When do we disobey law? Is it when we discern it is amoral, unjust, political, or based on ethical beliefs? What should a Christian do? Well I for one growing up in the Age of Vietnam and selective service that was mandatory for all 18 year old that posed a significant challenge for me. I of course knew what I would do. Disobey the Law of the Land, preserve my life and ruuuuuun! Why? Number one, I was afraid, two I did not want to kill people I did not know, and three from the standpoint of common sense, a small Asian country thousands of miles away with a totally different culture was not a threat to our very large and strong country. Values aside I did not buy in to the Domino Theory of Communism. Especially since many of the people we fought for years were farmers, living simple lives and the war imposed was between their own people. North vs South. sound familiar? Still it was complicated, A totalitarian government is unjust. And they still remain so today.
I was not Christian then, but now am. But there still exists laws that are unjust, either economically motivated and judicially enacted that cause questions of conscience to bear. Case in point, a Colorado baker was sued by two people because of a refusal to serve them, a cake.....harmless, yes but should one be forced by a law to do something against conscience? This case pitted a Christian against the secular world view of sexual orientation and ended up in high court. The baker won. It was ruled in his favor on the basis of "hostility toward religion." It did not end there, the Civil rights commission (Colorado) "doubled down" and again had their sights on him when he refused another cake making request this time definitely offensive in nature. So as a friend suggested, it need not go that far in extremes to one, sue someone over a cake..but rather why not just go to another place who will make one? Why be contentious. One wonders at motive, and true intent. If it was an AR 15 sold to a minor or mentally unstable person ....then I would be concerned...it's deadly, requires permits, background checks etc. etc. etc. and it kills (or rather the person does), a cake does not.
So can we build tolerance into law? And a common sense approach to civility in a democracy, that is subject to a litigious society? Thirty eight years ago when I was a newly believing Christian, I had my first ethical challenge. I worked for a year in a delicatessen as a cashier, in November on my one year anniversary, the owners opened up another small shop on the same property to sell, tobacco products, lottery tickets and what I then would call Pornographic magazines. That's all they sold and they wanted me to work there. I said no, because it was against some beliefs I now held. And new ones to me. So I was told not to come to work for two weeks and that I was not needed . I Was not fired and I did not quit. So now I was needing income and suddenly had none and I qualified for unemployment compensation, but since I was in limbo placed there by my employer, he contested my status to receive that income. Ethics now on display, the secular vs the religious....I was granted a hearing by an Administrative Law judge and won my case. I was unfairly discriminated against.
But the consequences required my seeing it through, poverty was at issue and my income at stake as well as temptations that directly conflicted with my ethical stance as a Christian. Getting another job was not that easy in a recession ( the 80's). And I held my ground. Looking at these issues now and especially the case against the Christian Baker, it requires a thoughtfulness and a tolerance on both sides. "Intolerant laws lead to anger, resentment, sedition." So said Baruch Spinoza, about government. "The most tyrannical government will be one where the individual is denied the freedom to express and communicate to others what he thinks."
We live in a time when extremes are in full view and action. And we have a President bordering on the fascist, end of the spectrum, let alone on a dictatorial bent, who fancies himself friends with totalitarian regimes. The driving force of those who support his agenda includes a very large number of Evangelical Christians who have chosen to look the other way on many serious ethical lapses on full display. I wonder if they would have supported Nero? Peace......
True religion is this....feed the poor, take care of the widow, the orphan, the fatherless,the stranger in your land....." favor no one above another,
