Separation of Church and State

Separation of Church and State

10/6/11

As everyone knows this concept has been greatly over exaggerated in the past few decades.  The arguments for this position vary and will probably continue for a long time to come.  The current position of the world is not the focus of what this message is going to be about.  This message will focus on this topic from another angle, actually the reverse side of the topic.  The statement of Separation of Church and State does need to occur, and before you get your feathers in an uproar, please read the message and then draw your conclusions.

First, let us take the State into consideration.  Every year the President addresses the nation in what is called The State of the Union Address.  Does everyone in the Union agree with this address?  Does everyone believe that the direction of the man in charge, at that time, knows exactly what he is doing?  Is guessing and hoping play a part in this address?  Each person in this country have our own opinions concerning this but one thing is clear, the person making the speech believes that what he saying is the truth.  The United States is not the only country to have their President or leader of that country make these types of addresses to their respective lands.  The majority of countries' leaders routinely address their subjects with similar issues, some fewer than others and the subjects differ, but in short these speeches do happen.

What exactly is the State?  It is the country, people, land, cities, farms, stadiums, businesses, etc of a certain area that live, work, and die together.  The overall function of this group is to operate their respective occupations and lives according to the law of the land.  In other words, everything that we humans know about life is our State.  If all of these physical actions are considered our State, then our beliefs, morals, and values must be included in this assessment.

We read every day that somewhere in the world man is destroying himself at an alarming rate.  The beliefs of man are becoming barbaric which allow many obscurities to infiltrate his thinking.  Mankind has no direct direction any longer, no fine line to guide him, no goals that need to be reached, and no limits on his actions that cannot be “controlled” without violating his rights.  This is the society that man has accepted and actually desires to live in every day and as long as man accepts these options to be true, he is sure to fall. 

So, when does this become a problem?  The answer is when the law of the land does not match up with the law of God.

Now let me address the Church side of things for a moment.  What is the state of the church?  We read in history that the church as we know it began around the time shortly after the death and resurrection of Christ.  So, in essence over 2000 years have transpired and the church is still living and breathing today; most would say that this is a good legacy and for the most part I would agree with them.  But when you look into church history you realize that the Church has also been involved in many controversies, disagreements, wars and even murders over the millennia.  The Church has a rich history of doing good things to the civilized world and staving off war after war and uniting countries with peace.  We also read that churches have been influential in decisions of Kings and Queens, both good decisions and bad decisions.  We still see this in action today.  How often do we get caught up in the affairs of the church and not realize exactly what the goals of the church are accomplishing?  Do we even know the history of the church that we attend?  Do we even understand its basic foundation and what that foundation commands us to do?

So, let me pose a question concerning things stated so far.  How much do both of these organizations have in common?  Stop and think for a moment and really ask yourself that question.  How many people in this country are below the poverty level and how many of these people actually like it there.  How many churches beg for their churchgoers for tithes on a routine basis?  How many countries go to war for what seems like minor details?  How many wars has the Church started on people who do not believe according to their standards?  How many governments have ignored the common person with everyday needs?  How many churches have turned away the pregnant teenager?

All of the above questions and thousands more like it occur on a daily basis in society.  Not just American society but in all societies in the world.  Now, do not get me wrong, it is not the responsibility of the church to provide all means for everyone in the world, but where there is a true need and the people actually need the help and are willing to help themselves and to improve their lives, this is where the church has actually become like society.  This is the area where the church has actually integrated itself with society and has donned the proverbial garments of society on themselves so much that you cannot recognize the difference between the two institutions.

Is this what Christ intended His church to be?  If you read history and specifically read ancient history you will understand that this concept was actually present in the beginning of the early church.  Rich aristocrats ran the churches and synagogues and looked down upon the average man.  Monasteries were created to establish professional clergy so that a separation from worldly teaching could be established so that the teachings of God could be taught effectively to all men.  Instead, a professional elitism was created and thus began a process of ignoring the common man's problems.  This tradition has been carried down for centuries and even continues to present itself in today’s church settings. 

We must remember that God only has us to rely on, relay information through, and to restore things to others.  Humans are a quirky little race that gets something into their heads and they run with it like it is running out of style.  Our curiosities abound our actions in a daily adventure that allows us to believe that we are actually doing good things.  And God uses this...looks at self...to communicate to others His message.  The State and Church are both used in these deeds and should be taken seriously when both are placed together.  Why does the Church have to embrace society?  It does not!!  The only thing it has to embrace is the people that are hurting, the people that have made mistakes in their lives and honestly need help, and to bring the mission of The Kingdom to light while doing so.

God loves His church and He loves everything that man has done to help each other in time of need.  The church needs to increase its outreach programs to help these people as much as they can.  Bring in new ideas to teach these people that some conduct is wrong and that even though they have done wrong God still loves them and that there is an alternative way of life.  Do not condemn them for their actions, give them acceptable responsibilities and more importantly teach them to go and to witness to others that might be in the same state.

Our children have been blatantly indoctrinated into these worldly concepts and the church has stood by and watched it happen.  The laws of society have been deliberately written to underscore the church and everything that it stands for; with no objection coming from the church.  Respect for adults and parents have been thrown out the window and labeled as free speech, and the church does not stand up for the moral obligations that the younger people have for the older generations.  The world has mentally overridden all moral thoughts from our children all while the church turns a blind eye, and in some instances has even participated in these activities. The church has allowed the world to religiously proclaim independence from all knowledge and existence of God while it sits and toils with its petty doctrinal hang-ups which take away from the direct command from Christ to preach to the entire world.

So, in light of this message you can clearly see, and the limited number of examples presented, that there are many areas within the church that act just like the State.  We all know that the common and current beliefs of this topic are spiritually driven, but if you want to know the deep dark truth of the matter, spirit IS the key to this issue.  And what a great failure it would be to know that the Church that Jesus established, died for and rose again to proclaim its legitimacy did not step up to the plate and fulfill its Kingdom obligation to mankind.

See the connection yet?  If you do, ask yourself about the separation of church and state. 

It is a must!!!  For the church to separate itself from society and act like a church that Christ would be proud of; a church that stands for the principles of God and competes for what is right and teaches its congregations to unite together in Christ and spread the Kingdom to all, not to a select few but to everyone.  Do this and I guarantee that all churches will flourish beyond their expectations.  Do this and I guarantee that the church will not be hurting for ministers, pastors, and priests.  Do this and I guarantee the world will change.  Do this and I guarantee this separation from State beliefs will establish new thinking and expose the evil that rules the current way of life.

Let us, as the church, voluntarily separate ourselves from the state.  Bring back the moral high ground and let us stand for what is morally correct; stop playing the political game of society and trying to be perfect in everyone else’s thoughts.  Christ paid too high of a price for His church to be silent on these issues and many more like them, Christ paid to high of a price for His church to sit back and punch their ticket to heaven and Christ paid too high of a price to see the innocent be robbed of their promise that is in Him.

DLB