Since the beginning of civilization, governments (and churches) have been used as get-rich-quick-schemes. Since the beginning, evil, greedy, and designing people have used these institutions to amass wealth and power, and for self-aggrandizement. This is improper. It is improper for civil governments and for religious governments alike.

In ancient days, a righteous king was viewed as a giver and protector of life, a great teacher, a just judge, and a wise, benevolent, and kind administrator. A righteous king will guard the fundamental rights of his people and maximize their happiness by teaching them to do good and to be good.

Unfortunately, these kinds of rulers are very few and far between. By contrast, it seems to be the intent and practice of most government officers to exploit the people as much as possible, violate their rights, persecute those who seek to do good, and to lord it over people just because they can.

In recent years, much has been said and done to promote socialism, which is the forced redistribution of wealth, also called legalized plunder. Of course, proponents of socialism take great pains to rationalize that these measures are for good and altruistic purposes; but somehow, within this redistribution of wealth, the rulers always seem to quickly get ridiculously wealthy, in addition to becoming despots and tyrants.

Throughout history, it has also been the function of governments to normalize all manner of sin and wickedness and to enforce the normalization of such behaviors and practices by the sword. This is as true today as it ever was. By contrast, a righteous and proper government advocates goodness and righteousness. 

It is the improper role of government to do anything that infringes upon or curtails the fundamental rights of the people, or to in any way normalize wickedness, or to use force or coercion to compel belief or adherence to any specific sectarian beliefs or ideologies. Earthly governments should only advocate very broad moral or religious beliefs, such as Christianity, keeping the ten commandments, and being a good citizen, etc. They should not advocate or enforce adherence to any specific religious group or narrowly defined religious ideologies. They should advocate what would be considered by the vast majority to be universally excepted moral truths.

The reality is that there will always be a contest between the God-fearing, God-believing, and God-following members of society and the anti-God/anti-virtue members of society to control the government. The pro-God citizens want their values to be embedded in government so that their rights and freedoms will be respected. The anti-God citizens want to control the government so that their dispositions for sin can be normalized, the pro-God citizens can be demonized and cast out, and to amass wealth and power. This polarization is only going to increase.

At the risk of contradicting myself, it must be readily recognized that throughout history many pro-God people (in a broad sense) have had little regard for the fundamental rights of others. In places governed by theocrasies, it has been the common practice to require everyone to believe and practice the state religion or suffer horrible consequences. In the narrow sense, I refer to pro-God people as those who truly espouse goodness, virtue, and the Law of Liberty—a principle that respects the agency, freedom, and fundamental rights of all mankind.

Righteous government should be established by preaching righteousness and by humble persuasion. If enough of a righteous majority exists, then a righteous government can be established and perpetuated; if not, the law of restitution dictates that righteousness cannot be brought about by wickedness; or in other words, a righteous government simply cannot be had in a predominantly wicked society. In such cases, the bitter rain of unrighteousness will fall upon the just and the unjust alike and all must suffer similarly.

It is also true that God generally justifies the defense of one’s rights and liberties by the sword. But He also discourages suicide. Thus, it is typically best to live to fight another day. One must follow the Spirit of Truth and Wisdom in knowing when to fight and when to stay home.

The Lord promises to fight our battles for us. The righteous know how to fight with God as their strength, with far greater efficacy and far better results. Everything we do should be done in the name of the Lord, as directed by the Lord, according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit of God. In the long run, such as these will always be victorious.

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