Which Christian morals should be legally enforced for everyone & which should be required only for Christians?

Question

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For example, we all know that the laws declare that murder, stealing and lying (perjury & fraud) are against the illegal and enforceable. But these are practically universal, regardless of the religion of the country.

However, Christians have other moral/ethical obligations.

What rules are Christians willing to relegate only to themselves, and which ones do they insist that other people obey, even if they are not members of the Christian faith?

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Answer 1

I'm not a christian, but it seems that they don't want the Bibles stance on divorce or adultry legislated into law.

However, it also seems that most don't follow the Bibles teachings regarding divorce or Adultry.

Answer 2

I think you miss the point about laws and what should and should not be legally enforceable. The reason things like murder, theft, and purjury are illegal has nothing to do with any moral code or creed. It is because if the "law" didn't take over punishment of these acts, people would seek revenge for them in their own methods. That's why we have laws. Laws are not put in place to increase justice, they are to provide a peaceful alternative to personal revenge. To assume that christians should insist other people obey their code of ethics is simply not feasible. Remember, this country was founded on certain freedoms, one of those is the freedom of religion. To practice and believe whatever they chose to believe without someone else dictating how they must live.

Answer 3

Christians have two major imperatives.

* Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength.

* Love your neighbor as yourself.

Love cannot be legally mandated. What can be, and is mandated, is behavior that violates other people's integrity. In the United States of America, certain rights are withheld from the government, including the right to choose one's religion and to gather peaceably. These things cannot be take away, and they form the heart of our Bill of Rights.

Your question has an implied assumption and a hidden purpose. The implied assumption is that we all know and agree that all Christians have the same desires pertaining to rules, implied in your use of the term "Christians" as an all-inclusive noun for a group of people. I believe your hidden purpose is significantly to sound out sexual morality issues, given your profile information. I may be overlooking something critical, but outside of sexual morality I cannot think of any near-universal concern that is closely identified with Christians that would fall under the aegis of "rules.. they insist that other people obey."

Answer 4

Though I don't follow any set religion, I am of the belief that "An it harm none, do what thou wilt".

Of course, this brings about the questions of what exactly does harm to others...ie. the abortion debate.

Sadly I don't think that it will ever be truly resolved, especially when people continue to join religion and country. For one persons ethics may not be another persons morals. Everyone sees their way as the right way. All the governments can do is try to find a middle ground.

Answer 5

The laws you cite in your 1st paragraph are ethics that anybody (religious and not) can agree are ones against activities that cause outright harm and suffering, as you say.

Christianity has it's own belief structure that they should keep to themselves. They have no right to impose their beliefs on Muslims, atheists, nor any other groups outside of their own. This is NOT a theocracy (in America) and therefore they should be forced to recognize this fact and keep their religion to themselves.

If given free reign many Christian groups would gleefully do the same kind of garbage that the Taliban and other groups do, who falsely claim they're using Islam. Many of these groups have done so in the past and would gladly do it again if not kept in check.

_()_

Answer 6

Well obviously they feel it should be a law that everyone believes the way they do, otherwise they wouldn't brow beat us non-believers so much. According to Christians Jesus Christ and belief in him is the only way to exist in the here-after. Thank God for separation of church and state. Now our devout christians (or any other religious extremeist) don't get make the laws that govern our country by using their religious text to do so.

I know a law that should be on the law books for everyone...Freedom of Religion...Oh wait...it is...Maybe it should be changed to Freedom of Belief, and if you disrespect, contridict, harass, etc a person for what they believe or don't believe you should get an automatic 39 lashes from the person your are critcizing!!!

Answer 7

Hi, this is only my opinion, I don't think that Christians are the ones to decide what is right or wrong, it is God's word that answers that question. The problem with rules is that no one can keep them , as soon as we make them we find that we have broken them in thought or deed. The only hope we have of ever getting it right is trusting In Jesus to enable us to do what only He can do. Jesus died because we cannot get it right, He paid the price for us. We do not earn our salvation, it is a gift of God. Only His presence within us enables us to obey God. Since we cannot fulfill the requirements of scripture but must trust Christ, then we have no right to try to enforce on others what they can only do by the Grace of God. We must allow God to be God! John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever BELIEVES in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. It is about Faith in Jesus, not about rules. Only God can change a heart or a life. Hope this helps.....

Answer 8

The law should enforce the opinion of the majority. In my fantasy world, the majority would all want to enforce all of my christian morals. That isn't reality, so the only thing I can do is let my voice be heard and live in the Will of my Heavenly Father, which is to abide by christian morals.

Answer 9

You can't enforce morals, legally or any other way. You can punish people in various ways for transgressing various codes, but that doesn't mean you've necessarily instilled those morals in them.

Oh, and good luck with the "insisting" too.

Answer 10

No religious laws should be enforced (like abstinence, or fasting)

However, shouldn't laws against other acts, like abortion, be enacted regardless of one's faith. Killing a human being is wrong, regardless of what God you worship.

Most Christians don't want OUR beliefs upheld, we just want basic morals again in this country.