There have always been people like Dr. Ronald Fletcher, who writes: "Never accept authority; whether that of a jealous god, priest, prime minister, president, dictator, unless in your own seriously considered view, there are good grounds for it. . . . Rationalists in the modern world reject the authoritarian heritage of Moses and substitute a set of non-commandments, i.e., principles on which the individual must work out his own conduct when faced by particular problems." One wonders what authority issues (or doesn't issue?) the non-commandments which tell individuals how they must work out their problems, and one is reassured again that the enemies of authority do not allow authority to fade away. If not Moses, then Dr. Ronald Fletcher is in authority.
07 December 2011
Question authority. . . unless it's mine
In putting the finishing touches on my manuscript on authority, office and the image of God, I came across this wonderful passage in Thomas Molnar, Authority and Its Enemies (p. 112):
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2 comments:
I am not sure if it is fair to portray Dr. Fletcher as someone who is being self contradictory in saying question authority except his. It seems more charitable to say that he is advocating that one accept the non-commandments because they look to be best bet in and of themselves and not simply because he is advocating for them.
As an aside, when is your book due, and what other books do you recommend on the subject of authority?
Yes, when should we expect to see your book? Looking forward to it.
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