Political Neutrality as Doctrine

Well, this is interesting. I've discovered anew that political neutrality is discussed at length in our Doctrine & Covenants 134. Sure, I slightly remember it being there, but in light of recent political developments, this section has garnered much more attention in this year's assigned reading. I recommend reading the entire section, which is only 1000 words. Go ahead, open it up, and read it side by side in this analysis.

Also note: as being in the Doctrine and Covenants, this is more than just a church-wide policy, but rather it is part of our canon of scripture. In other words, it has been adopted as doctrine, and will remain so until the section is removed.

Here's a quick summary of what it teaches, in the order of which it appears:

• God instituted governments for our benefit. [1]
• We will be judged (in part) in accordance to how we have acted in relation to our laws. [1]
• A peaceful government requires the "free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life." [2]
• Ideally, the voice of the people should uphold leaders that "will administer the law in equity and justice." [3]
• Religion is also instituted of God. [4]
• No human law should interfere with free worship. [4]
• Exception: Unless such worship "infringes upon the rights and liberties of others." [4]
• Humans are amenable only to God. [4]
• While civil magistrates restrains crime and punishes, they should not "suppress the freedom of the soul." [4]
• We should all sustain and uphold our respective governments. [5]
• Sedition and rebellion are bad and should be punished. [5]
• We should honor each of our leaders in their positions, so as to avoid anarchy and terror. [6]
• We must also follow divine laws, where we answer only to our Maker (and not to our governments in spiritual matters). [6]
• General discussion on the separation of government and religion. [7-8]
• If we mingle government and religion, one particular religion may be fostered over others. [9]
• Religions have to right to determine fellowship, rules for good standing, and enact certain punishments such as excommunication. [10]
• Exceptions: churches should not interfere with property or life -- no physical punishments. [10]
• We are justified in defending ourselves, our property, and our government against unlawful assaults in cases where "immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded." [11]
• Preaching the gospel to others should always be allowed. [12]
• Exception: slaves are exempted from being preached to. [12 -- yeah, it's really in there.]

Discussion

It is clear that our Church espouses in our doctrine the idea of political neutrality. Or in other words: the separation of church and state, an idea that very likely came directly from the US Constitution and its Amendments. This is consistent with D&C 101:77-80, which mentions that God "established the Constitution of this land." Also, the Book of Mormon describes a time when judges oversaw the government while a prophet oversaw the religious matters -- again, as separate entities. 

To bring this to the hear and now, I'd like to compare this doctrine with the recent rising of Christian Nationalism, which has instilled itself in many of the various Christian denominations, including my own. Many of my LDS friends have repeated to me the idea that our nation was built on Christian principles, and we should strive to instill these ideas back into our government, seeing how "liberals" had removed them along the way.

These tend to be the same people who claim that we need to protect ourselves from Sharia Law, which Muslims would try to enact on us should they gain power. And I can't help but notice the hypocrisy. Sharia Law is bad, while Christian Law is okay?

In either case, D&C 134:9 is clear. No one religion should be chosen over another one, as such would infringe on the freedoms of other religions. You may be interested to read one of my earlier articles: Do You Believe in Religious Tolerance? Take the test and find out if you really believe in and understand freedom of religion.

What is entirely absent from D&C 134 is the idea that government exists only to instill Christian principles. Rather, it clearly states the opposite. Government is for civil law, and religion is for spiritual law. Render to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, and render to God that which belongs to God.

My Church understands this concept quite well, realizing our own past when Joseph Smith and his people were met with much persecution. Had the Constitution not been in place, it would have been very difficult for Joseph to establish this "true" church in 1830. Our church exists ONLY because the First Amendment allows it. If we can't uphold this principle for other religions and denominations, then what good are we but hypocrites?

I hope you've enjoyed this discussion. What are your thoughts on D&C 134?

The Fancy Dinner (The Adventures of Elder Elder and Elder Benjamin)

 

The Fancy Dinner

February 23, 1990 (Friday)

Ho-sung had good news for us, and he wanted to celebrate.

“Let’s do something Friday night — just you and Elder Benjamin,” he had said excitedly on the phone a couple of days ago. “I’ll meet you downtown at 6PM where bus 5A drops you off at the center stop.” We knew the spot — a favorite location for demonstrations and tear gas, which seldom happened in the evening hours.

When I had asked, “Where are we going?” he answered, “It’s a surprise.”

So at around 5:30PM, we got on bus 5A.

Elder Benjamin asked me on the way, “You have no idea what the great news is and where we’re going?”

“Nope,” I said. “But I hope it’s something exciting to do on this gloomy day.” Outside, overcast clouds slowly darkened while the sun set behind them.

“I’m sure it’ll be exciting,” said Elder Benjamin. “He’s never let us down.”

“I hope it isn’t sut pul kalbi again. It’s always that with him. Trying to show off how rich he is.”

“Chin up. This will be fun.”

