Is America A Democracy or a Republic?

The Answer May Surprise You. Here is Why it Matters by Dave Meyer

What if someone asked you the question: What type of government does the United States have in place? What would your answer be? If your answer is "a democracy," that's understandable, because many people from Senators to school teachers, have repeatedly labeled the U.S. a democracy for many years now.

You  may be surprised to learn that our system of government is actually a republic. There are some big differences between a democracy and a republic, and it's important for Americans to know the difference between the two. Let's start by defining how a democracy and a republic are different.

A Democracy

A pure democracy is where the entire population votes on all issues needing to be decided. Therefore, laws are always determined by the majority. Whatever emotions sweep through the majority of the people will end up being the law of the land. This could be described as governance by majority feeling (Our Founds called it a "mobocracy").

A Republic

A "republic", on the other hand is a form of government where the people elect representatives to govern the country, and these representatives have a foundation of laws they use to run things (The Constitution). So a republic is a rule by law.

Is America Ruled by Emotions or God's Word?

There's a reason why our Founding Fathers set up a republican form of government instead of a democracy: They did it to establish the source of the government's authority.  You see, the Founders wanted to make sure that the newly created government was founded on the authority of the Bible and Christian principles. A republic does a much better job maintaining this form of government.

What a blessing this has turned out to be. You see, the freedoms we enjoy rest not on the whims of an ever-changing majority opinion, but on the God -inspired documents we call the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

I like how David Barton put in his book, Original Intent: "The transcendent values of Biblical natural law were the foundation of the American republic. Consider the stability this provides: in our republic, murder will always be a crime, for it is always a crime according to the Word of God. However, in a democracy, if a majority of the people decide that murder is no longer a crime, murder will no longer be a crime". Just as God provides the stability for individuals, He also provides stability to nations.

The Founders Had This to Say

In Original Intent, Barton also documented many of the things our Founders said pertaining to why they chose to form a republic based on the principles of God's Word and not a democracy. For example, Noah Webster said. " Our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament or the Christian religion."

Our Founders knew how important it was to base the nation's government on the solid values of their Christian faith. They understood that people are not perfect and are capable of making decisions based on self-interest instead of what is best for all, including the minority.

Warning Against Democracy

That is why the Founders had some strong vies on the dangers of democracy. Here are a few examples.

"Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." - John Adams

"Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property, and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they  have been violent in their deaths". - James Madison

"A simple democracy... is one of the greatest of evils." - Benjamin Rush

My hope is that this article will spark your interest in the amazing Godly heritage of the United States. I pray that more leaders will take this information to heart and pass this knowledge on to other Christians throughout America. If you need more information, I suggest reading Original Intent by David Barton. Or you can find additional resources at joycemeyer.org/america

----------------------------------------------------------

Article from 'Enjoying Everyday Life' of Joyce Meyer Ministries November 2011 issue

Dave Meyer is the Vice President of Joyce Meyer Ministries and has been married to Joyce for over forty years. He passionately share the truth about our rich Christian heritage in conferences in America, encouraging people to get educated, pray and take action.