Introduction
Many people in the world today believe that there is no real connection between the Bible and the government of the United States. However, according the website, Biblical Principles of Government (http://www.intouchmission.org/biblical_principles
_government.htm), theologians have discovered that while approximately 29% of the Bible deals with our personal lives, 71% deals with social, political and national issues. The main areas of focus in the Biblical view of government are explained in 2 ways, by the biblical institutions of Government and by the foundations of Biblical Government. The institutions of Government have been split into four categories: Self Government, Family Government, Church Government, and Civil Government. The ten foundations of Biblical Government are: The Written Constitution, A Separation of Powers, An independent Judiciary, A National Legislature, A Second House in Legislature, An Executive Officer, A Decentralized State, A Citizen's Army, A Free Market Economy, and A Strong Educational System.
Biblical Institutions of Government
Contrary to popular belief, the Bible actually does mention many examples of institutions and foundations government. The Bible describes 4 major institutions of government, which are Self Government, Family Government, Church Government and Civil Government. Each one of these topics are addressed specifically throughout the entirety of the Bible. People in the world refer to the government as the ones who provide us with laws to attempt to maintain peace, when really it is the Lord. Isaiah 3:22 states, "For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King..."
...
... middle of paper ...
... standing up for what is right in God's eyes, not in the worlds eyes, because those are two totally contradicting things. What's considered right in the world is getting further from what God intends to be right, day-by-day. For starters, Christians should start taking action against things such as Abortion and Gay Rights so that they are not "socially acceptable" anymore. Christians should also start trying to turn the world back to God, instead of steering it away. We should step up and be leaders in our communities, schools, households, etc. In addition, it is our job not to be hypocritical and actually live our lives as God wants us to, so we can set an example for others. "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus Christ with their lips, but then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle." -Brennan Manning
The Bible clearly explains the role of government in society and the framers of our nation built America on Biblical principles. Since economics is the science that deals with production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, Christian economics entails how men use God-given resources, ideas, and energy to meet their human needs and to glorify the Lord. Christianity produces internal liberty in man, which is the foundation for a Christian economy. The internal change of heart that Christ brings produces Christian character and self-government which is necessary for an economy to be prosperous. Christian character and self-government produce people who do not steal, who have a strong work ethic, and who save and invest to
Four principles found in the U.S. Constitution that have scriptural origins are the separation of powers as found in Jeremiah 17:9, the three branches of government as found in Isaiah 33:22, the idea of tax exemptions for churches as found in Ezra 7:24 and the idea of capital punishment as described in Article 3 of the Constitution which comes from Deuteronomy 17:15.
A state must exist in order for a people--for a civilization to exist. A civilization will have little hope of progress and success if the state is without power and control. A state evolves from the creation of laws, beliefs and tribunes through a group of leaders, individuals who feel that specific laws, regulations and beliefs are required for the society that they are in to advance, develop but more importantly, to maintain control. Without these laws states would not form due to the chaos and if states do not form a nation can not be created. Laws, whether or not they are secular laws or religious laws, either laws play a major role in the development of a nation and these laws affect the heart, soul, mind of the people within the society. These laws that are created are created with the intent to prevent chaos and abuse of power or wealth. Although all laws strive for the same goal, which is control, there are many laws that differ greatly, yet many laws contain similarities as well, no matter the society, culture or century. Two such laws that are similar in content yet different in definition have been around for centuries. One law has not been in use for many centuries while yet the other law remains in use. These laws are The Code of Hammurabi and The Jewish Laws better known as the Torah.
Religious influence has always been part of the American Government since the beginning. Even in the earliest history of the creation of our Government with the Declaration of Independence God is mentioned in the first paragraph. Though religion over the past two centuries has proven to be an influence on the United States government the influence has a relatively good standing. Religious influence in State and law has been a medium in the beginning of the governmental system but still set influence. The influence though pertained to the religion and idealism of the individuals carrying it ...
...y for his nation, state or city. However immoral, this is necessary for the progression and continuation of the area, and can only be achieved through the respect obtained with fear. By tying the church to the government, people expected the government to behave morally and to abide by the rules of God, but often times, an entirely moral ruler will be overthrown.
The Declaration Of Independence states that,“Governments are instituted among Men.” Meaning that the governments will have all the power over its people. Compared to today, governments are still in power over their people. There are different types of government that help keep balance and govern people.
The men who founded America were men with deep religious beliefs and a firm faith in God. They based their actions and decisions on what the Bible teaches, and used God’s laws to write the laws of our nations. Benjamin Franklin once said “Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshipped…as to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see.” (Franklin, Founding Faith Archive). His statement was not only indicative of his beliefs, but of the beliefs of the rest of the founding fathers. They believed that a successful country was built upon principles laid out in the Bible by God, and that ultimately, the “ideal society” could be formed if everyone adhered to the guidelines established throughout the word of God. While these men were not deities that served as any sort of moral standard, they did serve as Godly influences. Their belief that the guidelines for a successful country were written in the Bible ultimately led to these men laying the foundation for one of the most dominant societies this world has ever seen.
