1 Peter 2:13-17
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
See also Romans 13:1-7.
I had to think about this question before I decided to burn my Census form.
To my mind it comes down to the fact that Democracy is a very different form of government to ‘Kings and Governors’ because our democracy purports to be Government *by the people*… ie *We are our own government*. We participate in the process, and thus by burning my census, I am actually participating in the Democratic process… my activism is expressly designed to effect how we are governed… and by burning my census I have not broken any moral law.
Furthermore it can never be said that a Government elected by the will of the majority is the same thing as a government installed by the will of God! To equate the will of the Mob with the Will of God is a most heinous blasphemy which violates every tenet of scripture!
Such an Idea would virtually endorse Utilitarianism which was expressly formulated to oppose Christian ethics.
Thus our age of Democracy is actually ‘a political dispensation’ whereby God allows Mankind to govern himself…. it is a test…. wich will inevitably end in failure like all of Mankinds other Godless endevours… and thus prove the fact that Man ought not to be Lawmaker or Rule over his fellow Man. Ie We Need Christ the King!
Tim, Romans 13 tells us
For me, I find it hard to comprehend that God established the Third Reich. Or that the Third Reich was “ordained by God” (KJV).
The way I see it (*subject to change)…
Government is overstepping its God given authority when it does the census by threat of fine.
This irritates me but I’m not compromised if I complete the census.
It concerns me that the Government unjustly penalises people that refuse to fill in the census.
Subjecting myself to the unjust penalty is of no value.
There is more reason we should not pay taxes than complete the census – yet we pay our taxes.