This week as everyone is focusing on our nation's founding, I thought I'd also post about independence. We recently read Hugh Nibley's astounding essay Before Adam, and found this statement:
"And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed." (Abraham 4:18.)
"They obeyed" is the active voice, introducing a teaching that, in my opinion, is by far the most significant and distinct aspect of Mormonism. It is the principle of maximum participation, of the active cooperation of all of God's creatures in the working out of his plans, which, in fact, are devised for their benefit: "This is my work and my glory" (Moses 1:39.)
Everybody gets into the act. Every creature, to the limit of its competence, is given the supreme compliment of being left on its own, so that the word "obey" is correctly applied. "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." (Abraham 3:24.) Why? "And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them." (Abraham 3:25.) What he commands is what will best fulfill the measure of their existence, but they are not forced to do it—they are not automata. Adam was advised not to eat the fruit but was told at the same time that he was permitted to do it. It was up to him whether he would obey or not. If he did obey, he would qualify for a higher trust.
I've long been a passionate libertarian, but I had not considered the freedom to choose to be the "most significant aspect" of our religion. I understood it to be a unique part, since alone we believe that we are here on earth by choice, not just as extras in a big Passion play, as little clay creatures made for the amusement of the gods, or as choir boys whose end goal and meaning of existence is singing praises for eternity.
So why is the liberty to choose to obey so important in the eternal perspective? In the end you are still doing what "He" wants you to. But you ARE choosing to do these good things. When we do things that don't seem logical or reasonable to the human, temporal mind (like serving a mission when we could be furthering our education or pursuing pleasure), we develop faith and self-control, and those two things are what lifts us from an animal-like state to becoming more God-like. Animals (and many humans) don't act, they react according to their instincts. They don't have a moral compass that steers their behavior, but instead live at the level of survival of the fittest: "do whatever I can get away with." Even our darling and very good doggy. Although she no longer steals entire pizzas off the counter-top like she did when we first got her, if she thought there would be no consequences, she would, as evidenced by how she walks up to short people in our home (like our little foster guy) and THINKS about grabbing the food out of his hand, but then looks at me and changes her mind. And goes into rooms she's not supposed to be in when she thinks nobody is home (LOL).
Having the freedom to choose good or evil is essential to developing the self-control to choose good. If we are forced to choose good, it does us no good. We are "automata," and there is no spiritual growth.
I believe the same thing applies to our society. The more choices government makes for society, the fewer choices the individual gets to make. Big choices, like how much health care is appropriate at the end of life (the euthanasia movement has been creeping in for years, and it's coming to the big screen now with Obamacare--just wait) and little choices, like what a children's party magician does with his rabbit if there is a tornado (I'm not kidding on this one--see the always-awesome Mark Steyn for details). There are forces at work in our society--and have been for years, but they are making huge headway now-- that WANT us to be automata--just gears in the big machine that they set in motion and control. That want us to believe that government (the genocidal force of the 20th century) is now benign and trustworthy. So just watch your network TV and follow your celebrity mags and don't worry about anything that is going on in Washington--smart people are taking care of everything!
I choked up in church today when we sang, "Oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free..." The flag is still flying, but is the land still free if government now owns or controls/regulates every aspect of our society--far more now in the Obama years than ever before? I believe we no longer are.
