Give Unto Caesar

Some religions teach that their members should live apart from regular society. The goal is to live a simple, "pure" life following only the the Word of God. Life in society is complicated and these religions want to avoid those complications. To live in society means getting to know people of many faiths and beliefs, being exposed to many ways of seeing the world, and learning to respect - even when we disagree with - those different points of view.

Lutherans believe that in our private lives we should always strive to live according to God's Word. However, it is very important to give a voice to our moral and ethical beliefs in society at large. All people who live in a society have to work together to be sure there are roads, schools, and rules for everyone to live by. This means finding ways to compromise so that the laws and rules put into effect allow everyone to live as closely as possible to their individual moral codes. Lutherans believe that we can use our faith not to "win" the argument and have everything done the way we want, but instead to help guide a community to make fair decisions for everyone. In America, we believe it is important to be tolerant and, to the extent possible, allow individuals to live according to their beliefs.

Some issues require decisions that test our faith. Think about spanking. Some people quote the Bible to justify spanking with a belt or a board. They believe that God has told them this is the best way to teach their children what is right and wrong. They point to the Bible. Proverbs 13:24 says "Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them." Other people say that although discipline is important, hitting a child with anything is child abuse. How does society decide what is just strict discipline and what is child abuse? We know that constantly beating and belittling children is harmful to them. It is not easy to make and enforce rules that apply to everyone about things like how to raise your children. As Lutherans, we believe we have a responsibility to join in that difficult civil decision-making process.

What did Jesus think about our responsibility to God and to society? During the week that he died, priests asked him lots of tough questions. They asked him if it was okay to pay taxes. He said, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and give to God the things that are God's." Jesus knew there was a difference between our public responsibility as citizens and our commitment to living a personal life pleasing to God. Even though it is not easy, we all must work together to make it possible for all people to be safe and, at the same time, able to live according to their beliefs.

July 2018

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