Agency and Force

Gal 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free,"

I have never felt so humiliated in my life over anything as that the State of Utah voted for the repeal of Prohibition.
- President Heber J. Grant, Conference, Oct. 1934

From this very stand he pleaded with us not to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. He didn't speak as Heber J. Grant, the man, he spoke as the President of the Church and the representative of our Heavenly Father. And yet in a state where we could have retained what we had, there were enough Latter-day Saints . . . who paid no attention to what the Lord wanted . . .and what is the result? Such delinquency as we have never known. .
- George Albert Smith, Conference, Oct 1943

One of the saddest days in all of Utah's history was when the people, including the Latter-day Saints (for it could not have been done without them), rejected the counsel and urging of the Lord's prophet, Heber J. Grant, and repealed Prohibition long years ago--yet many of those voters had sung numerous times, "We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet."
- The Teachings of Spencer. W. Kimball

I believe there is a clear relationship between the historical issue of repealing prohibition and the current issue surrounding marijuana legalization.

A inspired saying is: "God gave man his agency to choose good over evil while it was Satan's plan to destroy agency by forcing us to be obedient". The following post seeks to explore how Satan sought to destroy the agency of man.

[President Ezra Taft Benson, BYU Speeches of the Year, "The Principle of Agency" Sept 1986.]

The purpose of the post was inspired by someone who was using the "it was Satans plan to force" to argue in favor or drug legalization. Notwithstanding, it being Satan's plan to force to obey. That doesn't mean force/government is bad. Government has no business forcing people to be obedient (police state), but they do have a role in forcing people to stop when they are violating the liberties of others. The Book of Mormon (Alma 1:17-18) says this specifically. Therefore, when it comes to the issue of drug legalization, using drugs should not be criminalized, but distribution of drugs should be illegal based on the Kevorkian principle.

Could a misunderstanding of this principle, "Satan's plan was to force us to be obedient" cause some to falsely believe:
1. All force is bad.
2. Since Government = force, therefore all government is bad
3. Any force destroys agency
4. Agency = "do as you will" or "do whatever you want"
5. Anything that stands in the way of choosing or doing evil is evil.
6. A free society must establish equal and unfettered acess and opportunities to sin in every way for all people.
7. I am exercising my agency when I sin or succumb to the passions of the flesh?

2 Ne 2:16 "man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other"

Agency depends on being enticed by good and evil. Misguided parents may think that not teaching their children morals, values, religion and letting them decide for themselves about religion when they are older is a good thing. However, since Satan doesn't take a vacation in enticing evil, if parents don't entice for good, their children are not free because they are subjected to unapposed evil enticements.

DON'T HELP SATAN
With this in mind. The Righteous don't need to do Satan's work for him. We don't need to help Satan out making sin accessible and enticing. If we are on Gods side, there is nothing wrong with making a society were righteousness is enticing and accessible and sin is not enticing and not accessible. Let Satan and his followers do their work, and let us do our work by making sin unenticing and not easily accessible. Furthermore, 2Nephi 2:16 Doesn't say you have to be equally enticed by good and evil. So, there is nothing wrong with Gods people making righteousness much more enticing and evil much less accessible and inviting.

Also, we should remember the reason Lehi is talking about agency here. Lehi is explaining why there is adversity and evil in the world and why there needs to be opposition in all things for us to have agency. Lehi is not suggesting we have to help evil do it's job. Again, a free people can use agency to make evil less accessible and less enticing.

Additionally, Lehi's words are explaining why God's commandments provide necessary opposition to the appetites of the flesh and temptation. What Satan wanted was a plan without rules. And without rules, there would be no choice and man would be completely captive to the flesh and to temptation. However what sets a free man apart from animals is he can exercise his agency and not eat when he feels to eat. What sets a free society apart is their exercise of agency to protect themselves with just laws from sin, corruption, and evil.

3. Moroni 7:17 "for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him."

According to the Book of Mormon, Satan doesn't persuade, anyone to do anything good. Despite Satan's plan of force, force itself is not intrinsically evil. By extension, government which exercises fear of the threat of force and force isn't necessarily or intrinsically evil and has a place in a free society.

Alma 1:17-18 "Nevertheless, they durst not lie, if it were known, for fear of the law, for liars were punished; therefore they pretended to preach according to their belief; and now the law could have no power on any man for his belief. And they durst not steal, for fear of the law, for such were punished; neither durst they rob, nor murder, for he that murdered was punished unto death."

