Moral and Religious People

We are called ultimately to serve the One True God, who is the righteous God, who gives us instruction to follow.  But, there are earthly governments to whom we are called to submit, as well.
1st Peter 2 says:
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

So, as citizens of heaven and citizens of earthly nations, we are called to honor the Lord by honoring governmental authority.  If you were a Christian living under sharia law in which the practice of your faith is illegal, or in China, where authorities routinely suppress religious expression, then you have other considerations and you, as Peter stated in Acts 5, "obey God rather than men."  We can be thankful that we still have freedom of religion in America, although some have chipped away at it. We can be devoted to standing for Christ, even though we may encounter opposition.

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The Bible speaks to authority and our duty to pursue certain principles in Proverbs 21:
1 The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.
3 To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

We are so blessed to live in a nation that was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.  When you consider the worth of an individual, as elaborated on in the Declaration of Independence, and look at the inspiration of the U.S. Constitution, which, even though there is scant mention of God, His hand can be seen throughout it - it is certainly a brilliant document that has stood the test of time.

But, when the religious roots of our nation are challenged, what implication does that have for the future of our Constitution?  John Adams, the second President, is quoted on Wikipedia:

we have no government, armed with power, capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge and licentiousness would break the strongest cords of our Constitution, as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

So, what happens when you have elected leaders that do not practice religion?  Or who practice a religion that is not in the Judeo-Christian tradition?  Just saying...

Christianity Today published a story about the makeup of the incoming Congress.  It states:

Though the overall number of Christians in Congress fell slightly from 91 percent from 2017 to 88 percent in 2019, a vast majority of freshmen—78­ of the 96 newly elected lawmakers—identify as Christian and around half—47—are Protestants, according to the Pew Research Center’s Faith on the Hill report.

There are 22 who identify as "unspecified/other" Protestants in the freshmen class.  One is Josh Hawley, newly-elected senator from Missouri.  He is quoted here:

“In Romans 13, government officials are described as ministers of God,” said Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who assumes Claire McCaskill’s seat, in an interview last year about his faith. “That’s how serious God is about politics.”

That's from the University of Missouri student publication, The Maneater.

Interestingly, only one lawmaker, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, identifies in the "nones" category with respect to religion.

But, read the fine print here:  there are 14 Representatives and 4 Senators who either did not answer or did not know what their religious affiliation was.  There are also now 3 Muslims in the House, and there is 1 Buddhist in each chamber.

Of course, with all this religion, you have to question how much it is being applied.  When you see legislation that is hostile toward people of faith or contradictory to Biblical teaching on the sanctity of life, that indicates that faith may be verbally or even ritually expressed, but the teachings of Scripture are not really taking hold.  That is a concern - if the Constitution is for a "moral and religious people," then if your leaders do not live those standards, how can we expect them to make decisions according to Godly wisdom.  And, can a practicing Muslim, whose religion teaches "sharia law," an anathema to the Constitution, really be able to execute the principles of a document that contains principles that are not consistent to that person's faith?

One Muslim lawmaker was sworn in on a Koran, wore a traditional Palestinian dress, which is OK because that is her heritage. However, she is anti-Israel, and according to The Jerusalem Post, supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, or BDS movement toward Israel.  She accused senators supporting a bill to counter BDS as possessing "dual loyalties."  And, of course, she is most famous so far for calling the President a profane name.  Is this someone that you can trust to uphold our Constitution?

But, keep in mind, the Constitution is not our God, but I believe it was inspired by Biblical principles.  But, ultimately, our allegiance is to a higher authority: so we recognize our call to worship God, but we certainly can show our devotion to upholding the Constitution and to obey the rule of law; except, as the Bible teaches, when man's law conflicts with God's law.

And, now, as before, we can be reminded to pray for our leaders.  Our government is partially shut down, and you're beginning to hear stories of financial hardship.  It seems that both sides have dug in, but we must find a way forward - border security is an important consideration, and we must address it.  Last year, there was a shutdown that was resolved when lawmakers indicated their willingness to put together a reform proposal.  But, action was never implemented.  Our leaders must find the will to protect our nation adequately and appropriately, without trying to score political points.