303. Civil governments should exist for the benefit of the governed.
305. Civil governments should function by the voice of the people.
309. We are to sustain and uphold the government under which we reside.
303. Civil governments should exist for the benefit of the governed.
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.
2. 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. (Declaration of belief regarding governments and laws, Aug. 17, 1835) D&C 134:1-2
The function of government is to protect life, liberty, and property, and anything more or less than this is usurpation and oppression. CR1968Apr:49
I believe with others that government, institutions, and organizations exist primarily for the purpose of securing to the individual his rights, his happiness, and proper development of his character. When organizations fail to accomplish this purpose, their usefulness ends. "So act," says Kant, "as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or that of another, in every case as an end, never as a means only."
In all ages of the world men have been prone to ignore the personality of others, to disregard men's rights by closing against them the opportunity to develop. The worth of man is a good measuring rod by which we may judge the rightfulness or the wrongfulness of a policy or principle, whether in government, in business or in social activities. CR1962Oct:5-6
Related Witnesses:
Mosiah, son of Benjamin,
quoted by Mormon
And now I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, yea, even as long as any of our posterity remains upon the face of the land. (Mosiah tells the people unrighteous kings lead the people to sin, about 92 B.C.) Mosiah 29:32
304. Civil governments should secure to all individuals freedom to worship how, where, or what they may.
We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul. . . .
7. We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy. (Declaration of belief regarding governments and laws, Aug. 17, 1835) D&C 134:4,7
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
We believe that the Lord has been preparing that when he should bring forth his work that, when the set time should fully come, there might be a place upon his footstool where sufficient liberty of conscience should exist, that his Saints might dwell in peace under the broad panoply of constitutional law and equal rights. In this view we consider that the men in the Revolution were inspired by the Almighty, to throw off the shackles of the mother government, with her established religion. For this cause were Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, and a host of others inspired to deeds of resistance to the acts of the King of Great Britain, who might also have been led to those aggressive acts, for aught we know, to bring to pass the purposes of God, in thus establishing a new government upon a principle of greater freedom, a basis of self-government allowing the free exercise of religious worship. (In Tabernacle, Feb. 18, 1855, JD2:170) DBY:359-60
But it came to pass in the latter end of the seventeenth year, there came a man into the land of Zarahemla, and he was Anti-Christ, for he began to preach unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the coming of Christ.
7. Now there was no law against a man's belief; for it was strictly contrary to the commands of God that there should be a law which should bring men on to unequal grounds.
8. For thus saith the scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve.
9. Now if a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege; or rather, if he believed in God it was his privilege to serve him; but if he did not believe in him there was no law to punish him.
10. But if he murdered he was punished unto death; and if he robbed he was also punished; and if he stole he was also punished; and if he committed adultery he was also punished; yea, for all this wickedness they were punished.
11. For there was a law that men should be judged according to their crimes. Nevertheless, there was no law against a man's belief; therefore, a man was punished only for the crimes which he had done; therefore all men were on equal grounds. (Korihor, Anti-Christ comes to Zarahemla, 74 B.C.) Alma 30:6-11
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. (The eleventh of the thirteen Articles of Faith; letter to John Wentworth, March 1, 1842) Articles of Faith :11
(First Presidency)
We condemn the outcome which wicked and designing men are now planning, namely: the worldwide establishment and perpetuation of some form of Communism on the one side, or of some form of Nazism or Fascism on the other. Each of these systems destroys liberty, wipes out free institutions, blots out free agency, stifles free press and free speech, crushes out freedom of religion and conscience. Free peoples cannot and do not survive under these systems. Free peoples the world over will view with horror the establishment of either Communism or Nazism as a worldwide system. Each system is fostered by those who deny the right and the ability of the common people who govern themselves. We proclaim that the common people have both this right and this ability.
We review our declaration that international disputes can and should be settled by peaceful means. This is the way of the Lord. CR1942Oct:15
Related Witnesses:
Joshua
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
15. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua counsels the people of Israel) Joshua 24:14-15
305. Civil governments should function by the voice of the people.
In the United States the people are the government, and their united voice is the only sovereign that should rule, the only power that should be obeyed, and the only gentlemen that should be honored at home and abroad, on the land and on the sea. Wherefore, were I the president of the United States, by the voice of a virtuous people, I would honor the old paths of the venerated fathers of freedom; I would walk in the tracks of the illustrious patriots who carried the ark of the Government upon their shoulders with an eye single to the glory of the people, and when that people petitioned to abolish slavery in the slave states, I would use all honorable means to have their prayers granted, and, give liberty to the captive by paying the Southern gentlemen a reasonable equivalent for his property, that the whole nation might be free indeed (From Joseph's "Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States," Feb. 7, 1844) HC6:208
Mosiah, son of Benjamin,
quoted by Mormon
Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.
