Is Christianity just a belief system, or is it also a system for organizing and governing society?
score:7
Christianity is not, "just a belief system", nor is it "also a system for organizing and governing society".
It is simply the way for imperfect people to get into an eternal relationship with a perfect God, not by our good works but by the gift of Jesus. John puts it better than I can:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Of course, there are consequences of this that affect the individual (e.g. a commitment to honesty and love) which then in turn affect society. (We are also instructed about our duty to society, e.g. "pay your taxes".) But that's a by-product, rather than the central aim.
More directly answering your question, the Bible does not explain how to organise society but it does contain some very light weight (by which I mean, not overly proscriptive) examples of how to organise a church (e.g. mentioning elders).
Upvote:1
If you liked Mere Christianity, you might like to read Screwtape Letters and see what Lewis has to say about using Christianity to further political ends.
That being said, Christianity is the basis for a Church, which is a bigger thing than a government. In the OT, we've got the Covenants (Individual: Adam and Eve, Familial: Noah and his Family; Tribal: Abraham; National: Moses; Kingdom: David) and in the New Testament, Jesus establishes a new covenant with His Church, one that will not pass away.
If the old covenants were used to organize and govern those societal groups, getting bigger and bigger until the Kingdom of Israel. Then what Christianity is, is actually too big to be used as a tool to govern a society, it's for all people, even though not everyone accepts it.
This is why at consecration, the priest says "for many" in the English translation now, they had it translated "for all" for the last 50 years, but Christianity is really just for those who accept Christ.
Upvote:1
Islam proposes a system of government. But the Bible does not. Although many systems with Christian beliefs have tried to force a political system or government. I would say that they failed.
I am not saying in any way that a Christian should not do politics and act out of his belief system. What I am saying is more that there is no such thing as a Christian nation but there is an Islamic nation.
More post
- 📝 Where does the principle of applying the concept of model to the Church come from?
- 📝 Was the snake a wayward animal?
- 📝 Do we have to obey the laws of the bible? If so, what laws?
- 📝 How do Calvinists argue that limited atonement is just and merciful?
- 📝 How was Moses able to speak to over 600,000 people at once?
- 📝 What did Pope Francis mean when he said "who am I to judge" h*m*sexuals?
- 📝 According to Reformed Theology, what is the doctrinal basis for belief in New Testament tithing?
- 📝 Can a prospective Catholic convert skip the RCIA by self-teaching?
- 📝 Do any Christian denominations consider Pontius Pilate as a saint?
- 📝 Is it the idea of Platonism that describes the mind-body distinction in 1 Cor 6?
- 📝 What's the point of the second commandment?
- 📝 Is there any Biblical prophecy about Damascus?
- 📝 What terms have been used by missionaries to Islamic countries to describe Islam?
- 📝 Why do biblical names vary in different languages?
- 📝 Elijah "The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail" miracle or not?
- 📝 Does the diversity in doctrines among Christian traditions indicate that there are multiple "truths"?
- 📝 Which denomination agrees with our beliefs?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for requiring that a pastor/preacher/teacher/etc be paid for their ministry?
- 📝 Did Arianism survive as Islam?
- 📝 Is it known which seminary or seminaries produced the majority of Catholic priests who were accused of sexual abuse in the USA?
- 📝 What was the stance of the Roman Catholic Church on the Vietnam War?
- 📝 How do people become the sheep that Jesus speaks of in John 10?
- 📝 Is there a way of working out approximately how much money Zacchaeus would have given away and given back as restitution?
- 📝 It is possible to understand the love of God by logical implications?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for traditional family values?
- 📝 Does God encourage hurting or killing others in his name in the Bible?
- 📝 Did Ignatius believe in the doctrine of Eternal Generation of the Son?
- 📝 What was the Original Purpose of Fasting from "Wine" and "Olive Oil" in the Orthodox Tradition?
- 📝 Why did not Jesus personally baptize anyone?
- 📝 Doing Good Deeds In the Sight of Others
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Is Christianity just a belief system, or is it also a system for organizing and governing society?
- 📝 What is the basis for the belief that Christianity and Islam worship different gods?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for the belief held by Jehovah's Witnesses that Jehovah and Jesus Christ are separate entities?
- 📝 What is the basis for the Swedenborgian view that the most common concept of God in Christianity (the Trinity) is a belief in three gods?
- 📝 Where does Augustine say that Adam and Eve were in Eden for just six hours before sinning?
- 📝 What belief system would combine both elements from Calvinism and Arminianism?
- 📝 What is the biblical & patristic basis for the belief that the saints go to Heaven instead of Sheol after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus?
- 📝 Why was it necessary for some people to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands and others just received it after believing?
- 📝 Mere Christianity Book I Chapters 1 and 2: How would Lewis explain morality being inherently known but also taught?
- 📝 How can God be loving and just whilest creating people for His wrath? I cannot wrap my head around Calvinism!
- 📝 What is the basis for the belief "It is possible to have free-will and be incapable of sinning, but it is not possible to be created in that state"?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for the belief that God foreordained the fall of Adam and Eve?
- 📝 In which denomination(s) are Christians allowed to bury and hold a Christian funeral for their deceased nonreligious or just non-Christian relative?
- 📝 Is there a need for Christians to believe in Christianity at all, if they don't believe in Resurrection and Salvation through Christ alone?
- 📝 What is the biblical and historical basis for the belief that the Second Coming of Christ hasn't happened yet (as of 2021)?
- 📝 For those who believe there was no historical Adam and Eve, how does Christianity make sense?
- 📝 What's the biblical basis for the belief that God truly judges our hearts behind our actions and not the actions themselves?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for both tithing and offering in the New Covenant, instead of just offering?
- 📝 According to the Westminster Confession, what is the Biblical basis for the belief that the guilt of Adam and Eve was imputed to all mankind?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for the belief in incubus and succubus (sex demons)?
- 📝 Are there any Christian groups or denominations that make a distinction between the gift of healing and just praying for the sick to get healed?
- 📝 What is the basis for saying Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
- 📝 Is there any Biblical Basis for 400 years of silence between Old and New Testament?
- 📝 Can somebody summarize the different "branches" of Christianity to me, and explain why they exist in the first place?
- 📝 What reasons does Christianity give for "Why There Must Be A God?"
- 📝 Is the "sinner's prayer" important for salvation and why?
- 📝 What were the Nephilim, and what role did they play in the Bible beyond just being mentioned?
- 📝 Biblical basis for the separation of church and state
- 📝 What is the scriptural basis for "Love God and do whatever you please"?
- 📝 Why is the word "Ark" used for Noah's boat and the Ark of the Covenant?