Thursday, October 20, 2005
Of Things Divine: Ordinary Time, 29A
The tension between religion and government has existed for a long time. Just in recent days we have seen this tension lived out in the upheaval of religious activists trying to prevent an election in Iraq and the controversy over the most recent nominee to our Supreme Court.
This tension is something our founding fathers wanted to avoid when they included a clause in the Constitution prohibiting Congress from establishing a state religion. They had no intention of a godless society, but one of laws based on the morality brought by the religiosity of the citizenry. Even Thomas Jefferson wrote that “this experiment of government by the people is relegated to failure without the assistance that God alone can provide.”
When my grandmother became a citizen of the United States in 1956, she was asked one question: Do you renounce all allegiance to all other nations? She gladly said, “Yes.”
The Pharisees sent their followers to try and get Jesus to choose either Rome or the LORD. They couldn’t care less about the tax issue. Unlike us who know Jesus from a post-Resurrection experience, they despised Jesus. They thought he was demonic and under the control of Satan. They plotted and schemed against him because they figured that any influence he had on the people would end with his execution. Little did they realize that the cross to which he was nailed only gave more power to the words he spoke and miracles he worked. But they were blinded by their hatred.
So which was it to be, Jesus? Death by stoning for blasphemy? Or, death at the hands of a Roman executioner?
But Jesus left the decision on the hearts of his inquisitors. Give to Caesar that which is his and to God that which is His.
We are citizens of this world, but we are first and foremost citizens of heaven. This creates a certain tension because we are instructed by Sacred Scripture to put God first but also to show respect and obedience to legitimate government authority because it is an extension of God’s authority to work for peace and order in this world.
We are certainly supposed to give to God that which is His. Praise. Gratitude. Witness. Those are the three things God expects of us.
What about when the demands of government are in conflict with what God teaches?
Some say income taxes are unconstitutional and have formed militias because they are “at war with the federal system.” Now, I don’t like paying taxes any more than the next person, but they are legitimate, and it is apostolic teaching to pay the taxes requested of us, even if we think they are too high or distributed unfairly.
But when government imposes laws that are truly contrary to divine revelation, it is every Christian’s duty to stand up and give witness to the Truth, to be counted as a citizen of heaven. Issues like abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide come immediately to mind.
When asked to help defend the nation, we are called to respond. Even if we conscientiously object to war, we are called to contribute to the effort through other kinds of service to the nation. There is no conflict there. But when we are asked to support something that is morally reprehensible, we are challenged and there is tension between religion and patriotism.
There are always going to be differences of opinion, but we have to remember that opinion is not Truth. If there are two opposing opinions and one is correct, then the other is wrong. It is the responsibility of a Christian to bring Christ to the world to enlighten the world, to change the world, and we must never forget that.
We can praise God in private without upsetting the social structure. We can give thanks to God through tithes and service without challenging the world. But when it comes to bearing witness to the Truth a Christian must always anticipate arguments, trickery and lies from those who cling to self-love and political correctness.
Last year, when I was on a panel of religious leaders discussing Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ for the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, a comment was made by one rabbi that “Jews seeks peace even above the truth.” Before I could respond a reporter asked another question of a different minister otherwise I would have quoted Jesus and said, “[Jesus] came not to establish peace but division, to set father against son, mother against daughter, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law....” That is exactly what the Truth does. It separates right from wrong, deception from truth, conscience from the unconscionable.
Jesus has left the decision to us. Do we choose God or do we choose nation? I think we can do both, but we must be careful not to fall into the error of thinking that patriotism bears the same weight as discipleship in the kingdom of God.
At the judgment, no one will be asked if you were a good American. Everyone will be asked if you were a good disciple.
Yep the choice is ours.
This tension is something our founding fathers wanted to avoid when they included a clause in the Constitution prohibiting Congress from establishing a state religion. They had no intention of a godless society, but one of laws based on the morality brought by the religiosity of the citizenry. Even Thomas Jefferson wrote that “this experiment of government by the people is relegated to failure without the assistance that God alone can provide.”
When my grandmother became a citizen of the United States in 1956, she was asked one question: Do you renounce all allegiance to all other nations? She gladly said, “Yes.”
The Pharisees sent their followers to try and get Jesus to choose either Rome or the LORD. They couldn’t care less about the tax issue. Unlike us who know Jesus from a post-Resurrection experience, they despised Jesus. They thought he was demonic and under the control of Satan. They plotted and schemed against him because they figured that any influence he had on the people would end with his execution. Little did they realize that the cross to which he was nailed only gave more power to the words he spoke and miracles he worked. But they were blinded by their hatred.
So which was it to be, Jesus? Death by stoning for blasphemy? Or, death at the hands of a Roman executioner?
But Jesus left the decision on the hearts of his inquisitors. Give to Caesar that which is his and to God that which is His.
We are citizens of this world, but we are first and foremost citizens of heaven. This creates a certain tension because we are instructed by Sacred Scripture to put God first but also to show respect and obedience to legitimate government authority because it is an extension of God’s authority to work for peace and order in this world.
We are certainly supposed to give to God that which is His. Praise. Gratitude. Witness. Those are the three things God expects of us.
What about when the demands of government are in conflict with what God teaches?
Some say income taxes are unconstitutional and have formed militias because they are “at war with the federal system.” Now, I don’t like paying taxes any more than the next person, but they are legitimate, and it is apostolic teaching to pay the taxes requested of us, even if we think they are too high or distributed unfairly.
But when government imposes laws that are truly contrary to divine revelation, it is every Christian’s duty to stand up and give witness to the Truth, to be counted as a citizen of heaven. Issues like abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide come immediately to mind.
When asked to help defend the nation, we are called to respond. Even if we conscientiously object to war, we are called to contribute to the effort through other kinds of service to the nation. There is no conflict there. But when we are asked to support something that is morally reprehensible, we are challenged and there is tension between religion and patriotism.
There are always going to be differences of opinion, but we have to remember that opinion is not Truth. If there are two opposing opinions and one is correct, then the other is wrong. It is the responsibility of a Christian to bring Christ to the world to enlighten the world, to change the world, and we must never forget that.
We can praise God in private without upsetting the social structure. We can give thanks to God through tithes and service without challenging the world. But when it comes to bearing witness to the Truth a Christian must always anticipate arguments, trickery and lies from those who cling to self-love and political correctness.
Last year, when I was on a panel of religious leaders discussing Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ for the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, a comment was made by one rabbi that “Jews seeks peace even above the truth.” Before I could respond a reporter asked another question of a different minister otherwise I would have quoted Jesus and said, “[Jesus] came not to establish peace but division, to set father against son, mother against daughter, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law....” That is exactly what the Truth does. It separates right from wrong, deception from truth, conscience from the unconscionable.
Jesus has left the decision to us. Do we choose God or do we choose nation? I think we can do both, but we must be careful not to fall into the error of thinking that patriotism bears the same weight as discipleship in the kingdom of God.
At the judgment, no one will be asked if you were a good American. Everyone will be asked if you were a good disciple.
Yep the choice is ours.
