As we struggle to understand to live out our faith and God’s will in our lives, we know that God does in fact care about all of the issues we will address during our Tough Issues Sermon series. Can anyone who is a believer truly think that God does not care what we think regarding criminal justice and the death penalty? Or euthanasia? Or how homosexuality is looked at and how homosexuals are treated?
Some people though have suggested that these are merely “secular” issues. But while we try to make distinctions between what is sacred and what is secular, God does not. The Bible says, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and those who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). “For God, all issues, all circumstances, and all people are part of God’s domain. Separating the sacred from the secular is a false dichotomy.” (Adam Hamilton, “the Separation of Church and State”).
God cares about government. In fact he is the author of all government. Romans 13:1-2 (NRSV) “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.” (see also Gen 9:6) God created government not in the sense of monarchy or democracy, Republican or Democratic, liberal or conservative but in the sense of order, responsiveness to human need and justice. Though, in the Old Testament Kings were often recognized as divine appointed by God. They were considered God’s chosen regent and clear guidelines were given for them with the understanding that God was the head of government. However, these guidelines were written for God’s covenant people in a unique period of time. “They do not apply today because our modern government is not a direct inheritor of the promises God made to the nation of Israel.” (Probe Ministries “Christian View of Government and Law” by Kerby Anderson).
Many would argue that United States is God’s nation, a Christian nation, founded and designed to be Christian and that our laws should enforce the doctrine of Christianity over all other religions. Our Founding Fathers came to America seeking religious freedom. They had suffered under a church-state government in their homeland. They had watched alliances form between religion and government producing oppression and tyranny on their own shores. “Many colonies, for example, had provisions limiting public office to “Trinitarian Protestants” and other types of laws designed to prop up the religious sentiments of the politically powerful. Some colonies had officially established churches and taxed all citizens to support them, whether they were members or not. Dissenters faced imprisonment, torture and even death. These arrangements led to bitterness and sectarian division” in America (“Is America A Christian Nation?” by Americans United for Separation of Church and State)
Therefore when they wrote the U.S. Constitution they wrote it as a secular document. It does not contain any mention of Christianity or Jesus Christ. In fact the Constitution refers to religion only twice, first in Article six which reads, “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” And secondly in the First Amendment which reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” This is fairly simple; our founding fathers wanted to make sure that no one church or religion would receive the endorsement of the nation. No one religious sect would have power over the others. They wanted to ensure that Congress could not prohibit the free exercise of any religion. And while the Constitution does not use the phrase “separation of church and state” it was clear they understood and wanted the separation of church and state because they believed it would be good for all faiths including Christianity.
This is a good thing. “The experience of countries with established churches seems to indicate that every time the state gets involved in religion, religion ultimately loses. The church loses it voice and its vitality in countries where there is a strong link between the state and a particular church. The state too often uses religion as a tool, and the church loses its nerve in speaking up against the state as was the case with the official state church in South Africa for many decades and also the case with the state churches in Nazi Germany” (Adam Hamilton)
The United Methodist Church supports separation of church and state. Our Social Principles were first adopted in 1972 and have subsequently been revised at successive General Conferences. According to the Book of Discipline, the Social Principles “provide our most recent official summary of state convictions that seek to apply the Christian vision of righteousness to social, economic and political issues.” And they state, “The United Methodist Church has for many years supported the separation of church and state. In some parts of the world this separation has guaranteed the diversity of religious expressions and the freedom to worship God according to each person’s conscience. Separation of church and state means no organic union of the two but it does permit interaction. The state should not use its authority to promote particular religions beliefs (including atheism), nor should it require prayer or worship in the public schools, but it should leave students free to practice their own religious convictions. We believe that the state should not attempt to control the church, nor should the church seek to dominate the state. The rightful and vital separation of church and state, which has served the cause of religious liberty, should not be misconstrued as the abolition of all religion expression for public life.”
Now I could hear a few feathers being ruffled when it said public prayer should not be required in schools. Many have argued that the Supreme Court’s decision prohibiting school sanctioned prayer caused damage to our youth and society, that it has resulted in the country’s moral decline. How easy it is for us to look at the past and claim them as ‘the good ole days’ to forget the problems and the oppression. School prayer in the sixties coexisted with the Jim Crow laws, the official discrimination against women in education and employment, and the discrimination against minorities in political, cultural, educational, and social institutions. Prayer in school did not equal a good, just and righteous society. Prayer in school never brought salvation to anyone, at least not that I have ever heard of. No one ever came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ because of prayer at a High School football game. Honestly, do we want the same people who are having sex with our students and the same government who is giving condoms to high schoolers without parental approval, teaching our kids how and what to pray?!
