Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Why the LDS Church should not aid or baptize illegals

Being Loyal Citizens," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 122
We should obey the laws of God and men, honoring our membership in the Church and our citizenship in the nation in which we live.

(Presumably then, disobeying the laws of men is dishonorable. And participating in helping someone else to violate the law is equally dishonorable)

President Smith, who had witnessed the mob violence of Nauvoo, often spoke of the importance of the rule of law in a civilized society. He and his Counselors in the First Presidency urged the Saints to be law-abiding and loyal citizens wherever they lived and to be faithful in their allegiance to their governments. On one occasion when a government official expressed contempt for the United States Constitution, President Smith countered: "Latter-day Saints cannot tolerate such a spirit as this. It is anarchy. It means destruction. It is the spirit of mobocracy, and the Lord knows we have suffered enough from mobocracy, and we do not want any more of it. … We cannot afford to yield to that spirit or contribute to it in the least degree. We should stand with a front like flint against every spirit or species of contempt or disrespect for the constitution of our country and the constitutional laws of our land."

(Wow. He gets it! We are seeing a lot of mobocracy these days on the border. The reconquistas and illegals overrunning the border, getting jobs with false documentation, protesting and threatening citizens who oppose their illegal entry and status is a perfect example of mobocracy)

Let us do right, keep the laws of God, and the laws of man, honor our membership in the kingdom of God, our citizenship in the nation of which we are a part, and then God will sustain and preserve us, and we will continue to grow as we have done from the beginning, only our future growth will be accelerated and be far greater than it has been in the past.

Teach your children to honor the law of God and the law of the state, and the law of our country. Teach them to respect and hold in honor those who are chosen by the people to stand at their head and execute justice and administer the law. Teach them to be loyal to their country, loyal to righteousness and uprightness and honor, and thereby they will grow up to be men and women choice above all the men and women of the world.

(A little better teaching by Mexican parents and we wouldn't be having this problem. These outlaws coming here are neither loyal to Mexican law or U.S. law. They are loyal only to themselves.)

To be a Latter-day Saint in very deed is to be one of the best of God’s people or children in the world. … A good Latter-day Saint will be a good citizen, no matter whether he be a subject of Great Britain, the United States, Holland, Germany or any other country in the world. If he be a good Latter-day Saint he is bound to be a good citizen of the land which gave him birth or which he has adopted as his home. … A citizen of God’s kingdom should stand foremost among the best of God’s people throughout all the world.

How can we be good citizens if we actively support, sympathize with or aid outlaws?

If patriotism and loyalty are qualities manifested in times of peace, by just, temperate, benevolent, industrious and virtuous living; in times of trial, by patience, resistance only by lawful means to real or fancied wrongs, and by final submission to the laws of the land, though involving distress and sorrow; and in time of war, by willingness to fight the battle of the nation,—then, unquestionably, are the "Mormon" people patriotic and loyal.

Well then illegals aren't "Mormon," people are they? They certainly don't submit to the laws of the land nor is their resistance through legal means. Instead they commit crimes and compound them through further crimes and deceit. Hardly LDS behavior.

"Mormonism" is in the world for the world’s good. Teaching truth, inculcating morality, guarding the purity of the home, honoring authority and government, fostering education, and exalting man and woman, our religion denounces crime, and is a foe to tyranny in every form. "Mormonism" seeks to uplift, not to destroy society.

(lawlessness is a form of imposed tyranny incidentally and the result of their illegal immigration threatens the stability of America and its society.)

Church members are commanded by Divine revelation … : "Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that obeys the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land." [D&C 58:21.]

Yup. And there is this:

N. Eldon Tanner, "The Laws of God," Ensign, Nov 1975, 82

I wish to join wholeheartedly with the millions of people who appreciate this country in which we live and are determined to do what they can to maintain and strengthen the principles of democracy established by our Founding Fathers. To do this, it is most important that we be loyal and law-abiding citizens.

Some time ago a young man said to me, "Why do we have so many laws and rules and regulations? Why can’t we just be free to do what we want to do? The Church teaches that man is that he might have joy, and that the greatest gift of God to man is free agency."


I tried to explain to him that everything in the universe, and the universe itself as organized by a divine Creator, is governed by laws, known as the laws of nature; and that we must have laws of the land, or of man, so that we might have order and protect the rights of mankind and punish those who infringe on the rights of others. I gave him several examples of what I was referring to. Then we talked at some length about the laws of God and how important it is that we keep his commandments.


Without going further into the details of our conversation, I should like today to deal with the majesty of law as it affects mankind. For the sake of this discussion let us divide it into three subheadings: First, the laws of nature; second, the laws of man, or the laws of the land; third, the laws of God as they pertain to our salvation and exaltation.

***

Now, regarding the laws of the land, or the laws of man, it is necessary that we be governed by laws, which are made not alone to curb the evildoer, but to protect the rights of all. Let me quote from the Doctrine and Covenants:


"We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society.

