I know it has been over a week since MLK Jr. Day, but I wanted to share an amazing lesson the kids and I did in remembrance of this Godly man as it pertains to how we are to view government Biblically.
MLK said:
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood...."
This tells so much about MLK- how could he want to sit down and be friends with the ancestors of those who had treated his own ancestors so cruelly? This quote says so much about how he viewed man. He had a very Christian view of man. Do you think he knew that even though many slave owners had made very cruel choices they still had great worth to God as does every person that has ever lived,and that God sent His Son to die on the cross for everyone because of His deep love for us?
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
And did he know that we all have sin?
"For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23
And did he know that God lovingly took great care in forming each unique individual? (Psalm 139)
Yes- I believe Dr. King did know these things and these beliefs were of utmost importance to him. I believe that God had an amazing purpose for him and accomplished many good changes through him. I believe that when we look back and remember this man, we should remember the mighty works of God as He has brought about His will through individuals throughout history in extraordinary ways!
I write all of this because it is important to understand that our Founding Fathers had this Christian view of man also when they created this great nation. These views governed how they would set up our government. To understand this we have to go back and look at some of our founding documents. Here is an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence that gives great insight:
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness- that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men..."
As you can see there are many awesome things here that give evidence as to how our founders viewed government- first of all they saw all individuals as being equals, secondly they understood that our rights are God-given not government granted, and thirdly they knew that God put us here on this Earth and gifted us with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and the purpose of civil government is only to secure these rights. How far away from these important principles of government has America gone? Our Founder's saw these rights as an individual's property- look at the words of John Locke:
"And 'tis not without reason, that he seeks out, and is willing to join in society with others, who are already united, or have a mind to unite, for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties and estates, which I call by the general name, Property."
Here is another quote found in an awesome book every American should own and read called "The Christian History of the Constitution" by Verna Hall:
"It occasioned the great inference, that man is superior to the State, which ought to be fashioned for his use."
"....the idea that the State ought to exist for man; that justice, protection, and the common good, ought to be the aim of government..."
-Richard Frothingham,
"The Rise of the Republic of the United States" 1890
Eminent Domain is our government's ability to take our property with or without our consent to use for their own purpose- this comes from a government that now sees the State as superior to man. This is just one of the many evidences that our government no longer views its purpose in the same way our Founder's did.
Here is another- in May of 2008 a national ID card will be required to travel freely about the country- that's right- no driver's license, no traveling on an airplane, train, or bus without it! Does this sound at all like communism? "Your papers please." Will this card start being required for other rights such as buying food or getting medical treatment in the future? Are our rights being government granted now? How about the Patriot Act that completely takes away any rights including our right to know what we are being charged with and to a trial to determine whether we are guilty or innocent if our government deems us a terrorist. No more innocent until proven guilty- just guilty and nothing you can do about it! Our government is not just looking at Muslims as the terrorists- in Michigan a government sponsored terrorist drill was done at a public high school to prepare the students for a terrorist attack, but in the scenario they set up who were the terrorists? No not Muslims, but homeschoolers!
We give our government more and more control over us every time we give up our freedom in the name of security.
As we study history we can see the horrible consequences of government's run by individuals that did not see all men as being equal with unalienable God-given rights. One needs go no further than Hitler to see this! But if you do go further you can see tyrants all through history that had this pagan view of man and the horrible oppression it brought to the citizens under that rule.
With an understanding of how a government's Christian or pagan view of man decides what type of government will be instituted, we can see a case made against the whole seperation of church and state issue as it is being interpreted in our government presently (by the way- seperation of church and state in not found anywhere in the Constitution as many would have us believe.) We see that one cannot seperate their beliefs from their actions. How man views life will govern the decisions he makes, it will govern what textbook authors write in textbooks, how a teacher teaches, how parents raise their children.
One more thought going back to MLK...
MLK also believed in peaceful protest- he did not believe that you can force people into complying and/or agreeing with you. Consider this quote from Dr. King:
"Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."
This brings another question to mind- should a government force its citizens to give up its guns in the name of peace? Who is taking theirs? Won't they have to use theirs to make the people comply? Isn't the UN doing this right now in other countries? Is this coming in our future as well? How much control should we hand over to the UN? Will the UN resort to oppression and violence in the name of overcoming oppression and violence? In the name of "peace"?
Just some food for thought as we ponder the future of this once great nation... | 
