Exploring the Connection Between Faith and Governance
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
The Constitution of the United States established America’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens.
The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
The three branches of government is an implemented institution that functions as a balance of powers to the separation of responsibilities. The government’s overall accountability with covering areas of society elucidates the spiritual or theological concept of the Holy Trinity and the philosophical and psychological concept of the Id, ego, and superego. All these principles were intended to explicate the importance of compartmentalization regarding the appropriation of power.
The Last Supper mural by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519 CE). The scene is a depiction of the final meal of Jesus Christ and his apostles. It is located in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a residence of the Dominican order in Milan. Completed c. 1498 CE.
The three branches of government include the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches. Each branch is responsible for an integral aspect of the government, but overall functions as a hindrance of the tyranny of the majority. The bicameral nature of the American government elucidates the necessity for an adequate separation of power.
U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C.U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1935.
The Judicial Branch consists of the courts dispersed throughout the nation, and namely, the Supreme Court. The various district appellate courts consolidate to represent the arbitration of the law throughout the United States government. This branch exercises in the facilitation of government power, and it manifests legal power through the establishment of precedent.
Jacopo Tintoretto (c 1518-1594), Dream of Saint Mark (Pax Tibi Marce) (E&I 305) (c 1591), oil on canvas, dimensions not known, Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, Italy. Image by Didier Descouens, via Wikimedia Commons.
Frans Francken the Younger (1581–1642), Mankind’s Eternal Dilemma – The Choice Between Virtue and Vice (1633), oil on panel, 142 x 210.8 cm, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA. Wikimedia Commons.
Featured image: Peter Paul Rubens – The Fall of Phaeton, c. 1604-1605. Oil on canvas, 98.4 x 131.2 cm (38.7 x 51.6 in). The National Gallery of Art. Image via Creative Commons
Jacopo Tintoretto (c 1518-1594), The Last Supper (E&I 310) (1592-94), media and dimensions not known, Duomo, Lucca, Italy. Image by Mongolo1984, via Wikimedia Commons.
2nd century BCE marble sculpture of the Ancient Greek god of war Ares (Roman name: Mars). Ludovisi Collection, Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Altemps, Rome.
Frans Francken the Younger (1581–1642), Mankind’s Eternal Dilemma – The Choice Between Virtue and Vice (1633), oil on panel, 142 x 210.8 cm, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA. Wikimedia Commons.
Jacopo Tintoretto (c 1518-1594), The Last Supper (E&I 309) (1592-94), oil on canvas, 365 x 568 cm, Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Italy. Wikimedia Commons.
Hans Memling (c 1433–1494), The Last Judgment (panel from triptych) (1467-1471), oil on panel, 223 x 72 cm, Muzeum Narodowe w Gdańsku, Gdańsk. Wikimedia Commons.
Jacopo Tintoretto (c 1518-1594), The Archangel Michael in Combat with Lucifer (E&I 287) (1580s or early 1590s), oil on canvas, 318 x 220 cm, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Dresden, Germany. Wikimedia Commons.
Cursten Branden Lewis 
