Friday, July 10, 2009
Founding Principles
This morning I listened to a Focus on the Family show on the radio while doing a couple of errands before work. They were saying a lot of things that seemed to me to be on the right track. One comment was made that I have heard a number of times and have often wondered about. They said our country, and specifically the Constitution, was based on "Biblical Principles." I've never quite understood exactly what this means. What principles and what parts of our country's government are they referring to? I can see how a Marxist government would be based on non-Christian and even anti-religious principles, but other than that I don't see how our country is any more "Biblical" than any number of other countries. In fact, I think a case could be made that the actual principles underlying our founding are in many respects less "Biblical" than a host of other countries. Any thoughts?
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7 comments:
[No response in 7 hours] I didn't think so.
Would you name any members of the host that are more biblical than the u.S.?
Also these others may have aspects of the bible in there formation or principles but not the entire biblical worldview as a template.
What about Malta? Pro-life; pro-marriage. (I.e., dignity of the person and the dignity of a two in one flesh communion of male and female.) No divorce there, only separation and annulment, per wikipedia. One these issues, their ideals square with our founding, but unlike us they've managed to keep those ideals actualized in the law.
Northron:
France, Spain, Germany... Europe was based on the faith. It has often been repeated, that "the Church is Europe and Europe is the Church." That is why there is such an attack on western civilization--its art, its culture, its politics, its literature, even its food is permeated by the faith.
And what are some of the principles? That man has a fundamental dignity because he was made in the image of God, the king is the servant of God and subject to God.....
"That man has a fundamental dignity because he was made in the image of God"
That is one of the principles the bible communicates to us but there are many more.
"the king is the servant of God and subject to God....."
I agree the king is. However, the king model was not what GOD wanted for his people and remonstrated but they insisted.
Lots of things are communicated to us about the hierarchy of human roles and God. These are not always the ideal form of government if one takes the bible as a whole and uses it to establish a government.Bits and pieces may be emphasized to the detriment of other more overriding principles.
The founders of our government understood the truth about men as demonstrated time and again through biblical narratives and history. Men should not be given power as kings (absolute monarchs)due to the fallen and sinful nature of man and his lust to become like God and acquire power to rule over others. This is one overriding principle or first principles of just government.
Northron:
The problem was not that God's people wanted a king. The problem was that they did not want his rule; they wanted a rule by man. Had they asked for a republic it would have been no different.
As for limited government, that was not invented in the enlightenment or with the founding of this country. Don't think that all monarchs were absolute monarchs; the absolute monarch was the exception, not the rule.
So that's it? When people say this country was founded on biblical principles, all they mean is limited government? If that's the case then there aren't many countries that aren't "founded on biblical principles". There must be something more.
There is a lot more.
"The problem was not that God's people wanted a king. The problem was that they did not want his rule; they wanted a rule by man. Had they asked for a republic it would have been no different."
I was taking a narrow few of king to mean a human king. I guess you could say GOD wanted to be king or He wanted the law he was giving them to be king.(Lex Rex never read it but want to)
"As for limited government, that was not invented in the enlightenment or with the founding of this country."
I agree
"Don't think that all monarchs were absolute monarchs; the absolute monarch was the exception, not the rule."
I won't and didn't. While he may not have been the rule, he was the ruler.
'So that's it? When people say this country was founded on biblical principles, all they mean is limited government? If that's the case then there aren't many countries that aren't "founded on biblical principles". There must be something more."'
No that isn't it. No they don't only mean limited government. All government is limited in some aspect.
These are not very good methods for discovering the truth about biblical principles and how they affected the founding of the united States.
This comes round to the point I have continued to ask the blog. On what should we base our laws and customs? If there is no basis, then we are wasting our time. Did the founders believe there was no basis? It must be traced back to an absolute that is above all men and intends all men to submit. The founders understood this. See the founding documents, they speak of such a person(s). How did they know what this person wanted? There must be explicit words, labels, signs, communication to us that we can hold and study to understand these laws or rules. Otherwise, what are these founders talking about. There own personal false gods.
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