God's Plan for Civil Government – Part 14 - Did our Founding Fathers deliberately violate God's Word?

In January through April of 2012 I led a Bible Study on the Bible and Civil Government. It lasted 13 weeks. These lessons are being posted on a website (link below)

The Lessons were a bit long for people to read on facebook, so the lessons are being posted on facebook in shorter pieces.

In part 13 we start on the 4^th question:

“Based upon these modern interpretations our country would have been founded in disobedience to God. Did our Founding Fathers deliberately violate God’s Word?”

With the advent of the IRS involvement resulting from Lyndon Johnson’s efforts and the softening position of the pulpit this question becomes very relevant. As we saw in the recent situation in Kentucky the vast majority of Christians (especially Pastors) seem to fall back to the excuse “we must obey the law.”

If that is Biblically correct then what does that say about the Founding of our country? For example Patrick Henry was a bit more “disobedient” than Kim Davis! The colonist certainly did not follow the much repeated slogan today of “We must obey the law.”

In this part we will look at what our Founding Fathers had to say on this subject and some of the charters with the colonies.

In 1774 many leading men of the Colonies met in Fairfax Virginia. George Mason and George Washington were two of the most prominent spokesmen for what became known as the Fairfax Resolves. The Fairfax Resolves presented the colonial view in the growing conflict with the English government.

From the Fairfax Resolves, number 1 and 5:

Resolved, That this Colony and Dominion of Virginia cannot be considered as a conquered country, and, if it was, that the present inhabitants are the descendants, not of the conquered, but of the conquerors. That the same was not settled at the national expense of England, but at the private expense of the adventurers, our ancestors, by solemn compact with, and under the auspices and protection of, the British Crown, upon which we are, in every respect, as dependent as the people of Great Britain, and in the same manner subject to all his Majesty's just, legal, and constitutional prerogatives; that our ancestors, when they left their native land, and settled in America, brought with them, even if the same had not been confirmed by Charters, the civil Constitution and form of Government of the country they came from, and were by the laws of nature and Nations entitled to all its privileges, immunities, and advantages, which have descended to us, their posterity, and ought of right to be as fully enjoyed as if we had still continued within the Realm of England.

 

Resolved, That the claim lately assumed and exercised by the British Parliament for making all such laws as they think fit to govern the people of these Colonies, and to extort from us our money without our consent, is not only diametrically contrary to the first principles of the Constitution and the original compacts by which we are dependent upon the British Crown and Government, but is totally incompatible with the privileges of a free people and the natural rights of mankind, will render our own Legislatures merely nominal and nugatory, and is calculated to reduce us from a state of freedom and happiness to slavery and misery.

Some sample compacts:

Covenant of Exeter, New Hampshire
July 5, 1639

Whereas it hath pleased the Lord to Moue the heart of our Dread Soveraigne Charles, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France & Ireland, to grant license & liberty to sundry of his subjects to plant themselves in the westerne partes of America: Wee, his loyall subjects, brethren of the church of Exeter, situate & lying upon Piscataquacke, wth other inhabitants there, considering wth ourselves the holy will of god and our owne necessity, that we should not live whout wholesome lawes & government amongst us, of wch we are altogether destitute; doe in the name of Christ & in the sight of God combine ourselves together, to erect & set up amongst us such government as shall be to our best discerning, agreeable to the will of god, professing ourselves subjects to our Sovereign Lord King Charles, according to the Libertys of our English Colony of the Massachusetts & binding ouselves solemnly by the grace & helpe of Christ & in his name & fear to submit ourselves to such godly & christian laws as are established in the realme of England to our best knowledge, & to all other such lawes wch shall upon good grounds, be made & inacted amongst us according to God, yt we may live quietly & peaceablely together, in all godliness and honesty.

 

 

Next part we will continue looking at the fourth question:

Next: Part 15 - Did our Founding Fathers deliberately violate God's Word? (2nd Session)