The moral decline of our youth and our country happened not because of the Supreme Court’s decision but because of the break down of the family unit, because of the breakdown of evangelism in our churches, because of the breakdown of Sunday School and the lack of Sunday School teachers, because parents quit teaching their children about the Bible. It isn’t the government’s job to teach our faith. In Odessa, Texas many are celebrating the teaching of the Bible in school but what they don’t understand is that it is being taught as a historical document of the past, that the teachers who teach it are not required to be Christians. They are desensitizing its faith, they are making it something of history, of the past. There is no one overseeing that what they are teaching is true to Christianity, true our faith beliefs. The Bible is being taught as merely a good story not as truth. In some places under the guise of a Bible class they are being taught that Jesus was merely a good man not divine, not one with God. This isn’t teaching God’s Word, this is another one of Satan’s devices to misconstrue the truth. Satan has been using scripture against God’s will since Jesus’ temptations. Why do we think the government teaching our children the Bible is a good thing, heck, many in our churches complain about what and how Sunday school and youth groups are being taught—but they think it okay for the government to teach it? Come on let’s get real, iIf our children don’t pray in school, if our children don’t believe that God created all of creation and humankind, if our children don’t know what the Bible says, it isn’t the governments fault, its ours!
The separation of church and state does more to protect the church than harm it. It protects our right to believe as we believe and that belief includes service, and obedience to government. 1 Peter 2:13-17 (NIV) “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.”
As Christians we should be involved in government, but we should not let government determine our religion. We should make political decisions based on our Christian beliefs. We are allowed to ask questions about and to know candidate’s religious affiliation and beliefs. This should influence our decision as to who to vote for though it should not be a sole basis of our decision. And we should vote in every election! We should run for political office seeking to restore a common moral code to society. We should pay our taxes. We should honor and respect our government. We should pray for our political and governmental leaders. We should abide by the laws of the land. “We should hold [the] government responsible for the protection for the rights of the people to free and fair elections and to the freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, communications media and the redress of grievances without fear of reprisal; to the right to privacy; and to the guarantee of the right to adequate food, clothing, shelter, education and health care.” But if at any time the law of the land should conflict with God’s law, our allegiance to God and his word takes precedence! We are responsible for acts of government and if we don’t like what the government is doing then its our fault.
When Krushchev was premier of Russia, he delivered a speech to the Supreme Soviet critical of his predecessor, Joseph Stalin. While he was speaking, someone from the audience sent up a note saying, “What were you doing when Stalin committed all these atrocities?” When Krushchev read the note, he shouted, “Who sent up that note?” No one moved. He continued, “I’ll give him one minute to stand up!” Still there was no response. No one moved. “All right,” Krushchev continued, “I’ll tell you what I was doing. I was doing exactly what the writer of this note was doing – exactly nothing! I was afraid to stand up and be counted!”
Where were you when this country began its moral decline? Where were you when your neighbor died not knowing Christ? Where were you when the children in our society became the responsible of our government because no one else would take them in? Where were you when the God and his word lost its prominence in society?
The teaching of God’s Word, God’s truth, our Faith and the Bible are our responsibility not the government’s. We are called to be His light in the world. Government should not be religion but we better be darn sure that religion, that God, is in our government.
Amen and Amen
May 13, 2005
A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Mike Macdonald*
The idea of keeping church and state separate did not come from politicians. It came from Anabaptists (ancestors of the Baptists, Mennonites and Amish) who were being persecuted by the secular authorities because they dissented from the official state religion. Their idea was that all should be equal members of a civil state. There should be freedom of conscience. The government should not favor some believers by subsidizing their churches, nor should it imprison and persecute other groups of believers.
The lesson of history is that when political power and religious power are intermingled, secular power prevails and true religion suffers. At the extreme is modern Iran, where power-hungry fanatics use religion as a means to rule.
The West saw the same thing in medieval times. With the election of the new pope, we have been treated to the history of the papacy. Stories abound of ancient popes who were murderers or who led armies into battle, and of the papacy being auctioned off like a repossessed car. This was because the papacy had become a means to worldly powers and riches.
The separation of church and state does more to protect the church than the state.
It is neither possible nor desirable for people to ignore their faith in forming their political beliefs. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders made no apologies for citing their religious beliefs as justification for their political actions. People who are opposed to abortion and gay marriage on religious grounds have as much right to state their beliefs, and politick for them, as people who are pro-choice and for gay marriage have the right to state their beliefs and politick for them.
The line is crossed when politicians imply or state that all people of genuine faith are on their side. I have no problem when politicians say faith influences their position on capital punishment, abortion or a state lottery. I do have a problem when politicians try to use faith as a club to beat up their opponents.
approach
June 29, 2005
A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*
The U.S. Supreme Court sent dual signals in its June 27 rulings on cases related to the display of the Ten Commandments, but struck a balance on the issue of government promotion of religion, according to a United Methodist official.
“I think that the high court took a reasoned and balanced approach that, in effect, allows the courts to address issues of Ten Commandments displays in courthouses on a case-by-case basis,” said the Rev. Larry Pickens, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. “In instances where religious displays are permissible, according to the court, they must be ‘portrayed neutrally in order to honor the nation’s legal history.’”
