Many people use an incorrect understanding of the command to “judge not” as an excuse to avoid confronting wrong behavior in themselves or their friends. Fear is the likely motivator for this enabling attitude–fear of losing one’s friends, or fear of being ostracized.

Let’s be clear about two things.

First, the command “judge not, that ye be not judged” is more correctly translated as “condemn not, that ye be not condemned,” according to Bruce R. McConkie in “Mormon Doctrine.” It’s meaning was one of finality, and not the common meaning of the term as it is used today, which denotes mere discrimination between right and wrong.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, in the Ensign of August 1999,  similarly distinguished between “final judgments, which we are forbidden to make, and intermediate judgments, which we are directed to make, but upon righteous principles. We are forbidden to make final judgments upon others, which includes “[proclaiming] that any particular person is going to hell (or to heaven) for a particular act or as of a particular time.” He further explains that “we must refrain from making final judgments on people because we lack the knowledge and the wisdom to do so.”

What Elder Oaks calls intermediate judgment, however, is “essential to the exercise of personal moral agency,  and the Lord has seen fit to ensure that we are prepared to make this kind of judgment. To illustrate, Moroni 7: 15-16 reads, “For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil;…For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil;” In Moroni’s thought, the process of righteous judgment is how we learn to distinguish Truth from Evil. The first thing Eve said to the serpent after eating of the forbidden fruit was “I know thee now.”

Elder Oaks affirms that we are to judge, but based on righteous principles. The Lord lists those principles in his discourse to Joseph Smith in D&C 121, counseling Joseph to avoid unrighteous dominion. Righteous judgment is guided

by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.

Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.  (D&C 121:41-45)

Second, the Lord said “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matt 10:37) In the same thought, he asks us to take up our cross and follow him.

His mission was to save sinners. If he should not point out wrong behavior, what would distinguish sinners from saints? He then charged us to do as he did (3 Nephi 18:24). He has called us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Will we hide our light under a bushel, so that our friends cannot see it? Shall we keep them here in mortality, undisturbed, only to lose them eternally?

Who is it that truly loves his neighbor? The one who, seeing something amiss, warns his neighbor, or the one who says nothing, allowing his friend to be overcome? The one who remains silent out of fear will one day be brought to stand before God to account for those whom they could have saved with a word of warning, and did not (Jacob 1:19).

The Joseph Smith translation of Matt 7:1 reads, “Now these are the words which Jesus taught his disciples that they should say unto the people. Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged: but judge righteous judgment.” Alma 41:14 expounds on this principle,

“Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.”

Further, the Lord in D&C 11:12 indicates how we judge righteously, “And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.”

Clearly, the intent of the scripture, in light of modern revelation as well as the original intent, was not that we should keep silence regarding wrong behavior, for fear of offending anyone, but that we should exercise the love of God toward them; seeking their eternal welfare, rather than enabling them in behaviors that are of momentary pleasure but which are destructive to the soul.

For connected with this understanding of judgment is the adage, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Personally, I would hope that my friends care enough about me to correct me when wrong, for that’s how much I care about them.

Thanks be to God for his preparations in leading our great founders to this place, where they would carry out the work of God in setting forth these great and holy principles. May we never forget.

George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

Each day brings new scenes of confusion and grief. There is no respite from the raging storms. Where is the shelter I seek?

My feet are weary of the hard and treacherous road. Where is the safe place I can lay my head?

A Song comes in the night, showing me safe passage. It leads me to safe harbor, and quiet rest. I am warmed and fed, and clothed in Strength, with robes unseamed.

Though all around me burns, and the tempest rages on, yet there is Peace. The quiet Voice soothes the troubled soul and hope is in my heart again.

Renewed and uplifted, I travel on, finding those who have stumbled in the way. I can lift and help and give His healing draught.

I will show the Hope I have within. I can tell the new Day.

