The following statement is not authorized by the leaders of the Church. Please read it only as a thought exercise.
We wish to clarify the stance of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on political neutrality and political activity.
The Church is not an end unto itself. It exists to help all the children of our Heavenly Father to return to him. The most important aspects of this endeavor are faith unto repentance, baptism by water and by the Holy Ghost, and daily repentance in a spirit of humility. All people can strive to observe these commandments, no matter what political system they live in.
However, our daily life is indeed affected by the political and legal frameworks of our governments. King Mosiah II abdicated his throne in favor of a more democratic form of government. The main reason he quoted for this decentralization of power is that one wicked ruler can influence the entire population to commit sinful behavior (Mosiah 29:16-18).
When the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote the 12th Article of Faith, he acknowledged that Latter-day Saints may be subject to a variety of types of governments. He already had the prophetic vision that the Church would one day be a worldwide institution.
But accepting the fact that political governments may evolve (or devolve) at different rates in different parts of the world does not constitute an endorsement of all kinds of governments. History has shown that democracies are the most fertile fields for growing advances in quality of life, due to the principles of equality that they tend to promote. The ideal of equality is championed in scripture. Peter taught that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Social classes are condemned in the Book of Mormon as a construct of Satan (3 Nephi 6:12-15).
God revealed that He himself had “raised up” the “wise men” who established the U.S. Constitution (Doctrine and Covenants 101:80). That document did not guarantee completely equal treatment to all residents, but it was a large step in the right direction. The Constitution preserved enough religious freedom to allow the Church to be restored in 1830. Subsequent reforms in U.S. government made advancements in equality for people of color and women.
Members of the Church are encouraged to continue guiding their countries toward freedom and equality by taking part in all levels of government, as the laws of their country allow. This invitation to participate includes voting in primary and general elections at least, and may include running for and serving in public office.
For Latter-day Saints, the call to political action came early. In 1833, Joseph Smith received a revelation that warned the people “...When the wicked rule the people mourn. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:10)
We call special attention to the wording of this verse. Honest and wise women and men are not found automatically; they must be sought for diligently.
We do not endorse specific political parties. However, we warn that blind loyalty to a party can endanger our freedoms and lead us to sin. Voting for or against candidates just because they belong to one party or another does not constitute a diligent search.
We reject the notion that failing to vote for Party A only helps Party B. As the hymn says, “Do what is right; let the consequence follow.” If no party faithfully represents the issues that are important to you, then it may be time to form a new party.
Specific candidates may also lead God-fearing voters astray. Indeed, we warn that political figures may fulfill the description that Samuel gave of false prophets in Helaman 13:27: “If a man shall come among you and shall say: …walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth… ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet.” The way to detect false political prophets is the same as for false religious prophets: “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). Candidates are not good or wise if their actions break the basic commandments of God, the law of the land, or the expectations of human decency.
We encourage voters to seek diligently and vote for candidates who best uphold principles of righteousness and freedom, no matter what political party they represent. It may take courage to vote differently than other groups, especially members of other Christian churches. We believe that Latter-day Saints are brave enough “to act for themselves and not to be acted upon” (2 Nephi 2:26).
Looking both backward and forward, we warn citizens against movements and ideologies that seek to consolidate political power, increase authoritarianism, or demonize groups of people. Specific questions of policy and political platforms may be evaluated by asking a few simple questions.
“Will this help to maintain power and freedom in the hands of the people?”
“Will this benefit many children of God in the long run, or just a few?”
And the Golden Rule: “If I were directly affected by this policy or law, would I still think it was fair?”
We believe that the principles stated above can provide clarity and guidance even in a changing world. However, we also wish to address some specific misconceptions about political activity and standards that have arisen in some parts of the world.
The Church does not recognize any political party as “the party of morality” or even “the party of fiscal responsibility”. People on all sides of the ideological spectrum are good members of the Church--in spite of the fact that all sides are equally subject to the prideful temptations of the devil.
Taxation of equal citizens who are represented in government is not evil. Taxation on income or consumption is not the same thing as communism of capital. Governments, like churches, rely on revenue from their constituents to carry out their programs. We urge voters to consider the level of basic human needs, and push for fairness within the frameworks of taxation. (See Doctrine and Covenants 49:20.)
The Church practices the following principles of sound finances, and encourages families and governments to do the same: avoiding debt, living within a budget and preparing for the future. We encourage citizens to monitor that tax revenue is spent honestly by the government that collects it. Blind faith in a party will not take the place of audits and accountability in public finances.
Government welfare programs should be monitored against corruption, but they are not inherently evil. The Church and its members should help to alleviate human suffering, and those efforts can extend beyond personal interactions and Church donations. We encourage citizens to engage with public officials to ensure that welfare funds go to help the needy, not the greedy. At the same time, we echo the advice of King Benjamin to err on the side of charity (Mosiah 4:17-18).
The Constitution of the United States of America is unique in that it is mentioned in scripture. When Joseph Smith repeated the words that had been revealed to him for the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, he asked God to let the principles of the Constitution be established forever (Doctrine and Covenants 109:54). We remind citizens that the core principles of this document form a system of checks and balances of power. We condemn any attempt to circumvent those checks and balances. At times voters are tempted to think, “This is a special case, and we need to give more power to someone so he can save us from the enemy at the gates.” We repeat the divine endorsement of the US Constitution as it was established, along with its amendments. The Founders knew that any truly special case would pass the thresholds for approval within the branches of government, as designated in the Constitution.
Regarding “the enemy at the gates”, we remember the example of the governor Lachoneus in The Book of Mormon. When facing the imminent attack of a literal violent enemy, he told his people: “As the Lord liveth, except ye repent of all your iniquities, and cry unto the Lord, ye will in nowise be delivered out of the hands of those Gadianton robbers.” (3 Nephi 3:15) We likewise extend a call to repentance to all nations throughout the world.
While it is not the function of churches to govern in this modern day, we recognize that only a righteous nation can hope for the full blessings of God. It is the primary function of churches to promote righteous choices by individuals and families. We appreciate the freedom preserved by good governments who allow all churches to fulfill their divine mission, and we encourage all people to actively support good governments.
No comments:
Post a Comment