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God and Government/Religion and Politics
By Roger A. Moran

   How many times have we heard it said, "religion and politics don't
mix?" Not only was such thinking alien to America's founders, but it has
been the fertile soil that has produced the prevailing social attitudes
that are disintegrating the philosophical foundation upon which America
was built.

   In the eyes of America's founders, not only did "religion and
politics mix," but their political views and their concepts of
government, freedom and justice were shaped primarily by their
understanding of the Bible.

   Unlike the religious and political Left of today's America who
advocate a "wall of separation between church and state," America's
founding fathers viewed the relationship between God and government as
essential. James Madison, the "Father of the Constitution," stated:
"'religion'[is] the basis and foundation of government" before any man
can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as
a subject of the Governor of the Universe." Indeed, such a statement
today would qualify Madison as an extremist of the "Religious Right."

   George Washington, who not only served as the first President of the
United States, but also presided over the Constitutional Convention,
reflected the same sentiments: "It is impossible to rightly
govern...without God and the Bible."

   Serving as Vice President to Washington and as the second President
of the United States, John Adams described the kind of people the U.S.
Constitution was designed to govern: "Our Constitution was made only for
a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government
of any other."

   Again, James Madison declared: "We have staked the whole future of
American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We
have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the
capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and
all of us _to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain
ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God._" (emphasis ours)

   These were not radicals of another era, but these men represented the
main of American political thought. In "Church of the Holy Trinity v.
United States," 1892, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in regard to the
people of the United State:

   ..._this is a religious people. This is historically true. From the
discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice
making this affirmation...these are not individual sayings, declarations
of private persons: they are organic utterances; they speak the voice of
the entire people...these and many other matters which might be noticed,
add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic
utterances that this is a Christian nation_...

   But the term "Christian nation" has never implied that all Americans
were Christian, but rather that it was the principles of the Bible in
regard to government, freedom and justice, and a biblical view of man
that formed the basis of America's civil government. Again, in "Church
of the Holy Trinity v. United States," the Supreme Court clearly defined
the meaning of their statement that America was indeed a Christian
nation: "Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon
and embody the teachings of The Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible
that it should be otherwise: _and in this sense and to this extent our
civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian_..."
(emphasis ours)

Our Rights Come From God

   Among the most fundamental principles of Scripture that formed the
foundation of our American form of government was that our rights come
from God, not government. Thus, the protection and securing of our
God-given rights was viewed as the primary function of government. With
this understanding, the Declaration of Independence states: "_We hold
these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that
they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights;
that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness_. That
to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, _deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed_..." (emphasis ours)


   In his 1850 book, _The Law_, Frederic Bastiat articulates well the very
essence of government and freedom. He argued that life, liberty and
property are "gifts from God" and that these "precede all human
legislation, and are superior to it." He concludes: "Life, liberty and
property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it
was the fact that life, liberty and property existed before hand that
caused men to make laws in the first place." This is the essence of
government and the very ideas that America was established upon.

Ideas have Consequences

   America's founding fathers understood well that ideas have
consequences. We see the overwhelming truth of this as we contrast the
guiding principles and political thought that gave birth to both the
United States and the Soviet Union. One produced freedom unprecedented,
the other, tyranny unsurpassed.

   Government is no better than those who are elevated to positions of
authority and a constitution is no stronger than the moral character of
the people who live under its rule. Thus, the inherent dangers of
government and the potential for tyranny was nothing new to men like
George Washington who wrote: "Government is not reason, it is not
eloquence -- it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a
fearful master."

   But, when God and biblical principles are rejected as the basis for
governing a nation, the rise of tyranny, in its various forms, is
inevitable. Francis Schaeffer wrote: "When truth retreats, tyranny
advances." The prophet Isaiah also spoke of a civil environment where
God and the principles of His word were rejected: "So justice is driven
back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the
streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever
shuns evil becomes a prey." (Isaiah 59:14-15)

Righteousness Exalts a Nation

   Indeed, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any
people." (Proverbs 14:34) The Bible says: "By justice a king gives a
country stability..." (Proverbs 29:4) "Remove the dross from the silver
and out comes material for the silversmith; remove the wicked from the
King's presence and his throne will be established through
righteousness." (Proverbs 25:5)

   What is the proper and primary role of government except the
protection and securing of our God-given rights to life, liberty and
property? What is freedom except the suppression of evil and the
exaltation of justice? What is justice except the punishment of those
who do evil and the protection of those who do good? Yet, how can
freedom flourish where justice is perverted? And how can justice prevail
where the absurdity of "political correctness" is substituted for truth.

   "Evil men do not understand justice," the Bible says, "but those who
seek the Lord understand it fully." (Proverbs 29:2) "When the righteous
thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan."
(Proverbs 28:5) It was upon the understanding that the spirit of freedom
and the spirit of Christianity reinforced each other that the United
States was established.

   But this basic understanding has been largely replaced in
contemporary America with the "wall of separation" between church and
state, a concept that has worked to restrict religious individuals and
biblical principles and values from influencing all areas where
government is involved.