Government has filled a spot in the American Society that once belonged to the churches. People regularly attended church throughout American history and use the church as a place of instruction, guidance, support, and charity. The government now fills a larger role in American’s lives and at the same time church attendance is diminishing. The government is growing at a rapid pace and the expanded social programs have more influence on Americans than the church. America is a nation of immigrants which most fled from large governments (sometime oppressive) and now the American government is poised to grow larger than ever. The ideas behind the growth of government can have noble intentions, but more often than not results in wasted money and harm to the peoples it intends to help, and is replacing the roles churches once filled as a guiding and supportive structure in peoples lives.
The Exodus of the Israelites is the equivalent to our present day Fourth of July or Bastille Day to the French. Israelite writers discuss the Exodus the most out of any other event in history. The story of the Exodus is one of the most famous stories of the Old Testament. Three of the most significant aspects of the story of Exodus are the call of Moses, the use of plagues as miracles, and the Passover.
The United States is a theocracy. Every citizen is a Christian; therefore, everyone believes in the Bible. In the United States, we do not advocate for civil liberties and/or religious freedom. The right to marry whom you love? That is an abomination!
When humans first evolved, they evolved into a society that did not yet have a government. At first they lived without any rules or laws. This type of society is known as Anarchy. When people began farming and settling down in one place it quickly became difficult to live is a society without any authority. Therefore new types of governments emerged. The initial government was a Royal Theocracy, in which the society is controlled by religion. The highest ranked priests in such a society were able to talk to the gods and hear their demands in order to assure a good harvest. Because people are generally greedy by nature, man soon wanted more. Only talking to the gods was no longer good enough, the rulers wanted to be the gods. These kings were known as God Kings. These sorts of governments came right in the beginning of human civilization and shortly after each others, and therefore have a lot of similarities but also distinctive differences.
In most countries, modern civilization, started out with very strict rules and guidelines, imposed upon them by whatever ruling class conquered a lesser militarily equipped civilization. In order to keep the newly conquered society under control the implementation of the conquering kingdoms religion was enforced by military might. The justification in doing so, would often be that the God or gods of the conquering nation was more powerful than that of the defeated kingdoms. Furthermore, solidifying that the new ruler-ship in place and their religion was in most cases mandated by royal decree. This is a direct example of how religion and government has become so intertwined in developed countries around the world include western civilizations.
Many people state that they do not believe in any kind of god, that the world simply came into existence. However, this belief cannot hold true. Simply by examining nature and all of its intricate details, people stand unable to deny the presence of a Creator. Deep down, people cannot help but to feel that something greater than themselves exists. A Supreme Being- a god, but what kind of god exists? A god similar to Ares, the war-god of the Greeks? One who lusts for blood and destruction? Or a placid god, one parallel to Eirene, the Greek goddess of peace? Fabricated by mankind, these so called “gods” all bear flaws. The Bible, the Word of the Lord, remains the only book on earth that gives an account of the true God and His attributes. Through examination of the Word, readers will come to the realization that a just God exists, that He sends trials to his followers to develop their faith, and that He remains sovereign.
A government was required to lead the people and aid in organizing a city. City governments were far more powerful than the council of elders and local chiefs of farming villages. At first, Priest probably had the greatest. In time, warrior kings came to power as chief political leaders. They soon set themselves up as the chief hereditary ruler and passed their power from father to son. Governments soon became more complex as rulers issued laws, collected taxes, and organizes systems of defense. To enforce order, rulers relied on royal officials. Over time, government bureaucracies evolved. Almost always rulers claimed their power came from god or divine right. These rulers then gained religious power as well.
The role of religion in politics is a topic that has long been argued, and has contributed to the start of wars, schisms (both political and religious), and other forms of inter and intra-state conflict. This topic, as a result of its checkered past, has become quite controversial, with many different viewpoints. One argument, put forth by many people throughout history, is that religion and the government should remain separate to avoid any conflicting interests. This view also typically suggests that there is one, or several, large and organized religions like the Roman Catholic Church, which would be able to use their “divine” authority to sway the politics of a given state by promising or threatening some form of godly approval or disapproval. By leveraging their divine power, individual figures within a religion, as well as the religion as a whole, could gain secular power for themselves, or over others. A second view, which was developed by many theologians through history, suggests that that without religion there would be a general lack of morality in the people and leaders of a given state, which would give way to poor political decisions that would not be in the interest of the people and perhaps even God (or the gods). This argument, however, does not address the fact that morality can exist without religion. In sociology, it is commonly accepted that social norms, which include morality, can result from any number of things. Religion, laws, or the basic desire of survival can all create these norms, so it suffices to say that as a society, our morals reflect our desire to live in relative peace through the creation of laws that serve to help us to survive. The argument of whether or not religion and politics should mix...