christians do you follow the laws of the land or just the ones that god laid out for you?

Question

christians often say that a person's bad behavior is between the person and god. assuming the person will only have to answer to god not the people. just wanted to know if you do things without regard to the "manmade" laws that govern us all or are you just exempt?

for example, the bible doesn't say don't molest children. so since it's not in there, is that why it's so prevalent in your circles?

Answer 1

I say both. God also said to love each other and we're one big family, so we should obey the laws as well

Answer 2

The bible doesn't spell out all examples of what not to do, but if you read it, you'll see that God expects us to love and cherish our family...not to hurt them. And molesting children isn't "prevalent" in our "circles". You just see EVERY example of it on the evening news. The world hates God and those who follow him. Anytime someone who is involved in church does something wrong, the media will jump on it and say, "See!? This proves that Christians aren't any different from the rest of the world." What they don't understand is that Christians are imperfect just as non-Christians are. The difference is that they have everlasting life through Christ. I personally would hope that a true believer wouldn't molest a child, but i know it happens. Yes, they will have to answer to God. But that doesn't mean they don't have to answer to man's law.

Answer 3

I am a christian and the rules to being a christian are that we follow God's laws and man-made laws too. So if a person has bad behavior not only do we answer to God but we answer to man too. True christians do not molest children or anything near as bad. So if some people molest children and claim to be christians, they are not real christians. I have never broken any man-made laws, but I have broken several laws of God which I am not proud of. i hope this has answered your question:)

Answer 4

Child Molesting is NOT Biblical.

The bible tells us that rulers are established by God, and that we should follow the laws of the land, unless they conflict with the laws of God.

Answer 5

Not much difference between God's law and government law.
Save the IRS. Is stupidity prevalent in your circles, must be?

Answer 6

What a CHEAP SHOT. Actually, Jesus is very stern about people's treatment of children in the Bible. And both Jesus and Paul tell believers to obey their leaders, pay taxes, and so forth. You clearly staged this question just to get in the low blow about child molestation. On the day of judgment child molesters will get theirs. And so will you, if you're not careful.

Answer 7

Both. We are to follow God's laws as well as the laws of the land.

The word in Scripture refers to any illicit sexual activity and therefore this would include the abhorrent acts of a pedophile, including the gathering and trading of graphic sexual pictures of young children. People who involve themselves in this type of activity usually graduate from looking to actual actions that bring harm to children. Fornication is something that is present on the lists of the "lusts of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16-21) and also on the list of the evil things that come out of the heart of man apart from God (Mark 7:21-23).



Pedophiles are people who fall under the characteristic of one "without natural affection." (Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:2). The phrase "without natural affection" is translated from one Greek word and it means inhuman, unloving and unsociable or one who acts in ways that are against the social norm. This would certainly describe a pedophile.



In addition, there is a principle that can be taken from Jesus' words about children. Jesus used a child to teach His disciples that child like faith is what is necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven and that the Father has concern for all of His "little ones" (Matthew 18:1-14). Although the faith as of a child is the context of the following verse, it is not a stretch to use it as a basis for a principle about the treatment of children. "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:10, King James Version). The word "offend" in the Greek has the idea of causing one to stumble, to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, to entice to sin, to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey, to cause to fall away, to cause one displeasure at a thing, or to make indignant.



These definitions of the word "offend" can easily be applied to the actions of a practicing pedophile. The fact that an offence against a child is seen as something that is so serious also lends weight to this application. Of course this principle can be applied to a wide range of child abusive actions and it seems to really make the case against any one who would bring harm to a child.




Pedophilia is from all walks of life not just from religious organizations. Why is it so prevalent in school teachers, firemen, police officers, coaches,daycare and babysitters,family memebers?