Do you think the American government would be better run by Christians?
Question:
Do you think the American government would be better run by Christians? Do you agree with the separation of church and state?
Answer:
Those claiming to be followers of Christ generally hold to a higher moral standard than those who reject Christianity. Since the government is involved in ideas, such as justice between individuals, society benefits when people with strong ethics are involved in government.
The American government was founded upon the idea the people cannot do as they please. In the Declaration of Independence is the statement: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Thus the founders believed that human rights came from God.
Where I would disagree with the founders is the idea that government's power comes from the people governed. The Bible states: "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God" (Romans 13:1). That view affects my view of government. I'm am quite willing to follow a government that stays within its boundaries, but when it treads in areas for which it has no authority, I will choose to follow God and ignore the government. For example, the early apostles were told by the ruling authority to stop preaching about Christ. Their response was, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Government is subservient to God, whether it acknowledges it or not.
If by "separation of church and state" you mean as Jefferson did that government is to keep its nose out of religion, not dictate what should or should not be done in the worship of God, and not create a state religion, then yes I believe that should be the case. But if you mean it as people do today that government should be hostile toward religion, actively seeking to remove all trace of religious influence from itself and those it governs, then no I don't agree because then government becomes an official sponsor of atheism, which is what we currently have today. I see it as a one-way street. Religion ought to influence the government, but the government ought not to influence religion.
