The Religious Nature of Law
In 1973, R. J. Rushdoony published the first volume of his studies on the 10 Commandments entitled The Institutes of Biblical Law. Christianity Today called this work the most important book of 1973.
In the introduction, Rushdoony provides a very helpful overview on the religious nature of law. Understanding five basic points can help you understand many of the changes that we see taking place in our nation.
Here are the five points on the nature of law that he shares.
1) Law is in every culture religious in origin. Law is inescapably religious because it deals with the ultimate concerns of a society – life and death, right and wrong.
2) The Source of Law is the god of that society. Law can have different sources. Man’s reason can be the god of a society. Hitler and Stalin in many ways became the gods of their nations during the period of their cruel rule. Mao Tse-Tung claimed, “Our God is none other than the masses of the Chinese people.” Of course, this did not keep him for being responsible for the untold death of countless millions in his own nation.
3) When laws change what is taking place is a change in religion. I am not talking about relatively minor changes in law like speed limits or fines. I am talking about significant legal changes that the Supreme Court has introduced in our nation or in some cases laws passed by Congress and signed by the President.
In our own nation, we see this especially as we look back a generation or two. Our laws have changed and this also means that the religion of our nation has changed.
4) You can’t get rid of religion in any society. One religion can be replaced by another religion. A society can claim to have no religion, but that just means it has substituted something else in its place. “Since the foundations of law are inescapably religious, no society exists without a religious foundation or without a law-system which codifies the morality of its religion.” (Rushdoony, 5)
5) There can be no tolerance in a law system for another religion. One religion in the end will dominate and will seek to force out other religions. Tolerance is a device use to help bring about a new system of law.
If you understand these points, you can understand at least what is motivating the legal changes in our society. Some of these changes go back a number of years. Other changes are taking place much more quickly.
As the Christian faith more and more is pushed aside and sadly abandoned, we see the rise of a new faith, humanism, and significant legal changes. When the US Supreme Court with no basis in history or the US Constitution legalized same sex marriage, that was a clear sign that a new religion dominates our nation.
And this explains the attacks on Christian businesses that refuse to bow the knee to the tyranny of the new law system.
Now because the US is a large country and also because there still are by God’s grace many Christians, there is still a fight taking place. Christians properly are standing up against tyranny. We can also be very thankful to see recent decisions by the United States Supreme Court that have supported biblical principles.
During the Trump administration, Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Pence, started teaching again at a Christian school that holds what all Christians used to believe about morality and there was vehement anger directed against her. There were calls that she should lose her Secret Service protection.
The British Broadcasting Corporation headline was typical: Vice-president’s wife Karen Pence to teach at anti-LGBT school.
So, we must seek to help our children understand the nature of law and what is taking place in our nation. There is a great spiritual battle and many even in our nation are learning what it means to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ.
As we teach our children these things, let us also remind them of the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20.
He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” - 1 John 4:4.