God and government

The idea that government should be based on Christian principles is under constant attack, most notably on several occasions during the debate over assisted suicide. Not only is the proposed law incompatible with Christian principles, but many proponents have suggested that Christians should not participate in the debate or that Christian principles should not determine our position on the issue.

Do God and government mix?

The atheist-humanist call to keep God out of the public sphere seems to resonate intuitively with many people today. Even some religious people seem to think that religion and politics should not mix. It is often argued that, if we had a broadly liberal state, we could have a pluralistic society in which people could practice their religion in private without it interfering with politics.

But this argument fails, even at the logical level, not to mention the practical level. Consider, for example, the concept of a «broadly liberal and pluralistic state». Such beliefs presuppose a set of values that must have some origin. Why, for example, a broadly liberal and pluralistic state rather than a totalitarian state or total anarchy?

In fact, we have a better answer to that question than humanistic atheists. This is because we believe in God-given free will. And we also believe in original sin. Therefore, we understand the dangers of totalitarianism and anarchy; and we understand why the state should serve individuals, families and civil society, not the other way around.

Humanist atheists (and their ilk) argue that our politics and law should be based solely on reason and empirical evidence. They defend this view as neutral. But it is not. To hold that there is nothing in life beyond reason, evidence, and physical experiences is as great an act of faith as believing in the existence of God, which should influence our public life. In fact, 90% of the world's population, and most of the population of our country, believes that there is something beyond reason and empirical evidence. And it is a fact that our laws and institutions - including the monarchy - are based on Christian principles. The degree of explicitness with which this was manifested at the coronation of King Charles III was quite remarkable.

Government without God

And we can ask ourselves, «Where does a government without God lead?»

In his address to Parliament in 2010, Pope Benedict XVI stated: «The central question, then, is this: where does the ethical foundation of political decisions lie? The Catholic tradition holds that objective norms governing right action are accessible to reason... According to this conception, the role of religion in political debate is not so much to provide such norms, as if they were unknown to non-believers... but rather to contribute to purifying and illuminating the application of reason to the discovery of objective moral principles.» In other words, faith and reason complement each other, and faith helps to purify reason.

Indeed, as the Pope himself pointed out, when we try to perfect society solely through reason, we can end up in tyranny, as in the case of the terror of the French Revolution or the millions of deaths at the hands of communist regimes. These were the result of radical atheists who, in trying to build paradise on earth, ended up creating hell. We observe this, to a lesser extent, in the policies of contemporary humanist atheists. They explicitly demand, for example, that Catholic schools not be funded by taxpayers, as if Catholics do not pay taxes and a value-neutral school could somehow exist. In reality, this is a request by humanist atheists for the state to monopolize secular education, dictated by their values.

A society built on properly ordered religious principles is not a cause for fear, even for those who are not religious. We believe in original sin and therefore reject the idea that we can coercively build the perfect society or allow anarchy to prevail. We believe in free will and therefore do not want to build a theocracy. But we also believe in the inherent human dignity of all people, so we reject the utilitarian idea that some people can be sacrificed for the common good. And we also reject the idea that a free society degenerates into a state in which the weak are abandoned to their fate.

If I were not religious and were presented with realistic alternatives on how to organize a state, I would choose this religious conception. We should have no qualms in pointing out that our conception of the State is a great contribution to the world.

What is the government's purpose?

This brings us to the question of “what is the purpose of a government with Christian principles?”.

In the Catholic tradition, the role of government is to promote human dignity and the common good. There is much debate among Christians about how best to use the structures of the state to promote human dignity in a general sense. However, it is worth mentioning, in the context of recent debates, that human dignity is not protected if the lives of the most dependent, the most vulnerable and the weakest (e.g., the unborn and persons with disabilities) and those approaching death are not adequately protected: human dignity applies to all.

