Matthew 22, 21; Mark 12,13-17; Luke 20,20-26: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" is a realistic attitude concerning paying the tax to the Romans. It shows a clear discernment between state and religion too. But it does not mean being subservient to the authorities in general; Acts 5,29: "...We must obey God more than men." Jesus does not speak of "inherent necessities" as an excuse for every failure.
On the one hand one cannot translate the general scale of values in the
Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) etc. directly into instructions on how
to handle problems in society. But on the other hand it would not be in
accordance with Jesus’ teachings to practice charity in private life while
applying the opposite principles in unions or political functions. Honest
ethical values** must prove their worth on all levels, even on the global
one.
E.g. it would contradict the truthfulness and responsibility which Jesus
demonstrates to hold one's own against competitors with dishonest methods, to
deceive the public and to realize projects without first establishing the
harmlessness for (non-criminal) people, and without asking those concerned. So
independent Christian thinking beyond traditional "left-wing" or
"right-wing" thought patterns may be necessary.
In Matth. 7:5 Jesus does not want us to work on our own weak points only - as some Christian groups seem to believe. We simply should start with our part of the problems, and then - more free than before, without ascribing our problems to others - rebuke or critisize them, where it seems to be necessary. This may concern our friends, or politicians as well.
In Jeremia 29,7 we find a prophetic piece of advice: "Seek the
best (the peace and prosperity) of the city to which I have carried you... Pray
to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper". It
suggests a decision for the sense of solidarity. Also Matth. 5,13,
Matth.13,33 etc. recommends being warmly interested in the society and being
"the salt of the earth.
There are also situations in which Christians are asked to disassociate from a
bad state in social affairs. Revelation 18,4: "Then I heard another
voice from heaven say: Come out of her (the city of Babylon), my people, that
you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her
plagues...".***
*) The Website Ways-of-Christ.net has no political purpose. Here only general food for thought about this topic is given.
**) See also our extra pages "Basics of ethical
values";
and "Christian viewpoints for economy and social
questions".
***) The principle of subsidiary, drawn from Catholic social teaching - which was for instance the basis of the EU too -, would offer an element of prevention at the social level. If it were taken seriously, each superordinate level would only regulate overriding issues that cannot reasonably be regulated on a smaller scale, for instance in the town – that is, from the bottom up. This would result in a more decentralized order, finally starting from the individual, and from there to families, groups, and to the levels of the country. This means, according to the human dignity of the individual, to appreciate their freedom and their will to mutual responsibility more consequently, instead of trying bureaucratic regulations of all areas of life, which are not consensus. In addition, because of human imperfection, we can hope for help originating from God.
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