Majority Doesn't Always Rule

Majority Doesn’t Always Rule
Jeremiah 26: 8-15
Second Sunday in Lent
February 28, 2010


Like all or at least most of us here this morning, I firmly believe that democracy is the best form of government whether it be in running a nation, state, county, church, Lions Club or Cat Lovers Society. Faulty as it may be and considering all the alternatives, making decisions based on majority rule is the fairest and most effective way to get things done.

In general a majority of people in any proper sampling get it right most of the time. About 10 or maybe it’s been 15 years ago before or around the time of Survivor and definitely before American Idol anyway, there was a television show called “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” In that show, if a contestant was stumped, he or had a lifeline. She or he could “Ask The Audience” or “Ask A Friend” for help. According to Yahoo, the audience was right 92% of the time. Ask a friend was right 66% of the time. Someone commented that the reason for the high accuracy rate for the audience was that contestants called upon the audiences in the early stages of the game when questions were less difficult. In any event the majority of people in the audience usually knew the answer.

Yes, I too agree that a majority of people can be relied upon. For many things I go along with the majority. Along with a majority of people whom I have spoken to, the Civil Defense was right yesterday in enforcing evacuations for the tsunami even though the tsunami was a tiny one. I go along with a majority of people who say that UFO alien sightings are a hoax.

Yet there are some matters where the majority are wrong, and in this morning’s Scripture lessons we read of instances where the majority was incorrect. Let’s focus if you will on the first reading from Jeremiah chapter 26.

Here’s a little background of this reading.

Setting

Jeremiah lived around 600 years before the birth of Christ. At the time of Jeremiah, the nation we today call Iraq dominated Israel. In 721 BC troops from northern Iraq called Assyria back then swooped down and conquered three fourths of Israel. A hundred yeas later troops from central Iraq called Babylon took over the final fourth of Israel still standing.