GOVERNMENT = FORCE
Religion/Priesthood = Persuasion and Love. Government = Fear and Force. While there is no place for coercive force in religion, there is a righteous role of government and force in maintaining a free and righteous society. Many LDS mistakenly believe that there is no ultimate place for government/force in a perfect Zion or Millennial society. In reality, republican limited government operated in the Bible. Moses was advised by Jethro to appoint Captains to judge the people which continued during the times of the Judges. In the Book of Mormon, Alma recognized a need for a separation of church and state when he gave up the Chief Judge seat in order to devote his energies to his religious ministry. In the Millennium, there are 2 capitals: Zion and Jerusalem. Zion will be the religious capital and Jerusalem will be the seat of government. A perfect society is not a theocracy. Remember in the heavens Oliblish stands next to Kolob.

Constitution = self government. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that the US Constitution was given by God. Accordingly Joseph Smith recognized the importance of self government when he taught: "I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves." In a free society, the force of government is only necessary when religious persuasion fails. Therefore, religion has an indespensible role in a constitutional government to teach righteousness, discourage evil, and call the people to repentance. There is also an indispensable place for disfellowshipping and excommunication.

Furthermore, according to the Book of Mormon, government created fear of the threat of force was also important to a free society. When citizens violate the liberties of others, the government has the duty to forcibly punish and rehabilitate the offender.

LYING, CHEATING, STEALING
What is the role of government for those who choose to use drugs? Illicit drugs used to get "high" harm the survival of the species. Humans have been designed with a physiologic and psychological reward system to reward productive behavior. If a person finds and uses a chemical that artifically stimulates the reward centers without paying the price of productive behavior, they are lying to and cheating themselves. Individuals who abuse drugs to "get high" have stolen the "high" without earning it.

NO MOTIVATION
Imagine a person who climbs a mountain. When he gets to the top, he enjoys the rush that goes along with achieving his goal of reaching the summit. Now imagine that that same person can sit on the sofa at the base of the mountain and smoke or inject some chemical and experience the same psychologic and physiologic rush of neurotransmitters? How much more likely is that individual to climb the mountain if he can get the same reward sitting on his couch? In this way, widespread use of illicit drugs decreases the fitness and productiveness of the human species independent of its potentially harmful direct and indirect health effects.

Now, it is true that the individual's choice to use illicit drugs is not violating the liberties of others. Therefore, there is no role for government fear or force against the drug abuser. Religion has a role to encourage repentance, and voluntary rehabilitation. Religion can disfellowship and excommunicate.


KEVORKIAN PRINCIPLE
However, the distribution of illicit drugs is another matter. While the drug user is lying, cheating, stealing, and abusing himself; he is doing it to himself. On the other hand, the distributor of illicit drugs to the drug abuser, become an enabler, facilitator, and accomplice in a lie, fraud, thrift, and abuse. Distributing drugs is more than just an issue of private contracting and informed consent. Consequently, for this reason the government can and should exercise prosecutory force against illicit drug distributors. This principle here is exactly why Physician assisted suicide is illegal and immoral. The government doesn't prosecute a person for attempted suicide, but they will and should prosecute a physician for being an accomplice to suicide. I call this the Dr. Kevorkian principle. If you don't recall, Dr. Kevorkian was prosecuted for engaging in physician-assisted suicide.

That said, there remains a potential acceptible use and role for drug distribution for medical purposes of relieving suffering. Prov 31:6-7 "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.". That said, any drug according to the Word of Wisdom should be used with "judgement and skill". Also, those worthy of the temple were never to partake. (Lev 10:9).

Moses 1:1-4 "Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, ... he became Satan"

SATAN'S PLAN OF CAPTIVITY
Now that we have discussed what Satan's plan is not. It is important to discuss what was and still is Satan's plan. How did Satan plan seek to destroy the agency of man? The best way to understand Satan's plan is to meet someone living it. A few years ago, I met one.

During my residency training, I was working in the emergency department. One evening, I evaluated and treated a homeless man who was rather alcohol intoxicated, had been violently assaulted, and who had suffered a rather large laceration to his scalp and face. While I was repairing this man's wound, I got to know him and his circumstance.

While sewing up this man's wounds, I asked this man where he stayed. He calmly revealed that he was "living in a hole in the ground down by the river." The situation seemed not unlike the late comedian Chris Farley's SNL "motivational speaker" character. This SNL sketch character bombastically warned that doing drugs would cause you to end up like him; "living in a van down by the river". Too bad Chris Faley didn't take his own advice because a few years later he died of a cocaine overdose. Anyways, this homeless man said he lived with a hole-mate who he said had turned on him and bashed him in the head, and had stolen some money from him to buy drugs. This man considered the betrayal by his longtime friend and hole-mate to be worse than his injuries or the loss of the money.

