Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY

Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY

Should Religion Be Involved in Politics?

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- Did first-century Christians get involved in politics?
  
  No. Jesus’ followers obeyed his command to be “no part of the world.” (John 15:19) They followed his example and remained separate from the world’s politics. (John 17:16; 18:36) Rather than get involved in political matters, they did the work Jesus commanded—preaching and teaching about God’s Kingdom.—Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 10:42.
  
  First-century Christians put obedience to God first in their lives, but they also knew that they had to respect secular authorities. (Acts 5:29; 1 Peter 2:13, 17) They obeyed the laws and paid taxes. (Romans 13:1, 7) While they did not get involved in politics, they did make use of legal protections and services that governments provided.—Acts 25:10, 11; Philippians 1:7.

Should Religion Be Involved in Politics?

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- Early Christians and politics—what secular history reports
  
  “Christians refused to share certain duties of Roman citizens. . . . They would not hold political office.”—On the Road to Civilization—A World History, page 238.
  
  “There is not a shred of evidence which would allow us to think that Jesus had military/political ambitions, and . . . the same applies to the disciples.”—Jesus and Judaism, page 231.
  
  “To a Christian his religion was something apart from and superior to political society; his highest allegiance belonged not to Caesar but to Christ.”—Caesar and Christ, page 647.
  
  “[The apostle] Paul was willing to use his Roman citizenship to demand the protections of the judicial process due him, but he engaged in no lobbying on the public policy issues of the day. . . . Though they believed they were obligated to honor the governing authorities, the early Christians did not believe in participating in political affairs.”—Beyond Good Intentions—A Biblical View of Politics, pages 122-123.
  
  “There was a conviction widely held among Christians that none of their number should hold office under the state . . . As late as the beginning of the third century Hippolytus said that historic Christian custom required a civic magistrate to resign his office as a condition of joining the Church.”—A History of Christianity, Volume I, page 253.