Timothy Snyder's on How to Avoid or Resist Tyranny: His quotes with my thoughts-2

I am writing the quote for the second chapter of Timothy Snyder's little book, On Tyranny. I will have to correct a small part of it because I am a Christian. You will understand. Here is the quote:

 "It is institutions that help us to preserve decency. They need our help as well. Do not speak of 'Our Institutions' unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions do not protect themselves. They fall one after another unless each is defended from the beginning. So chose an institution you care about--a court, a newspaper, a law, a labor union--and take its side."

 So many, for me, a newspaper; I often post from and encourage the reading of The Dispatch because they are moderate conservatives and they don't deal in click bait or conspiracy theories, or sensationalize unimportant news. I am so grateful for them. And they also do some great religious pieces. Of course, I also read the New York Times-the opinion pieces, of David Brooks, Russ Douthat and David French. All Christians by the way. 

 But there is another institution that Snyder did not mention, the Church. And this is the great thing - the Church will not fall, maybe here in America suffer a little, suffer greatly in other places- but as God's word says-"the gates of hell will not prevail against her." In the end, and there will be an end, there will be a forever Kingdom. And there is a forever King- just not, for now a forever earthly king.

 

Timothy Snyder's on How to Avoid or Resist Tyranny: His quotes with my thoughts

This is a small series I am writing on Facebook but thought I would put it here too.

I have been ordering fish from the Wild Alaskan Fish Company. Today with my order was a map of Alaska with places of interest on it. I was interested to see where the mountain Denali was. It is named that because it is the name used by the indigenous people of Alaska. I believe I will keep using that name. What I am going to write next has to do with that- I will let the reader figure out the connection.

 I have been reading a very small book by the historian Timothy Snyder. The book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, gives suggestions for how to avoid or resist tyranny. The author is well known for several books, including, Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin. That is not a small book. I am going to quote the beginning of each of his chapters in On Tyranny. Not all at once but every several days. Here is the first: 

"Do Not Obey in Advance: Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do."