Feb 2016 - Updated - May 2017
I’ll preface this by saying that there is currently no political party that I 100% agree with. That being said however, I consider politics a continuation of what went on in Heaven before this world was, and that the principles fought for then are then same ones being fought over now.
The War in Heaven
- “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Revelations 12:7-10
- “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15
- “And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever. And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first. And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him.” Abraham 3:24-28
- “And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.” Moses 4:1-4
- God’s plan for His children was basically “Growth via personal Agency”.
- Lucifer’s Plan for his brethren was “Equality via Conscription”.
At this point I believe that some part of Lucifer actually meant well. He probably loved everyone. He saw a way to save everyone who wouldn’t make the grade, and proposed what he (and one third of God’s children) saw as a superior plan to God’s. He vouched for “equality”. He wanted everyone to receive the same reward. He wanted those who knew they wouldn't qualify to qualify regardless. An equal outcome regardless of personal achievement. The only way to do that would be to remove the ability to choose from the individual, relieve them of personal responsibility. Freedom from Responsibility. By using a centralized governing power (that of God), he could literally force everyone to be good. Unfortunately, this completely defeats the entire purpose of God’s plan: growth. God wants his children to learn, grow, and succeed, but they can’t do that if they aren’t allowed to make their own decisions. They would figuratively remain as children forever, not understanding the difference between good and evil, right and wrong. They needed the chance to grow up and earn eternal life. By earn, I really mean prepare themselves to live the laws of heaven. You’ve got to adopt the local culture if you want to move there. Lucifer's plan would have prevented that. He would have "saved" everyone by removing their agency. They would be reduced to cogs in a machine with no say in their lives. Having all the choices made for them, they would lack the experience needed for personal grow, like sheltered children who never learn to do the laundry, go shopping, or even work. They would have remained in the same state they started in, a state of innocence and ignorance. It would have completely defeated the purpose of our Heavenly Father's plan. That plan hinged on trials, tribulations, struggles, problems, and choices. Life is a test where we learn as we go. Our choices determine our path. Those who desire heaven will do what it takes to learn how to live there. Those who don't desire heaven won't be forced to. God loves His children enough that He is willing to let them go their own way if they desire it, even if it means that they choose misery over happiness.
So although God says this:
- “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39
The hymn “Know This, That Every Soul Is Free” is a great reminder to this fact:
- Know this, that ev'ry soul is free
To choose his life and what he'll be;
For this eternal truth is giv'n:
That God will force no man to heav'n. - He'll call, persuade, direct aright,
And bless with wisdom, love, and light,
In nameless ways be good and kind,
But never force the human mind. - Freedom and reason make us men;
Take these away, what are we then?
Mere animals, and just as well
The beasts may think of heav'n or hell. - May we no more our pow'rs abuse,
But ways of truth and goodness choose;
Our God is pleased when we improve
His grace and seek his perfect love.
Earth Life and Politics
This brings us to current times. God’s children are on the earth. The ones that followed Satan as spirits are bitterly attempting to sabotage the spiritual journeys of everyone who was ever born, the flesh and blood families who followed God and Christ. And that is okay. In fact, it was part of the plan whether Satan realized it or not. There needed to be opposition in all things so that people could grow.
Passing through the veil, people on earth have forgotten that war, but it rages on in politics. There is a constant tug-of-war between Freedom and Coercion; between Volunteerism and Socialism; between Free Markets and Communism; between “the good of the individual” and “the good of society”. God’s plan was created for the good of each individual on an individual basis, whereas Satan’s plan was for the good of society. God’s plan offered greater rewards according to one’s works and voluntarily agreed upon contracts. Lucifer’s plan was to forcefully eliminate “income inequality” on a spiritual level regardless of actual personal effort. God’s plan was for His children to voluntarily be nice to others, whereas Lucifer’s plan was to force people to be nice to each other. Liberty verses Captivity.
