How Does the Bible Influence Political Thought and Action in Our Culture?

Historically, divorce was viewed as a sin and was prohibited because religious beliefs and doctrines viewed marriage as a Holy

The world is full of diversity with numerous religions and beliefs spread throughout the globe. The Bible's influences are not only limited to christians, for it contains the guidelines to a positive way of living full of morality and civility. The guidelines to a positive way of living are found in the bible's book, Exodus, also known as the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments

The New Testament (NT), in my opinion, has positively influenced the history of the world. One good example would be laws. All, if not most, of the laws of every Western nation has the same laws that were first introduced during the Old Testament. Every nation has laws regarding crimes like murder and theft, which originated with the Ten Commandments. When the Romans occupied Israel, they integrated many of the Jewish judicial practices into their own system of law and order, which in turn helped shape the legal systems around the world. During the time of Moses, God’s laws were given to Moses so he may spread it to the rest of the Hebrew people so that they may understand what not to do and what they should do. From there, various amendments were added as to how punishment was to be dealt. For example, in the book of John, chapter 8, verses four and five, we see that Jesus was confronted by people and is asked what he thinks should be done to the woman accused of adultery. Verse five then says, “In the Law Moses commanded to stone such a woman…” Though not all punishments were specifically mentioned for each crime, we can at least infer that because of the Ten Commandments, the Jewish legal system became complex, which in turn shaped the foundations of the judicial systems of the world. Many nations

Religion and biblical law cannot be separated from life in general and politics in particular. Politics has to do with civil government. Politicians get elected, make laws, tax, spend, regulate, and control. Every law passed and every spending decision is based on some moral system. This is where the Bible comes in. All morality is based on a religion. The Bible says, “Thou shalt not steal.” Right there is the common and basic law against theft. What we believe religiously will affect our political beliefs and practices. If we as Americans could only follow the basic standards set for us in the Bible and follow the values, the standard would be balanced. Yet, when religion or morality becomes separated from decision making, convenience becomes the standard. We are then left with two options: either God’s word serves as the State’s standard of the state decides upon its own standard. America has not

Since before the United States was founded, the ideals of Christianity have been integrated into the government in some way, shape, or form. In the early days of the Colonies, Christianity was the centerfold for all government affairs; however, after the constitution was ratified and deemed effective in the United States, the First Amendment was born. The first amendment states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (source). In the early life of the United States, the

A biblical worldview should influence the way I think about, treat, and speak to others on a daily basis because I do not want to go around and degrade everyone that comes into sight. I should always treat others with the upmost respect even if I do not get treated with respect by that individual. I should not always judge others on how they look, speak, or act because I would not like it if someone came up to me and started pointing out every flaw that I had. Matthew 7:12 states “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Therefore, individuals need to be more mindful of their words and actions because an individual can really hurt someone mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Even though, George W. Bush had become, like some of his great predecessors, the voice of inspiration and hope for freedom not only in America, but in all over the world, he had received many critics for his religious contribution on American politics. In the light of this quotation, Noll shows that the second victory of President Bush was somehow astonishing when we noticed the crucial role of the white evangelical Protestants plays in his second term. Additionally, this quotation shows that if there were no evangelicals’ support, the President would not win the election, it also; strengthens the value of religion and its place in the American political life.

Our country’s founders were also religious men. They prayed before sitting down to write the Constitution, and all sessions of congress were opened with prayer. Many of society’s current laws are based upon biblical commandments laid down thousands of years ago. For example, it is illegal to commit murder, adultery is acceptable grounds for legal divorce, and one must not take property that belongs to another. These are exact replicas of the following commandments; “You shall not kill,” “You shall not commit adultery,” and “You shall not steal,” (New American Bible 75).

This week’s reading centered on the social contract between God and the Israelites. The reader, who had grown up familiar with the Exodus, found a much deeper meaning and contextual understanding in this week’s reading. Specifically, the reader’s attention focused on two key aspects: 1) God’s control over nature as the contextual focus, and 2) how Exodus, Deuteronomy and Leviticus set forth blue prints blue prints for a society. Moreover, the reader was previously familiar with the more traditional version of the commandments in Deuteronomy, but found the unfamiliar expression in Leviticus an earthier contrast.

Even the basic framework of America clearly reflects the influence of the Bible and power of Jewish ideas in shaping the political development of America. Nowhere is this more evident than in the opening sentences of the Declaration of Independence:

Many believe that religion is a great factor in the voting process, especially on controversial topics like abortion and homosexuality, which affects the votes immensely. Moreover, the varieties of different religions all have contrasting opinions on numerous issues, which then results in many different conclusions; thus affecting the political votes. Religion, not only is a great aspect in the voting process today, but was also a tremendous political feature in the nineteenth century. Robert P. Sweirenga, author of Ethnoreligious Political Behavior in the Mid-Nineteenth Century, promotes that, “the most exciting development in American history since the 1960’s is the recognition that religion was a key variable in voting behavior.” In the past time and eras before the 1960’s, religion was the main element for solving complex issues, which is why religion was a big part of the political campaigns. Religion has been a part of people’s life style for many years; thus affecting their opinions on controversial topics that are connected with campaigns. In the 1800’s, the church was an influential role in the government and society. Moreover, majority of the people at this time were extremely religious, including the government party, which greatly affected the laws of the country and the votes of the campaigns. In 1832, the political party realized that religion was becoming such a great factor and influence, that they did not allow any Roman Catholics to be a part of the Executive Council until 1840. Even still, after that date, they majority of the government were a part of the church, showing that religion has such a major impact on the influence of voting even still in the twenty-first

"Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed undefined, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous - Hebrews 23:4" is the most important principle humans must follow when entering marriage. "Infidelity is commonly understood as a violation of the marital disagreement, a betrayal of one's heart, and a threat to the marital bond." (Mao & Raguram, 2009). Infidelity is an act of disobedience to remain faithful to your partner. Although infidelity can be a source of personal satisfaction, it may also lead to marital disruption and divorce which will eventually destroy marriages and families.

In this course, I found the connection between religion and politics the most important concept we’ve studied. With engagement and understanding of politics becoming increasingly important, it’s valuable to study the ways people both interact with politics and form their political opinions—and as we’ve seen, religion can play a huge role in both of these aspects. However, the way religious groups engage with politics can perhaps be generalizing when discussing major religions, seeing as these groups are often widely diverse and brimming with unique experiences. Therefore, I believe it is just as important to discuss the political dimension of religion with the social influences of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and the interrelations between them.

If a couple decides to become divorced, they only decide to live apart. They are still married. Before God, they are not allowed to remarry. Marrying, or engaging in sexual acts with, another while married is considered adultery. Thus, doing these acts while living in separate homes is still adultery.

People utilize many different words to describe, define and even attempt to dismiss adultery; unfaithfulness, infidelity, playing the field, extramarital relations, having an affair are just a few. The net result of this choice however is the destruction of a personal reputation, trust and respect, while at the same time laying waste to spouse and children alike. Even in the earliest days of civilization adultery was understood to be destructive, thus earning its own “Thou Shalt Not”, in addition to, at least 40 other less than positive references and assorted stories in the Bible. Many societies, including our own, have gone so far as to outlaw this practice; in some cultures penalties range up to death. So why do we allow