27. And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land. (Mosiah tells the people unrighteous kings lead the people to sin, about 92 B.C.) Mosiah 29:26-27
Mosiah, son of Benjamin,
quoted by Mormon
And I command you to do these things in the fear of the Lord; and I command you to do these things, and that ye have no king; that if these people commit sins and iniquities they shall be answered upon their own heads.
31. For behold I say unto you, the sins of many people have been caused by the iniquities of their kings; therefore their iniquities are answered upon the heads of their kings.
32. And now I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, yea, even as long as any of our posterity remains upon the face of the land. (Mosiah tells the people unrighteous kings lead the people to sin, about 92 B.C.) Mosiah 29:30-32
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
A republican government consists in letting the people rule by their united voice, without a dissension, —in learning what is for the best, and unitedly doing it. That is true republicanism. (In Bowery, Sept. 13, 1857, JD5:228) DBY:365
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
[I]nstead of seeking to destroy the very best Government in the world, as seems to be the fears of some, we, like all other good citizens, should seek to place those men in power, who will feel the obligations and responsibilities they are under to a mighty people; who would feel and realize the important trusts reposed in them by the voice of the people who call them to administer law under the solemn sanction of an oath of fidelity to that heaven inspired instrument, to the inviolate preservation of which we look for the perpetuity of our free institutions. (In Tabernacle, Feb. 18, 1855, JD2:175) DBY:362
Related Witnesses:
God is the origin of power, the Sovereign. He made the people and the earth, and He has the right to reign. There will be good times and good government, when the world will acknowledge the God of heaven as the Lawgiver, and not till then; and if I could live under His government, I should be thankful, although I am a real Republican in principle, and would rather live under the voice of the people than the voice of one man. But it will be for the good and happiness of man when that government is established, which we pray for when we say, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;" and until that time arrives we must pray for it. (Conference of the Twelve, Boylston Hall, Boston, Mass., Sept. 9, 1843) HC6:15
Keep in mind that the people who have created their government can give to that government only such powers as they themselves have. They cannot give that which they do not possess. . . .
The proper function of government is limited only to those spheres of activity within which the individual citizen has the right to act. By deriving its just powers from the governed, government becomes primarily a mechanism for defense against bodily harm, theft, involuntary servitude. It cannot claim the power to redistribute the wealth or force reluctant citizens to perform acts of charity against their will. Government is created by man. No man can delegate a power that he does not possess. The creature cannot exceed the creator. . . .CR1968Oct:18-19
Mosiah, son of Benjamin,
quoted by Mormon
Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you. . . .16. Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you.
17. For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction (Mosiah tells the people unrighteous kings lead the people to sin, about 92 B.C.) Mosiah 29:13,16-17
Author's Note: Civil governments should function by the voice of the people (D-305)—until Christ shall reign, until the millennial government when a theocracy will replace civil governments as we know them.
306. Church and state should remain separate from each other, neither one interfering with the rights and functions of the other.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds to the doctrine of the separation of church and state; the non-interference of church authority in political matters; and the absolute freedom and independence of the individual in the performance of his political duties. If, at any time, there has been conduct at variance with this doctrine, it has been in violation of the well settled principles and policy of the Church.
We declare that from principle and policy, we favor:
The absolute separation of church and state;
No domination of the state by the church;
No church interference with the functions of the state;
No state interference with the functions of the church, or with the free exercise of religion.
The absolute freedom of the individual from the domination of ecclesiastical authority in political affairs;
The equality of all churches before the law. . . .
. . . [I]t is sometimes pointed out that the members of the Church are looking for the actual coming of a Kingdom of God on earth, that shall gather all kingdoms of the world into one visible, divine empire, over which the risen Messiah shall reign. . . .
