Tag: Political realism vs idealism

• Pacification by Force 2.0

  This essay examines pacification by force through the lens of Mosiah 29, arguing that the idea of ongoing government legitimacy through popular consent is largely a political fiction. Once power is settled, modern governments—democratic or republican—maintain order primarily through the latent threat of police and military force, not genuine consent or constitutional fidelity.

  Jared Eastley

  January 3, 2026

  Political

  Ancient scripture and modern government, Biblical warnings about government, Book of Mormon on kings and government, Consent of the governed myth, Constitutional failure and government abuse, Democracy and coercion, Fundamental rights violations, God vs government authority, Government accountability and treason, Moral limits of state authority, Natural rights and government, Pacification and social control, Police power and state coercion, Political philosophy in the Book of Mormon, Political realism vs idealism, Republican government failure, Rule of law vs rule by force, Scriptural critique of kingship, State monopoly on violence, Why governments become tyrannical