God and Government

By BlogSpotThinker
September 21, 2011

God and government appears reasonably considered to be a critical social issue. The Bible appears to suggest that God is the supreme entity of all reality, the creator of humanity, and therefore, humanity’s and reality’s unchallengeable leader. Government, on the other hand, appears considered by some to claim the role of humanity’s somewhat challengeable leader. Does a line exist bordering God’s role and that of government? If so, where should the line be drawn?

Many of the founders of American government appear suggested to have held both God and the Bible in high regard while recognizing the potential for misdirection of humanity’s respect for both via unfounded claims of endorsement by both. The founders appear reported to have, therefore, weaved certain Biblical principles apparently considered fundamental into societal guideline documents along with prohibitions on government influence of most, if not all, behavior related to religious belief. These prohibitions appear reasonably interpreted to intend to respect the apparently Biblically-suggested individualized relationship between God and humanity.

While these apparently reported goals might be reasonably considered laudable, do they represent God’s design for humanity?

I primarily, humbly and respectfully submit that the following perspective is not intended to represent authoritative knowledge and that, ultimately, questions regarding God are referred, hereby, to God. The concepts expressed herein are presented as personal perspective, subject to, among other fallibilities, error.

As suggested earlier, the Bible appears to suggest that God created humanity and its reality, including His role as humanity’s leader. The Bible appears to further suggest that God made available to humanity the choice of trusting God’s leadership or that of a challenger who promised humanity self-direction beyond God’s leadership and that humanity wrongly chose the challenger. The Bible appears to also suggest that, since then, humanity has continued its quest for prosperity through self-determination. The Bible and history appear to suggest that the outcome has been undesirable, resulting in a complex, highly destructive version of the three apparently Biblically-suggested, simple goals of God’s original design: to enjoy the world of opportunity God had developed, and while doing so, to love God with all one’s heart and to love others as much as oneself.

An apparent limitation of developing life without God appears suggested by the Bible to be apparent damage done to the relationship between God and humanity and, because human discernment appears Biblically-suggested to be an aspect of that relationship, the resulting damage to human discernment. Humanity’s decision-making ability appears to have been diminished by that first decision to declare its independence from God. A step in humanity’s apparent attempts to address that apparent diminished discernment without returning to God appears to be humanity developing the practice of selecting the “best minds among us” to decide our issues as apparently suggested in Deuteronomy 1:9-18 and other Biblical passages. This appears suggested to represent humanity’s first steps toward government.

An important aspect of the apparently Biblically-suggested development of human government appears to be God’s apparent perspective regarding it. 1 Samuel 8 appears to portray God’s chosen nation’s request for human government “like all the nations” (verse 5) rather than God’s leadership. God’s response appears suggested to be to grant them their choice, but beforehand, to also foretell the disaster that human government would bring. Verses 19 and 20 appear to suggest that the people were undeterred by this warning. Their experience and the human government experience prior to and since then appears to be reasonably considered relatively consistent.

In summary, the Bible appears to suggest that God’s design for humanity has and still is individual relationship with and leadership by God. The extent to which God appears Biblically-suggested to endorse government appears reasonably considered to be the extent to which God has allowed humanity to pursue its apparently Biblically-suggested, Adam-Eve-and-serpent-initiated goal of self-direction, while not completely abandoning humanity and even perhaps blessing somewhat humanity’s efforts to incorporate God in its life. The Bible appears, however, to consistently clarify God’s apparent Biblically-suggested reference to human government as not being God’s recommended design.