The Bible is God’s word. It proclaims his instructions and views on all things present in life. One entity exceedingly present in life is political institutions (government). In 1 Corinthians 14:40 it is proclaimed, “For all things should be done decently and in order.” We as Christians should, under this circumstance, maintain order throughout our lives. The government in America was founded to keep order in nation. I believe as Christians in America, or anywhere else for that matter, we inform ourselves on what God and the Bible expresses on the topic of government, its position on government, and what Christians should do in relation to government. In 1 Peter 2:13-17 the Bible explains that for the “Lords sake” His followers are to be submissive to human institution which might also be interpreted as the government. This same section of scripture goes on to say that we should “Live as people who are free, not using” our, “freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” At all costs, even if the emperor or ruler is evil, we are still not to place judgment or insults on the ruler of our nation. Doing so is not is not our mission. Christians are to be servants of God. If we followers of Christ serve God out of love and obedience, we will be rewarded in Heaven for whatever persecution we may endure here on earth. …show more content…
If those men are not godly, they’re motives will not always be pure towards God. Some leaders may want the best for the people and the country, or they may only care about their own interests. If the government makes laws that stand against God’s word, we are to obey God rather then men. The Bible specifically commands His followers in Acts 5:29, to “obey God rather than
Often confused with ecclesiocracy, in which the church is controlling the government, with no direct communication with their god (Wise Geek). “The two terms identify, a law-giver in any society (theocracy), as opposed to rule by an ensconced institutional religious leadership (ecclesiocracy)” (American vision). In The Crucible, we get a glimpse of this. A group of afflicted young women had began to make accusations, and the priest had agreed with these allegations.
Not only does the church control personal life and the choices people make, but because the church oversees the government as well it controls laws and what is right and wrong. Brittanica only adds to this by saying “The New England Puritans fashioned the civil commonwealth according to the framework of the church. Only the elect could vote and rule” (Britannica). If only the people controlling the religion could vote and rule, then the religion is able to control everything that the government is doing. This imbalance of power opened the gates for the church to become a judge, jury, and executioner of the Puritan people.
The use of biblical language also helps make sure the theocracy government is being enforced, thus gaining power. This takes away a person's own free will, changing them into a mindless follower. Also the way they refer to men is oppressive to the women. They’d call men the “Angels” or “The eyes of God” positive names while on the contrary women are called handmaids and given a different name. A person’s name holds so much power and uniqueness, so the fact it's being taking away and they are given a new one takes away their power and
Like most things that are society based, religion has evolved alongside our own culture. America is a melting pot of different ethnic backgrounds and cultures making it a perfect place for religion to adapt and flourish. For this analysis, I am drawing from “Civil Religion in America” by Robert N. Bellah (1967) on his ideas of American civil religion. In the text Bellah (1967) argues that civil religion is an important dimension that needs to be recognized in sociology. While Bellah focuses specifically on the United States of America, he still gives a valuable perspective on civil religion and how it plays a part in religion as a whole.
There are many views and opinions of the state of the United States on this subject. It has long been a puzzling issue that never seems to seize. America should have religious freedom, because it is a constitutional right to Americans. Prayer in school, gay marriage, and governmental control, are among some of the main issues in this topic.
Yancey says that “power can force obedience, only love can summon a response of love” (44). This line reminds me of a ruler and his subjects. How can a ruler make his people do the things he wants? A ruler can be ruthless, making his people afraid of him, therefore they will do anything the ruler says out of fear. A ruler can also be kind and caring toward his people, gaining the love and respect out of his subjects, therefore the ruler’s people will do the things he wants out of love and kindness.
Humanity is always searching for answers, and for leaders that can supply them with answers. We ponder questions regarding our existence and the way things ought to be, organize into tribes according to the conclusions we make, and then develop some form of public policy to create order. This tendency of humanity is most evident in modern times in politics and religion. In the American government system, the church and the state are meant to be kept separate, meaning the state is not allowed to have an established religion. However, this concept becomes controversial when public policy decisions have moral implications because people inherit their moral sentiments from their religion and/or the things they choose to worship (and this by no
For Christians, duty to the state means obeying authority and paying taxes, but it is not blind acceptance of all government laws. A Christian’s duty to the state must always align with the precepts given in the
To begin, all of humanity is evil and the only way leaders can keep them at bay is by using power and strength to enforce laws. In chapter 18 of The
In the U.S., people believe that politicians are appointed by God's will, making their government system pseudo-theocracy or theodemocracy. A perfect example of theocracy is the Holy See, where the head of the state is the Pope who has been elected by the College of Cardinals. In the past, this assembly
But God is not the judge in the Republic of Gilead Meanwhile, the state's
Rulers do not necessarily look out for their people and may harm them, so that they can do what is best for themselves. If citizens believe that their ruler is doing them harm and they do not have the best government that they could have, then good citizens would fight for what is best for everyone under that ruler’s power. Those who are good would want the best for themselves and for their neighbors. But, how to be a good citizen seems to be subjective. For example, those who fought against Great Britain in the American Revolution believed that they were good citizens, because they were fighting for basic rights and to stop the control of the “evil” British government over the American colonies.
This is a very sensitive subject, but thank God my government gives its citizens fair rules. But a certain country, very close to ours, doesn’t give people of other sects the tiniest bit of freedom. Too much restriction can lead to outbursts and rebellion. Government control, to a certain extent, is needed to keep everyone organized and in line.
He prescribes for each one in particular the duties proper to his condition and status”. As a result, any king would have also have been chosen by God and his duty would be to rule over others and ensure the stability of the nation. In addition, if people chose to rebel against this
Now let's ideological influence of well-known example of a biblical morality. Related to slavery, namely the Bible had been jabbing a misguided national conscience. American slavery caused her to have some unforgivable history. In "hindsight", the surprising is that the majority of society actually are actually able to tolerate slavery. Although the Southern slave of the people, even some pastors often take the Old Testament to make the "slavery" rationalization, but it must be said that the Bible in lifting institutional slavery has been playing a major role.