capturing wind

Government & Morality

Preface
I’m just going to guess that every blog that I write between now and the election will be highly controversial, but I’m not trying to be divisive in anyway. I’m writing these political blogs because it is extremely important for us as Christians to be completely honest and transparent when it comes to our convictions and beliefs. Only through honesty can we engage in civil discussions on how we as the body of Christ can make the world a better place. I’m very open to discussion and I hope you will join me as I wrestle though the big issues of government and faith.

Part I: The Ten Commandments and a Christian Nation?
(And this has nothing to do with courthouse buildings.) People say that we are a Christian nation founded on Christian principals, but what does that really mean? I don’t really know the answer to that, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that some people think that the moral code of America derives its roots from principals found in the Bible. So I suppose a good starting point would be the Ten Commandments. Let’s look at each commandment and how it plays out in our society.

No other Gods besides our God.
This is really the opposite of America because we believe in religious freedom. Everyone has a choice to worship any God they want and they receive the same rights as everyone else.

Don’t have any idols.
Well unfortunately consumerism and our self centered society encourage us to have all kinds of idols… even “American Idols”.

Don’t misuse the name of God.
Well aside from people’s foul language, we put His name on our money which is used for all kinds of evil. I wouldn’t want my name on anyone’s blood money.

Remember the Sabbath.
Sadly even most Christians, including myself, do not make this a priority. America is about work and profit and getting ahead in the world. We definitely don’t honor God with our time.

Honor your parents.
The Cosby show was probably the last show to really send this message.

Do not murder.
This is an interesting one. Everyone in the entire world agrees that murder is wrong… unless of course you’re dressed for the occasion. We say it’s wrong to take a life, but if it’s in the nation’s “best interest” then we will do whatever it takes. I’ll be writing more about this when I address the issue of war in another post.

Do not commit adultery.
This one is looked down upon… yet look at the divorce rate.

Do not steal.
We may actually agree on this one depending on how you view taxes… haha.

Do not lie.
I think I already mentioned that we’re talking about politics. Everyone is encouraged to lie in America if it serves in the best interest of others.

Do not covet.
I believe that one of the understated goals of the United States government is to stay on top of everyone else. They have missiles? We better have more.

Part II: Who gets to be the judge?
So I think it’s safe to say that the ideals of America are not as “Christian” as we’d like to think. Here’s something interesting: A lot of people seem to believe that people who are gay are not entitled to the same rights as everyone else, because they live in sin. Well if that argument is true then we have some bigger problems. If you believe that the Ten Commandments are true then it’s probably safe to assume that breaking any one of them is a sin. So under this belief anyone who believes in another God is sinning. (And I believe this of course.) So in supporting religious freedom we are actually supporting a violation of the first commandment. Religious freedom is a fundamental conflict with the Ten Commandments. So for some Christians you can maintain certain rights as long as you follow some of the rules. Now of course I believe in the Ten Commandments and also support freedom of religion at the same time, but I’ll explain how this works later on.

But first, what does this mean?

Let me first say that there are many grey areas here, and I can’t really address everything. Basically I don’t think that we can truly call ourselves a Christian nation. Even if we were at one time, we certainly are not anymore. I also think that morality cannot and should not be dictated by the government. The truth of the matter is that people will act on their own morals despite any law given by the government. If the government asks you to do something which is immoral you won’t do it. In the same way, if the government allows something that’s immoral to be ok you’re still not going to do it. For example: If the government made all drugs legal you probably wouldn’t do drugs if you had a moral objection. Or if the government said that reading the Bible was now against the law, you would probably do it anyway. The point I’m trying to make is that people will act on their own beliefs despite any effort by the government to control them. If you want to do something you will do it. Ultimately God will be the judge of those who do wrong. Our place is not to condemn evil doers, but to offer grace and forgiveness. God is a God of justice, and I believe that everything that is wrong in the world will one day be made right by Him and Him alone.

Part III: Freedom
The great thing about God is that he tells us the truth. He shows us what is right and what is wrong, yet at the same time he doesn’t force anyone to believe it. The Bible says that we are all created in the image of God. The reason that we all agree that murder is bad is because God thinks that murder is bad. The heart of God has been imprinted on the consciousness of humanity. The problem for a lot of people is that without the Holy Spirit they have trouble discerning it and acting on it. So there are things that we can all agree on, and there are things that we will have to disagree on for now. But basically, if are supposed to be like God then we should not force our beliefs on others through the medium of the government. Instead we should allow people to have freedom; the freedom that God gives everyone to choose life or death with their every decision. There are of course problems with this, and these are still issues that I’m wrestling with. A lot of my ideas are still a bit underdeveloped… like what this practically looks like and how it applies to some specific issues. For example: Is murder a moral issue or something more? Murder should be illegal, but on what grounds? Because morality cannot entirely be separated from government I hope to share my thoughts on some specific issues in more detail in the weeks to come.

Part IV: The Election
All of these things play out in different ways as it relates to endorsing a candidate. I’ll be posting more specifically on candidates later on, but I recently decided that my vote is going to Barak Obama. The first reason that I support him is that he isn’t trying to enforce “Christian” morality on the people of America. At the same time, he is a Christian and will probably face moral conflicts on a daily basis. His faith in God will always influence his decisions, but he will also keep in mind the freedom of Americans. The last thing that we want is for a “religion” to run this country. Blaise Pascal once said, “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.” Remember the crusades? There are many dangers when we mix politics with people’s interpretation of Biblical morality and principals. Ultimately I find myself resonating with the words of Derek Webb when he said, “My first allegiance is not to a flag, a country or a man. My first allegiance is not to democracy or blood. It’s to a King and a Kingdom!” He also said, “We’ve never had a savior on capitol hill.” Ultimately we have to live out Christ’s teachings no matter what happens in the government. At the same time, I cannot stress enough the importance of voting and getting involved in the political arena. Read up on the candidates and vote based on your convictions and beliefs.

Possible Upcoming Topics
War, Gay Rights, Abortion, Energy, and more…

Links
Barak Obama
Matthew 25 Network
The Debates

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