So, I asked this man. What he liked about living in a hole. I mean why not live at the shelter at least. He told be he much preferred the hole to the shelter because in the hole, he had no rules. He claimed could do what he wanted when he wanted without anyone telling him what to do. For this man, living in a hole down by the river was the ultimate freedom. This interaction really helped me understand the nature of Satan's plan.

CAPTIVE AND POWERLESS
Now is this homeless man free: No rules, no wife, no kids, no job, and no responsibilities? Tragically, this man was diluted into thinking he was free. But agency has nothing to do with "doing whatever you want" and having "no rules". The real definition of agency is having the power to act and not be acted upon. In reality, my hole-living friend had no agency, because he had no power to do anything. On the other hand, God gives His people rules that empower their action.

2Ne2:14;16 "And now, my sons,... for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.... Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. "

Korihor sums up Satan's philosophy:
Alma 30:17 "every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime."

SOCIAL DARWINISM
According to this, It is my opinion that it was not Satans plan to force us to do good. What his plan was to get rid of any rules about right and wrong. Satan's entices people to his plan now as well as then with the deception. "do as you will" which runs in opposition to Gods plan of "not as I will but as thou wilt". Satan convinces people that if they follow his plan, they can do whatever they want. In fact, this philosophy goes on to say that if there is a desire or appetite in you, that the universe has put that desire in your heart, and you must devote yourself to having or taking whatever it is you desire; whatever the costs. Furthermore, If you deny yourself what you desire, you are setting yourself at odds with the universe. In Satan's plan man is expected to use all the strength of force, any means necessary, and any deception to obtain the object of their desire; even it belongs to another. Furthermore, this false morality claims that this manifestation of strength benefits the human species which is better able to survive because of your strength and fitness.

THE MATRIX
Can you imagine a world filled with people who are all trying to do whatever they want whenever they want it and taking whatever they want whenever they want it. It's pure anarchy and chaos on one hand or deception and slavery on the other. Furthermore, as you can imagine, in Satan's pyramid scheme there is only room for one person at the top of the pyramid who can do and have whatever he wants. Everyone else in the pyramid is subservient to the one at the top. The key therefore is for the person at the top to maintain their position via fear, force and deception by getting those below to accept and be pacified in their subservience and captivity.

INCEPTION DECEPTION
The deception in Satan's philosophy of "do as you will" is what you want is so easily and artificially manipulated. This manipulation is illustrated in the recent Hollywood movie "Inception". Only God really knows what we truly want and will want. Because of the veil over our minds, the fulness what we want hasn't even entered into the heart of man. To illustrate, think of the car or truck you wish you owned. Now think about what went in to creating that want: advertising, city planning, employment, peer status.

LOSING AGENCY
Using illicit drugs has nothing to do with "exercising agency" but losing our agency and limiting our power and motivation to act; subjecting ourselves to and enslaving ourselves to Satan. Many people use drugs to deal with stress or boredom. In a healthy advanced and civilized society, a free people who enjoy the rare blessing of "free time" manage their stress and boredom engaging in productive stress-relieving activities. Again, we see in this explanation, how the act of self-medicating with illicit drugs directly inhibits our motivation and power to act.

The only people who are truely exercising their agency, seek to do the will of our Father in Heaven in all things. Christ summed up God's plan when he declared, "not as I will, but as thou wilt". As we fall short of doing Gods will, we accept the Savior Jesus Christ whose sacrifice promises to empower our repentance and obedience. God, Our Heavenly Father, has promised us that if we will accept His Son, and seek to do His will, that we will be empowered to do all that is necessary in this life, and we will be blessed with all the creative powers of God in the next life.

THE POWER OF GODLINESS
This is how agency is the power to act and not be acted upon. The agency of man is what sets us apart from animals who are totally ruled by their appetites and instincts. Humans are distinct from animals because we can feel hungry and not eat, we can feel anger and still forgive. Spiritual power over the appetites of the flesh is what the agency of man is all about. Again, free men do not exercise agency by choosing to sin. Free men exercise agency through the commandments of God that empower us to fast when we are hungry, to be patient when we feel hurried, to be silent when we are angry, and forgive when we are offended. Agency is the power to choose the right even when our flesh wants to choose the wrong.

CREATION VS. SUBJUGATION
Remember that the reason Satan's plan is a grand pyramid scheme is because Satan has no power to create. Therefore, for Satan to have power, he must steal, deceive, and enslave others; subjugating them beneath him. This is why there is only room for one person at the top. But in God's plan, God not only has the power to create, but God can bestow the creative power upon others. Therefore, in God's plan, there is infinite room at the top as all of God's children can have dominion over their own creations as The Most High God rules over Us.

