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

The Book of Genesis derives from the First Testament of the Hebrew Bible and explains the story of creation, or how the world came to be. While the author isn’t proven, it is widely believed by many that Moses authored the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Torah. In the story, the timeframe isn’t specified expect that it is said to be ‘in the beginning’ of all creation. The story goes on to detail how God created the heavens, the earth, and all its creatures. On the sixth day, he created man, Adam, in his image and placed him in the Garden of Eden. From Adam’s rib, he created a woman, Eve. The Garden of Eden was a lush and plentiful garden; however they were forbidden by God to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The premise of chapter one is the Bible has had a major impact on the world, especially with its contributions to Greek philosophy and thought. Greek philosophers believed there was one “unifying principle in the cosmos” (21) and that everything could be identified and reasoned with through logic. As Oswalt states, this brought into conflict the thought of a myth based polytheistic society to a monotheistic mindset.

The Bible is arguably the most important and influential book ever published. People consult the bible to become more like Jesus or make better decisions in their life. The bible instructs people what not to do, for example the 10 commandments. Plus, the bible contains information on what people should do such as; love your neighbor and evangelize. In the book 12 Years a Slave, Tanner one of the slave owners, uses the bible to justify whipping his slaves. However, William Ford a different slave owner Solomon works for, uses the bible to teach about other things such as leading a prayerful life. Solomon thru his knowledge of the bible questions how a pious man such as master Ford could hold others under his power. Throughout the book there is

Lofgren points out that republican leaders are often encouraged to share their religious views and feelings regarding their respective faith, and as of relatively recently, “the republican party has reignited the kinds of seventeenth century religious controversies that advanced democracies are supposed to have outgrown” (Lofgren, 2012 p. 129). More so, there appears to be a cookie-cutter mold which major candidates must adhere to, to have a successful career and impact on their constituents. Despite the prevalence of religious opinions and faith-based values aired out to the populace, Lofgren does point out the unique points that we [as a nation] are lucky that our foreign policies and national decisions are not based on one’s adherence to faith or religious scriptures, and that we should keep it this way. In doing so and in letting “someone’s tendentious reading if the bible” dictate test for office or formation of legislation, our great nation will be destined for demise (Lofgren, 2012 p.

In recent discussions of religion and politics, a controversial issue has been whether or not religion has a place in our political decision-making. On the one hand, some argue that religion and politics should coexist for the greater good. From this perspective, the United States government should implement religious beliefs into all of their decision-making, because it is the right thing to do. On the other hand, however, others argue that religion has no place in politics, it clouds judgment, creates unfair separation against opposing beliefs, and does more harm than good. Religion has had its effect on politics since Jesus Christ was created. Laws have passed that are heavily influenced by the good book. In the words

From John Winthrop to Martin Luther King Jr., the Bible has shaped much of our government and history. As the best selling book of all time that is often referenced in politics and daily life, both liberals and conservatives argue that it is imperative that students know about the text in order to better understand intellectual conversation. Many literary references to the text are also found in Western culture; therefore, it is

Many people fear politics, regardless of this fear christians need to have an active role in politics, and should be influencing the domestic and international community with their roles. With the founding of the country christians adopted basic biblical rules and used them as the foundation for what our country has become. Recently, the Christian community has turned to attacking foreign groups and those who differ in opinion.Jim Wallis, in his article “Iraq: Humility Is the Best Option” does a wonderful job of explaining why the United States should try approaching terrorism with a humble attitude. I admire the attempts of the christian individuals and politicians who are attempting to deliver this message. Unfortunately, I do not think

(pg 163) The word politics was developed back in Jesus’s time where is was not as flawed as it stands today. He did not reject politics but rather redefined the word. Jesus refused the devil’s goal of politics, which was to merely gain power by tearing others the marginalized down. Jesus was of course given the power of King but to a kingdom not of this world. The congregations described above were undoubtedly different on how they chose to worship but in fact came together on the personal devotion of Jesus as King. These ideas described by the authors as faith, spiritual growth, evangelism and personal devotion. What they all shared were their individual workings through political acts all feeding into the new political reality of drifting allegiance from earthy possessions and directing towards the one and only ruler of our

“The greater the interests, and the more sacred the rights which may be at stake, the more resolutely should he appeal to the generous feelings, the noble sentiments, the calm considerate wisdom, which become a free, educated, peaceful Christian people (McGuffey Fourth Reader, pg 285).” This quote correctly identifies what the world does today. When certain rights are in jeopardy America turns to Christian beliefs. Therefore, we as Christians have the same responsibilities as those orators of pronounced positions. We, like American orators, must reject selfishness, jealousy, fear, and disrespect among our people. Additionally, we must encourage patriotism and

As a democratic country, a general way to gauge the feelings of the public is to analyze who the public elects to represent them. While Article VI of the Constitution mandates that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States,” an overwhelming amount of American presidents have been Christians. The two exceptions to this were Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, though theistic, remain religiously ambiguous. Within the Christian presidents, the majority of those have been Episcopalian and Presbyterianism. This is despite the fact that Episcopalianism and Presbyterianism make up a relatively low percentage of the overall self-identified Christian population. Contrastingly,

The purpose of this essay is answer the following questions in scope of Genesis chapters one through eleven. How does having a biblical world view affect the way we look at the natural world compared to others who don’t? How does the biblical world view affect our human identity compared to those who do not? How does having a biblical world view affect human relationship? How Does the biblical world view affects civilization?

The key question the author is addressing is What is truly our role as christians in society and what outlook should we have when dealing with politics?. Do we put our loyalties into

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time, and with good reason. For the stories written in it have changed the way many think and even believe when it comes to the power greater than this world. The Bible holds very specific opinions on things such as slavery, who humans should treat each other, and ultimately social justice. It has been one of the most important foundations for allowing social reform to occur in modern day history as well as the history of the whole world. However, it is forgotten in history class how prominent the ancient texts have changed the people. When looking at the history, it is discovered to be the strength of great people who have used its wisdom to bring about a change for those who could not do it on

In the last few hundred years there have been three new views on Christianity to take root in society and impact the world and they were; Neo-Orthodox, Evangelism and Liberalism. These three had quite the impact of the faith throughout Europe and the United States. The three had varying ideals, but it some case overlapped. However, Neo-Orthodoxy seems to be the most effective when communicating with Scripture.

The Bible is actively used in daily life as an ultimate symbol of power and importance, it is read from at special occasions including weddings and funerals and in courts of law – people must swear on the Bible to tell the truth. This shows that the Bible is widely respected by Christians in daily life and by non-believers in certain ways too.