KnightWhoSaysNi

In the western world today, the vast majority of modern practicing and non-practicing Christians embrace democratic values and governments. These values are present in documents like the US constitution, the Canadian Charter of Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But this acceptance of political rights and civil liberties was not always the case.

Indeed, as the Old Testament describes, the Israelites lived in a harsh totalitarian theocracy. In the centuries before in Christendom, absolute monarchies were the rule where people accepted 'divine right of kings'. Though uncommon, there are devout Christians today who do in fact reject democracy, such as the Christian Reconstructionist movement.

My question for Christians is, why do you accept democracy? Why would you reject theocracy or divine right of kings? The values of a democracy defer power to the people's consent as opposed to an elite. Why not defer civil authority to a higher power? Let's say a Christian approached you, said that (s)he rejects democracy and states, "Democracy is sinful because it defers power to man rather than God. We should defer authority to a higher power, in this case God's will. We should accept theocratic rule by people who represent God's will." How would you reply to him or her?

yguy

Using the term loosely, it doesn't do that - the populace does. That happens in monarchies and other systems as well.

Agreed.

We can elect people who represent His will without accepting theocratic rule. Christ came to free us from the law, after all. A Christianocracy would be nothing but Phariseeism with a new paint job.

BTW, I'm not a professing Christian, but I'm mistaken for one often enough to answer this, I figure.

Pitshade

Actually, in the New Testament, Paul has something to say about governments.

From those verses, Christians should accept whatever government they're given, for good or for ill. After all, God works in mysterious ways and all.

fatherphil

ot actually frowns upon rulership of kings and perhaps a democracy most closely resembles "every man doing what is right in their own eyes" spoken about before the kingship of saul.

GeoTheo

Actually Korihor,
Christianity as we know it today formed under the Roman empire, which was a primitive form of democracy. I say primitive, because it was not pure democracy due to the fact that only certian people were granted citizenship. Also they oscilated between a Monarchy and democracy.
It is my opinion that Christianity helped form democracy as we know it today. But I'm sure this opinion will be greeted with skepticism here since a cartoon version of extreme fundamentalism is the only Christianity most of the internet infidels like to acknowledge here.
Seperation of Church and state is also a Christian concept. The Church and Israel are very different entities. This is not just my opinion either. Their are no instructions given in the New Testament on how to construct a "Christian Civil government".
Jesus said "My Kingdom is not of this world" that is very different than Israel which was an actual kingdom.
On the Other hand, I don't believe it would be wise for Christians to support mob rule style democracy. That is not what we have here in America or the other countries you mention for that matter.

themistocles

It is an argument that can strongly be made.

I don't think you can trace direct lineage of democracy from Rome to modern Western Civilization, but rather from the Reformation. Calvinists, Presbyters, and their ilk generally strove for the "town hall meeting" form of government. Granted, the concept of seperation of church and state would have been thought as vile to these groups--something we all generally value--I think it's far easier to trace democracy as a modern Western institution through and from Christianity than from Rome.

This isn't to dismiss the influence of Rome on future generations, mind you. But the early democratic principles of Reformation-era Western Civ hardly were influenced by Rome!

Chiron

Well, the Roman Empire was not a democracy: note the name. The Roman Republic, on the other hand, was a democracy, just with a strong caste system.

GeoTheo: "It is my opinion that Christianity helped form democracy as we know it today. But I'm sure this opinion will be greeted with skepticism here since a cartoon version of extreme fundamentalism is the only Christianity most of the internet infidels like to acknowledge here."
and themistocles: "I think it's far easier to trace democracy as a modern Western institution through and from Christianity than from Rome."
Try Solon and ancient Athens instead. He wrote the Athenian Constitution, to which our Constitution is extremely similar. The foundation of US democracy comes from the Enlightenment-era thinkers, who were hugely influenced by people such as Solon. (Solon's Constitution, from a Google search.)

You can even check your dictionary: a solon today is "a wise lawgiver," after the man himself.

-Chiron

themistocles

I don't doubt that more modern, Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment thinkers were influenced by the Ancients.

What I argue is that the direct lineage of democratic principles in western society come from Reformation--and thus, Christian--events. In other words, the actual influence is as strong, and more profound than the intellectual influence (and the Reformation is not a Greek/Roman influence event, obviously). Democratic institutions were created in "modern" Europe through reformed churches and were exported to modern day, USA, and it was from these traditions that democratic institutions exist in America, and western European civilization in general. Ancient influence comes after the fact, I argue.

Also, if one wants to bring in liberty and freedom, I'd say social mobility was more available in the Catholic church than in secular, everyday Medieval world. A serf couldn't become a king, but by entering the clergy, a nobody could become a priest, a bishop, or at least a brother, which all measurably are superior positions in social life than being a serf. For a short time, I don't know if anyone but the Pope was elected.

So, yeah, I'd say that there is major Christian influence on Western Civ democracy.