■ “With regard to the rights of the human family, I wish to say that God has given unto all of his children of this dispensation, as he gave unto all of his children of previous dispensations, individual agency. This agency has always been the heritage of man under the rule and government of God. He possessed it in the heaven of heavens before the world was, and the Lord maintained and defended it there against the aggression of Lucifer and those that took sides with him, to the overthrow of Lucifer and one-third part of the heavenly hosts. By virtue of this agency you and I and all mankind are made responsible beings, responsible for the course we pursue, the lives we live, the deeds we do in the body” (Wilford Woodruff, The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, 8–9).

"agency has always been the heritage of man under the rule and government of God. "

This seems to say to me that man has always had agency because we have always had rules and commandments and we have always been free to break those commandments. But we are not free from the consequences as Satan was not free from them and was forcibly prosecuted for violating those commandments. Satan was forcibly cast out of heaven in consequence of breaking the commandments of God.

Accordingly, government should not force it's citizens to obey what it thinks is right (police state), but it is correct for government to forcibly stop its citizens after they are violating the liberties of others and use the threat of force to dissuade crime. With regard to illicit drugs, drug distribution can be prosecuted because the distributors become an accomplice to self-abuse, self-deception and theft.

"Agency is the power to choose the right even when our flesh wants to choose the wrong."

Force and Agency

If Law = Morality, Religion = love/persuasion, Government = fear/force? Since Government operates by fear and force, force of itself cannot be inherently bad, can it?

The Book of Mormon teaches 1. We are not free unless enticed by both sides (2Ne2:16) 2. Laws punished sins and made people fear to break laws (Alma 1:17-18) 3. Satan persuadeth none to do good. Would Satan "force" any to do good either? (Moroni 7:17).

http://ldsdoctrine.blogspot.com/2012/04 ... n.html?m=1

What is Satans plan against agency? Same as it is today: "Do as you will". No right and wrong, Korihor doctrine of Social Darwinism.

Everyone would return because Satan proposed to do away with right and wrong and let eveyone do whatever they could get away with. In this system the powerful would enslave and control the weak in Satan's pyramid system. Satan would be top of the pyramid and we would become his slaves. none would be lost. The ultimate Exchange of liberty for safety.

The rules empower us to become like God. Christ empowers us to repent and keep the rules. Satan wanted to destroy our agency by destroying the rules and removing the consequences of sin. A free society rewards righteousness and entices against and punishes when we violate the liberties of others.

Agency has more to do with commandments to follow. and less about being free to do whatever you want. Following Gods rules and having consequences when we make mistakes so that we are likely to repent leads to freedom and eternal life. Doing whatever you want without immediate consequence leads to eternal captivity and death.

Force and the Agency of Man

Moroni 7:17 "for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him."

Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life
ROBERT D. HALES, Ensign, October 2010

Discusses how definition of agency in the dictionary is inadequate

ELDER JAMES E. FAUST, ENSIGN “The Great Imitator” NOV. 1987

PRESIDENT JAMES E. FAUST, ENSIGN "The Forces That Will Save Us" JAN. 2007

President Ezra Taft Benson, BYU Speeches of the Year, "The Principle of Agency" Sept 1986.

"The first basic principle is agency. The central issue in the premortal council was: Shall the children of God have untrammeled agency to choose the course they should follow, whether good or evil, or shall they be coerced and forced to be obedient? Christ and all who followed him stood for the former proposition--freedom of choice; Satan stood for the latter--coercion and force. The war that began in heaven over this issue is not yet over. The conflict continues on the battlefield of mortality. And one of Lucifer's primary strategies has been to restrict our agency through the power of earthly governments."

These four wonderful talks popularized the saying that it was "Satan's plan to destroy the agency of man by forcing us to be obedient". However , that's not exactly what Pres. Faust says. Pres. Faust simply labels Satan's Plan, a "plan of force." Pres. Benson is more specific on this point. In this post I wish to explore, compare and contrast Christ's plan of agency with Satan's plan of force and discuss how LDS teach and understand force.

Heavenly Plan
LDS understand that in the beginning there was a Heavenly Council where the plan of salvation was presented. Gods plan through Jesus Christ would make man free to choose right and wrong, allow us to learn from our mistakes, and provide a Savior for us to repent and choose righteousness. By choosing Christ, and His righteousness man is empowered to return into the presence of our Heavenly Father. The Saving power and mercy of Jesus Christ empowers our repentance and eventual necessary obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Choosing Christ and the resultant empowered obedience qualifies the individual for heaven where no unclean thing can dwell.

However, because of the rules and commandments, and because of the requirement of accepting Christ, repentance, and obedience; God's plan would run the risk of some choosing not to return to heaven. However, in return, Gods plan promises that the obedient believer could become exalted like our Heavenly Father.

