I think the state probably is an endorsed institution, but I'm not married to the idea. Proverbs about honest rulers being a blessing, Old Testament standard that a group not an offended individual needed to agree for capital punishment, Jesus didn't tell the soldiers to abandon their posts, Pauls encouragement to follow laws as it remains possible, etc, imply to me that civil society functions better with an honest government.
However, just like families and churches, it should be obvious that a government that is not encouraging moral society and is not just, should not be tolerated. I'd do what I could to stop an abusive father or pastor and I should do the same for an abusive state entity.
In the US in particular, I've made it one of my goals to encourage my fellow Christians to stop using the phrase "pray for our leaders". We don't have leaders, we have representatives chosen through a constitutional democratic process. This includes the person we choose to represent us in the executive branch.
If we believe that authority is instituted by God, then we should realize that the authority God uniquely instituted for our country 200 years ago is the authority of citizens as "leaders" as expressed through the constitution and constitutional laws. It's the citizens who are failing here and the current bunch who control the monopoly on violence in DC and in our communities are probably a judgment for our apathy as the true leaders of the state.
It's an interesting discussion
btcpilot / Rob
npub1me…xhq8d
2024-09-09 23:04:45
in reply to nevent1q…m35q
Author Public Key
npub1mewnfu53zdzxeuypmzzsel4n0sspgs6vas5q80xq380k245dlz6qmxhq8dPublished at
2024-09-09 23:04:45Event JSON
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