Giving to Cesar what is Cesar's

When confronted with choosing state over church, Jesus instructed his followers to give to Cesar what was Cesar's and to God what was God's. In America is it possible to be both a representative for Cesar and a representative of God?

A representative's role is to listen to his/her people and filter out the needs that concern their constituency and then work on creating/influencing the laws appropriately. Contrary, the role of clergy is to lead and teach based on the established laws of God. Clergy are the representatives of God who are responsible for feeding the people the Lord's words in the hopes that they will not only eat from the table, but will bring their neighbors to it.

How do you govern people knowing the best interest of the masses is to be fed by God, but the driving interest is led by desire? We are asking representatives to face the daunting task of moderating the needs of the people by creating the laws of the land within the established laws of God.

The role of religion has always been an important one in the U.S. From the birth of the nation to the shaping of its spine, religion has walked with us down each journey we as a nation have undertaken. In a future blog, I'll address the complex historical journey the U.S. and religion have undertaken. From colonial laws to modern day science, religion has been both a unifying ingredient, as well as, a dividing force. Before we tap into the historical context, I'd like to just open the piece up to the questions that will get people thinking about the separate but equal roles that clergy and representatives are currently playing.

America is a country governed by the people for the people. People set the laws. Considering not all people worship at the same table, which religious laws do we take into consideration when creating the law of the land? Is it fair to put the religious views of some before others? Is this a majority rules argument dependent on whether or not the majority share the similar teachings of the church?

How do we let religion guide us as a nation? And with so much divide within the religions, how do we sell a uniformed nationalistic belief to our own people, let alone to other nations who do not share our religious views? Religion is a practice of following God's law for the benefit of all of God's people. It does not know nations, it does not know townships, it was written on and seeks truth.

To me these are the core questions that need to be under constant consideration and discussion. How do we bring people to the same table both in a political and religious sense? Who are the masters at each? And what is our role?
The questions can be addressed in so many different ways, each dependent on where the individual focus lies. Do you side more on the side of politics or religion? Are you giving to Cesar what is Cesar's and to God what is God's?