   Such a restricting of a particular ideology by virtue of its
religious nature not only represents religious tyranny, but flies in the
face of the biblical premise that it was God who ordained both the
church and civil government, and that both are subject to Him. But
especially, the "wall of separation" is an extreme perversion of the
principle that the church and the state are to operate within their
proper spheres of action and authority.

God Ordained the Institution of Government

   Does religion and politics have anything in common? Indeed they do!
Not only did God establish the institution of government, but He also
commanded that we submit to those in authority. The Bible says:
"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is
no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that
exist have been established by God." (Romans 13:1)

   In I Timothy 2:2, we further see God's plan for the creation of civil
order through civil government. We are told in this passage to pray for
those in authority "_that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all
godliness and holiness_." (Also see Hebrews 12:14) The book of Jude
describes those who "reject authority" as those "who change the grace of
our God into a license for immorality." (Jude, verses 4 & 8)

The Proper Role of Government

   The Bible also speaks clearly to the proper role of government,
giving balance to the principle of "submission." In I Peter 2:14, the
Bible tells us that those in authority are "to punish those who do wrong
and to commend those who do right." Romans chapter 13 reaffirms this
same principle: "For rulers hold no terror to those who do right, but
for those who do wrong." The passage continues: "[The ruler] is God's
servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer."
(Romans 13:4)

   Indeed, as America continues its rejection of biblical principles and
values as the basis of civil government, the words of Benjamin Franklin
become increasingly true: "Only a virtuous people are capable of
freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of
masters."

   America's founding fathers recognized that honesty and moral
integrity were essentials in the creation and sustaining of a free
nation. But as truth is increasingly portrayed as an unknowable concept
and as sin is increasingly justified and even viewed as good, the
internal corruption and moral decay of the United States is inevitable.
Samuel Adams wrote: "But neither the wisest Constitution nor the wisest
laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are
universally corrupt."

Thomas Jefferson's View of Tyranny

   Tyranny and oppression take on many forms. But Thomas Jefferson wrote
of a tyranny that is today ravaging the United States: "To compel a man
to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which
he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

   Indeed, many agree with Mr. Jefferson. Is it not sinful and
tyrannical to tax the people in order to pay for abortions? And is it
not tyrannical to force the people to fund the National Endowment for
the Arts, or the distribution of "free" condoms in the public schools,
or "free" needles for drug addicts? Is it not tyrannical to compel the
people to pay for a government educational system that undermines the
most basic tenets of the Christian faith, held by so many Americans?

   Is it not tyrannical to tax the people in order to create and sustain
a welfare system that encourages and protects slothfulness? And is it
not sinful and tyrannical to tax the people in order to aid Communist
countries? Does not such support and involvement in evil work only to
"strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his
wickedness?" (Jeremiah 23:14)

Submission vs. Civil Disobedience

   Are there times when we should not submit to those in authority? Are
there times when God would want us to rise up and say no to those in
authority? Indeed, the Bible teaches that there is a time for civil
disobedience. For Christians, there is a higher authority to answer to.
Isaiah wrote: "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the
Lord is our king, it is he who will save us." (Isaiah 33:22) But the
Lord did not promise us that following Him would exempt us from
suffering.

   The Bible teaches that Christ "is the head over every power and
authority." (Colossians 2:10) Hebrews 2:8 points out that "God left
nothing that is not subject to Him (Christ)." Government is no
exception. Nevertheless, even when one is being faithful to God, civil
disobedience carries with it penalties. Thus, religious tyranny is when
man's laws conflict with God's laws, and obedience to God requires
disobedience to those in authority.

   The Apostles faced such a dilemma when brought before the Sanhedrin
in Acts 4:18-20. Peter and John were commanded "not to speak or teach at
all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, 'judge for
yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than
God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.'"
(Acts 4:18-20)

   Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego chose obedience to God over King
Nebuchadnezzar by refusing to bow down and worship the golden image. In
their case, obedience to God required a commitment all the way to the
fiery furnace.

   Daniel's faithfulness to God over the civil authority of his day cost
him a trip to the lions den. But as with Daniel and the three Hebrew
children, God doesn't always choose to deliver. Civil disobedience is a
serious thing, not to be taken lightly. As with Daniel and the Hebrew
children, it is our faith in God that causes our faithfulness, and our
commitment to Him that produces the resolve to choose suffering when
those in authority demand compromise.

   But far more than focusing on "civil disobedience," it's time
America's Christians focus on becoming responsible, godly citizens:
Studying the issues; learning to articulate the values and principles we
believe in; voting our deeply held convictions; running for political
offices and school boards; and writing letters to the editor that our
ideas may produce good consequences.

   Indeed, it is time that we begin exhausting the process that leads to
change, so that when the time comes for civil disobedience, in good
conscience we can say we did all we could do, and we are now prepared to
suffer for the cause of Christ.

From: St. Louis MetroVoice, May 1995, Vol. 5, No. 5.