THE BIBLE AND MAJORITY RULE POLITICS

Unbiblical political fomula

By: Peter Qeko Jere. Doctoral Student:Univer. of Fort Hare.

The position of majority rule in a democracy has raised a lot of issues in multiparty system of democratic rule today. Many times we tend to fear a situation where we have one political party in full control in parliament. Some have argued that this leads to majority dictatorship in a democracy while some have argued that this is good and health since national budgets can easily be passed. Below here, I just want to look into majority rule in relation to the bible. I want us to know that even in the bible, we have situations that shows elements of majority dictatorship and majority anarchy.

To begin with, in both John 19 and Luke 23, we have a clear picture of what majority rule can sometime do if not properly checked. Our Lord Jesus Christ was brought before both Pilate and Herod by the Chief Priests to answer charges leveled against him. These High Priests and religious officials were equivalent to Bishops, Pastors, Apostles, Revelands Church Elders, Church Deacons and Church members of today.

When they both critically looked into the legality of Christ Case, The Supreme Court of Appeal, which Pilate chaired, concluded that our Lord had no case to answer and was innocent, and they needed to release him. In this regard, John 19:4 says that Pilate found out that according to the Roman Laws, Jesus was innocent with no crime warranting death sentence – he said as far as I am concern, I find no basis for a charge against him. Since the Chief Priests and Jews in their majority had already pre-judged that Christ needed to die, John 19 12, says that Pilate tried to set our Lord free but the Chief Priest and officials kept on shouting, that no matter what, Jesus needed to be killed.

Thus Luke 23:18 points out that the Jews in their majority shouted and voiced their demands saying, “ away with this man and release Barabas to us”. As if this was not enough, in Verses 21,the High Priests and religious official in their majority again voiced out and shouted crucify him! Crucify him! Finally in verse 23, they strongly decided and shouted on top of their voice that crucify him! Crucify him! They just didn’t care anything about Our Lord. It was after this huge pressure that Pilate gave in and handed our Lord over to the Chief Priest and Jewish religious officials to crucify him. We thus witness the power of the majority in the bible.

We therefore need to understand that while majority rule in politics today is good, this system of government can sometimes be cruel, staggering, oppressive and dictatorial. What happens in world politics today is exactly what took place some two thousands years ago when our Lord Jesus Christ lived with us on this planet. The Jewish majority voice in Pilate court didn’t care about the concerns of the minority who supported our Lord Jesus Christ. That day in Pilate Court, Jewish majority voice made sure that their concern and demands prevails. Thus Arend Lyphart (Democracy in plural societies) says that many times majority rule politics favors the interest of those that are in majority. In addition, George Ntalaja (State and Democracy in Africa) points out that many times those in majority tend to manipulate the system to suit their own desired goal, which sometimes gives birth to anarchy. Finally Antony Arblaster (Democracy) says that many times the voice of the people is reduced to those in majority without considering those in minority. He says that, majority rule if not properly checked gives birth to majority dictatorship and civil strife in any democracy.

Having said this, we firstly need to know that during the days of our Lord Jesus Christ, there were no mechanisms to check and control those in majority or even minority such that Pilate danced to the demands of those Jewish in majority. The rule of law never mattered that day but the demands of the majority. This explains that if not properly checked, majority rule can even undermine the rule of Law. Majority rule need to have its own checks and balances so that it is not abused. If this made Pilate dance to the demands of the Jewish majority, then what is it that can stop it from happening today? There is overwhelming evidence to show that in world politics today people dance to the demands of those in majority. Those in majority have the power to decide our fate whether we like it or not.

Secondly is that many times those in majority deliberately close their eyes and ears not to see and hear the good that comes from the minority camp. During the days of our Lord Jesus Christ, they deliberately chose not to see the good things Jesus did. He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the hungry and cared for the lost to mention but a few. Likewise, in the world today, those in majority find it hard and difficult to accommodate good constructive views from those in minority just because they are in minority which if unfortunate sometimes.

Thirdly is that the majority can be manipulated by a few to satisfy their desired goal. In any majority rule there are key individual figures that many times are brains behind any agenda and many times they are there to satisfy their own agendas and desired goals. These key figures in a majority rule will do everything possible under the sun to make sure that what they need is satisfied. During the days of our Lord Jesus Christ, the High Priest were such individuals who managed to mobilize and indoctrinate Jews that Christ needed to crucified and killed. If High Priests managed to manipulate the whole system then, then what is it that can stop few individuals in any majority rule democracy to have their goals satisfied if they are not properly checked?

Finally is that decisions made by those in majority need to be seriously scrutinized and checked before they are implemented. . We should realize that during Jesus days, those in majority voted for the release of Barnabas who was a hard-core criminal, a murder and a very dangerous person. Imagine those in majority can go as far as this, which leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions. This explains that it is possible for the majority in the world today to do likewise by coming up with ambiguous decisions sometimes to satisfy their own person agendas. Therefore, Policies and Laws should not be implemented and passed just because majority of the people in a particular grouping support it. We need to know that majority can be dictatorial and mess up things in a democracy hence need to be properly checked. We need to learn from history so that we should not make the very same mistakes that our forefathers made. Every type of history (biblical, economic, social, political history etc) is there for us to learn from so that we should be able to manage the future.