I was on a bus, in suit and tie, coming home from the “Remain Close to Jehovah” convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses yesterday. One of my covert harassers (gang stalkers) sitting in the seat in front of me, began playing a song rather loudly on his cell phone. The lyrics of the song contained “trigger words” that have been used before by the stalkers. The bus driver stopped the bus, made an announcement that there is no radio playing on the bus and asked for it to be turned off. The request was ignored, At the next stop the bus driver repeats his request. The fellow playing the radio, (who could be perfectly typecast as a gang member in any movie) starts loudly cursing and berating the bus driver. However, he dropped a clue in his verbal tirade that blew his cover. “Don’t tell me to turn off my cellphone, just drive the bus.” You can’t tell me to turn of my phone. I got a job to do too. You do your job and I’ll do mine!” (Of course, I’ve cleaned up his language.) I was praying within myself that the bus driver would drop the issue because this harasser was really angry (vein bulging in the side of the neck angry!) and was quite likely to escalate the argument into an altercation if the bus driver pushed the issue. Thankfully, the bus driver was smart enough to stop talking to this man. I got off the bus at my stop, leaving the harasser behind.

This harasser-covert surveillance person was clearly someone with a violent past. However, he is not the first person of his type I have seen who revealed that this surveillance/harassment is a job for them. It appears that they are employed by some sort of “make-work” program (I believe that here in Newark it is colloquially termed Pest Control) that hires recently released criminals for the street-level psychological attacks and surveillance employed against victims like myself. This group, as one would expect, contains individuals whose violent tendencies lie just below the surface, and can be easily uncovered without much provocation. This is not the first time I’ve seen that violent streak flare up.

As I listened to this exchange on the bus, it brought to mind the stories I have read in the past about the Tonton Macoutes, a militia force used by Haitian Dictator “Papa Doc” Duvalier to violently repress opposition in Haiti. The Tonton were fashioned after the Fascist Blackshirts of Italy. The street level “gang-stalkers” I observe on a daily basis are also a “militia” in that they provide a form of psychological violence. At what point will they pass from surveillance and psychological attacks into physical brutality?

What a bizarre world we have become! One thing is for certain. We face an immediate future that will no doubt be more lawless and violent. The truth of the Bible’s statement that “. . . the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one . . .” (John 5:19) becomes more evident each passing day. However, it is my determination to follow the example of Jesus Christ, and to “love my enemies” and “pray for those persecuting me.” I make a daily effort to speak about the Bible’s hope for the future to all sorts of people, including those who participate in my harassment. Doing good to others is the best way for me to resist the corrosive effect my environment would otherwise have on my personality.

Addendum: To any of my “Brothers and Sisters” in the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses:

Jehovah is providing spiritual “food at the proper time” to meet our needs and concerns. I am sure you will find the publication released on the Saturday Program of the “Remain Close to Jehovah” Convention an extraordinary source of comfort and strength, helping us to cope with our distresses. Be sure to get your copy. I know you will be as deeply grateful for this evidence of Jehovah’s tender compassion for us as I have been.

Here is a news story on organized gang-stalking, harassment, break-in and rape that was reported by KENS-5 News in San Antonio, Texas. I will offer no opinion on this story. I simply invite you to view it and draw your own conclusions. You can read the online account of this news report on the KENS-5 San Antonio website.

Rather than add any commentary to this story, I will simply let it speak for itself. An American investigative journalist has uncovered evidence suggesting the CIA peppered local food in a French farming town with the hallucinogenic drug LSD as part of a program of mind-control experimentation. The story, in the UK Telegraph of March 11, 2010 can be read here.

“Return evil for evil to no one. Provide fine things in the sight of all men. If possible, as far as it depends upon YOU, be peaceable with all men.” —Romans 12:17,18

Since moving back to Newark, New Jersey (USA) five months ago, my persecution has greatly intensified. There are more participants than ever in daily “gang stalking” routines I encounter. The use of directed energy weapons from adjacent residences has intensified. In fact, many of my closest neighbors and others who I come in contact with on a daily basis share in the harassment I endure. Most days, the majority of people that I directly encounter are participating in my harassment, be it through subtle negative speech or by participation in covert psychological conditioning and humiliation.

