Back to the Basics: Democracy Government

I think we need to go BACK into the BASIC concept of "government". The concept of Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning "vote") is the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right.

anarchy - rule by no one
democracy - rule by majority
republic - rule by law
oligarchy - rule by minority
autocracy - rule by one

The United States is both democracy and republic. We vote for our elected officials while our elected officials create laws that we are to follow. Federal republics are federal states in which the administrative divisions (states or provinces) theoretically retain a degree of autonomy which is constitutionally protected, and cannot be revoked unilaterally by the national government. No universally accepted definition of 'democracy' exists because in every country, their definition of democracy is different.

The federal government of the United States is the United States governmental body that carries out the roles assigned to the federation of 50 individual states established by the Constitution. Before the U.S. Constitution was written, each American state was essentially sovereign. Today, the state governments have the greatest influence over most Americans' daily lives. Each state has its own written constitution, government, and code of laws and they all are not the same. Federalism is a government system in which the power to govern is shared between the national & state governments, creating what is often called a federation. Federalism basically means power is shared between the national and state (local) governments.

The Constitution: defines and limits the power of the national government, defines the relationship between the national government and individual state governments, and guarantees the rights of the citizens of the United States.

Church and State: The First Amendment simply states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The government was to accommodate the religious communities; religion and religious expression were to be encouraged. Now, what I need to do is look at the whole picture of what is the world is seeing US from their perspective. Unlike some other Western countries, the United States politics remains an overwhelmingly Christian, more than Canada and United Kingdom. However, America is not a 'Christian Nation' as theocracy. There is a huge difference between democracy and theocracy.

The U.S. Constitution do not mention of Christianity or Jesus Christ. In fact, the Constitution refers to religion only twice in the First Amendment. Many founders were believers themselves and they were well aware of the dangers of church-state union. Our nation's governing document ensures religious freedom for everyone.

For years, Christians have argued that the Founders were devout Christians who meant to create a Christian republic. If you notice, the Constitution makes no direct reference to God. The First Amendment was designed to prohibit the federal establishment of a national Church or the official preference of a particular Christian sect over all others. Our founders understood that separation of church and state would be good for all faiths including Christianity. President George Washington, in a famous 1790 letter to a Jewish congregation in Newport, R.I., celebrated the fact that Jews had full freedom of worship in America. Noted Washington, "All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship." Personal religious views are just that: personal. Our government has no right to promulgate religion or to interfere with private beliefs.

If you remember history, The Puritans set expamples of democratic principles before America was born. The Puritan devotion to democratic principles had an important effect on American life. The Puritans were interested in establishing a degree of separation of church and state because they had been persecuted by the English government and wanted to ensure their own freedom of religion in Massachusetts Bay. The Puritan devotion to democratic principles had an important effect on American life. Puritans have established democratic government system before "America" was born.

I am a Christian and I am sad to see other "right wing" Christians ignoring history, law, and fairness. We should all take a long hard look at what things we consider to be important from God's perspective rather than man's perspective. Extremists will ignore God desires and break God's spiritual harmony. If you look back that Jesus rebuked religious leaders who had extreme doctrines that intimindated others who don't follow their rules. True Christians knows that not everyone is willing to be a Christian. I can't be like a Pharisee to make sure they don't break God's "rules". I can't force against their will to believe what I believe.

Being a Christian is being a person whose primary form of witness is by their spiritual life, but they do not hide the fact that they are Christians and that they show their spiritual light through deeds first and then words. In our Christian fellowship (not individual), we must recognize that the Holy Spirit desires to take us and lead us, and use us as instruments through which He can express Himself in the community. I have learned that democracy does not give me any real power at all because in God's providence, He allowed democracy to basically swamps each of us Christians among non-believers. I like this quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ." Remember the story about the rich ruler? Jesus looked after the rich young ruler as he walked away, but Jesus did not follow him or attempt to coerce him. Jesus wants people make their own moral choices; and Christ knew this and permitted rich ruler to go his own chosen way. Jesus is saying that He cannot do our repenting for us. In the New Testament, there were many verses that talked about Christians being scattered all over the world. Why? Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations." I am having a major problem with people today using God for their own interests into man-made political issues. Jesus said "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence" (John 18:36). Christ have not given us a political agenda, but a spiritual mandate to proclaim the Gospel and disciple the nations (Matthew 28:19-20).