Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
This passage of scripture brings to light the fact that God has given to each of us the freedom to serve or not to serve Him. The results of any particular course of action is there before us in the Bible, but our freedom to choose remains intact, for one of the reasons why Christ died, was in order that our freedom of choice may continue. When the majority of earth's inhabitants clamor for evil, then the rulers of the people are not to force their perceived forms of righteousness upon unwilling consciences, for then the result will always be religious intolerance, resulting in the massacre of millions who do not subscribe to the proposed creeds and belief systems. We are getting a foretaste of this ungodly method and ideology, as is now being manifested in the middle east.
Here in America we are not living under a theocracy, and therefore we must be very wary of the efforts made by those who try to impose their form of religious beliefs on others, irrespective of a our personal convictions. The genius of true Christianity when it is adopted in the context of social living, is that it permits a person to do good as well as evil, once another person's rights, freedoms, and privileges are not violated in any way. This sacred truth must be thoroughly understood by all Christians, lest we do evil by trying to force our version of religion on anyone, on account of the many evils that are multiplying across the land. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land" .... 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.
In our day there will be efforts made by some politicians and religious leaders to counteract radical Islam by enforcing Christianity on reluctant minds, and by doing so we will fall into the same snare that is causing the ruin of millions, in parts of the earth where these methods are adopted. As Christians we are to fulfill the gospel commission as far as possible in our neck of the woods, and also on the wider world stage, for God has given us this sacred obligation in His word. Let's read:
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
However, in the fulfillment of the gospel commission, we must be careful not to encroach upon the rights and freedoms of others, leaving every person to choose for themselves without being coerced to do so. Some Christians have at times advocated for mandatory prayer in schools, as being something that will greatly benefit students and the general public at large, thus raising the awareness of God and hopefully stemming the tide of declining morality in our nation. But then the next question arises, which god will we be forced to pray to? Will we be forced to include and address "Mary" in those prayers, or will Allah be the god of choice? Although Jesus Christ is the one and only true God, yet he Himself never forces anyone to pray to Him, nor to obey His commandments, as is manifested in the following passage of scripture. Let's read:
2nd Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
The reason why the passage starts with the word "If" is because it is an open invitation given by God, to be accepted or rejected if we so choose. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls on us to respect the freedom of choice as given by God to each person, for by so doing we will be working in harmony with God's great plan of salvation. Let's read:
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice" .... and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people".
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His word. "Good night' and God bless!