[Neither] our belief in divine revelation, or our anticipation of the coming kingdom of God, weakens in any degree the genuineness of our allegiance to our country. When the divine empire will be established, we may not know any more than other Christians who pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven;" but we do know that our allegiance and loyalty to country are strengthened by the fact that while awaiting the advent of the Messiah's kingdom, we are under a commandment from God to be subject to the powers that be, until He comes "whose right it is to reign." (Joseph F. Smith, An Address from the First Presidency of the Church to the world, delivered to and accepted by vote of the Church in general conference, April 1907) CR1907Apr(Appendix)14
Let us first consider the origin of those freedoms we have come to know as human rights. Rights are either God-given as part of the divine plan or they are granted by government as part of the political plan. Reason, necessity, tradition, and religious convictions all lead me to accept the divine origin of these rights. If we accept the premise that human rights are granted by government, then we must be willing to accept the corollary that they can be denied by government.
I support the doctrine of separation of church and state as traditionally interpreted to prohibit the establishment of an official national religion. But this does not mean that we should divorce government from any formal recognition of God. To do so strikes a potentially fatal blow at the concept of the divine origin of our rights and unlocks the door for an easy entry of future tyranny. If Americans should ever come to believe that their rights and freedoms are instituted among men by politicians and bureaucrats, then they will no longer carry the proud inheritance of their forefathers, but will grovel before their masters seeking favors and dispensations, a throwback to the feudal system of the Dark Ages.
Since God created man with certain inalienable rights, and man, in turn, created government to help secure and safeguard those rights, it follows that man is superior to the creature which he created. Man is superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around. Even the nonbeliever can appreciate the logic of this relationship.
A government is nothing more or less than a relatively small group of citizens who have been hired, in a sense, by the rest of us to perform certain functions and discharge certain responsibilities which have been authorized. The government itself has no innate power or privilege to do anything. Its only source of authority and power is from the people who created it. CR1968Oct:18
The Church stands for the separation of church and state. The Church has no civil political functions. As the Church may not assume the functions of the state, so the state may not assume the functions of the church. The Church is responsible for and must carry on the work of the Lord, directing the conduct of its members, one towards the other, as followers of the lowly Christ, not forgetting the humble, the poor and needy, and those in distress, leading them all to righteous living and a spiritual life that shall bring them to salvation, exaltation, and eternal progression in wisdom, knowledge, understanding and power. . . .
The state is responsible for the civil control of its citizens or subjects, for their political welfare, and for the carrying forward of political policies, domestic, and foreign, of body politic. For these policies, their success or failure, the state is alone responsible and it must carry its burdens. All these matters involve and directly affect Church members because they are part of the body politic, and members must give allegiance to their sovereign and render it loyal service when called thereto. But the Church, itself, as such, has no responsibility for these policies, as to which it has no means of doing more than urging its members fully to render that loyalty to their country and to free institutions which the loftiest patriotism calls for.
Nevertheless, as a correlative of the principle of separation of the church and the State, themselves, there is an obligation running from every citizen or subject to the state. This obligation is voiced in that Article of Faith which declares:
"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." CR1942Apr:92-93
Author's Note: Church and state should remain separate from each other, neither one interfering with the rights and functioning of the other—until Christ shall reign, until the millennial government when a theocracy will replace civil governments as we know them.
307. Promoting righteous civil government and sharing the burden of government is the responsibility of every citizen.
And he told them that these things ought not to be; but that the burden should come upon all the people, that every man might bear his part. (King Benjamin tells the people that even a righteous king ought not bear all the burdens of government) Mosiah 29:34
As we have progressed the mist has been removed, and in relation to these matters, the Elders of Israel begin to understand that they have something to do with the world politically as well as religiously, that it is as much their duty to study correct political principles as well as religious, and to seek to know and comprehend the social and political interests of man, and to learn and be able to teach that which would be best calculated to promote the interests of the world. (In Tabernacle, April 13, 1862, JD9:340) TLDP:261
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. . . .
3. 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. . . .
5. 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; . . .
8. . . . [F]or the public peace and tranquility all men should step forward and use their ability in bringing offenders against good laws to punishment. (Declaration of belief regarding governments and laws, Aug. 17, 1835) D&C 134:1,3,5,8
receiving the Word of the Lord
I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.
9. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.
10. 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. (Revelation received Aug. 6, 1833 in consequence of the persecution of the saints, the Lord justifies the Saints in befriending the constitutional law of the land) D&C 98:8-10
also quoting Joseph Smith
Of course the world has troubles, uncertainties, problems. Of course we are impatient and puzzled at times, but the means and the reason for improving and repenting and for solving the problems are given us in our Father's plan and purposes.
May I cite two oft-quoted scriptures, and put some added emphasis on them:
"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness (D&C 58:27italics added)."
