Obey your government where you reside.

 

158. Obedience to government is a must according to the writings of God: Obeying the laws of the land is a requirement in the writings of God: Baha’i Faith: “For while all sects and races in Persia and Turkestan are absorbed in promoting their own interests and only obey their governments either with the hope of reward or from fear of punishment, the Bahá’ís are the well-wishers of the government, obedient to its laws and bearing love towards all peoples.”

(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 293)

This is also a teaching found in the bible we find when reading the book of Peter.  Christianity: 1 Peter 2:13 “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for The Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme (ruler);” 1 Peter 2:14 “Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.” 1 Peter 2:17 “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.” Hebrews 13:17 “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves:”  Judaism: Proverbs 28:7 “Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.”

The teaching of obeying the laws of the land, in which you live, is most assuredly found in the Holy Bible, but I find that obedience to the ordinances of your government and those in authority over you is also a teaching found in the other religions of God as well.

 ISLAM: 59. “O ye who believe! obey Allah (God), and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: that is best, and most suitable for final determination.”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah   4)

Islam: “The Prophet said, ‘A Muslim has to listen to and obey (the order of his ruler) whether he likes it or not, as long as his orders involve not one in disobedience (to Allah), but if an act of disobedience (to Allah) is imposed one should not listen to it or obey it.”’

(Islam, Hadith, Bukhari Vol 9, Book 89, # 258)

 ZOROASTRIANISM: 5. “To the best of good rulers (is) verily the Kingdom, because we render and ascribe it to Him, and make it thoroughly His own (?), to Mazda Ahura (God) do we ascribe it, and to Righteousness the Best.” “Let good rulers rule us.”

(Zoroaster, The Zend-Avesta, Avesta – Yasnas 35 and 48)

 Zoroastrianism: Denkard. Zoroaster, “It is God‘s object to make those, who disobey the commands of the king, deserving of various kinds of punishment by way of justice.”

 HINDUISM: “Mighty monarch! nations still his hests obeyed.”

(Hindu, Mababharata (R. Dutt, abridged tr))

 Hinduism: 5. “He shall not speak evil of the gods or of the king.” 7. “The reward (in the next world) resulting from obeying the restrictions of the law is preferable.”

(Hindu, The Dharma Sutras, Apastamba Prasna 1 and 2, Patala 10 and 11, Khanda 27 and 31)

 BUDDHISM: “The Law be your light, The Law be your refuge! Do not look for any other refuge!” “live restrained under the law.”

((The Eightfold Path), Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 2 (tr. J. Richards) and (Buddha, the Word (The Eightfold Path))

 SABEANISM: 8. “By God their king, the men who refused to love His law. Heaven and earth, nights and days, and all creatures shall obey Him, and not overstep His commandment. Men shall not change their works, but they shall be changed from forsaking the law of the Lord. Therefore the Lord shall repel from Himself the wicked, and the just shall shine like the sun, in the sight of God.” “My Lord, High King of Light, Revealer Whose eyes are uncovered, seeking justice And enacting justice for those who love it,” “I humble myself and my children to Thy name, for I have been true to thy name, and speak (it) in my heart and talk (of it) in my mind. And I subdue my form and my loins,” (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapter 71, 410 and The Books of Adam and Eve)

 BABI RELIGION: “Despite the restraint which the followers of the Báb had exercised ever since the inception of the Faith in every part of the land; despite the repeated charges of the chief disciples to their brethren enjoining them to refrain from acts of violence, to obey their government loyally, and to disclaim any intention of a holy war, their enemies persevered in their deliberate efforts to misrepresent the nature and purpose of that Faith to the authorities.”

The Bab: (Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 601)

BAHA’I FAITH: “We must obey and be the well-wishers of the governments of the land, regard disloyalty unto a just king as disloyalty to God Himself and wishing evil to the government a transgression of the Cause of God.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 440)

Baha’i Faith: “Furthermore each and every one is required to show obedience, submission and loyalty towards his own government. Today no state in the world is in a condition of peace or tranquility, for security and trust have vanished from among the people. Both the governed and the governors are alike in danger. The only group of people which today submitteth peacefully and loyally to the laws and ordinances of government and dealeth honestly and frankly with the people, is none other than this wronged community. For while all sects and races in Persia and Turkestan are absorbed in promoting their own interests and only obey their governments either with the hope of reward or from fear of punishment, the Bahá’ís are the well-wishers of the government, obedient to its laws and bearing love towards all peoples.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 293)

Baha’i Faith: “Bahá’ís Should Obey the Government even at Risk of Sacrificing Administrative Affairs — In Matters of Faith no Compromise Allowed, even though Outcome is Death.”     “For whereas the friends should obey the government under which they live, even at the risk of sacrificing all their administrative affairs and interests, they should under no circumstances suffer their inner religious beliefs and convictions to be violated and transgressed by any authority whatever. A distinction of a fundamental importance must, therefore, be made between spiritual and administrative matters. Whereas the former are sacred and inviolable and hence cannot be subject to compromise, the later are secondary and can consequently be given up and even sacrificed for the sake of obedience to the laws and regulations of the government. Obedience to the state is so vital a principle of the Cause that should the authorities in … decide to-day to prevent Bahá’ís from holding any meeting or publishing any literature they should obey … But, as already pointed out, such an allegiance is confined merely to administrative matter which if checked can only retard the progress of the Faith for some time. In matters of belief, however, no compromise whatever should be allowed, even though the outcome of it be death or expulsion.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 446)