It all has a specific motive: To lure me into self-destructive behavior. They need well documented pattens of behavior that can lead to my incarceration, being declared mentally ill, or death. It also is designed to destroy self-esteem, possibly leading to suicide. These routines are a form of intense conditioning meant to induce a complete change in my pattern of behavior Indeed, it now appears that they really want to bring this eleven year experiment to an end, and can only do it by means of my demise. For me, it means starting every day with the determination to choose the best possible response to the myriad of provocations I endure. Yet, I must say, in many ways I feel that my life-course leading up to the past eleven years of harassment has perfectly equipped me to endure this persecution. How so?

For most of my life, I have been a serious student of the Bible, as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Not merely in a scholarly sense, but more importantly, seeking practical application of the lessons contained in God’s Word. What I have learned and applied has been the key to my survival. It has been an unfailing source of practical wisdom and comfort. When I suffer, I rejoice. Not because of the ill treatment, but because I have responded in accord with my Bible trained conscience and heart. I have firmly resolved that I would rather suffer death than to compromise my principles.

This past evening was one of the worst I’ve endured with a particularly violent use of acoustic weapons (please see this post for an explanation of covert through-the-wall acoustic weapons). The weapons are targeted from an adjacent residence, and were aimed at my head for most of the evening as I slept (or tried to do so). The invisible acoustic volleys were so intense, they blurred my vision along with causing pain and headaches. You see, my antagonists had a plan in place: To use my resultant anger to provoke an encounter on the street the following day. Indeed, there were numerous police officers and squad cars with sirens blaring, an abundant assortment of street level gang stalkers, covert agents and psychologists (who serve as observers and strategists) ready to exploit any angered response on my part. This was to be a big day for them.

Well, what happened? I had my response well thought out. When I was first awakened in the middle of the night by this cruel attack I quickly dismissed all anger. I immediately focused, not on the attack, but on my response, praying for assistance to conduct myself properly. Then, I started my day as I usually do. I got up, prepared for work, and started my commute into New York City.  I proved to be a rather disappointing target. I spoke pleasantly to everyone I had the opportunity to encounter, irregardless of who they were. I had a smile on my face that could not be erased. I even shared a good thought from the Bible with a number of individuals participating in my “gang stalking.” Really, I could barely contain my joy! Why? It was because I was able to answer the intense provocation and torture I had endured with the proper response. I responded as the Christ, my Exemplar, would have responded. I proved loyal to my principles. That is a source of truly meaningful satisfaction.

It proved to be a rather amusing day. It is clear that my antagonists had carefully planned to capitalize on the intense torture I endured. Many of the gang-stalkers who normally cultivate a benign appearance were looking at me in astonishment as I smiled and greeted folks without a hint of vindictiveness. Knowing that I had chosen the right response was such a source of joy for me that it overrode any lingering physical discomfort and pain that I felt.

I had conquered. Not in the shortsighted way that violent men view victory. Rather, I conquered in the way that Jesus conquered. I refused to take on the violence and ill-will of my attackers. I refused to become vindictive in either speech or actions.  I refused to “return evil for evil.” That is what it means to truly conquer. Above all, I sensed the approval of my Heavenly Father by leaving vengeance in his hands, and focusing on treating my neighbor with love.

“In the world YOU are having tribulation, but take courage! I have conquered the world.” —John 16:33

The Ongoing Bad Experiment
Here are some observations made today that further convince me that what I am enduring is a form of covert experimentation monitored and conducted by Federal agencies:

1. One of my harassers was a “police officer” in a Newark Police squad car who pulled up behind a double parked car as I walked past it on my way to Newark Penn Station in downtown Newark. He began to make a big racket with his sirens, continuously blaring them at high volume as I walked by. It was mean-spirited and aggressive, and continued for close to a minute in duration. An evidently high-ranking Newark Police Officer came rushing out of a nearby building undergoing construction and came up to the window of the squad car. “What do you think you’re doing! I will have you transferred! You don’t do that here! I stopped and listened. Sheepishly, the officer in the squad gave the excuse that “someone called,”and quickly drove away. The fact was, he was there precisely to serve as a harassment for me, nothing more. He was caught by one of his own doing so. This supports my observations that when uniformed police officers are used in my harassment, they are acting in covert support of Federal / Military agents involved in these cruel experiments (or may be Federal Agents in disguise), and not in an official capacity as officers.

