Don't let anything stop you from voicing rights

We’ve heard a lot lately about peaceful protests and riots that were relatively unhindered, including looting and destruction, with First Amendment constitutional rights claimed to do whatever they want vs. health orders prohibiting mass gatherings that included limiting in-person church attendance, which have been relatively obeyed.

The Constitution’s purposes include establishing justice, insuring domestic tranquility and providing for the common defense. Every U.S. resident should read and study the entire Constitution as they should their Bible, interpreting every part of each of those documents by what the rest of it says.

Regarding the First Amendment, the right of assembly is limited to peaceful assemblies. Riots aren’t peaceful, and it’s each state’s responsibility to protect against such domestic violence or ask the federal government for help (Constitution Article I, Section 8; Article IV, Section 4). In New Testament times, under Pax Romana, the Roman government didn’t put up with anything interfering with the domestic tranquility (Acts 19:23-41; does verse 32 ring a bell?).

In allowing peaceful assemblies, the Constitution doesn’t prohibit the establishment of guidelines for how, when or where they can take place except in the case of guaranteeing the free exercise of religion because Christians are to assemble somewhere on Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Hebrews 10:22-25). Regardless, Jesus considers it an assembly and participates when as few as two assemble (Matthew 18:20). So we can still freely practice Christianity without violating mass gathering directives, and many of us have (Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-17).

Regarding riots, no earthly law, including the U.S. Constitution, allows for civil disobedience without retribution. However, while Christians are to obey man’s laws when there’s no conflict with God’s law, God allows civil disobedience when there’s a direct conflict, and Christians will be blessed for any retribution (Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-42, 41-42). Practicing Christianity on God’s terms brings many forms of persecution, but Christians are never to use our Christian or American freedoms as a cover-up for disobedience against any governmental directive when no conflict exists, even if our leaders don’t obey their own directives (2 Timothy 3:12-13; 1 Peter 2:19-23; Matthew 23:1-4).

In addition to the First Amendment, the constitutional means for expressing concerns includes our election process. Without regard to how distasteful a candidate may be on any account, Americans cannot afford to elect any candidate at any level of government who won’t stand solidly in defense of the Constitution because any erosion of the Constitution also erodes the checks and balances assured by having three branches of government, along with the election process, which includes our individual right to vote.

Nov. 3 is local, state and national Election Day. Don’t let anyone or anything keep you from voicing your rights as part of our “government of the people, by the people and for the people” (U.S. Declaration of Independence). Otherwise, we could come under the rule of a country that’s even less tolerant of our freedoms than the Romans would’ve been.

Leonard Lauriault is a member of the Church of Christ in Logan who writes about faith for the Quay County Sun. Contact him at [email protected]