"We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life.

"We believe that all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates to enforce the laws of the same; and that such as will administer the law in equity and justice should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people if a republic, or the will of the sovereign." (D&C 134:1–3.)


Our Twelfth Article of Faith [A of F 1:12] states: "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."

It is most important that all citizens be informed in matters of government; that they know and understand the laws of the land; and that they take an active part wherever possible in choosing and electing honest and wise men to administer the affairs of government.

There are many who question the constitutionality of certain acts passed by their respective governments, even though such laws have been established by the highest courts in the land as being constitutional, and they feel to defy and disobey the law.

Abraham Lincoln once observed: "Bad laws, if they exist, should be repealed as soon as possible; still, while they continue in force, they should be religiously observed." This is the attitude of the Church in regard to law observance. We agree with the author of the following statement:
"In reality the man who defies or flouts the law is like the proverbial fool who saws away the plank on which he sits, and a disrespect or disregard for law is always the first sign of a disintegrating society. Respect for law is the most fundamental of all social virtues, for the alternative to the rule of law is that of violence and anarchy." (Case and Comment, March/April issue, 1965, p. 20.)

There is no reason or justification for men to disregard or break the law or try to take it into their own hands. Christ gave us the great example of a law-abiding citizen when the Pharisees, trying to entangle him, as the scriptures say, asked him if it were lawful to give tribute money unto Caesar. After asking whose inscription was on the tribute money, and their acknowledgment that it was Caesar’s, he said: "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s." (Matt. 22:21.)

It is the duty of citizens of any country to remember that they have individual responsibilities, and that they must operate within the law of the country in which they have chosen to live. I quote further from the Doctrine and Covenants:

"We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience." (D&C 134:5.)

How on earth can we be justified in baptizing people who so obviously don't respect the laws of man ordained by God and who lie, steal and deceive continually?

4 comments:

rcronk said...

The only exception to the rule I can think of would be if a higher law were to come into play like it did with Nephi and Laban, for example.

I think that we as a country are becoming more "wicked" and relying less and less on the Lord. If we continue in this course, we will be swept off the land and the land will be given to someone who will be righteous.

I don't know if what we're seeing on the border is part of that prophecy or not, but it has entered my mind. Until I know for sure, I'll just follow the leaders and hope for the best - which includes making sure through my actions and thoughts that I'm not among the scorched. ;-)

P.S. I do believe the whole border issue is amazingly ridiculous and frustrating, not just because of illegal immigration, but because of national security. In 2004, there were reports of Arabs dressed as migrant workers caught and released in groups of 75-150. Hmmm.

LDS Posse Comitatus said...

Right because as everyone knows it is clearly as important for illegals to come here as it was for Nephi to have the law of God to govern an entire people for generations...

We need to re-write the 12th Article of Faith to read: "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law unless we happen to find ourselves non-citizens of the United States in which case we believe ourselves justified in becoming a law unto ourselves and that committing multiple state and federal crimes including fraud and theft in order to secure cash and benefits to which we consider ourselves entitled is perfectly fine."

Ron G said...

You seem to imply that almost all Mexicans who come to the USA are sinners and incapable of repentance. A friend of mine recently married a female Church member who was dumped by her former husband after he had brought her over on a temporary visa. When the couple got married they didn't know what her real status was. I referred them to an immigration attorney who investigated AND didn't charge a arm and a leg. She was to go back to Mexico for six months and wait for a visa, pay a fine, pay immigration fees,and leave her kids with their new stepfather. Our bishop, who is an attorney, wouldn't touch the case himself but told her to follow the expert advice of that other attorney.

After much prayer, her case miraculously only took three months. Her offense was an infraction, not a felony, not even a misdemeanor. She had never been on welfare except for some help from the Church.It cost more than $6,000 in all and a three month "sentence" - a lot more than a DUI in most jurisdictions and certainly a lot more than a speeding ticket. In fact, she wasn't drunk or really even speeding; it was more like she was left like litter on the immigration freeway.

The "Church" advice followed the letter of the law and I submit that is what happens every time something like this comes up when people are made aware of the facts. I've been working with immigrants, legal and illegal, for almost forty years and know the facts. The Church's perpetual education fund would be far a more productive use of our time and money if we really want to help stem illegal immigration, at least as far as Church members are concerned.

As for others, a political solution is necessary. The only caution I would add is that we will need to do exactly the same thing on the Canadian border that we do on the Mexican border or the jihadists and the drug smugglers will just keep coming through there. In fact, since they all have a lot of money, closing the Mexican border will probably barely cause a ripple in their movement.

LDS Posse Comitatus said...

Uh no. Not at all just the ones who come here illegally. I don't think I stuttered in my writing.

In an excellent move last week New York denied illegals drivers licenses:

http://www.courts.state.ny.us/ctapps/decisions/jun07/74opn07.pdf