When we got to the city center stop, Ho-sung was already waiting for us, wearing a suit like us. He gave us both a hug as we let off the bus.

Elder Benjamin said, “You’re quite happy today. What’s going on?”

“See that building over there?” he said, pointing at the tallest one. “That’s where we’re going.”

“Whoa,” I couldn’t help saying. “What are we doing in there?”

“You’ll see.”

We followed him into the building. He talked with a security guard, and then another guard showed us into the elevator, pushed a code into a keypad, hit the top floor button for us, and directed us to enter. And then he left us to rise up alone.

“You know these guys?” I asked. “What’s up at the top?”

“You’ll see,” he said again. “Are you hungry?”

“You betcha,” said Elder Benjamin.

The elevator door opened to a large circular restaurant with windows along the full length overlooking the city below.

“No way!” we said. The room was decked out with chandeliers, nice carpet, fancy tables and place settings. And everything smelled clean. We did not feel underdressed in our suits.

“Yes,” said Ho-sung. “Welcome to one of the most expensive restaurants in Taegu. The Sky Cafe. And look — the whole restaurant rotates.”

“Wow!” said Elder Benjamin. “What are we celebrating?”

“Let’s sit down,” said Ho-sung. A host led us to a seat by the window. And Ho-sung let us both take the two seats at the end. As I looked out, the city rotated below us slowly, city lights sparkling. The whole space and scene were peaceful.

“Check out the menus,” said Ho-sung.

I opened mine. It was quite fancy with pictures and professional typesetting, showing no prices, and it had an American section.

“American food?” asked Elder Benjamin.

“Yes,” said Ho-sung. “Tonight, we are eating American. I think they do a remarkable job, and you can tell me how it tastes.”

One thing to understand: actual bonafide American food was rare in Korea. Several places offered imitations, but in most cases it was quite terrible. The main issue: cheese was rare and expensive. Also, bread was just different. For example, several places on the street would sell something called “pizza,” but it was just terrible. I have no idea what they used to imitate the cheese, and it was common to put seafood toppings on it. Yuck! Koreans seemed to like it, but not me — it was too close and yet too far from food I had loved from home.

Times that we ate real American food were rare and cherished. Once in Seoul, someone took us to an actual American chain pizza place for some deep dish, and yes — that was real. In Pusan, I saw an actual Dairy Queen and grabbed some quite expensive, yet real ice cream. Every Thanksgiving, we missionaries would be invited to the local American military bases for actual American cooking with much thanks to their commissary. 

It was always fun to eat American, but for the most part, we had to stay focused on our missionary duties and stay within budget, which meant we had to learn how to also love the local cuisine: kimchee, rice, ramyon, and other wonderful Korean staples.

I did see pizza on the menu in this rotating restaurant, but I couldn’t bring myself to order it. Instead, I went with steak and mashed potatoes. And Elder Benjamin went with chicken.

It was indeed impressive. I told Ho-sung that my food tasted very American, though the mashed potatoes had a certain spice I couldn’t place that made it taste different. Elder Benjamin loved his chicken, too. He went on and on about how great the restaurant was — the food was great and so was the view.

And then Elder Benjamin asked, “So what are we celebrating here?”

“Oh yes,” said Ho-sung. “Soo-jung said yes today. We’re engaged!” He held up a hand and showed us a ring. “She has one that looks just like this. She wants to get married and move to America with me. This is so exciting! She said yes!”

“Great news,” said Elder Benjamin.

“Cool,” I said.

“So, eat up,” said Ho-sung. “Enjoy it. Wait till you see dessert!”

Yes — that was also great. I went with cheesecake, and Elder Benjamin ordered apple pie topped with ice cream. These memories of home cooking were indeed quite enjoyable.

Toward the end of the fun, Elder Benjamin asked, “So how is Soo-jung doing with the missionaries?”

Ho-sung answered, “Oh, she loves Sister Anderson and Sister King. She’s met with them once, and she’s looking forward to seeing them again.”

“Wonderful!” said Elder Benjamin. “Now that you’re engaged, what do you think about inviting her to come to church with you?”

After a night of smiles, Ho-sung’s disappeared slowly. “Oh, I don’t think we’re ready for that, yet. She still thinks the Church is weird, and I don’t want to scare her away.”

“That’s why you should invite her to church. Then she’ll see how normal we all are. It’ll speed up her discussions, and then you can baptize her yourself.”

“Maybe. But I’m still so busy with work. We’re not in a hurry, and it would just be weird. She’s not attending another church right now — not even Buddhist. She’s basically agnostic, and I’ll know when the time comes. I’m working toward it. We’re just not ready yet.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “That’s great news about you being engaged. Life is great, and it’s going to get better.”

The night finished off with some more small talk, enjoying the rest of our desserts, and taking in the night city views as we rotated. When the time came, it was difficult to get up and leave. It was a magical space and it was time to return to the real world, and time for this place to become nothing but a pleasant memory.

Next Adventure: Lost in Taegu