Satan's Plan
Now when LDS teach about Satan's plan we usually say something like: its Satan's plan to force us to do good so we can return into the presence of God. And because we are forced to be good, there is no risk of anyone being lost and we all come back into Heaven. However, because we are forced and not allowed to choose good, we would all return not much better than we left except Satan only would be exalted over God. Satan's plan was enticing because of the promise that not one soul would be lost. However, by accepting Satan's plan we would be sacrificing our eternal liberty for security.

While I don't think anything in this explanation of Satan's plan is necessarily incorrect, I do think we could do a bit better explaining more what Satan's plan really was. The reason it's important to understand this is because this understanding shapes how we view, understand and value the concepts of agency and force .

Here is what LDS Scripture says on this point:

Moses 1:1-4 "Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, ... he became Satan"

Now this passage of scripture doesn't say exactly how Satan proposed to destroy the agency of man. Pres. Faust suggests that it was via a "plan of force." I agree, Satan's plan was coercive and oppressive, but force is probably not how Satan sold his plan during the War in Heaven (Rev 12:4, D&C29:36, Isa 14:12-14).

How Satan Sold and Sells His Plan?
During my residency training, I was working in the emergency department one evening when it was my pleasure to evaluate and treat a homeless man who was rather alcohol intoxicated, had been violently assaulted, and who had suffered a rather large laceration to his scalp and face. While I was repairing this man's wound, I got to know him and his circumstance.

First off I asked this man where he stayed. It turns out this homeless man lived in a hole in the ground down by the river. He even had a hole-mate who he said had turned on him and bashed him in the head, and had stolen some money from him to buy drugs. This man considered the betrayal by his longtime friend and hole-mate to be worse than his injuries or the loss of the money.

So, I asked this man. What he liked about living in a hole. I mean why not live at the shelter at least. He told be he much preferred the hole in the ground to the shelter because in the hole, he had no rules. He claimed could do what he wanted when he wanted without anyone telling him what to do. For this man, living in a hole down by the river was the ultimate freedom. This interaction really helped me understand the nature of Satan's plan.

Satan's entices people to his plan now as well as then with the deception. "do as you will" which runs in opposition to Gods plan of "not as I will but as thou wilt". Satan convinces people that if they follow his plan, they can do whatever they want. In fact, this philosophy goes on to say that if there is a desire or appetite in you, that the universe has put that desire in your heart and you must devote yourself to having or taking whatever it is you desire whatever the costs. If you deny what you desire, you are setting yourself at odds with the universe. However, of you use all the strength of force and power to obtain the object of your desire, even it belongs to another, that your strength benefits the human species which is better able to survive because of your strength and fitness.

Korihor in the Book of Mormon sums up Satan's plan of force:

Alma 30:17 "every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime."

Can you imagine a world filled with people who are all trying to do whatever they want whenever they want it and taking whatever they want whenever they want it. It's pure anarchy and chaos. Furthermore, as you can imagine, in Satan's pyramid scheme there is theoretically only room for one person at the top of the pyramid who can do and have whatever he wants. Everyone else in the pyramid is subservient to the one at the top. The key therefore is for the person at the top to maintain their position via fear, force and deception by getting those below to accept and be pacified in their subservience and captivity.

But what about force itself? Is it all bad? Because of Satan's misuse of force some claim any use of force is evil. Well, of that is the case, then any government is evil because government = force.

Gods plan of liberty and freedom has a place for both religion and government. God's plan is not a theocracy or socialism. In the Bible Israel during the time of the Judges had both religious and secular authority. In the Book of Mormon the Nephites recognized the dangers of a wicked king and created a system of judges and managed their affairs by the voice of the people. In time Alma who was both the religious (prophet) and secular leader (chief judge) recognized the value in a separation of church and state giving up his position as chief judge to another so he could devoted all his energies in the work of the ministry and building up the church.

The LDS people believe and it is revealed in our scripture that the Constitution of the United States is given by God. The Constitution says that with regard to secular power that the people retain all the rights and secular government is given specific privileges. When it comes to spiritual power and religion, God has all the rights and bestows upon man religious privilege. The US Constitution is based on the principle of separation of church and state and self-government where criticizes are to be taught correct religious principles and govern themselves.

On one side, Religion and Priesthood operate through pure persuasion and love. Religion provides strict expectations and a code of moral conduct. Religion also provides a culture and community of likeminded individuals who support each other in living up to a high moral standard which is the "golden rule" to never do unto others what you wouldn't want someone to do to you.