2. The second incident involved a “stranger” who stood on the street corner near me as I was taking a couple of photos near Bryant Park in New York City (photography is my hobby) this afternoon.  He was seeking to lure me into a conversation. I am an ardent Bible student and will gladly discuss it at “the drop of a hat” with anyone. However, as our impromptu conversation progressed, it was evident that he was testing my recall of specific scriptures and quotations from the Bible. It was a barely disguised memory test more than a conversation. Why did this encounter occur only hours after an especially violent acoustic weapons attack (these weapons were aimed precisely at my head for most of the evening)? No doubt, the covert agencies responsible wanted to monitor the effect of these weapons. They used this conversation to test my mental clarity, trying to gauge the effect the acoustic weapons had on my mental faculties.

3. I would like to share this final observation. An unusually high number of college students appear to be among the “gang stalkers’ employed in street level psychological attacks conducted in New York City. I often use the New York Public Library wi-fi room in the Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street branch to do work. They are typically there en masse and coordinated by cell phones.  That suggests that Federal agencies may be using local colleges or universities in the research that surrounds my persecution. If so, it would be consistent with past CIA human experimentation that has been conducted historically, including MKULTRA.

 Is This the Weapon Used To Torture Me?
The photo above shows an acoustic vortex launcher less-than-lethal weapon as depicted on the SARA, Inc. website in 2002. This quote is taken from the 2002 version of the Scientific Applications & Research Inc. (SARA, Inc.) website (a weapons developer) : “The US army is funding the development and evaluation of various configurations of Acoustic Beam Weapon. These are being considered for several missions where the soldier might benefit from a tunable effect, from WARN - to - Non-Lethal - to - CRIPPLING. The US Air Force, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs and SARA have joined together to define, de-velop and test a “Vortex Launcher” antipersonnel device. The Vortex Launcher projects a highly energetic packet of air at over half the speed of sound. The Vortex - which grows to the size of a pizza - would be aimed at a suspect, and would deliver a knock down punch with minimum chance of injury. Applications include riot control and law enforcement.” -SARA, Inc. Archived Website (2002)

Why I Must Conquer The World
What gives a normal person the apetitite for engaging in willfull acts of psychological and physical torture against complete strangers, persons they hold no personal animosity against, day after day? “At its worst, this has been Satan’s century,” said an editorial published in 1995. “In no previous age have people shown so great an aptitude, and appetite, for killing millions of other people for reasons of race, religion or class.” Said a professor who has written extensively on the subject of evil: “I have had a very strong need to make a difference in the world, to improve the world. But the world is not visibly improving.”

The scale of evil and its relentlessness in our world seems out of proportion to the malice that can be attributed to humans alone. Perhaps you too have come to the conclusion that this is “Satan’s century.” Evil of a magnitude never before seen in human society is waiting at our doorstep. I do not want my thinking and actions to be overtaken by evil. If I do nothing, it will engulf me, stripping me of all moral goodness. Therefore, I must fight, and I must conquer.

One of the precious benefits of cultivating humility and kindness is that you remain teachable. You can benefit from just about anyone who may have something of value to offer. And sometimes, powerful lessons can come from the most unlikely sources!

I make it a habit to greet and speak to all sorts of people. Being personable and outgoing, is one of the best defenses against developing bitterness that can poison those targeted unjustly with directed energy weapons torture and psychological attacks that include “gang stalking.” Earlier today, while walking to a local store to pick up some groceries, I struck up a conversation with an individual that appeared to be part of a coordinated  group of gang stalkers intent on harassing me. I always seek to keep the conversation in a positive vein, even with those who mean me harm. Today, my conversation yielded a rather interesting reward.

“Good afternoon, may I share a little known fact with you?” I began. The man I approached appeared to be in his early thirties, and a mechanic by profession. “Are you aware that there exists a group of people that Hitler swore to exterminate simply because they refused, out of principle, to give the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute? In fact, even though they were Germans, not Jews, they were some of the first to enter the concentration camps and some of the last to leave!

“I think I know who you are talking about,” he replied. “Were they Jehovah’s Witnesses?

