D&C 134:5

134:5 - Verse 5 brings up a concept that I hadn’t considered before but it really helped put me in check. It says “We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside… and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly.” The IM quotes President David O. McKay as teaching, “The three significant words used in the 12^th Article of Faith express the proper attitude of the membership of the Church toward law. These words are- obey, honor, and sustain. They Article does not say we believe in submission to the law. Obedience implies a higher attitude than mere submission, for obedience has its root in good intent; submission may spring from selfishness or meanness of spirit. Though obedience and submission both imply restraint on one’s own will, we are obedient only from a sense of right; submissive from a sense of necessity.” I really struggle with the concept of submission, I have daddy issues and so therefore can be considered a man-hater a lot of the time, so when the idea of being submissive to God’s will came about, I struggled with it. I really like the idea of obedience being a choice of observance, or submission, because yes, being submissive can be born and grown from a place of indignation and contempt, that’s where any part of submissiveness in my life has come from. If I’m in a place that I can’t get out of, whether at home or at work or whatever, then I’ll submit but only as much as I absolutely have to and I’ll do it while seething hatred the whole time. But choosing to be submissive is obedience and I live the idea of it being my choice, it makes it easier to do and easier to embrace, it’s empowering really. Interestingly the IM continues to expand of “sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen.” Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in a country that hasn’t seen warfare on our shores or because we live in relative freedom without overt oppression, but I’ve always had a rebellious streak, and I don’t know if I’m naturally like that, if it’s a part of who I am naturally, or if it’s been adopted as a defense mechanism. I’ve always admired the founding fathers and those who rise up against oppression and tyranny, but that’s not the way the Lord has commanded us to do. Thinking about it, in the Book of Mormon, how many groups of people were in bondage and freed themselves by fighting their way out of it? None that I can think of. In fact the only instance that comes to mind right now is the time that Limhi’s people were in bondage to the Lamanites and went to battle 3 times to free themselves and were beaten every time. It wasn’t until they repented that they were finally freed, and not by blood but by the grace of God leading them away by strategy. Because ultimately a people’s freedom or their quality of life isn’t based on the justness of their government, it’s based on their righteousness. Like King Mosiah said, the only way to overthrow an iniquitous king is through much bloodshed, and while I can’t think of any examples of people using force to free themselves from bondage in the Book of Mormon, I can think of examples of people who were in bondage and were freed through divine intervention because of their righteousness, and I can think of people who were in bondage or subject to a corrupt government yet were still happy and cheerful. Yes, it’s difficult and it’s an eternal perspective, but those are the success stories. It does however make me wonder how that applies to situations in our world today, especially in places where the gospel cannot be preached or they aren’t able to be taught how to repent. I’m going to have to think about that.