I guess she’s not aware that Mormons only made for about 3% of the vote in California. The majority of people who voted in favor of Prop8 were Blacks and Hispanics. But, because Shepherd “was stricken with guilt and shame” for not doing enough to help the civil rights movement, she now needs to find a cure for her latent bigotry.

So, she feels better attacking people of faith.

The real kicker is this statement, “I felt as though I hadn’t done enough to help the civil rights cause and as I gradually began to understand, what is the most recent excuse to deny people rights under the law? To treat them as less than human and once you get that kind of right thinking you realize how important it is to stand up for the gay and lesbian kids who are at greater risk because they don’t have community support and sometimes their parents kick them out. Particularly in L.A we have more runaways then anywhere in the world.”

Ms. Shepherd is unable to distinguish between civil rights and natural Rights. Marriage, if it can be called a right at all (a claim I dispute, by the way), existed prior to Government, which puts it squarely in the category of natural rights. Government has no authority to define Marriage, because government didn’t create Marriage.

Nobody is advocating treating Gays and Lesbians as less than human, and denying them Marriage does not make them less than human. Another example of the high-quality intellectual product being released by Hollywood.

Finally, does Ms. Shepherd really think she can try to equate runaways in Hollywood with parents kicking their gay children out? The claim is utterly preposterous and without foundation, and is entirely disingenuous.

She should stick to the things she knows, like acting. How IS that acting career working out, Cybil? Oh, wait…

I love hearing from Elder Holland at General Conference. His knowledge and understanding of the principles of the Gospel are exceptional. In my opinion, he and Neal A. Maxwell are two of the brightest stars in the Lord’s constellation.

Elder Holland’s discourse at this past General Conference was particularly touching to me. The Church has taken excerpts from that address and set them in this short video. It explains the real depth to which Jesus descended in his atoning sacrifice for Mankind. With this knowledge, no-one ever need feel alone again, for Christ has been there before, and will walk with you, and bring you safely through, if you will trust in Him.

I’ve been a few times in the past, but this was the first time I got to actually accompany someone. It was really thought-provoking.

They had us attend an orientation to help us understand our responsibilities, during they told us that on the Church records these people are listed as “unaccountable.” This is based on scriptures from the New Testament, which states where no law is given there is no punishment, and from the Book of Mormon where it says that little children are alive in Christ. These people are like little children, and thus no law applies to them.

The statement was made by the service missionary conducting the orientation that these people are Celestial beings, only here to obtain a body, having previously done all else that was required of them, while in the pre-mortal life. That makes sense to me, having had our own Celestial being with us for a couple of days.

But I got to thinking about their mortal existence. Many of these people cannot care for themselves at all. If they were left to themselves, they would soon die. I thought how interesting it is to consider that these people, Celestial beings, are trapped in a body that allows them no freedom at all. Their entire day is planned for them. They go wherever they are taken. Some cannot even voice a protest.

2 Nephi, chapter 2 speaks about the two types of creation; things which act, and things which are acted upon. Verses 13-16, and 25-57 are of interest to me here:

13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.

14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; 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.

15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.

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….

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

So, these people are free under the Atonement, but are they kept from exercising their freedom to preserve their status? Or did they volunteer for this temporary prison, to give the rest of us an opportunity to exercise Charity? Or are they fulfilling the same kind of path that Christ took, where they descend below all things, in their case all things that act? It is certainly an interesting question to ponder.

I want to expand this a little bit and follow by stating that I believe anyone who engages in this type of deception, for any reason, is inspired by this same Evil. The frightening thing is that we find this happening in every aspect of life, and the most pronounced in Politics.

The Liberals have become expert at this. How many times each day do we hear from Liberals in the Media or in Politics how backwards, unenlightened, outdated, etc. Conservatives and conservative policies are? And how progressive and advanced the Liberals think they, themselves, are.

Isaiah give this warning: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Barak Obama has millions of people fooled because they cannot discern that he is not a force for evil in the world. He comes across as so charismatic and pleasant, but he represents future misery. Read the Book of Mormon.

