Obedience to Earthly Authority

[LaSainte]

I’m confused about St. Paul’s stance on obedience to earthly authority. He says we are to obey our leaders because God put them into power. Slaves are to obey their masters, etc. well, clearly Paul would have been no stranger to corrupt rulers, yet he still tells us to obey them.

Where does this leave Hitler, Stalin, Hessein, etc?

It seems to be saying that God put all of these people in power and we have no right to resist or depose them.

What about the American Revolution, where the people were simply rebelling against laws that they personally found to be unjust, but which were not “harmful” physically to these people? On this site, whenever someone talks about not following a law they believe to be unjust, someone says that they must work within the confines of the law to change things. Well, that’s not what happened here. Was even the American Revolution a sin?

 

[1ke]

From the beginning we see that the Church puts forth the teaching to obey just laws. However, the first Christians went to their deaths rather than obey an unjust law that conflicted with God’s law-- worshiping idols.

Clearly St Paul is talking about the former, not the latter.

We must always interpret Scripture through the authentic light of the Church. To do otherwise is sola scriptura, which is flawed and dangerous.

 

[Labarum]

We are to respect earthly authority because God has created those governments.

We are called to respect them not to blindly obey them. The is a difference.

We should pay our taxes and follow the laws so long as they do not go contrary to God’s laws. Once man made laws stray from God’s laws we are called to speak out and correct this error.

 

[ahs]

I’d like to add to the above answers, remember what Christ tells us…to give unto Ceasar what is Ceasar’s, and to God what is God’s. If “ceasar” (gov’t, etc… ) starts asking us for what is rightfully God’s, we are bound to not comply, because we must give to God what is God’s.

Use your seatbelt, pay your taxes, stop at red lights…worship God, obey His commands and follow His Truths revealed by His Church, etc…

 

[sw85]

I’m confused about St. Paul’s stance on obedience to earthly authority. He says we are to obey our leaders because God put them into power. Slaves are to obey their masters, etc. well, clearly Paul wn theould have been no stranger to corrupt rulers, yet he still tells us to obey them.

Where does this leave Hitler, Stalin, Hessein, etc?

It seems to be saying that God put all of these people in power and we have no right to resist or depose them.

What about the American Revolution, where the people were simply rebelling against laws that they personally found to be unjust, but which were not “harmful” physically to these people? On this site, whenever someone talks about not following a law they believe to be unjust, someone says that they must work within the confines of the law to change things. Well, that’s not what happened here. Was eve American Revolution a sin?

Human positive law is an authority and therefore must be obeyed per Scriptures. However, it is the lowest form of authority, subordinate to both natural law and eternal law/divine positive law.

Human positive law can never command disobedience to natural law or divine law. As such, citizens under totalitarian regimes must never obey illicit commands, such as to murder their neighbors or abort their children. (Likewise, natural law always gives way to divine positive law, so that child sacrifice is normally forbidden – indeed the Canaanites were put to death for it – but became obligatory when God commanded it of Abraham).

It is correct that we have no right to depose governments. Thus it is correct that the American Revolution was contrary to Church teachings (which stands to reason, since the ones that weren’t Protestants were deists) and should not have been embarked upon. Now, of course, the government of the United States is an authority which must itself be obeyed.

 

[Bookcat]

From the beginning we see that the Church puts forth the teaching to obey just laws. However, the first Christians went to their deaths rather than obey an unjust law that conflicted with God’s law-- worshiping idols.

Clearly St Paul is talking about the former, not the latter.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

I’m confused about St. Paul’s stance on obedience to earthly authority. He says we are to obey our leaders because God put them into power. Slaves are to obey their masters, etc. well, clearly Paul would have been no stranger to corrupt rulers, yet he still tells us to obey them.

Where does this leave Hitler, Stalin, Hessein, etc?

It seems to be saying that God put all of these people in power and we have no right to resist or depose them.

What about the American Revolution, where the people were simply rebelling against laws that they personally found to be unjust, but which were not “harmful” physically to these people? On this site, whenever someone talks about not following a law they believe to be unjust, someone says that they must work within the confines of the law to change things. Well, that’s not what happened here. Was even the American Revolution a sin?

Now, we Are CHRISTians, followers of Christ.

What did He, the Sovereign King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Supreme Power of all things in Heaven and Earth?

He submitted to a dictartorship of Rome and a cruel sentence of the Sinedrium, and died the death of a slave.

I am in favor of correcting injustices, the American Civil War was right, as well Luther King. Gandhi, and so on.

But Christ’s position makes us think.

But it makes us think.

 

[Bookcat]

vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P7W.HTM

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

Now, we Are CHRISTians, followers of Christ.

What did He, the Sovereign King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Supreme Power of all things in Heaven and Earth?

He submitted to a dictartorship of Rome and a cruel sentence of the Sinedrium, and died the death of a slave.

I am in favor of correcting injustices, the American Civil War was right, as well Luther King. Gandhi, and so on.

But Christ’s position makes us think.

But it makes us think.

It seems to me that MLK, Jr. and Gandhi’s actions with regards to the government aren’t that different from Christ’s. Neither MLK nor Gandhi resisted tyranny in a violent fashion, it seems to me that they imitated Christ in their own way.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

It seems to me that MLK, Jr. and Gandhi’s actions with regards to the government aren’t that different from Christ’s. Neither MLK nor Gandhi resisted tyranny in a violent fashion, it seems to me that they imitated Christ in their own way.

But Christ did not resist tyranny even in NON-VIOLENT ways. He did not resist at all like the pacifists resisted in a non-violent way.

He said before his passion to Peter: “Dont you know that if I wanted, I would call a legion of angels in my help?”. He could have done in any way, violent or non-violent. But He did not do it.

Explanation? Because He wanted to obey the Father. Why the Father wanted such a violent death for His Only Son? It will remain a mystery till we get to Heaven.

I am not defending subjection to tyranny though.

What I am saying is that Christ’s actions are a mystery.