Is The Church Above the Law and Therefore Accountable?

 If the Church can hold the individual responsible for their sins, shouldn't the Church be held accountable for it's sins?

That is a good question and in the present situation that Canada is finding itself (without the help of justin trudeau) this question becomes prevalent to the point of determination; where does the Church stand?.

In the early days of the church this question would not have even been thought of.  The reality is that the church like the individual was held responsible for its actions, because the church was the collective of individuals.  There was a responsibility with in the church, that suggested a co-habitation.  If the individual was responsible for their sins, so was the church responsible for their sins to even a greater depth, in that the individual was responding to the teachings of the church.  If the teachings of the church is questionable, it was because the individuals were acting on the teachings of the church.

It was never considered that the church would become a "State Church" only answerable to God placing them higher than the legal system of the society and culture they were in.  The church was never to be placed in the evolutionary development that it found itself in.

The teaching of Jesus goes back to  Old Testament times.  When Jesus was questioned as to who to pay tribute to, Jesus answered; "give to Caesar (the government) what is required, and give to God (the church) what God requires.  So there is the division of Church and State.  Both were to be held accountable and responsible for their actions separately by the people, the individual.

What developed was a creation where both the State and the Church leadership believed they were above the law (in this case the people) and therefore could not be questioned and were not responsible for the actions let alone give an account for their actions.  On top of that structure the church placed itself above the State sighting that since the church is in the spiritual realm that that was above the State.

The reality then is this:  Is the church above the law?  The answer is no.   Is the church responsible for it's actions?  The answer is yes.  God's law was never designed to be a set of rules with only punishment as a result of rule breaking.  God's law was designed to integrate compassion and mercy.  The leadership of the church was responsible to the community, members of the congregation, and therefore accountable to the people within.

State law is designed for punishment only for breaking the rules.  The State decided what that punishment would be, and the courts were instructed to carry out the enforcement of state law.  Compassion and mercy were never meant to be part of the State's legal system.  Depending on the structure of the State, the people could not hold the State responsible nor accountable.

That is a different story for the church, as the church can be held responsible and accountable by the members of the community or denomination.  The people have the ability to dismiss the leadership.  The people have the ability to question the leadership of the church, and demand restitution by the leadership as well as dismissal of that leadership if and when the situation arises.

God's law is designed to direct the people in how to live freely and comfortable with each other.  To be honest, in my opinion there is no room for discrimination of any kind.  Nor is there room in God's law for the church to abuse the people.  If a person really wanted to follow God's law, they would be obliged to respect all peoples regardless of their race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, or their belief system.

In my opinion, the Church is responsible for it's actions and it's behaviour with respect to not only it's own members, but also with the community in which the church is situated.  The church is suppose to be the beacon of light to the people and to the community.  When that beacon fails the church becomes no batter than the State.