Answering the Theonomy argument regarding laws for a new nation

[Polanus1561]

Say a rural island of 10,000 people are converted by SBC/PCA etc. missionaries. What law system would you establish for this island?

 

[RamistThomist]

Whatever maintains equity. It's really tough to just drop a system of laws onto a society. That's part of theonomy's problem: it treats the Torah as though it fell from a Platonic-Constitutional heaven and can be applied anywhere. But Torah is more than law codes: it is story, song, and genealogy--along with death charters for the Nephilim.

 

[Taylor]

Some things just cannot be discussed helpfully or charitably on a message board, brother. Theonomy is one of them.

 

[Tom Hart]

This is really an impossible question to answer. What system of law is already in place? Presumably, these islanders would have something.

There are examples from history. Anglo-Saxon law carried on in England long after Christianization (ie. the wergild). It was modified where necessary.

 

[Bill Duncan]

That is a very interesting question? First when you say converted, I assume you mean practicing the Christian religion. In that case you would not be establishing any civil law system, but rather living under the system that is in place. If you mean by converted, regenerated, then the law system would change itself, due to the change in nature of the people and grow to resemble a true theonomy, such as was established in the Garden.

 

[alexandermsmith]

The Larger Catechism's exposition of the Ten Commandments would be a good place to start.

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

I presume that the island already had a system of law in place? If that is the case, then you would retain whatever the existing legal code contains that is congruous with natural law. You would also add laws that uphold the first table of the Decalogue and whatever is of common equity from the Mosaic judicial law.