From the Webster’s Dictionary, 1828

“DEMOCRACY, noun [Gr. People, and to possess, to govern.] Government by the people; a form of government, in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of the people collectively, or in which the people exercise the powers of legislation. Such was the government of Athens.

REPUB’LIC, noun [Latin respublica; res and publica; public affairs.]

A commonwealth; a state in which the exercise of the sovereign power is lodged in representatives elected by the people. In modern usage, it differs from a democracy or democratic state, in which the people exercise the powers of sovereignty in person. Yet the democracies of Greece are often called republics.”

For some time my attention has been aroused by the political storm that has gathered over our Nation, primarily over our government in Washington, D.C. I am concerned as we all should and must be.

My concern is about the two words most often used about the American Cause if you will. Looking closely we refer to our Nation as being a democracy, but are we, really?

Democracy is the name for a system used for governance and republic seems to be the result of a democratic system. We should note that the word democracy most often us is about the way our system functions or not. 

I agree with some who say, “Democracy is to republic as monarchy is to kingdom.” And I ask, is this not the case in our Nation today? The struggle is between a chaotic Democracy in Washington and the Republic we would like to be. We have a changing ‘representative government’ in Congress as opposed to how it is functioning.

These two words are not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence expressing that our government should receive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” This looks as if both democracy and republic could be interchanged. We read in Article IV Section V of the Constitution, that the term republican is used as an adjective: “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.”

Actually, we are/have lost sight of the difference and more often than not hear the word ‘democracy’ as opposed to ‘republic.’ We are a republican form of government rather than a democracy.

We must remember, Jesus is Lord.