The emphasis could well be on good and righteousness.
Another: "Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold. . . ." (D&C 98:10)
I infer from this that we have an obligation to be active in public issues, in civic problems, and to provide honest and good men and wise men to serve and give leadership on public affairs.
We shouldn't be sideline sitters. CR1968Oct:44
The only way we can keep our freedom is to work at it. Not some of us. All of us. Not some of the time, but all of the time.
So if you value your citizenship and want to keep it for yourself and your children and their children, give it your faith, your belief, and give it your active support in civic affairs. (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 405) TLDP:261
If we are to be a God-fearing nation and enjoy the blessings of peace, then each one of us who has faith in God must do our duty, take our part to accomplish our purpose in government. We should become intimately familiar with those who are active politically; we ought to be part and parcel of them. They should not be strangers to us. We should see to it that those men who have true qualities of leadership are placed in positions of trust and responsibility in the government; these fundamental principles of truth apply to every political party alike. There is no hope and can be no hope for our government, or any government, to which this principle does not apply. . . .
I hope and pray, my brethren and sisters, that we will not feel that politics has become so degraded that we are too good to participate. If any of us believe politics to be in that kind of state, we need only to enter into politics, go into it with our honesty and our integrity and our devotion to truth and to righteousness, and the standards will be raised. We cannot expect in this country a better government than the leaders are good, and so if we want a good government we must have good leaders. Let us participate in our mass meetings, in our party organization meetings, in our conventions; then when we go to the polls, we may have somebody worthy of our vote on our tickets. CR1952Apr:36-37
My idea of loyal citizenship is just to abide loyally by the laws of our state and country, to sustain loyally the men who enact those laws, and the men who execute them. You ask me the question, Does our citizenship require us to sustain and uphold men who are not righteous in the administration of the law; does it require us to acknowledge and sustain and uphold laws which are not just? No, it does not; but it requires that those laws be changed or abrogated or amended if experience proves that they are not good, wholesome laws; and the same with men who administer them. There may be times when men go wrong; there may be times when they sell the authority which they have for money; there may be times when they are not honest; there may be times when it becomes necessary to remove them; but that, too, must be done lawfully; it must be done patiently; it must be done in the order that is provided by the law of the country, and not arbitrarily. (IE1921Jul:840) TLDP:261
Related Witnesses:
Could many of our ills today have resulted from our failure to train a strong citizenry from the only source we have—the boys and girls of each community? Have they grown up to believe in politics without principle, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without effort, wealth without work, business without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice?
I do not believe the greatest threat to our future is from bombs or guided missiles. I do not think our civilization will die that way. I think it will die when we no longer care, when the spiritual forces that make us wish to be right and noble die in the hearts of men, when we disregard the importance of law and order. CR1968Apr:50
308. Each individual contributes to good civil government by living a righteous life and by influencing others to do the same.
My idea of citizenship is, to be true to every principle of right, as our conscience prompts us to do the right. God has planted in the hearts of all men knowledge of good and evil, and I believe that no man or woman does wrong without knowing it. That is what makes us responsible before God and before the law for our acts. We know it. . . .Whenever we violate that, either as it applies to our loyalty to the Church or to the Government, we cease to be good citizens as we might and ought to be, and we cease to be devoted members of the Church to which we profess allegiance, as we might be. (IE1921Jul:840) TLDP:261
When I was in East Germany meeting with the district presidents in that area, I was most encouraged to see how these men were prepared to honor and sustain the law of the country. . . . They all adopted the attitude that it was their responsibility to teach the Gospel wherever possible, to live its teachings strictly, and to encourage the members of the Church to live, as far as possible, all the commandments of God and the teachings of the Church under the existing laws of the country. They realized that living and teaching the Gospel and getting the people to accept it would do more for the cause of peace than anything else they could do. They expressed their belief and bore their testimonies that, if they kept the commandments of God and magnified their callings in the Church, all would be well and they would have nothing to fear. ("Submission to Secular Authority," Instructor, Oct. 1963, p. 353) MPSG1989:240
L. Tom Perry
We have been blessed with the light of the gospel to lead us and to guide and direct our lives. Through our understanding and study of the scriptures, we have a knowledge of the laws of the Lord by which we should govern our earthly conduct. With this great blessing comes an obligation to be a part of the communities in which we live. Our influence should be felt to safeguard the moral standards in the villages, in the towns, and in the cities where our homes are located in all parts of the world. I challenge you to become involved in lifting the moral standards of the communities where your homes are. CR1977Apr:89
Individual decency and constitutional viability are thus irrevocably intertwined. For instance, the loss of inner controls in individual citizens inevitably merely brings more outer controls with the resultant diminution of individual liberty. (Grant Stake Bicentennial of the Constitution, May 1987) MPSG1989:237
We have no right to expect a higher degree of morality from those who represent us than what we ourselves are. In the final analysis, people generally get the kind of government they deserve. ("The Constitution: A Heavenly Banner," p. 28) MPSG1989:237
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
14. Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
15. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
16. As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. (Letter to the churches in modern Asia Minor, about A.D. 60) 1 Peter 2:13-16
Related Witnesses:
Mosiah, son of Benjamin,
quoted by Mormon
Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right. . . .