I usually won’t spend a lot of time talking about people on this site unless I feel they really have earned the distinction. Mr. Spencer has crossed the line from the political to the dogmatic in such an overt way that I felt compelled to address his claims.

I’m going to refrain from addressing the claims of divine endorsement for Mr. Spencer because I believe that most people are wise enough to see such silliness for what it is without any help from me. Instead, I’d like to focus on the claims he has made regarding his position and why it contrasts with that of Jason Chaffetz.

The Bush Tax Cuts

Mr. Spencer has said we should not make the Bush tax cuts permanent because they are hurting families. Mr. Spencer obviously has not been watching the news in the last four years. Nationally, unemployment has been at it’s lowest level in decades, which means that more families have a better income than we have seen in years. How is it that we can have almost non-existent unemployment, but still our families are hurting as a result of the tax cuts?

Mr. Spencer also implied that Jesus would vote to repeal those tax cuts out of compassion. Mr Spencer obviously believes in a very different Jesus than the one I know. Did the Jesus of the Bible teach that we should support governments that engage in legal plunder to benefit those who will not work at the expense of those who will? Or that we should support governments that will usurp the role of the Church in caring for the poor and the needy? Was Jesus a Socialist? If you are Christian, and especially LDS, you must answer a resounding NO!

Jesus believed in obeying the law of the land correctly. An example of this is found in Matthew 17: 24-27.

And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay atribute?

He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Jesus questions Peter’s submission to a law which did not apply to him. The tribute spoken of was a tax collected on foreigners (strangers), which did not apply to citizens (children). Initially, the United States operated on a tax system very similar to this. It wasn’t until the Progressives (Socialists) came into power in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s that we began to tax the “children.” Socialism was not what the Founders envisioned.

Immigration

Mr. Spencer wants you to believe that Jason Chaffetz’s plan is to round up all 12 million or so illegal aliens and hold them indefinitely in a concentration camp-like tent city. Mr. Spencer is simply incorrect about Jason’s plan. We all know rounding up 12 million or more people into one place is a logistical impossibility. Jason knows it too. But it is interesting to note that each time in our history that we have begun to rigorously enforce our border laws, and arrest a good number of people, an even larger number of those here illegally return to their home country of their own volition.

You see, there is no way for them to know if they will be arrested next or not. Rather than take that chance, they prefer to exit the country. It works every time. There is never a need to round up everybody.

Mr. Spencer would have us believe that Jesus would want a “very compassionate” immigration policy. But he doesn’t go into detail on what that entails, so we are left to only guess at what he means.

But “compassion” is always the buzz word trotted out by those who apparently don’t believe we should be enforcing our laws for one reason or another. Mr. Spencer wants us to equate compassion with not rounding people up, which means with not enforcing our border laws. But we LDS believe in honoring, obeying and sustaining the law–even if we disagree with it. We don’t believe in flouting the law for compassion’s sake. In fact, we believe just the opposite.

Let no man break the alaws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.

We can see that God’s position in the scriptures is one of obedience. We may not break them ourselves, but the result is the same if we allow them to be broken by others and we do nothing.

We believe that agovernments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men baccountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society. (D&C 134: 1)

A careful study of the issues brought up by Bennion Spencer indicates that he is not in line with the mainstream of thought in Utah’s Third Congressional District, even though he actually lives in the district. It also shows that he is not in line with Christian doctrine on government. There are several more points to cover, but they will be addressed in the next post.

“They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a ^atree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” –Isaiah 65:22

What greater condemnation of Socialism could there be than from God himself? One witness from the Old Testament, and one from the current dispensation through Joseph Smith.

I heard a young LDS guy on the radio a few months back who was convinced that Socialism was the United Order. It was troubling to me. How many of the Latter-day Saints think that Socialism is akin to the United Order? I’d like to hear from you. Post your comments to this post below.