major message, wrote, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” Micha 6:8.
Except as a last resort, do protests meet Micha’s reminder of what God requires of us?
The Bible records that Adam and Eve lived peacefully, shamelessly naked, without sin, until the first recorded protest in the world occurred: Adam and Eve rebelled against God by defying His command, commonly called “The Fall.”
Every human genome since Adam and Eve’s protest carries indisputable proof that all DNA comes from a common source. No human DNA is spared the innate tendency to protest or rebel. Human protests take many forms, generally divided between aggressive and passive-aggressive.
Moses, the author of the first 5 books of the Bible, lived 120 years. He was 80 when he relied on God to confront Pharaoh and led the Israelites for 40 years to the Promised Land. Moses disobeyed (rebelled against God) and was not permitted to enter the Promised Land.
Paul, known before his conversion to Christianity as Saul, was a Jewish Roman citizen and a Pharisee who persecuted Christians. When Paul wrote the book of Romans, Nero was the Emperor of Rome. Nero’s rule was tyrannical. His behavior suggested psychosis or paranoid delusions.
Paul knew Nero was a tyrannical Roman Emperor, but he wrote the following directive in his Letter to the Romans: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” Romans 13:1-2.
John Locke (1632–1704), an English philosopher, influenced those who conceived the US Constitution. Locke was a courageous protestor. Without a mask or head wrap, he declared that kings have no divine rights. It was a bold statement because all the power in Western Europe was vested in kings who sat solidly on their thrones.
The American Revolutionary War led to the establishment of a constitutional republic. Many of the Founding Fathers were religious individuals. However, their rebellion against England appeared inconsistent with the principles outlined in Romans 13:1-2.
The colonists opposed tyranny, not government. They believed Romans 13 taught respect for the institution of government, not necessarily its rulers. They argued that the king of England, King George III, himself violated Scripture. No king who behaved so wickedly, they said, could be considered “God’s servant.” Therefore, it was a Christian’s duty to resist him. As Mayhew said in 1750, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”
A retrospective psychological evaluation of King George III indicates he suffered from Bipolar Disorder long before treatment for this condition first became available in 1970 and later.
Unlike John Locke’s thoughtfully considered protest, our typical 21st-century protestors meet the criteria of the oxymoron “courageous cowards.” Seldom peaceful, law-abiding, or nonviolent, they move as well-orchestrated mobs hell-bent on mayhem, disorder, and confusion, fully disguised as bank robbers who are trying to steal our freedom.
The increasing prevalence of today’s disruptive demonstrations reflects incremental disregard for truth, logical reasoning, and self-control. Their placards and nursery rhyme lyrics ought more correctly to announce: “Our feelings are our supreme authority. Traditional values must be deconstructed. The past is meaningless. We are tyrannical strategists. The Constitution is dead. Help us bury it.
Our situation is not to be taken lightly or ignored. The heart and soul of America are at risk, not only from an unhealthy physical and spiritual diet but from intelligent, assertive, and strong-willed people who shout praise for our enemies and hate for America and Jews.”
This is a time for Christians to accept God’s inspired Word and to act according to His will.
President Trump said in his recent address at the Department of Justice, “The words of John Locke are engraved on the wall of this building,” ‘Wherever law ends, tyranny begins.’ Two Treatises of Government (1689) Ch. 18, no. 202.
On Wednesday, March 13, 2025, Fox News Channel showed more than 45 minutes of uninterrupted, commercial-free coverage of protestors taking over the lobby of Trump International Hotel and Tower, 721 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York.
When President Trump addressed the Joint Session of Congress on March 4, 2025, an event widely covered on TV, the Congressional Left protested the President’s speech in a variety of ways:
1. Refusing to attend the event, 2. Creating clamor sufficient to be removed from the event by the Sergeant-at-Arms, 3. Holding up demeaning posters and signs, or 4. Callously refusing to acknowledge:
a. The courageous battle of a young man with a history of numerous surgical procedures for brain cancer whose lifetime dream is to be a Policeman, b. The grieving family of a heinously assaulted and murdered young coed at the University of Georgia, and c. Several other heart-rendering stories for whom empathy and admiration sprang from all beating hearts but for those elected to Congress from the political left.
It was not a coincidence that the political Left employed some of the strategies of 21st Century Courageous Cowards protestors, including placards and disrespectful conduct.
The unrighteous pride of the political Right applauded President Trump at every opportunity, but how and why did these Senators and representatives behave as if in a coma for the past 4 years as millions of enemies waltzed brazenly into America?
As Christians, we are commanded to love each other and to pray for our enemies. Revenge is not an option. Hate causes hate. Our challenge is righteousness, trying to get right with God and with each other. Courageous Cowards sit on the political Right and Left and may wear black robes or masks, hiding their authentic identity and unrighteousness.
Unless and until we treat each other with kindness, dignity, and respect, despite our differences, America risks further fragmentation and ultimate collapse. The likelihood of our annihilation is not nuclear fission but human division.
Robert S. Brown, MD, PHD a retired Psychiatrist, Col (Ret) U.S. Army Medical Corps devoted the last decade of his career to treating soldiers at Fort Lee redeploying from combat. He was a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Education at UVA. His renowned Mental Health course taught the value of exercise for a sound mind.