We believe that the government has no power, and is not blessed by God.
Posted by adam.dada on 21st March 2007
When it comes to Christians and the State (government), they two seem to go hand-in-hand in the Western countries. Either a Christian Body controls the government, or the government in control is thought to be blessed by God. This comes from a misunderstanding of one of the Books in the Bible — Romans, and specifically one chapter of Romans, Chapter 13:
Romans 13
Respect for Authority
1 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you.4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. 6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do.7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.
As you can see, it seems that everyone (believer and non-believer) is told here to submit to the government(s) above them. From the Book, we see that God supposedly institutes government, so we must not rebel against the authority of government, or we will be punished (by God?) The anarcho-pantelist believes that the mainstream Christian notion of submitting to government is not just in error, but in grave error.
For the anarcho-pantelist, these verses were focused on the believer within the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire lorded over Jerusalem — both the Jews and the Christians, as well as a non-believers of either faith. In what the anarcho-pantelist calls the Parousia (or the Second Coming of Christ), we believe that Christ did return 2000 years ago to conquer sin and finally judge God’s Chosen People — the Jews of the day that did not believe in Christ the Savior.
The way that God the Father and Christ the Savior finally vanquished sin and fulfilled the requirements of all men was by using the Roman Army to battle the Jews and destroy the Jewish Temple once and for all. This actually did occur in 70 A.D. With the fall of the Jewish Temple, animal sacrifice was ended forever by the Jews, and the Jewish leaders lost control of their flock. 1/3rd of the Jews in the area were killed by the army, 1/3rd of the Jews died through pestilence and plague, and 1/3rd were scattered. Even to this day, the majority of the Jews are scattered throughout the world — a view that God had finalized his Covenant with the Jews, bringing the New Covenant forth to the world as a whole.
It is important to see that the Early Church was given the words in Romans 13 to understand that they had to stay under the power of the Roman Army. God was quickly going to judge the Jews who ignored the Savior, and He was going to use the Roman Army to do so. This meant that Christians of the time had to keep with the Roman rule in order for God’s Prophecies of the End Times (basically, the End of the Old Age) to come to pass. And it did.
With the ending of the Old Covenant, the “regulations” of the entire Book of Romans also came to pass. With the sealing of the Old Laws, the New Covenant was created — giving all men stewardship over what they earned with their hard work and honesty, so that they could share their excess with those who were less fortunate. It is the Christian powermongers today who love the power of government, because they say that it is blessed by God and anointed for His Purposes. To the anarcho-capitalist, God has no more purpose on Earth to fulfill prophecy — God and Jesus are reigning over those in the afterlife, leaving the mortal world to the mortals to steward over.
In the Old Testament, God warned man against government and kings (see the entire Book of Kings). God shows that governments would enslave the populace, use them in wars, tax them and jail them. This always happens with all governments, including the U.S., which has enslaved more of its population than any other country in the world. We have the biggest army, and have committed more murders in wars than almost any other leading country. Is this what God wants?
If God anoints governments, and we are to submit to our authority, where does the Bible show the citizens under Hitler that they can rise against him? What about Saddam Hussein, who was democratically elected and had citizens to govern. What gives one country the right to overthrow a ruler, if that ruler is anointed by God? The mainstream Christian viewpoint on Romans is troubling because it tries to play two different sets of rules: one set f rules for the “us” and one set of rules for the “them.” We can look at all the great wars since the time of Christ and we see religion as the cause for them — including the various Crusades where Christians believed they were called by God to destroy heathens of other faiths.
The anarcho-pantelist disagrees with all forms of government. We believe we have One King and that everyone has free will to go against Christ’s teachings, or to accept them. Our very own congregations (”churches”) in the West have actually utilized the law to place themselves above the individual — congregations are allowed to bypass tax laws and restrictions that the average individual can not. It is wrong to think of the Church as needing the State to do what God wants it do to.
As we see in the story of Christ, even Christ’s own parents were told by God to ignore the government’s rule and flee. If God anoints all governments and we are to submit to all rule, at what point do we look for God when governments over us try to do evil things? When did Christ tell His Followers to get together and vote to help others? Christ didn’t — He told us that we as individuals must go and help others, not as a union of followers but as single followers of His Way to love and care for others more than ourselves. It is callous to think that congregations throughout the world continue to support dominion over the individuals. Christ did not tell us to make new laws over others, He told us to support them regardless of what society was already attempting to provide.
There is no anointing of the State by God anymore. If anything, the State goes against Christ’s teaching because the State uses force (men with guns, the thread of jail or fines, and even the enslavement of the military draft) to do what it thinks is right. The only thing that is right for an individual is what the Spirit guides them to do. If individuals fail to hear the Spirit or believe in God the Creator, that is between them and God, not between you and them. Christ told us not to judge anyone except ourselves as individuals, and the use of the State (government) is one big step of judgment against others.
This post will be added to on occasion
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