# War of the Three Kindoms - Lessons Learned?



## PuritanZealot (Feb 13, 2010)

Throughout scripture we see that tyrants are to be defied and arms is to be taken up against such leaders that demand we go against scripture.

For some time I have been studying the events prior to the uprising in Scotland of the Covenanters and the subsequent events that led up to the English Civil war and Cromwell taking the fight to Ireland.

What we can see is that the Puritan and Presbyterian faithful at the time felt that Charles 1st and his ilk in the Church were making Papist demands of the Protestant church of england. The introduction of the Book of Common Prayer to Scotland was the flash point and when the government sought to enforce the legality of bringing a common prayer book into the majority Presbyterian churches of Scotland, swords were drawn and war broke out. 

Again when the Commons sat and Cromwell demanded that the tyranny of the Kings estate stop, it was the tiniest infringement that caused the Puritan faithful to rise up and demand war, and at Kineton they had it.

What I find interesting is how much times have changed. In the next few weeks the Pope himself is coming to England. He is arriving in London and being greeted, not by the Queen, but by our Prime Minister, the Queen happens to be in Scotland at that time. When she said that the Pope should come to Scotland to meet her, the Government responded that the Queen should come down to London to meet him!!! Our government demanded that our sovereign come down from the north to meet a man we don't even recognise as any authority! This alone would have caused riots in the 17th century, possibly even a civil uprising.

My second point is the actions of the government itself in regards our christian faith. Our Protestant church is attacked all the time and the government attempt to enforce the rights of homosexuals, transexuals and all manner of bizarre heresies in the church in the name of modern equality. The equality minister herself, Harriet Harman, a militant feminist and atheist has said 'times need to change, people need to stop making their decisions by what old books say'. Our government is secular, mostly atheist and mostly anti-Christian. The result of this is the Pope comes across as being the defender of the faith, he stands up against the actions of the government and Christians across the land hail him as protector of our religion!!! THE POPE!

I believe whole heartedly that had any one of these malignant events occurred during the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th or 19th century, there would have been chaos on the streets of Britain.


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## SolaScriptura (Feb 13, 2010)

Yes, times have changed. 

Question: Did your Queen agree to come down to London to meet the Pope?


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## Peairtach (Feb 13, 2010)

The point is that we as true Christians in Great Britain are very much the minority, and yet, at present we have religious freedom in the sense that no-one is forcing us to be part of a church whose doctrine and practice we disagree with or to do things we disagree with.

If some of the equality legislation goes ahead, then we should see fines and imprisonment for those in churches who will not employ women/homosexuals. That will help distinguish the men from the boys in the church.

Taking up arms is a serious business and should not be gone into lightly. You have to assess whether you have a Scriptural mandate and that includes some prospect of success, otherwise blood is spilled in vain. If true Christians took up arms against the government or successive governments in Britain, I wonder if by numbers alone they would have much chance of success.

If a British policeman said that he would shoot you if you didn't employ a homosexual, you may be justified in defending yourself, or alternatively you could go to the execution chamber and inspire the faithful with a rousing and biblically-based speech there.

The Covenanters and Puritans were threatened with death, fines and imprisonment if they didn't comply. They also had adequate numbers to win a war. 

We are not in that position yet.

We have a godless government that yet still allows religious freedom. We have two national churches that are riddled with heresy and perversion. We have the populace of the United Kingdom largely godless.


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## SolaScriptura (Feb 13, 2010)

Richard Tallach said:


> If a British policeman said that he would shoot you if you didn't employ a homosexual, you may be justified in defending yourself, or alternatively you could go to the execution chamber and inspire the faithful with a rousing and biblically-based speech there.


 
... assuming, of course, that if it actually came to the point where they were going to execute you that they'd actually let you give a speech to inspire the faithful.


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## Peairtach (Feb 13, 2010)

True, enough. 

Some of the Protestant martyrs including the Covenanters have left very moving testimonies, which may have done more for Christ's cause and kingdom than (armed) self-defence.


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## PuritanZealot (Feb 19, 2010)

I totally agree that martyrdom is a much more holy and righteous way to demonstrate the Kingdom of Heaven, to go to the stake with a smile on your face singing hymns would quicken the hearts of your enemies far more than the cocking of a loaded rifle, I totally agree.
I've just been reading the book about the Civil War and it's amazing what people were willing to do to stand up for the faith back then, not that I'm saying whether that's right or wrong but they definitely felt they had the scriptural back up.
As for 'did the Queen come down from Scotland', it hasn't happened yet and I hope it doesn't.
The Papa is coming to visit London in a few weeks and the Queen contacted Gordon Brown to express her distaste that she wasn't asked first, as it's HER country, at least in name. The Brown government expressed their apology and said the Pope would still want to meet the Queen as normal procedure dictates, but she said she'd be in Balmoral, which she will be, so obviously she (or her office) said the Pope would have to come to Scotland to meet her. Browns government said they wouldn't make that kind of demand on the Pope or the Vatican so asked if she would come down to London to meet him!!!! At the moment it's still up in the air what's happening. 
But whatever happens, the government has trampled on generations of English tradition. This just goes to drill home how crazy the era has become, imagine how the Whig government would have reacted to the Pope asking King George to come down from Balmoral!!!!


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## LawrenceU (Feb 19, 2010)

I hope she will stay in Scotland and the pope get so peeved over it that he doesn't even make the trip to England. Maybe he will just stay at home. We will just have to 'see'.


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## tgoerz (Mar 21, 2010)

Where's the Anglican church in all this?


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## dudley (Mar 21, 2010)

Richard Tallach said:


> True, enough.
> 
> Some of the Protestant martyrs including the Covenanters have left very moving testimonies, which may have done more for Christ's cause and kingdom than (armed) self-defence.



Amen Richard!


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