To Obey God or to Obey Government?
Do we have to decide between obeying God or the state? What do we do in the event of a conflict between divine law and human law? How do we discern what is the right course of action?
Fortunately, most of the time we can do both.
But extreme circumstances may dictate an extreme choice.
The Russian soldier in Ukraine has a choice whether to fire on the high rise where his cousins live, or to just allow himself to be shot by his commander for refusing to fire. Or will his commander also refuse and therefore suffer the same ultimate consequence or court-martial?
COVID-19 Vaccines for Children
At another level, the (informed) parent of the 5-year-old child has a choice whether to vaccinate the child against Covid-19 because the government proclaims it, or to refuse — in the knowledge that the death rate from the vaccine is probably greater than from Covid-19 infection and that the long-term side effects of the vaccine are as yet unknown.
But it is far more problematic for the parent than the Russian soldier.
Lasting Consequences
The soldier — if he refuses to kill on government direction — must bear the consequence himself — a noble self-sacrifice.
Likewise, the parent of the 5-year-old, refusing to comply with government direction, is subject to consequential losses and restrictions and is therefore in a real sense self-sacrificing, BUT has protected the child from an uncertain and unknown future.
However, the parent of the 5-year-old, compliant with government direction, is not sacrificing self at all, but is instead risking the life of the child to an uncertain and unknown future.
Please note I am not an anti-vaxxer.
___
Originally published at Choose Life Australia. Photo by CDC on Unsplash.
Recent Articles:
24 June 2026
4.8 MINS
After scoring the sixth-fastest goal in FIFA's 2026 World Cup, Christian footballer Felix Nmecha dropped to one knee and symbolically laid his crown at the feet of Christ. It's a gesture that captures everything about him: faith first, football second.
23 June 2026
4 MINS
Christian, captain and soccer legend Lionel “Leo” Messi is giving all the glory to God as he makes FIFA 2026 World Cup headlines. The Argentinian is widely respected for his integrity, humility and the way he carries himself on and off the pitch.
23 June 2026
3.2 MINS
The Australian Christian Freedom Index documented 74 Acts of Parliament that have restricted Christian freedom over the past 25 years. Which parties and worldviews restrict Christian freedoms in Australia — and why?
22 June 2026
2.7 MINS
Australia still has a blasphemy law architecture that goes by a new name — namely, our vilification and anti-discrimination framework. These laws have striking parallels to Australia’s old blasphemy laws, with the exception that they serve a new god and are more readily enforced than the old ones.
22 June 2026
2.7 MINS
Rupert Lowe has released a document titled the Rape Gang Inquiry Report into organised child sexual exploitation across parts of England, following a series of public hearings with victims, whistle‑blowers, and former officials.
22 June 2026
4.4 MINS
I fell for the idea that I could make myself to be female. I took cross-sex hormones, had numerous surgeries and identified as female. I came to realise that none of it changed my male body — with it's 30 trillion cells with XY chromosomes — into a biological female.
22 June 2026
3.4 MINS
Turning hearts of dads to their children, and the hearts of the children to their dads, is at the core of what Dads4Kids is all about.
