I realized yesterday that one difference between a blog and email is that I do email to find out what I think, but I have to do the thinking first before I post a blog. It seems more formal and permanent. Because of my commitment to communication I will do both and encourage both by responding to both.
We walked City Creek again this morning and up the hill to the Capitol. It took longer and further to walk into sunlight. While I was in Alaska, I wondered about the birds, why they would come north in the springtime, before things really warm up and why they would leave by the end of July, before things cool down. And then I realized they were perhaps responding to light. The earth responds to light more slowly than birds do. It would be good to learn how to respond directly to light.
Yesterday in my Sunday School lesson, I asked the class if they remembered what President Hinckley said about war and peace in the November 2003 Ensign. The lesson was on Captain Moroni and discussed the question of when war is justified. It included quotes from Pres. Charles Penrose at during World War I and a quote from David O. McKay during World War II. I decided it was important to consider what the Prophet said about the current War in Iraq. President Monson's war statements were mostly stories from World War II and counsel on the War with Satan. I had to go back to the President Hinckley in the October 2003 General Conference. Several people in the class remembered the talk, but none of us remembered what he said about it. Julie Dumond remembered how sincere he was and I had remembered that he talked about how there were strongly different opinions on the subject. It was a talk he gave not only to the international church, but also to the world. He referenced the War with Satan and denounced the empires of the world, including the British Empire.
"But there is a darker side to every one of them. There is a grim and tragic overlay of brutal conquest, of subjugation, of repression, and an astronomical cost in life and treasure."
He talked about Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty and responsibility we have to defend our homes our families our religion and our liberty and the liberty of others. He talked about how important it is for men to keep commitments they have made to serve in the military and that they will not individually be held accountable for the war they fight in.
"Those in the armed services are under obligation to their respective governments to execute the will of the sovereign. When they joined the military service, they entered into a contract by which they are presently bound and to which they have dutifully responded."
He also stressed that it is important not to support evil and unrighteousness and that one must not be hateful or blood thirsty. Members of the church should love each other regardless of worldly conflicts. And we must be kind.
He acknowledged the right of people to legally oppose the war, but warned people they may face judgment against interfering with the fight against evil and repression.
"This places us in the position of those who long for peace, who teach peace, who work for peace, but who also are citizens of nations and are subject to the laws of our governments. Furthermore, we are a freedom-loving people, committed to the defense of liberty wherever it is in jeopardy. I believe that God will not hold men and women in uniform responsible as agents of their government in carrying forward that which they are legally obligated to do. It may even be that He will hold us responsible if we try to impede or hedge up the way of those who are involved in a contest with forces of evil and repression.
Now, there is much that we can and must do in these perilous times. We can give our opinions on the merits of the situation as we see it, but never let us become a party to words or works of evil concerning our brothers and sisters in various nations on one side or the other. Political differences never justify hatred or ill will. I hope that the Lord’s people may be at peace one with another during times of trouble, regardless of what loyalties they may have to different governments or parties."
There is more to the talk. I would recommend it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
When they started the lesson in our ward I decided it would be best to leave the room and help Iris get to sleep in the foyer. We live in a largely military ward. I thought it better to be elsewhere rather than have my passions on the subject vocally expressed as a condemnation of our country's actions. I am sad, angry, frustrated, embarrassed with our government's use of the military.
--David
I was very grateful that the emphasis in our Sunday School class was on righteous living, training our children in our homes to resist evil. We talked about how marvelous it was that the Nephites had righteous leaders who asked for and followed the counsel or prophets. The general consensus was that we live in a wicked world. People in our country are suspicious of the idea of a president receiving revelation. It is okay for him to pray, but not for him to receive answers.
I do not want my sons or grandsons to fight in the current war. I do not believe in preemptive attacks. I do not trust the motives of those in charge. But I am not an anti-war demonstrator. I generally keep my opinion to myself. I trust that the Lord can make good things come, in spite of the horribleness of the situation. Personal righteousness will be rewarded. Christ has power over death and the power to heal in this life and the next.
Post a Comment