New Church Life July/August 2016 | Page 26

n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 6 immediate surroundings. Anything that seems to inhibit that happiness is viewed as an obstacle and wrong. So no matter what choices a person is making the view is that he or she should be able to be happy right now and in the short term. It is discouraging that while here and there political discourse speaks to foundational values and principles, too often self-interest seems the primary appeal. Whether it is stated in the context of our national or international interest the appeal is not to what is going to be best for the United States, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but what a decision is going to mean to me and my future in the next few years. For many of us the last few decades have provided times of satisfaction with our leaders and what our country was doing and also times of deep disappointment and concern. The Lord’s words to the scribes and Pharisees may seem to give clear guidance on our responsibilities when He said: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Luke 20:25) The Lord spoke these words in response to an effort to trap Him into saying something that could be used against Him. The scribes and Pharisees thought they would be able to condemn Jesus as a traitor to the Jewish nation and faith if He endorsed paying taxes. On the other hand if He said taxes didn’t need to be paid they could take this to the civil authorities and they would perhaps arrest Jesus. Sometimes His response has been seen as a clear separation of natural and spiritual things or a clear separation of earthly and spiritual government. But consider the following from the teachings for the New Church: It is discouraging that while here and there political discourse speaks to foundational values and principles, too often self-interest seems the primary appeal. When the life of person is scanned and explored by rational insight it is found to be threefold, namely, spiritual, moral and civil. These three lives are distinguishable. For there are people who live a civil life and not as yet a moral and spiritual life; and there are people who live a moral life and not as yet a spiritual life; and there are those who live a civil life, a moral life, and a spiritual life at the same time. These live the life of heaven; but the former live the life of the world separated from the life of heaven. This shows, in the first place, that the spiritual life is not a life separated from natural life or the life of the world, but is joined with it as the soul is join ed with its 338