His answer caught me by surprise. Few people know that Jehovah’s Witnesses were severely persecuted in Nazi Germany because of their stand based on religious principles. Hitler was especially irritated because Jehovah’s Witnesses refused to give the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute. In response, he swore to exterminate them. Every major Holocaust museum usually has an exhibit chronicling the oppression Jehovah’s Witnesses endured under the Nazi regime.

“You’re right! I’m surprised that you know that!” I responded. I studied him for a moment. Speaking with a strong accent, he appeared to be an immigrant from a Spanish speaking country, as many here in Newark, New Jersey’s North Ward are.

“Oh yes,” he stated as we stopped on the street corner, “I used to work for an old Jewish fellow who had been in the camps, and he would tell me stories about the Witnesses, and how Hitler tried to break them.” He said that one of the things the SS guards would do to torture them was to make them stand in the middle of shallow pool of water less than a foot deep sometimes for two days without sleeping. If they left the pool they would be shot. If they lay down and fell asleep it would mean that they would drown so they had to remain standing to keep alive. Still, the SS could not break them.”

“I know a lot about the history of the Witnesses in Nazi Germany, but that is one account I never heard before. That’s powerful. Thank you for sharing that,” I continued. “That teaches me the need to stand up for my principles no matter what. If we stick by right principles, no oppression should cause us to abandon them. Thanks again for that bit of history!”

We shook hands, exchanged first names, and parted ways at the intersection. I continued on my way home, quite surprised at what had just occurred. He may not realize it, but that snippet of conversation really made my day. I had been in a melancholic mood, and that conversation lifted my spirits. It was like a cup of cool, refreshing water for a parched throat. I felt strengthened by the experience he shared, and determined to press on in my own battle. I felt as if God has used this person, without his being aware of it, to pass on a bit of encouragement to me. It was a good word from the most unlikely of sources! Of course, this individual did not have my best interests at heart. It is best to keep a healthy distance from this type of person. However, what he said at that moment was a reminder of how important it was for me to remain an integrity keeper under all circumstances.

I was so encouraged by that conversation that I walked up to another neighbor who was part of the ‘gang-stalking” scheme, and introduced myself. “Let me share with you a good reason for always being polite and friendly even to strangers,” I began. I then told him about the conversation I just had and the encouragement I draw from it. “It is my determination to remain loyal to my principles and to always treat others with respect and kindness,” I concluded. I walked away feeling quite good. Today, in a small way, good had conquered evil.

This event reminds me to always be positive, even in negative environments. Doing so may bring an unlikely reward.  Had I been vindictive or shown irritation, that unlikely conversation would never have occurred. But it did, and I am stronger as a result of it.

A Common “Gang Stalking” Tactic
One of the common strategies employed by the covert agents behind gang-stalking was used by the first young man I engaged in conversation. As a target of psychological attacks, I am studied constantly. My antagonists try to destabilize me by surrounding me with individuals who seem to know far too much about my interests and personal life. If engaged in conversation, they are trained to casually bring up names, places or interests that are peculiar to my personal life. For example, the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nazi Germany was a topic I had made a recent subject of study. His reference, as a stranger, to that personal detail is designed to ”rattle” me and instill a  sense of isolation. That was most likely the motive behind the comments made by this young man. In any case, his comments did not instill fear. Rather, they had the opposite effect. I was encouraged by the reminder that throughout history there have been people who championed high principles even under duress. I am not alone in maintaining integrity under trial.

My Inspiration and Guidance
I cannot take credit for the way I handle the adversities thrust upon me. My exemplar in this matter is Jesus Christ. The Gospel accounts speak of  how Jesus was even willing to accept invitations for meals from the Pharisees, a religious group who despised him and was later complicit in his murder. Indeed, even as he dined with them, they were looking to find fault with him and thereby discredit him before the people who accepted his teachings. He knew all too well what it meant to be surrounded by persons who were insincere, cunning and  meant him harm. (Luke 7:37-53, Luke 7:36-50)Yet, Jesus dealt calmly and courageously with them, and never allowed their animosity and cruelty to become a part of his own personality. In doing so, he conquered the evil with the good.