The Prophet Ezra Taft Benson once spoke on this subject himself:
This is why I have a hard time when people claim they want to do something for “the good of society” at the expense of the individual. It is the act of slowly eroding a God-given gift of agency, the freedom to choose for ourselves. Not everyone wants to go to heaven, and that is okay. I will beg people to make choices that will lead them to the joys of heaven, but I will never force them, and neither will God. He loves His children so much that He is willing to let them go if they so choose and He will never stop pleading for them to return to Him.
This brings me to my point. I love liberty, for me, for you, for everyone. It is an eternal principle embedded in nature itself: freedom. Even the animals have agency. Liberty unites people, liberty divides people. As long as your liberty doesn’t infringe on someone else’s, it is okay. That doesn’t mean all choices are good or have good consequences, but it does mean we should allow people to make mistakes, to fail, to get things right, and to succeed. It is wrong to be driven like cattle by the government “for our own good”. We should be able to make those decisions for ourselves.
- “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. 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. 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. And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit; And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.” 2 Nephi 2:25-29
Passing through the veil, people on earth have forgotten that war, but it rages on in politics. There is a constant tug-of-war between Freedom and Coercion; between Volunteerism and Socialism; between Free Markets and Communism; between “the good of the individual” and “the good of society”. God’s plan was created for the good of each individual on an individual basis, whereas Satan’s plan was for the good of society. God’s plan offered greater rewards according to one’s works and voluntarily agreed upon contracts. Lucifer’s plan was to forcefully eliminate “income inequality” on a spiritual level regardless of actual personal effort. God’s plan was for His children to voluntarily be nice to others, whereas Lucifer’s plan was to force people to be nice to each other. Liberty verses Captivity.
The Prophet Ezra Taft Benson once spoke on this subject himself:
- “Freedom is an eternal, God-given principle. There is no genuine happiness without freedom, nor is there any security or peace without freedom. After traveling in practically all of the free countries of the world and several times behind the Iron Curtain, I say that Marxism is the greatest evil in this world and the greatest threat to all we hold dear. Of all sad things in the world, the saddest is to see a people who have once known liberty and freedom and then lost it. I have seen the unquenchable yearning of the human heart for liberty on two unforgettable occasions. These experiences are indelibly etched on the memory of my soul.”
This is why I have a hard time when people claim they want to do something for “the good of society” at the expense of the individual. It is the act of slowly eroding a God-given gift of agency, the freedom to choose for ourselves. Not everyone wants to go to heaven, and that is okay. I will beg people to make choices that will lead them to the joys of heaven, but I will never force them, and neither will God. He loves His children so much that He is willing to let them go if they so choose and He will never stop pleading for them to return to Him.
This brings me to my point. I love liberty, for me, for you, for everyone. It is an eternal principle embedded in nature itself: freedom. Even the animals have agency. Liberty unites people, liberty divides people. As long as your liberty doesn’t infringe on someone else’s, it is okay. That doesn’t mean all choices are good or have good consequences, but it does mean we should allow people to make mistakes, to fail, to get things right, and to succeed. It is wrong to be driven like cattle by the government “for our own good”. We should be able to make those decisions for ourselves.
- “For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.” D&C 58:26
Against Anarchy
That being said, I don’t believe in complete anarchy. Whereas I endorse the idea of freedom, even scripturally it has limits. Freedom has consequences. When a person’s freedom encroaches on that of another person, you’ve got a problem. The scriptural concept for preventing this overreach of personal agency is called “loving thy neighbour as thyself”. More specifically, it is split into the five basic tenets known as the last half of the Ten Commandments:
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”
- Preventing murder, even of children in the womb. If the heart is beating, it is a child of God. (That also means having a defensive military)
- Enforcing contracts; be they business or marriage. (In my eyes, divorce is an enforcement in reaction to the breaking of the contract)
- Preventing theft and facilitating restitution if possible. (Even if perpetrated by the government itself)
- Protection against lies that will harm people. (I’m looking at you, SJWs, conspiracy theorists, and false advertisers)
- Preventing Socialism & Communism because those ideologies legitimize coveting for "the good of society". (Also included in this should be the prevention of court ordered “punishment fines” that go beyond restitution. Vengeance is an extreme version of coveting after all.)