As part of this persuasion, If a man sins, religious authority can take away his religious privileges by denying him participation in religious rites and ordinances and fellowship in the religious community. Religion cannot violate secular rights to property or life. Even when providing correction and reproof, religious authority is administered with pure love, meekness, patience, long suffering, kindness, faith, and persuasion. Religious authority is never based on fear, force, coercion, blackmail or intimidation.

If the persuasion and love of Religion is not enough, there is room for the force of government in a free society. Government = force by definition and Law = morality by definition.

Many people falsely believe that freedom is a system without rules or even force. They say "You can't legislate morality", or "it's Satan's plan to force people to do good". The Book of Mormon teaches exactly the opposite. The Book of Mormon says that if a person is not enticed by both sides they are not free. Therefore, because Satan is always enticing to do evil, if there is not strong enticement by society to do what is right, the people are are not free. Parents who say they are not going to impose their religious and moral values on their children but let them decide for themselves when they are older are very mistaken on what freedom really means. By being in the world children are automatically subjected to continual evil. With no teaching of what is good and true, their children are not free.

2 Nephi 2:16 "Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other."

Alma 1:17-18 "Nevertheless, they durst not lie, if it were known, for fear of the law, for liars were punished; therefore they pretended to preach according to their belief; and now the law could have no power on any man for his belief. And they durst not steal, for fear of the law, for such were punished; neither durst they rob, nor murder, for he that murdered was punished unto death."

Furthermore, the Book of Mormon says a free society government should use to power of fear and even the death penalty to force/persuade the people to do right through fear of punishment. There should never be a law against a man's belief or even pretended belief. But if a person violates the rights of others, if they lie, cheat, steal, thieve, rob , or murder, they should be forcibly punished.

How does this apply to the issue of illicit drug legalization?

I am glad that LDS can be a moderating force in all political parties including Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian. All of these have some truth, but none are without flaws. in a sense, all political parties are false religions at the moment. But since there is not a perfect political party, LDS can moderate the ones we have. That said, I would beware of the Libertarian view of freedom. I do not believe it necessarily fits the LDS view in scripture.

Libertarian claim drugs should be legalized because laws shouldn't dictate what I do with my body as long as it doesn't violate the rights of others. I agree with that. I agree that those who abuse and harm themselves should be encouraged to voluntarily seek rehabilitation and treatment and not be prosecuted. I am going to make the case that illicit drug distributors violate the rights of others and therefore should be prosecuted. However, Other libertarian arguments say that individuals should be free to contract with one another. I will address this argument as well.

Physiologic and Psychologic highs are designed to reinforce productive behavior. People that use drugs to artificially achieve that "high" without earning it are stealing it, and they are lying, cheating, abusing and harming themselves. Lying to yourself is not a punishable crime but the drug dealer becomes a guilty accomplice in the fraud. The dealer/distributor should be held to account for enabling the user to lie to himself, and steal an unearned and unnatural "high."

Using psychoactive drugs to get high must be distinguished from using apropriate substances to moderate uncontrolled stress and pain. Prov 31:6

To Clarify, the distribution of illicit drugs is not freedom to contact because:

1. Drug use = lying to yourself, stealing a "high" not earned, and abuse. Abusing yourself is not a punishable offense.

2. However, If an physician cannot help someone kill themself (e.g. Dr Kevorkian), they shouldn't be able to help someone lie, cheat, and steal or abuse themselves.

3. Illicit drug distributors become accomplices, enablers, facilitators in a fraud and abuse.

4. Liars, cheaters, robbers, theives, murders are to be punished in a free Society. Alma1:17-18.

5. A free society is not free without rules and punishment and consequences against sin to entice via fear of force away from sin. 2Ne2:16, Alma1:17-18. Free criticizes should be made to fear the consequences of Illicit drug distribution.

6. Law is morality. Government involves force and fear to persuade to do good. Priesthood involves persuasion and love to entice to do right. There is place for both

7. Satan wanted to take away the agency of man. What he wanted was too take away the rules of right and wrong. Satans doctrine is and has aways been "do as you will". Without choosing to obey the rules and instead doing our own will we could never become like our Father in Heaven. Satan told us if we followed his plan we could all do whatever we wanted and none would be lost because there was no rules. No rules = no choice. No right and wrong, no agency, no exaltation. We are blessed by obeying the rules. Consequences for sin makes us free.

The rules empower us to become like God. Christ empowers us to repent and keep the rules. Satan wanted to destroy our agency by destroying the rules and removing the consequences of sin. A free society rewards righteousness and entices against and punishes sin.

Satan removes the consequences of sin so he can use sin to enslave and control us. Satan's plan is not just a force system, it's a slave system that cannot pay.