The common good is often thought of (because even Christians tend to absorb a secular narrative by osmosis) as a kind of euphemism for the «general welfare» (as opposed, for example, to my own individual interests). But we are not Benthamian utilitarians. The common good refers to both what is good and what is common.

In the political sphere, the common good is related to that set of common conditions that can lead us, individually and collectively, to strive effectively for perfection or fulfillment. And social justice, that much-used - and rarely defined - expression, is the form of justice that promotes the common good.

Again, there is the possibility of misunderstandings and different perspectives. But the first thing to say is that the idea of a society where everyone can achieve perfection does not sound much better than the French communist or revolutionary ideal, which ends in tyranny. It may sound like theocracy, but it is not. We believe in free will and original sin. Our belief in original sin tells us that the power of government must be limited. Our belief in free will tells us that we do not reach true perfection until we can choose what is good.

Therefore, the role of government here is to develop institutions that foster freedom in the best sense of the word: the freedom to choose what is good. The first of these institutions, of course, is the family; another is the Church and all its charitable works. In fact, there must be a wide variety of free institutions that have their own common good and that, at the same time, contribute to the common good of all.

A government that permits violent crime, political corruption or uncontrolled inflation, or that imposes cruel punishments without the possibility of reform or redemption, does not promote the common good or human dignity. This highlights the obvious responsibilities of government. Whether we should ban or regulate pornography, fatty foods or gambling, or regulate labor markets, and to what extent and under what circumstances, are matters for what we call «prudential judgment.».

The role of public officials

What role could civil servants or government administrators play in this scheme of thinking? I am a big fan of the television series «Yes, Minister.» Many civil servants see it as a training series to improve their job performance. But it's not. It is quite the opposite. In fact, «Yes, Minister» has academic roots. One of the authors attended seminars given by a Nobel laureate in economics on the discipline of public choice economics: these seminars were about how interest groups and public officials could put their own interests in a democracy before the interests of the people.

It is not the role of public officials to set the policy agenda by imposing their views, but to help the government implement it. However, they may be tempted to pursue their own interests. And there is a danger, of course, that good officials and regulators will understand their role and fulfill it properly and with restraint, while those with an agenda contrary to Christian principles will overstep the mark and pursue their own interests, thus abusing their power.

As Pope Francis wrote in Fratelli Tutti Others may continue to see politics or the economy as a stage for their own power struggles. For our part, let us encourage the good and put ourselves at their service.“.

Public officials, of course, face complex problems. What should they do if their job is to implement clearly immoral legislation? Could they, from a Catholic perspective, improve secondary legislation by withholding information from the minister or lying to him? What if an official witnesses an act of dishonesty and his job is in jeopardy if he reports it?

In the wake of the financial crisis, many Catholics in the business world reflected on the Catholic cardinal virtues; this way of thinking resonates with non-believers. They thought about how to integrate the virtues of courage, justice, prudence and temperance into their daily work. The same could be applied to the work of those who serve in government, perhaps through the analysis of practical cases.

We have, of course, the example of St. Thomas More, who demonstrated all these virtues and, in the end, had to choose to disobey the king and lose his head. Again, to quote Pope Benedict XVI: «In particular, I recall the figure of St. Thomas More... whom believers and non-believers alike admire for the integrity with which he followed his conscience, even at the cost of displeasing the sovereign... because he chose to serve God above all else.».

If we are to integrate God into government, Christians who work for government should integrate God into their daily work. Bishop Richard Moth, president of the Catholic Bishops« Conference of England and Wales, stated in his message on the occasion of the workers» jubilee: "I also ask Catholics to try to find a moment for prayer during the working day, even if it is only for a moment.".

Stalin asked how many divisions the Pope had. If we truly believe that the world is governed by more than reason and empirical evidence, those who work in government should never forget to invoke our heavenly divisions in their daily work, including, of course, the intercession of St. Thomas More.

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The original of this article was published on the Catholic Social Thought website of St Mary's University.