When Government Goes Against God, Do What Is Right
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Jesus said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”’ (Luke 20:25)
Ayn Rand is a 20th Century writer best known as the author of Atlas Shrugged, a book written in 1957 that surprisingly foretold the future of the US being burdened by excessive bureaucracy and over-regulation. Ms. Rand was also the founder of the philosophy of Objectivism, which can be very roughly (and probably inaccurately) defined as a stoic, emotionless look at the realities of life.
It can be construed as a libertarian view on values, or as I like to tell my wife when things occur, “It is what it is” or “embrace the suck”, as the reality of your situation will not change whether you react emotionally or not. To change your reality requires (for the Christian) prayerful thinking and evaluation of the circumstances, followed by moral actions to change, adapt, or accept the current state of affairs.
Unfortunately, Ms. Rand embraced atheism and thus was not a believer in Christ. However, most of her quotes about the future of the US and the world (she died in 1982) seem to have become amazingly accurate. Here are three quotes that have been brought to mind due to recent events:
“We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission… …If, before undertaking some action, you must obtain the permission of society—you are not free, whether such permission is granted to you or not. Only a slave acts on permission. A permission is not a right. “
“When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal not in goods, but in favors; when you see that men get rich more easily by graft than by work, and your laws no longer protect you against them, but protect them against you … you may know that your society is doomed.”
“There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws… …The hallmark of authoritarian systems is the creation of innumerable, indecipherable laws. Such systems make everyone an un-indicted felon and allow for the exercise of arbitrary government power via selective prosecution.”
I have mentioned in previous Word-of-the-Day posts my belief that the US Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the US Bill of Rights were all divinely-inspired instruments to provide, as many founding fathers quoted, an experiment in democracy or for the people not to be subservient to a king.
It is citizens equal in having both opportunities and to have a say, regardless of an individual’s socio-economic background or placement. There would never be equal results but the playing field was to be level and it was up to the individual to achieve the goals they (not others) set.
Unfortunately, since the founding of the US, there were always disagreements between people that restricted freedoms, beyond the ‘your freedoms stop where my freedoms begin’. It started with slavery, then into the Civil War and the ‘North vs. South’, the indentured work of the Irish and the Chinese, the coal miners vs. the corporations, unions vs. corporations, and up to today’s conditions of political correctness, and thought-policing.
At first, our political philosophy (for the most part) steered clear of these disagreements, ‘I’ll defend your right to say and do what you believe, although I disagree with what you’re saying and doing’. But with each generation, more of the ‘I’m right and you’re wrong, so we’ll make you do my idea of right’ crept into our politics and into our laws.
Freedom of speech (1st Amendment) is now hindered by hate speech laws (use of an incorrect pronoun like he or she, or preaching the Lord’s word publicly, as is the case in certain California cities) and official censorship (preachers can’t speak against certain political activities); Freedom of privacy, self-incrimination, and trial decisions (4th and 5th Amendments) have been stripped through Red Flag laws, official surveillance, bureaucratic fiat, and local code enforcement.
Decisions on whether to bake a cake, or whether to perform a gay marriage, is no longer up to the free will of the individual but up to a bureaucrat, with little or no recourse. Need a new hot water heater or HVAC? You need to ask permission (pay money and get a permit) to replace it. Need to cut down a tree? You need to ask permission. In some areas, you can’t park your non-commercial truck in your own driveway.
What did Jesus say and do about a heavy-regulated or tyrannical government? Although in the context of tax payment, Luke 20:25 can be used for all government edicts. Jesus is telling his Disciples as long as the laws of man do not hinder the laws of God, obey them.
Is it appropriate to pay taxes? You should pay your taxes – property, school, car registration, local/state sales, FICA (Social Security), and Federal Income (no Florida state, county, or city income taxes – yet -!). They do provide services that you do use on a daily basis; street pavement, police/fire, trash pickup, parks, etc. all the way to the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System, NASA, the US military, etc. Your taxes combined with others are used for these to better the communities at large.
You should also obey those laws that are legal, moral and ethical using the standards of God as set by Biblical principles. If you are speeding and get caught, Jesus did not give you the ‘gift of lead-foot’. Most laws are moral, ethical, and legal under God’s standards; even if they are restrictive or disagreeable, obedience does not go against God, thus it should be obeyed.
Jesus acquiesced to His mother Mary to turn water into wine at a wedding ceremony (John 2:1-10) although He was not pleased by her request, because it was not against God’s will to do so (and there were no moonshine laws on the books in the Roman Code, either).
Did Jesus obey ALL of man’s laws? When they went against God’s moral standards, no. In Matthew 12:1-14 we see Jesus and His Disciples picking grain from the stalks in the field and eating them, a violation of the Jewish laws on working during the Sabbath. It wasn’t the eating part but the picking part that was against the law.
Jesus pointed out that David did not go against God when he requested and ate the consecrated bread given to him at the synagogue; man’s law came from the Exodus when God did not send down manna on the Sabbath, so man could not pick manna on the Sabbath.
But God did provide the food to be eaten on the Sabbath the day prior by sending down a double portion that the Hebrews could pick up. In the case of the grain picking and of David’s eating of the bread, both were done as they were hungry, and God provided the food. God allowed the Disciples to pick the grain, and He allowed David to eat the bread, even though the ‘common’ law of man did not allow this. God’s laws supersede man’s laws.
Was it wrong for Rosa Parks to sit in the front of the bus, or for Dr. Martin Luther King to lead peaceful protests against discrimination? Was it right for the Church in Germany to be quiet and do nothing during the Holocaust? Will it be right if a pastor acquiesces to a law demanding all churches perform gay wedding ceremonies?
The correct answer to all these is a resounding NO. When there is a law of man that is unjust, immoral or unethical, the Christian has the duty and the right to go against that law. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel are a perfect illustration, “We only bow to Jehovah, we ain’t bowing to your idol, Neb.”
Dr. King and Ms. Parks knew there would be repercussions, up to arrest and even death, but they stood on their principles. Our founding fathers saw that King George III was tyrannical and unjust toward the Thirteen Colonies, and broke English law by rebelling.
Most of those who signed the Declaration of Independence paid a heavy price, some with their fortunes confiscated, wives and daughters kidnapped and raped, sons killed, and in some cases their own capture and death. But those who survived, everyone thought it still was the correct and proper action to take.
There may come a time when we are faced with that dilemma. It may be to go to a church service one day, or protest and stand alongside the pastor against forced gay marriage proceedings. It may be personal choice, deciding to say no to an unjust or unwarranted law. As my dad would say, “I don’t care if Mama don’t allow, I’m gonna do it anyhow.” (I myself occasionally use that philosophy to buy tools and other things, just don’t tell my wife.)
Pray to the Lord for strength, common sense, and for Him to guide you to the proper decision and course of action. It may lead you into the path of physical freedom, or physical death; but know if it is in following and obeying God, you will be OK.
