Politics and Religion Don't Mix
by David Bamber
This is a Christian web site; it is not a religious web site. 'Politics and
religion do not mix' - what those who use such statements often do not
understand is that the Christian worldview extends much further than the
church door. The church is one form of social institution, the government
another, and so on for charities, communities, friendly societies, social
societies, self-help groups, trade unions, families and individuals. Each
has a role. Each has limits that can be defined by a Christian ethic.
The Christian Peoples Alliance is a Christian Democratic Party: it is
independent of any church. It does not seek to imitate 'Christian Heritage'
parties, which confuse the role of churches with those of civil government.
So what is the role of government in Christian thinking? Primarily it is that
of protecting the citizens from one another (hence supporting a police force
and judiciary) and protecting its citizens from foreign aggression (hence
supporting an army).
The capacity for government to cause damage to society is enormous; the
capacity for good government to do good is limited. The reason for this
is that 'society' comprises a large number of institutions. Each
institution must do its specialist job properly to achieve the Common Good.
If government were to try to do the job of a church, or to supplant the
responsibility of parents, or the individual's responsibility to look after
himself and provide for his future, or the community's responsibility to
provide for the poor then the result can only be at best a second class service.
The different organs of society are like parts of the body: each part should do
only its bit and not what other parts can do better.
They say that religion and politics do not mix: I agree. But Christianity does have a
political dimension. In democratic countries, this is what we call Christian Democracy.
(A personal view by David Bamber, member of the Executive of the Christian Peoples Alliance party)
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