As human society continues its inexorable moral decline and is stripped of even the normal fellow feeling and neighborliness that holds civilization together; a dark cruelty takes its place. We don’t like to admit that. We want to be viewed as civilized and enlightened even as unbridled cruelty pulses just beneath our thin veneer of respectability. Life has lost its value. As that occurs, anyone who is viewed as less than a peer becomes a potential target. They become less than human.

Such is the spirit behind gang-stalking. The gang-stalkers feels protected by their collective and exercises their disdain for any considered unsuitable of membership. That same spirit can also be seen in the rise of a new type of crime formerly nonexistent in our culture. There is a deeply disturbing article on the nationwide rise in violent, unprovoked attacks on the homeless in The New York Times of August 8, 2008, entitled “Attacks on Homeless Bring Push on Hate Crime Laws.”

According to the article, there is an alarming rise in unprovoked attacks upon homeless people by working class men and teenagers. This fast rising trend has moved some states to consider legislation declaring them hate crimes. “The assailants are outsiders (not homeless): men or in most cases teenage boys who punch, kick, shoot or set afire people living on the streets, frequently killing them, simply for the sport of it, their victims all but invisible to society.”

Michael Stoops, Executive Director, National Coalition for the Homeless, said social prejudices were “dehumanizing” the homeless and condoning hostile treatment. He pointed to a blurb titled “Hunt the Homeless” in the current issue of Maxim, a popular men’s magazine. It spotlights a coming “hobo convention” in Iowa and says: “Kill one for fun. We’re 87 percent sure it’s legal.”

When you dehumanize a group or individual it is quite easy to justify any act of violence against them. It becomes sport. That is the spirit of gangstalking at its heart. Gangstalking is an exercise of social prejudice that uses psychological aggression as a form of hostility. It will decline into open physical aggression soon enough. That is, after all, where human society is heading.

“But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God . . . 2 Timothy 3:1-4

I have suspected this for a while, but have avoided writing about it. I never want to make groundless accusations. However, this time I am certain of what occurred. I ate lunch today at Fatburger, a fast food outlet at 2815 W Peoria Ave., in Phoenix, Arizona, a few miles from my home. About four hours after that meal, I suffered from a terrible headache, diarrhea, and general weakness and discomfort. This is not the first time I have experienced these symptoms. This was, however, the most intense bout of food poisoning I’ve suffered to date. They have become a frequent occurrence after eating at certain restaurants where individuals who support the psychological attacks against me are employed. I suspect that they are part of the Neighborhood Watch / Community Policing groups working in concert with covert federal agencies spearheading this campaign. You may wonder what my feelings are after this event?

“Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.”—ROMANS 12:21.

MAY 29, 1953, was reportedly the first time man stood on top of the highest mountain peak in the world—Mount Everest, 29,028 feet [8,848 m] above sea level. With the backing of more than 450 men, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese Sherpa, successfully overcame the dangers of slippery ice, blinding snow, and lack of oxygen to reach the top of their five-and-a-half-mile-high goal. Tenzing, reflecting on his incredible achievement, made the following observations: “You cannot be a good mountaineer, however great your ability, unless you are cheerful and have the spirit of comradeship. . .” —Tenzing Norgay

Can we be cheerful, indeed happy, despite facing adversity? I know it can be so! This food poisoning, like many other schemes  played out by my harassers, are intended to rob my happiness, replacing it with paranoia. It is intended to condition me to avoid contact with all sorts of people, out of fear. It is also a form of provocation, designed to coax me into a response that damages my reputation. This too will fail. Like Tenzig, I am determined to conquer this mountain. In fact, it has renewed my determination to love people, and widen out in my interests, contacts and experiences. If that means meeting up with more of my harassers, so what? “Conquering the evil with the good” involves treating even those who make themselves my enemies with respect, never abandoning the spirit of “cheerfulness and comradeship” that served those who conquered Mount Everest so well.

Of course, I will exercise needed caution. However, I will not allow this adversity to cause me to abandon my exercise of warm humanity. Indeed, I am empowered not only to climb mountainlike obstacles, but to move them as well! How so? Note what Jesus Christ told his disciples: “I tell you solemnly, if your faith were the size of a mustard seed (the smallest seed in Isrealite agriculture at that time) you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it would move; nothing would be impossible for you.”—Matthew 17:20. Facing this adversity successfully is not impossible. With God’s backing, it will be accomplished!

