The deaconess and I find in the liberal atmosphere which permeates Western culture, that obedience has been greatly abused as an excuse for evil. Yet, obedience is a virtue. So how does a faithful Christian obey civil superiors when they perpetrate evil policies or laws?
I am not speaking for God because I’m not God’s mouthpiece. But ask yourself, does God require blind obedience to all commands from civil superiors? Your obedience should be informed with natural law and the Word of God—and it is not hard to see why this is so.
There are two necessary things in this regard:
- The 1st is natural law: i.e., self-preservation.
- The 2nd: an order cannot contradict the law of God.
Consult numerous examples in the Word of God for help: For one, Old Testament patriarch Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den for refusing to conform to King Darius’ new law. But the new civil law was specifically designed to snare Daniel! And, in the Acts of the Apostles after the council and high priests commanded Peter and the apostles to cease their preaching of Jesus in the public square, Peter and the other apostles replied, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Also note that any order given by a superior must be within his sphere of authority.
Different kinds of superiors have different domains, and it’s legitimate for them to give you orders within them. For example, your H.R. manager only issues orders that pertain to rules of employment. These orders are legitimate… However, last year the deaconess and I began receiving complaints by Church friends who told us the H.R. departments of their companies ordered them to take the SARS corona virus vaccination jab, or be fired.
This order appeared within their sphere of authority and therefore appeared legitimate. But the irony is that Religious Exemptions from this coronavirus emergency-use vaccination is guaranteed by law, (Civil Rights Act from 1964, prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, religion, and national origin).
Since we view the lives of our Church friends as precious sheep, we were concerned (Silicon Valley is our parish)… As a result, we began drafting Religious Exemption declarations for them. We would tailor the Religious Exemption to each specific circumstance.
Of nine Church brethren who submitted Religious Exemption declarations, thus far five have been approved by their employer’s H.R.
Brethren, the instinct of self-preservation is found in the animal kingdom; it’s an integral part of natural law. It applies to us higher order beings too, but apparently the timid have shown less willingness to preserve their well-being than the animal kingdom. This ought not to be.
Are you in any way responsible for other people? … Regardless of your vocation, two standards of ordinary pastoral care should be—the canon of Scripture and natural law. Follow those!
/St. George of Hyperlink
GeoCalifornian 