27. And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you. . . .(Mosiah tells the people unrighteous kings lead the people to sin, about 92 B.C.) Mosiah 29:26-27
Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ. . . . (Moroni's comments, as he pauses in making the abridged record of the Jaredites covering the period of time of the Tower of Babel) Ether 2:12
309. We are to sustain and uphold the government under which we reside.
In some countries [the] supreme power is vested in one person, the sovereign. Other countries have republican forms of government in which sovereignty resides in the people, and the supreme power is usually expressed by the legislative body. Regardless of whether sovereignty is administered by an individual or by the people, citizens become subject to that supreme power. They have rights and privileges afforded them under the law, and they have the duty to comply with the provisions of the law. . . .
Citizens do not have the right to take the law into their own hands or exercise physical force. The sovereign laws of the state must be sustained, and persons living under those laws must obey them for the good of the whole. In this regard The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints takes a strong position. CR1968Apr:63; MPSG1989:239-40
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. (Declaration of belief regarding governments and laws, Aug. 17, 1835) D&C 134:5
Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.
22. Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet. (Revelation for the elders of the Church, Aug. 1, 1831) D&C 58:21-22
And thus all things shall be made sure, according to the laws of the land. (Revelation May 1831) D&C 51:6
receiving the Word of the Lord
And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
5. And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
6. Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;
7. And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.
8. I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.
9. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.
10. 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. (Revelation received Aug. 6, 1833 in consequence of the persecution of the Saints in the United States) D&C 98:4-10
We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. (The twelfth of the thirteen Articles of Faith; letter to John Wentworth, March 1, 1842) Articles of Faith :12
Neither in mental attitude nor in conduct have we [the Church] been disloyal to the government under whose guarantee of religious freedom our church was founded. . . . [W]e have no place in our hearts for disloyal sentiments, nor is there likelihood of treason in our conduct. . . .
. . . [W]e declare to all men that there is nothing treasonable or disloyal in any ordinance, ceremony, or ritual of the Church.
The overthrow of earthly governments; the union of church and state; domination of the state by the church; ecclesiastical interference with the political freedom and rights of the citizen,—all such things are contrary to the principles and policy of the Church, and directly at variance with the oft repeated declarations of its chief presiding authorities and of the Church itself, speaking through its general conferences. (Address from the First Presidency of the Church to the world, delivered to and accepted by vote of the Church in general conference, April 1907) CR1907Apr(Appendix)10,13
recorded in Matthew
Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
18. But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
19. Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
20. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
21. They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. Matthew 22:17-21
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. (Letter to the Church in Rome, about A.D. 55) Romans 13:7
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
14. Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
15. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
16. As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. (Letter to the churches in modern Asia Minor, about A.D. 60) 1 Peter 2:13-16
Related Witnesses:
And it shall come to pass, that if any persons among you shall kill they shall be delivered up and dealt with according to the laws of the land; for remember that he hath no forgiveness; and it shall be proved according to the laws of the land. . . .
84. And if a man or woman shall rob, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of the land.
85. And if he or she shall steal, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of the land.
86. And if he or she shall lie, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of the land. (Revelation "embracing the law of the Church," Feb. 9, 1831) D&C 42:79,84-86
Author's Note: With regard to the citation, "A declaration of belief regarding governments and laws in general, adopted by unanimous vote at a general assembly of the Church held at Kirtland, Ohio, Aug. 17, 1835": The occasion was a meeting of Church leaders, brought together to consider the proposed contents of the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. At that time this declaration was given the following preamble: "That our belief with regard to earthly governments and laws in general may not be misinterpreted nor misunderstood, we have thought proper to present at the close of this volume our opinion concerning the same." (Headnote to D&C Section 134) (HC2:247-249)
