45
votes
Is there any biblical support for the Church to allow governments to close churches and prevent public worship?
From your comments you are asking about the case where governments have made regulations in response to a pandemic (Covid19) preventing in-person meetings, or limited their size, and not given ...
- 31.5k
17
votes
Accepted
What crime was committed by the "thieves" crucified with Jesus?
Survey of Roman law
A now deleted (near) duplicate of this question asked if a claim that the Roman law forbid the crucifixion of thieves, so I'll start with that question, which is highly relevant to ...
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16
votes
Accepted
Do Jehovah Witnesses believe it is immoral to pay for blood transfusions through taxation?
I found an article from the Jehovah’s Witness official web site that indirectly answers your question. It uses the example of governments using income taxes to pay for wars and points out that it is ...
- 29.8k
13
votes
Accepted
What is the Catholic Church's historical position on capital punishment: how did we get here?
Wikipedia's article on this topic is a pretty good place to start, and for in-depth treatment, you'll want By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed (Feser and Bessette; in favor of the death penalty) and ...
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12
votes
What is the theological background to the belief that taxation is theft?
Foundations: Taxation and private property are in tension
The commandment (Exodus 20) "Thou shalt not steal" implies the right to private property, and this is everywhere assumed in ...
- 7,852
12
votes
Accepted
What is the biblical basis for the freedom of religion?
In Revelation 22 it says:
Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person
continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right;
and let the holy person ...
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12
votes
Accepted
How is the amazement of the Jews explained by those who believe that "Render Unto Caesar" affirmed the paying of taxes?
What lies below is certainly not the only way to interpret this scripture, but it is one way I find extremely compelling, and to my knowledge, provides a reasonable historical understanding.
This ...
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12
votes
According to Roman Catholicism, is it a sin to vote for pro-choice politicians?
Yes, if the candidate was voted for because they were pro-abortion
Pope Benedict XVI (formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) succinctly summed up the Catholic Church's teachings in the memorandum "...
- 6,337
11
votes
Why do Latter-day Saints believe that the US Constitution is divinely inspired and what does that mean?
This belief can be traced to 1833 where in D&C 101:77 it states
77 According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the ...
- 8,745
10
votes
What is the Biblical basis for civil disobedience, by not wearing a mask in the midst of COVID-19, despite health department rules?
I think the difference between Paul's exhortation to obey civil authorities by paying taxes in Romans and the type of civil disobedience MLK partook in, is that paying taxes to the govt does not ...
- 1,196
9
votes
Is there any biblical support for the Church to allow governments to close churches and prevent public worship?
I found a quote I like from an online news source called The Week (emphasis mine).
Like everything else in this world, Romans 13 makes sense within its broader context. And in the New Testament, this ...
- 3,814
9
votes
Accepted
Why do Latter-day Saints believe that the US Constitution is divinely inspired and what does that mean?
I'd like to supplement the excellent answer by depperm with a few other scriptures and some theological background to address some of the discussion raised in the comments.
--
High-level overview on ...
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8
votes
What is Catholic Church's view on capital punishment?
The Catholic Church does not forbid capital punishment.
See the section on the 5th Commandment ("Thou shalt not kill") of the Catechism of the Council of Trent:
Another kind of lawful slaying ...
- 38.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Do Mormons respect the EU "Data Protection Directive" of right of access to personal data?
I know that software first-hand because I served as a ward clerk.
The quote is misleading. On the "members record" appears information about parents, children and husband/wife, along with their ...
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7
votes
Accepted
What were the Jehovah's Witness arguments against doing the Nazi salute?
As you state (emphasis mine):
the reasoning against these smaller acts of loyalty to the "state" or ruler, such as the Nazi salute
Jehovah's Witnesses are only loyal to Gods Kingdom, as Jesus said ...
- 196
7
votes
Can a priest act on a confession of molestation?
Canon law is very explicit on this...
The priest can't betray the person confessing (983.1)
The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in ...
- 1,531
7
votes
What's the biblical basis for protesting government mandates that threaten basic democratic rights?
To take a honest look at the Bible’s approach to government we have a few obvious high level principles that outline an approach to the political .
In the Old Testament God directly ruled an often ...
- 31.7k
6
votes
What is the biblical basis for the freedom of religion?
In John 18:36 Jesus states:
My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, My attendants would fight that I might not be betrayed to the Jews. But now My kingdom is not from ...
- 397
6
votes
Accepted
Can a secular government ever be a moral authority?
Normally we require questions like this to specify a particular denomination/tradition that they are asking about, because different Christian groups take different approaches. But in this case ...
- 31.5k
6
votes
Does Catholic Church condemn cruelty to animals?
CCC 2415-2418 in the 7th commandment section concerns this. Note, it is under the 7th commandment (thou shalt not steal) not the 5th commandment (thou shalt not kill) because animals are not people.
...
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6
votes
How to pray for a corrupt government involved in drug trafficking?
The Bible tells Christians to pray for those in positions of authority. Such authorities include government officials (international, national, and local) and pastors, church elders, school boards, ...
- 29.8k
5
votes
Did Pope Francis overstep any official Catholic boundary when he criticized Trump?
There is no doctrine, policy or convention in the Catholic church that prevents a priest, or any church leader, from pronouncing on the rightness of some action or belief.
Historically, over the last ...
- 31.5k
5
votes
Accepted
Have any Protestant leaders in Korea expressly supported the destruction of Buddhist statues?
It is hard to believe that more than a small minority of Korean Christian clergy would provide any support or encouragement for acts of vandalism against the sacred objects of another religion. ...
- 14.4k
5
votes
What do Quakers believe about war and serving in the military?
I am a Quaker, and as such am regarded in our denomination as a voluntary minister. Quakers do not have any laid down doctrines, creeds, or rules which we must follow. The majority of Quakers do not ...
5
votes
Did Pope Francis declare that according to the teaching of the Catholic Church capital punishment is intrinsically evil?
Did Pope Francis declare that according to the teaching of the Catholic Church capital punishment is intrinsically evil?
The short answer is no.
The choice of words regarding the Roman Pontiff's ...
- 68.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Is there any historical record of Elizabeth the First's reaction to John Knox's tract on 'the monstruous regimen'?
While in Geneva, John Knox’s work ‘The First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women’ was published (anonymously) in 1558. It appears that his book was written against the female ...
- 29.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Why do most Christians seemingly not mind swearing on the Bible in light of Matthew 5:33-37?
According to this source
The tradition of using the Bible in oath-taking likely comes from ninth-century England, where, without dedicated governmental centers, the altar of a church often served as ...
- 7,084
5
votes
Accepted
Is there any biblical support for the Church to allow governments to close churches and prevent public worship?
It is easy to make decisions when one chooses between two paths, one of which is obviously right and one which is obviously wrong. One puts aside any inclinations of greed or other fleshly motivation ...
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