There is a notable arrogant disregard for even the basic rights of fellowmen that is a constant thread through every act of humiliation, provocation and harassment endured by victims of psychological attacks that include gang-stalking and radiation weapons torture (directed energy weapons). It is hubris; a pleasure taken in the suffering of others. Modern so-called “reality” shows have taught us to enjoy being spectators in the most intimate pain and discomfort of others. When the real-life suffering of others becomes entertainment, it short-circuits the normal empathy we should feel when seeing hardship. That voyeuristic thrill is seen in the video embedded below.

When I first saw this video, it struck me at how accurately it portrays the attitudes I often see in the individuals involved in my persecution. Other victims may see the same. To those who are not victims or find it hard to believe the likelihood of such abuses, this video provides an example of the pervasive spirit that makes such extraordinary abuses possible.

“Know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, without gratitude, with no loving-kindness, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with self-esteem, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power . . .” - 2 Timothy 3:1-4

UK researchers have found that psychological torture — such as threats of rape, humiliation, isolation, sleep deprivation, sham executions, sexual advances, and witnessing the torture of others — can inflict as much trauma and harm as physical torture.

“The unpredictability and loss of control created by mental torture can produce similar levels of anxiety, fear and helplessness as physical torture and leave comparable long-term psychological scars.” — Rick Nauert, Ph.D, Psych Central

Victims of directed energy weapons harassment and psychological attacks that include gang stalking would not doubt agree with the findings of this study. The attacks often include isolation, sleep deprivation, humiliation, and other hallmarks of psychological torture. No doubt, the fact that such harm can be inflicted without leaving any physical scars or trauma is what makes it so attractive to the covert agencies developing these psychological weapons.

References:
Article: Psychological Torture As Bad As Physical Torture

The issue of directed energy weapons torture and psychological attacks that include “gang stalking” raises an important personal question. If an authority figure you respected asked you to torture a fellow human (albeit physical or psychological torment) would you do so? A recent university study tackled that question and found troubling results:

“Replicating one of the most controversial behavioral experiments in history, a Santa Clara University psychologist has found that people will follow orders from an authority figure to administer what they believe are painful electric shocks.

More than two-thirds of volunteers in the research study had to be stopped from administering 150 volt shocks of electricity, despite hearing a person’s cries of pain, professor Jerry M. Burger concluded in a study published in the January issue of the journal American Psychologist.

“In a dramatic way, it illustrates that under certain circumstances people will act in very surprising and disturbing ways,” said Burger. - MercuryNews.com

“The study, using paid volunteers from the South Bay, is similar to the famous 1974 “obedience study” by the late Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram. In the wake of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann’s trial, Milgram was troubled by the willingness of people to obey authorities — even if it conflicted with their own conscience.”

What this study failed to explore thoroughly are the principles motivating the minority to refuse participation in torture sanctioned by a human authority. We know that the majority often allows others to think for them — that’s fully evident in other facets of life. But what about the principled minority who do not compromise? Those who refuse to go along with actions that violate their conscience are truly exemplary and worthy of imitation. What makes that minority different from the compliant majority? In this regard, an account recorded in the Bible centuries ago reveals an insight worthy of consideration.

When judges in the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court in Jesus day, ordered a small group of Jewish followers of Christ to stop preaching regarding Jesus on the threat of imprisonment and flogging, they responded with the words, “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.”—ACTS 5:29

In other words, they considered God’s authority higher than that of any human agency. When a conflict with human law existed, they choose obedience to God’s law even if it placed their own lives in peril. As a result of that stand, that small group suffered hatred, mockery and intense persecution. Consider this: Would that small group of faithful followers of Christ torture others if they were ordered to do so by the same high-ranking judges? Would they obey God or men? What do you think?

Obedience to God can exert a powerful and enduring restraint from participation in the abuses of corrupt human authority. It can also become the foundation for an uncompromised integrity when adherence to right principles results in persecution.

“You must love your neighbor as yourself.” — Matthew 22:39

References:
MSNBC: Most Will Torture If Ordered
Time Magazine: Why We’re OK With Hurting Strangers