Society part 1

I’ve been thinking a bit about society as a whole during the Christmas vacation – what makes it work and what leads to collapse. It is interesting that the 10 commandments actually lay out rules for a healthy society, one that honors God first, parents/family second, and then others.
A Ven Diagram is a good visual tool for teaching and we could use it here. Think of 3 large circles which overlap a bit but are mostly distinct.

Notice that each circle is made up of individuals. And in fact, every individual in society actually plays a part in all three circles. The scope of circles may overlap a bit, but no one circle controls or overrides the other two. When they work together, they balance each other and support each other.

I would like to note that there is no circle/community in a healthy society which primarily honors SELF. The individual is very important in a healthy society but he or she always exists in a community where God, parents/family and others are honored. In the honoring (love and respect) for others, the individual and his/her relationships thrive.

The difficulties come in two forms. 1. Instead of following the “Law of Love” (Matt. 22:37-39 summarizes the 10 commandments), we follow the “law of self” and all relationships break down. 2. Instead of balancing the rights and responsibilities of the three primary parts of society (family, church, government), we give one far too much power. When one group has too much power, the other groups cannot function properly and either die or fight viciously instead of working together and honoring the roles of the other groups. Maybe we will think about this model some more in future posts…