Deliverance: Alma vs. Limhi

Elder L.Tom Perry, Apostle of Jesus Christ, during April 2012 General Conference, spoke of the great message and theme of deliverance in the Book of Mormon. Elder Perry compared and contrasted the peoples of Alma and Limhi which I have also done in several posts on this blog. The following are my thoughts and not necessarily those of LDS Church leadership

Nephi, the first prophet-writer in the Book of Mormon states in the first Chapter: "I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."

Latter on in the Book of Mormon, another prophet named Alma the Younger says, "Yea, I have always remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians did deliver them out of bondage."

So what of the captivity of the Father of Alma the Younger? If it was important for Alma the Younger to remember the captivity and deliverance of Alma, then surely is it important for us to remember his captivity and deliverance also.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
When the family of Nephi arrives in America, Nephi and those loyal to the Lord were forced to separate themselves from the older brothers Laman and Lemuel who coveted Nephi's position as leader over the family. Laman believed it was his right as the oldest son to rule. However, Laman was a wicked man and did not seek the will of God. Consequently, much of the family looked to Nephi for leadership and guidance because of his righteousness, faith, and gift of prophecy.

The envy and resentment of Laman and Lemuel toward Nephi led to a plot and scheme to have him murdered. Nephi was warned of the plotting and directed to take those who would follow him and separate themselves from Laman and Lemuel and those of family of Ishmael who supported them. This division and separation is what resulted in the formation of the nations of the Nephites and the Lamanites spoken of throughout the Book of Mormon.

The first place the Nephites fled to was named the "Land of Nephi". However, likely because of a higher birth rate and intermarriage with aboriginals, it wasn't long until the savage-like Lamanites had surrounded the more civilized Nephites who lived in the Land of Nephi. The Lamanites were hunter-gatherers and would often attack and plunder Nephite processions instead of producing them themselves or acquiring them through trade.

Because of the continual war and persecution, the Nephites were again prompted by God to pick up and relocate. This is when the Nephites discovered the Mulekites who lived in the City of Zarahemla. The Mulekites were Jews who had fled the Babylonian destruction of Jerusakem and fled to America. Mulek was a surviving son of King Zedekiah. The Nephites and Mulekites joined together for protection against the Lamanites threat and because the Nephites had preserved Hebrew scripture, law, tradition and priesthood authority.

However, there were a few Nephites who desired to risk going back to the Land of Nephi and the City of Nephi. Zeniff was the first king among those who had returned to the City of Nephi. Noah, the son of Zeniff, was a wicked king who burned a prophet of God Abinadi for calling him and the people to repentance. King Noah himself was later burned at the stake by the people for leading the men in a retreat from attacking Lamanites and deserting their wives and children.

After the demise of Noah, Limhi, the son of Noah, became king over the people at the city of Nephi. At this time Limhi and his people were placed into bondage and enslaved by the Lamanites. Limhi sent emissaries to Zarahemla to see if the Nephites there would come to their aid. However, due to some misfortune, these emissaries got on the wrong path and bypassed the City of Zarahemla. Instead of finding allies, the scouts of King Limhi found ancient ruins and records which they mistook for the fallen City of Zarahemla. Consequently, the people of Limhi believed they were completely alone in the world and hopelessly enslaved and surrounded by their enemies.

ALMA VS. LIMHI
At the death of Abinadi, a small group of believers led by Alma, one of the Kings priests; fled the City of Nephi and established the City of Helem. Both the people of Alma and Limhi were but into bondage by the Lamanites at the same time. And both were eventually delivered. However, the difference in the two examples was 1. How they reacted to enslavement, 2. how much suffering each group was made to endure before they were delivered. 3. The means of deliverance.

LIMHI
The people of Limhi reacted to bondage by continually going to war with the Lamanites. Limhi's people were beaten back again and again. At one point the Book of Mormon says: "And now there was a great mourning and lamentation among the people of Limhi, the widow mourning for her husband, the son and the daughter mourning for their father, and the brothers for their brethren.".

However, the people of Limhi were not delivered at this time. The Book of Mormon says the Lord was slow to hear their prayers until: "they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies".

Difficult as it is to realize, God's requirements for deliverance after they were in bondage: 1. patient submission to bondage, 2. humbling themselves before God, 3. caring for the widows, and 4. crying mightily to God for deliverance.5. studying how to deliver themselves from bondage.

ALMA
The people of Alma at Helem had a different experience during their bondage. Instead of continually fighting a losing battle, the people of Alma patiently submitted to bondage. humbled themselves before God, and continually prayed for their deliverance.

Enslavement was not easy for the people of Alma, but the Book of Mormon says that the people of Alma were blessed to the point that their burdens were made light upon their shoulders. Because of their greater faith, the people of Alma were eventually delivered by miraculous means.

