Governance II: Politicians and Demons (no, they’re not the same thing)

Last month, we looked at governance by law first, and people second. If the characters in your book find themselves in such a country, they should count themselves fortunate, because that hasn’t traditionally been the case. This is because, as I said before, governments exist to ensure the interests of the governing bodies, not the governed.

Bad Governance (or Typical Governance)

Governments have traditionally ruled in the form of dictators like kings or oligarchies where rule is exerted by a limited few. In these cases, the principle of self-interested governing bodies applies more directly than those with constitutions. Taxes are collected to enrich the king’s lifestyle, wars are fought to increase the galactic empire’s influence, and laws change on a whim to suit the elven nobility’s political games. This form of government isn’t inherently evil, but it allows a limited few to do as they want in an unrestrained manner. Contrary to popular belief, power doesn’t corrupt, but it does reveal the heart condition of those in charge.

This doesn’t mean that the ruler can act however he wants, whenever he wants. A wise dictator knows that if he crushes his people too hard, he’ll have a rebellion on his hands. A foolish dictator on the other hand … well, unlucky for King George III, but God bless the USA. If the people suffer long enough under the fictional governing bodies in your novel, at least someone will consider seceding from the empire or overthrowing its authority all together. Christians in such a setting are in a quandary though, since they are called to submit themselves to all authority (even bad ones like Nero, yikes!).

As a note, if your society is ruled by unrestrained power, the characters in your world will feel tangible governmental effects. Simply put, this is because their freedom is much more limited. Even still, bad governance is better than nothing. A lack of any stability produces anarchy and unrestrained violence. It is the reason many suspect God calls Christians to submit to kings, even evil ones.

Inhuman Governance

You are crafting another world, so the possibility exists that aliens, robots, halflings or some combination could rule the land. If this is the case, you need determine the tendencies of these entities. Specifically: Do governing members of that race have the same power-hungry nature as mankind’s own politicians?

If not, a charter of limited authority may not be necessary to ensure peace, but you’ll have to work hard to make such an alien species believable. C.S. Lewis did a fantastic job of this in Out of the Silent Planet, and Orson Scott Card’s Formics had a very alien form of governance in Ender’s Game (of course, a real sci-fi reader knows the original idea came from Heinlein’s Starship Troopers novel from the 50’s).

However, if evil nonhumans run the country, it could be a very sinister land. Even the worst of humans have consciences, no matter how hardened. Historically, God has worked miracles on some truly evil men, so no one is completely without hope. But I shudder to think of a land run by callous dragons or heartless androids. It might be interesting, and if well-written, it could be though-provoking. But the Christian should be very careful with monolithic evil. When C.S. Lewis wrote the Screwtape Letters, he said it was a fatiguing experience. I’m not forbidding you to write about demonic governance, I only warn you so you know what you might be getting yourself into.

On that cheerful note, I hope that you’ll consider some form of government for your novel. Generally speaking, the political structure should be paired to the extent of government influence you want to see in your character’s lives. Any governing body restrained by the rule of law (e.g. constitutional monarchy, democratic republic, etc.) is going to be less intrusive than a government subservient to the whims of an individual or a group of individuals (e.g. traditional monarchy, communism in practice, etc.).

But if you’re feeling that “analysis paralysis” I spoke of months ago, just read the conclusion of my prior government article, take a deep breath, relax, and write on.