THE BIBLICAL MORAL FOUNDATION OF DEMOCRACY

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by Bill Nugent
Article #40


In a recent motion picture drama a Catholic priest spoke to a prospective seminarian and said “There are two things I’m sure about; number one: There is a God; number two: I’m not Him!”

The above statement reflects the humility by which Christians approach life. It is God, not man who has ultimate authority to determine what is right and wrong. God alone gives us the moral absolutes.

I heard on the radio recently that a professor said that Christians who believe in absolute truth are anti-democratic. To call Christians anti-democratic is to totally misunderstand the role of the moral absolute as the foundation of democracy. Bible based morality, serving as the moral absolute, is the starting point for the enactment of sensible laws. Democratic America was founded by Christian people!

Totalitarianism is secular. Communism and fascism are secular ideologies that are anti-democratic and have enslaved and murdered millions. I hasten to point out that not all secular people believe in secular ideologies like communism.

The Bible commands us Christians to love our neighbors as ourselves and to do good to those who persecute us. The Bible does not command Christians to spread the faith by force. Any so-called Christian who forces his or her faith on others (like during the Crusades) does so contrary to the plain teaching of the Bible!

The Koran in Sura 9:5 and other passages commands the spread of Islam by the sword. (Not all Muslims are obedient to these passages!) A Muslim who spreads his faith by violence does so consistent with the teachings of the Koran. Similarly, a communist who spreads communism by means of violence does so consistent with the writings of Lenin.

Personal freedom is taught in the Bible in Romans 14:4-6, Galatians 5:1 and in other passages. The eighth commandment,“Thou shalt not steal” gives us the moral absolute called property rights. The Christian pilgrims who arrived in Plymouth Massachusetts in 1620 held an election before they even disembarked from the Mayflower! Thomas Hooker (1586-1647), founder of Hartford Connecticut, preached political democracy relying heavily on Bible passages.

The humility, responsibility, social order and freedom that is taught in the Bible is the very basis of democracy. Democracy flourishes in any society that respects God’s moral absolutes.

 



(C) 2016 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish for Christian outreach.

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