April 2012 World General Conference

Last weekend, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints enjoyed our semiannual world General Conference. General Conference is when every 6 months, the LDS Church leadership including: the President and Prophet and Chief Apostle Thomas S Monson, members of the Quorums of the 12 Apostles and 70's speak.

LDS Church leadership around the world listen to the conference broadcast in person at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, or by TV, radio, satellite, cable, and Internet. I listened to Conference by a combination of iPhone Internet radio stream, Roku Box, and satellite transmission at our local meetinghouse In Augusta, GA. I also monitored the twitter feed #ldsconf during the proceedings.

The Conference was wonderful. I really felt and enjoyed a spirit of unity and uplifted and strengthened in my resolve to try a little harder to be a little better. Some of the memorable thoughts conveyed during the Conference included:

"No cause, no force in the entire world can stop the work of God. Despite what comes, this great cause will go forward."-Pres. Thomas S. Monson

Come back!, Come up! Come in! Come home! Come unto me."

In this fast-paced life, do we ever pause for meditation?

“we enter mortality not to drift through the waters of life. We have the power to reason, think and achieve…”

Many of us are active in the Church of Jesus Christ, but are we active in the gospel of Jesus Christ?

The spirit housed the the body can manifest divine attributes: love, virtue, patience, and integrity.

A perfect physical body here on Earth is not a requirement for Eternal Life and Exaltation.

Heaven is filled with this kind of people: they are forgiven and they forgive.

Pres Uchtdorf 2-word sermon on resentment and envy: "STOP IT!"

Bumper Sticker Wisdom: "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you."

Do the right things, even when they are hard.

LDS Doctrine is not based solely on scholarship, hermeneutics and exegesis, but inspiration and revelation by the Holy Ghost.

LDS Priesthood authority and sealing keys to perform baptism and seal families together for eternity were given to the prophet Joseph Smith by the laying of of hands by heavenly messengers.

If you come across a person who is drowning, would you ask if you can help? Don't ask, just act.

Deliverance is a major theme of the Book of Mormon. Why was God slow to deliver the people of Limhi but quick to deliver the people of Alma in a more miraculous manner?

The attributes by which we shall be judged one day are all spiritual.

You can't be right by doing wrong. You can't be wrong by doing right.

Elder Nelson on the Big Bang Theory of Creation, "Could an explosion in a printing shop, produce a dictionary?"

“wise parents raise their children to get along without them…ultimately children need to depend upon the Lord, not their parents.”

"Are you a Mormon? If not, you should be!”. Elder Perry quoting his friend 'Scott'

Elder Christofferson quoting Joseph Smith, "a prophet is a prophet only when acting as such:" and Brigham Young, "This morning you heard what Brigham Young had to say…now you will hear what the Lord has to say”.

"There are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets the unexpected blessing or receives some special recognition."

"We are not diminished when someone else is added upon."

"It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's Atonement shines."

"There are those who are in tune to the music of faith. You know who you are. You love the Lord and His gospel and continuously try to live and share His message especially with your families. You are in harmony with the promptings of the Spirit, awaken to the power of God's word, have religious observances in your homes, and diligently try to live Christ-like lives as His disciples."

"Pres. Monson has specifically asked us to have the courage to refrain from judging others. He has also asked every faithful member to 'rescue' those who have tasted the gospel fruit and then have fallen away as well as those who have not yet found the strait and narrow path."

"There are some principals and practices that enhance revelation…. Yielding to emotions such as anger or hurt or defensiveness will drive away the Holy Ghost... Loud, inappropriate laughter will offend the Spirit...Careful, quiet speech will favor the receipt of revelation... Exercise, reasonable amounts of sleep and good eating habits increase our ability to receive and understand revelation... One must ever be mentally and physically clean and have purity of intent so that the Lord can inspire... For spirituality to grow stronger and more available it must be planted in a righteousness environment... Humility is fertile soil where spirituality grows and produces the fruit of inspiration to know what to do... When we are acting as instruments in behalf of others, we are more easily inspired than when we think only of ourselves... Inspiration carefully recorded shows God that His communications are sacred to us. Recording will also enhance our ability to recall revelation."

"Our Father in Heaven did not put us on this earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously."

"Husbands and wives should understand that their first calling - from which they will never be released is to one another and then to their children."

"One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents."

Sacrifice of Jesus Christ has been called "the most transcendent of all events… ended the requirement for sacrifice by the shedding of blood, but did not end the requirement for sacrifice... Sacrifice is the central message of all the prophets."

"Christians have voluntarily given sacrifice motivated by faith in Christ and the desire to serve Him... For most followers of Christ our sacrifice involves what we can do on a day-to-day basis in our ordinary personal lives."