Columbus Talk Show Host Interviews Bob on Legal Positivism Pt 1 of 2

Columbus Talk Show Host Interviews Bob on Legal Positivism Pt 1 of 2

Wednesday August 16th, 2006. This is show #163.

BEST QUOTE OF THE SHOW:

...Christian kids who are going to law school and hopefully becoming judges, all of them are now humanists in their legal world-view. They all believe the judge should follow the process even if it means murdering the innocent. That's happened because our Christian pro-life leaders (the national ones) have changed sides. They've joined the humanists. They've become legal positivists because they think it brings us closer to victory. But when the "good" people no longer are willing to obey God on "do not murder," you are way further from victory.

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Summary:
* Coach Dave Interviews Bob: Radio talk-show host Coach Dave Daubenmire of Columbus Ohio with MinutemenUnited.org interviews Bob on Legal Positivism and discusses our ministries best-selling DVD Focus on the Strategy. Dave is in complete agreement with Bob Enyart Live and our stance on keeping a God-centered government. Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 2 of this great interview!
Today's Resource: Our Focus on the Strategy DVD analyzes Christian political strategy, and documents seven lines of evidence showing that our Christian leaders have become legal positivists and that they are moving the Body of Christ toward situational ethics and moral relativism. You'll learn a lot watching this DVD, which recreates before a live audience of 300 Christians a presentation given to Dr. Dobson's VP of Public Policy, Tom Minnery, identifying our downward moral slide and recommending specific corrections!!

Four O'Clock, I split your off-topic post into a new thread.

SPOILERS AHEAD, WARNING IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE!

I saw an interesting movie over the weekend that dealt with the very issue of legal positivism. I watched it when I was younger, and then, it was just a war movie. But now, it is so much more. I encourage everyone to see it.

Bridge on the River Kwai

The setting is WWII and the Japanese are building a bridge over the Kwai River. This bridge, which houses train tracks will connect the rail line between Burma and Rangoon and will aid the Japs in transporting men and supplies throughout the region, thus enabling them to gain an advantage over their enemies.

Enter the British. A large group of British soldiers and their officers are captured and brought in the Japanese camp to do forced labor as POWs. Their commanding officer, Colonel Nicholson and the Japanese commander Saito immediately do not see eye to eye. See, Saito has ordered all British men to work on the bridge, including officers. Yet, Col. Nicholson continuously refers to the Geneva convention which states that no officers shall do forced labor. After some heated debate, Col. Nicholson is imprisoned in a hot box for several days until he 'changes his mind' regarding his officers working.

Col. Nicholson remains defiant. So, to up the ante, Saito says that if Col. Nicholson doesn't order his officers to work like the rest of the men, then Saito will have the sick/wounded in the hospital put to work. (This of course would lead to their death). Yet, stubborn Col. Nicholoson will not recant on the Geneva convention rules, even though his life and the lives of his men are at stake.

At this point, Col. Nicholson would do well to follow Paul's words in Ephesians 6:5 and obey his master.

Eventually, through much defiance, Saito gives in, and Col. Nicholson and his officers do not have to work on the bridge like the rest of the men. In fact, Col. Nicholson persuaded Saito so much that he and his senior officers took over the bridge building effort itself so that it would be completed by the deadline. They even convinced Saito that the bridge should be rebuilt downstream for a better foundation.

Needless to say, the British soldiers did an excellent job on the bridge and built it immaculately to design and completion. Saito and Col. Nicholson even appeared to become friends by the end of the bridge building.

Now comes the very important part of the movie. Unbeknownst to Col. Nicholson, another British commander sends a handful of soldiers deep into the jungle to blow up the bridge right as the first train is to cross it. They sneak in by nightfall, rig it with explosives, and wait until morning.

Morning's first light comes, and Saito and his men along with Col. Nicholson and his senior officers attend the ribbon cutting ceremony. The main group of British soldiers has now marched on into the jungle for their next forced labor job, all the while whistling Major Bogey's March.

Col. Nicholson happens to notice that the bridge has been rigged. He, along with Saito traces the detonation cable all the way downstream to a British soldier who is waiting for detonation. The young man instantly kills Saito.

Now, does Col. Nicholson cheer at this??? No! He begins grappling with his own countryman over the bombing of the bridge, trying to force it not to happen! A gunfight ensues between the Japs and the few British who are stationed in the jungle. Many die.

I won't share with you the ending so as not to ruin the whole movie, but you get my point.

Col. Nicholson and his legal positivism about the Geneva convention eventually led him to a love of the Japs and the bridge he should despise. If he had not argued with his master, the bridge would have been built poorly and the first train that crossed it would have collapsed it, thereby saving all kinds of trouble.

Now, I know this has been a long post, and I know that the movie was fiction, but it was an excellent example of legal positivism and it's damaging effects.

Watch for Col. Nicholson's final line in the movie!!!