Engaging with Democracy

We can quite safely imagine that little in the way of Christian morals is going to appear out of the existing democratic systems in most nations. Nonetheless, it may be prudent sometimes for us to engage in the voting process, as a way of fuelling greater visibility for real Christians and not merely the equality and human rights approved churches that masquerade as the servants of God.

 Jesus said, in Matthew 22:21, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.” This appears to have been a tactful way to avoid being ensnared as an insurgent against Roman authority, but it can also be seen as Jesus’ recognition that God’s law and Man’s law will always end conflict eventually, but in the meantime, we should obey the laws of Man where there is no immediate direct conflict with God’s law. 

This can be extended to our present democratic systems. Much as we recognise that most of those in ultimate power will be Godless econocrats and megalomaniacs, there will be those who merely engage in low level civil maintenance and governance, who have nothing to connect them to those unsavoury types of people. In ensuring our resources are appropriately used, and our taxes used for valid purposes, there can be little problem in our engaging in voting to ensure that our local civil servants are the most efficient and effective possible, so as to make our civilisation more pleasant and comfortable. 

Many of these people who stand for election at such low levels on the political power scale are apolitical, and fairly righteous, at least in comparison to those who sit in the national legislatures and cabinets. As long as their polices and attitudes do not directly conflict with our beliefs, it would not be disobeying God’s law to help ensure that those who hold these positions are not opposing us , though we must remember that it was said in John 18:36 that “My kingdom is not of this world”.

On Egotism

We must be prepared to set aside our own personal vendettas, our own pride and our own desires if we are to herald the coming of God’s kingdom. There remains even among Christians a great tendency to believe that, now we know the truth, we are above the vices and fallibility that plague others.

On the contrary, we are merely made more aware of them. This problem exists amongst Christians, inevitably more so away from mainstream churches, where suffocating dogma usually frustrates the most independent of personalities.

When one person puts their own ego above the needs of their faith, they invite scorn from those who do act with humility, and risk creating disarray with their agreements. It is therefore desirable that each party in a conflict of the wills be prepared to heed the instructions of Jesus, and step back to consider the greater need for humility and tolerance for the other party, if not their viewpoint. As we are told at Luke 6:42: “Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.”

We can see across history how such conflicts of the wills have torn apart Christian or purportedly Christian groups, be it the Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox churches, the various protestant movements, even the Mormons have suffered schisms, and the apparent lack of unity has damaged their credibility as religions. We cannot permit this to happen, as it will injure our chances of showing more people what Christianity really means for them.

Paul warned us not to claim we are better than other people. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”Obviously he did not mean nobody could ever be better than anyone else, but he was cautioning us against narcissism and prideful boasting, as after all, we are all sinners, flawed and imperfect. Such an attitude damages the position we hold, even if the position itself is very good, it will not gain acceptance if its advocate is arrogant.

Christians and their environment

The Bible tells us that we are guardians and caretakers of the earth’s environment. As is said in Genesis 1:28: “let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Therefore, every Christian should aim to develop a close connection with the natural surroundings of the landscape, for it is our duty to maintain the natural life of this planet. 

We can see this connection throughout Christian history, in the Israelites who dwelt in the inhospitable desert and trusted God to provide for them. Even later, when they reached the promised land, they would maintain their tribal systems and remain on the land for much of their lives, maintaining homes in the cities for ceremonial purposes. 

In the books of Leviticus and Numbers, they were guided by their religious laws to dispose of waste responsibly, to deal effectively with disease in their livestock and feed them appropriately. An affinity with God’s works of nature has been an important part of Christianity since the earliest days of the bible. Leviticus 11:24 shows us how to deal with unclean and infected meats, displaying an awareness of pathology and the need to maintain a healthy environment for God’s people. 

When the time of the resurrection comes, we will all be able to take part in beatifying our world, without the hindrance of soulless moneylenders and corporations who would spoil it. The countless years of mismanagement will be undone in record time under the gaze of God.

In the meantime, it is the little things we can all do to keep the world from degrading further. Recycling waste, adapting your own power supply, even growing or rearing your own food could help to reduce our dependence on more harmful industrial methods, as well as freeing us from having to pay unscrupulous corporations to keep us well fed. 

We can see that it is our disobedience in the time of genesis that made our work as caretaker very hard indeed. No longer was the work fulfilling and enjoyable, there was much toil and hardship in cultivating the Earth. 

Today, we have some advantage over our ancestors, as modern technology, developed with our wit and intelligence, has lifted some of the burden from us. It is perfectly possible for many of us to spend some of our spare time clearing up rubbish, improving the soil and ensuring the healthy management of tree growth.

Those who live in cities can take days out doing this, benefitting from the enriching environment of the countryside. Especially in these times of high unemployment, one can find stability and some small purpose in glorifying and maintaining the works of God’s creation, and in doing so, improve one’s connection to God’s word.