A statement from the National Council of Churches applauded the Supreme Court decision “to uphold the separation of church and state and their ruling that, while it is inappropriate for the Ten Commandments to be displayed in courthouses, it is completely appropriate for them to be displayed in state capitols.”
“This decision reflects our belief that the Ten Commandments have played a significant role in history and in shaping the laws and policies that govern us today, and therefore should be allowed to be displayed as a historical document but should not be displayed in a way that promotes one religion over others.
“We live in a religiously pluralistic society and, whereas we hope the Ten Commandments are firmly displayed in the hearts of all Christians, we believe strongly that we should not impose our religious beliefs on others,” the NCC statement said.
In response to the presumption that the removal of organized prayers from public schools in the 1960s spurred the country’s moral decline, opponents are quick to point out that school prayer coexisted with the Jim Crow laws of the South, the official discrimination against women in education and employment, and the discrimination against minorities in political, cultural, and social institutions. UMW – Anti School Prayer Position
Is America A ’Christian Nation’?
Religion, Government And Individual Freedom
Is the United States a "Christian nation"? Some Americans think so. Religious Right activists and right-wing television preachers often claim that the United States was founded to be a Christian nation. Even some politicians agree. If the people who make this assertion are merely saying that most Americans are Christians, they might have a point. But those who argue that America is a Christian nation usually mean something more, insisting that the country should be officially Christian. The very character of our country is at stake in the outcome of this debate.
Religious Right groups and their allies insist that the United States was designed to be officially Christian and that our laws should enforce the doctrines of (their version of) Christianity. Is this viewpoint accurate? Is there anything in the Constitution that gives special treatment or preference to Christianity? Did the founders of our government believe this or intend to create a government that gave special recognition to Christianity?
The answer to all of these questions is no. The U.S. Constitution is a wholly secular document. It contains no mention of Christianity or Jesus Christ. In fact, the Constitution refers to religion only twice in the First Amendment, which bars laws "respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," and in Article VI, which prohibits "religious tests" for public office. Both of these provisions are evidence that the country was not founded as officially Christian.
The Founding Fathers did not create a secular government because they disliked religion. Many were believers themselves. Yet they were well aware of the dangers of church-state union. They had studied and even seen first-hand the difficulties that church-state partnerships spawned in Europe. During the American colonial period, alliances between religion and government produced oppression and tyranny on our own shores.
Many colonies, for example, had provisions limiting public office to "Trinitarian Protestants" and other types of laws designed to prop up the religious sentiments of the politically powerful. Some colonies had officially established churches and taxed all citizens to support them, whether they were members or not. Dissenters faced imprisonment, torture and even death.
These arrangements led to bitterness and sectarian division. Many people began agitating for an end to "religious tests" for public office, tax subsidies for churches and other forms of state endorsement of religion. Those who led this charge were not anti-religion. Indeed, many were members of the clergy and people of deep piety. They argued that true faith did not need or want the support of government.
Maryland representative Luther Martin said that a handful of delegates to the Constitutional Convention argued for formal recognition of Christianity in the Constitution, insisting that such language was necessary in order to "hold out some distinction between the professors of Christianity and downright infidelity or paganism." But that view was not adopted, and the Constitution gave government no authority over religion. Article VI, which allows persons of all religious viewpoints to hold public office, was adopted by a unanimous vote. Through ratification of the First Amendment, observed Jefferson, the American people built a "wall of separation between church and state."
Some pastors who favored church-state union were outraged and delivered sermons asserting that the United States would not be a successful nation because its Constitution did not give special treatment to Christianity. But many others welcomed the new dawn of freedom and praised the Constitution and the First Amendment as true protectors of liberty.
Early national leaders understood that separation of church and state would be good for all faiths including Christianity. Jefferson rejoiced that Virginia had passed his religious freedom law, noting that it would ensure religious freedom for "the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, the infidel of every denomination."
Other early U.S. leaders echoed that view. President George Washington, in a famous 1790 letter to a Jewish congregation in Newport, R.I., celebrated the fact that Jews had full freedom of worship in America. Noted Washington, "All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship."
Today, America’s religious demographics are changing, and diversity has greatly expanded since our nation’s founding. The number of Jews has increased, and more Muslims are living in America than ever before. Other religions now represented in America include Hinduism, Buddhism and a myriad others. In addition, many Americans say they have no religious faith or identify themselves as atheists, agnostics or Humanists. According to some scholars, over 2,000 distinct religious groups and denominations exist in the United States.
Also, even though most Americans identify as Christian, this does not mean they would back official government recognition of the Christian faith. Christian denominations disagree on points of doctrine, church structure and stands on social issues. Many Christians take a moderate or liberal perspective on church-state relations and oppose efforts to impose religion by government action.
Americans should be proud that we live in a democracy that welcomes persons of many faiths and none. Around the globe, millions of people still dwell under oppressive regimes where religion and government are harshly commingled. (Iran and the former Taliban regime of Afghanistan are just two examples.) Many residents of those countries look to the United States as beacon of hope and a model for what their own nations might someday become.
From Americans United for Separation of Church and State
