i really like to have my ideas more developed before i post them. but i thought for the sake of tracking my thoughts over time that i would post some things i'm thinking about right now, and then maybe on this blog i can track some of the progressions in my thought. the issue at hand: the kind of government i want to support, and what a christian's role in that government should be.
some thoughts:
- God and i have had some long, difficult conversations over the years about whether or not pacifism is a good thing, and after these conversations i am thoroughly convinced that i (along with all true followers of Christ) should be entirely non-violent. the big problem this is bringing up for me now is that, because our government only has power by utilizing force or the threat of force, how can i support any form of government? this makes anarchism seem like a good route.
- obviously everyone is not a follower of Christ, and some form of government is needed to keep things in line. the anabaptist view (to which i often tend to agree) says that christians should not be involved in government at all, except that they should obey laws that do not expressly cause one to sin as to keep people from saying things like "oh those christians, always speeding"(see Romans 13). but they should not vote or take any government office. in this view those who are not believers need government because we are in a fallen world, but it is not for christians.
- christians have a command to love our neighbor, namely the poor. what is the best way to do this? economically speaking, i feel the best method to do this is communism (true communism, not a dictatorship disguised as communism as one might see in china). however, christians being involved in a communist government is a far cry from an anarchist or an anabaptist view. but also, the ideal christian communities that are described by anarchists and anabaptists often reflect something like communism, but that is only amongst christians.
- i am increasingly disturbed by the fact that the people that are elected as presidents of america are those that have the funding from large corporations. often they are corporations that have mistreated their workers. these people are clearly more concerned about profit than about who would be a good person to uphold the constitution, which gives workers their rights. this is the kind of thing that is bred in this free market, capitalist system. an average jo that is better at the job of running the executive branch will never be president because it is the corporations that dictate who the candidates are.
- the smaller scale the communities are, the better they seem to be economically. i am not a huge fan of globalism. it takes jobs away from communities that need them. this brings up one thing i can appreciate about libertarians (despite their blatant affirmation of capitalism). they understand that a state government should have much more of a role in its community than the federal government. although, i would say there should be a lot more power for more smaller local governments to say what happens in their communities (ex// county, city, town governments).
a couple of thoughts. nothing cohesive or comprehensive. i am frustrated, but trusting God to reveal His will to me so that i can know how i can live to please Him and love my neighbor.
