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”.