Freedom, Religion, Moral Values And Politics

Governments have been ordained of God and man has biblical instruction to be subject to them. So long as the laws and rules do not conflict with the commands of God. There is no record of any formal government prior to the universal flood and the people had received their instructions which were issued by God to the early patriarchs who were charged to pass those instructions to their progeny. As everyone knows, however, man chose not to follow those rules and commands of God and eventually all were destroyed except Noah, his wife and three sons with their wives. But even when they were subject to no authority except that of their creator, they were left to be free moral agents, to obey or not to obey so long as they understood the consequences.

After the re-population of the earth and nations were formed, most had monarchial governments and were subject to the whims of that ruler. Many of those monarchs were perfectly happy to have their subjects worship idols of just about anything they desired except for those who wanted the people to worship them. Mankind has historically wanted to worship something and for the most part, they willingly worshipped those Kings who ordered them to. But there is a vast difference in earthly rulers forcing their people to worship him or any other type of worship, than with that of God who created all mankind as well as the universe that sustains us. He has the right to ask for our reverence toward Him, simply from the fact that He is omnipotent. He created us. We belong to Him. Men who rule are simply those appointed or the ones who had backers enough to put him into power.

God issued strict rules of behavior, morality and ethics for His people who, when they obeyed, were noble and worthy people, while those who chose to ignore those rules were evil and undesirable to society. History has proven time and time again that a nation whose people are honest and of high morals, survive and do well when compared to those whose moral values and care for others were low to non-existent. Empires have fallen when their peoples became Godless and uncaring.

Freedom to worship as one wills is a God granted right and man should never interfere physically with that right. However, true freedom of religion has seldom prevailed throughout history. Even the ancient Israelite nation which was ruled by God for some years and then by judges whom He raised up to guide them and prophets to do likewise were only free to worship for a few centuries. When they insisted upon having a king over them and God allowed it, they only had three kings which kept them on the proper path of true worship. When the kingdom split after Solomon's rule, the northern kingdom never again had a good king while the southern kingdom had only two or three. Their idolatrous conduct caused God to send captors to enslave them, and eventually eradicated the nation completely.

Since the birth of Christianity, made up of those who follow Jesus Christ, freedom of religion has been almost unheard of until the settling of America. It was God's intent that man should be free to worship as He pleased while he lived here on earth, albeit He desires that all should submit to His commands, He forces no one. This nation was founded upon those principles, that man should be allowed to worship God or not worship Him, unmolested.

When governments begin to make their own laws based upon evil men's ideas and greed, freedom ceases. Religion should be unrestrained by government except in the most obvious breaches of rights of others. Some whose consciences bother them when they hear religious truths, argue that they should have freedom "from" religion. That is a stupid remark. If we are to live in freedom for all men, we cannot help but be exposed to things of which we disagree. I have one religious belief and that is the teachings of the New Testament. I have to listen virtually all the time to things I believe are religiously wrong. So?? I am exceedingly thankful that those who disagree with me have the personal right to do so.

We now have an administration which believes those of their philosophical ideas are the only ones who should be allowed to make disparaging remarks about all others. Never, in the history of this nation did a political party use more and harsher depreciatory language toward a sitting president than did the Democratic party towards George Bush. Now they whine and plan to put a stop to all criticism coming their way. 

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