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GOVERNANCE: Authority is with electeds

| August 23, 2020 1:00 AM

A recent letter to the editor suggested that Christians should do what government tells us to do because government is a creation of God. In Paul’s day, those to whom he was writing had no say in who was governing them. Ergo, it must be God’s will that they obey.

In America, WE the PEOPLE created the government and each election year we repeat that event. Thus, we should obey the laws enacted by those whom we have elected, until we remove the body that created the law.

In the case of the PHD, that body is appointed by elected officials and by statute they can protect the health of the community over which they have sway. However, in order to create a crime of omission as in the case of wearing a mask, there is no direct authority to do so. It would seem reasonable to conclude that the PHD can request the wearing of masks, but it is too long a stretch for the PHD to have the authority to create a crime. That authority is with elected officials whom we can un-elect.

Thus, Christians are not to assume that God created our government because we did it. We can thank God for the opportunity to create our government, but He encouraged us do it.

KONRAD LARSON

Hayden