Yesterday, online, I had a confrontation with Froot (a fellow online commentor). He wanted to post a bunch of unsavory pictures to get my dander up. He wanted me to define what is acceptable and what is not. It kind of annoys me. He wants me to define for him every detail of right and wrong, even though he already has a good idea.
In a way, it reminded me of the Bible, where under the old Mosaic Law, the priests in charge would define how many steps a person could take on the sabbath, what foods a person could eat, how much work could be done on the sabbath, etc. It became this laboriously long system of codes and rules that people did not even know if they were breaking the sabbath or not.
It really is not that much different than the law today. Back at the time of our founding, the United States Law was relatively simple. A person knew not to murder, steal, and a few of the basic laws. While not perfect, it was understandable by the common man. Today, even specialized lawyers do not know the full extent of the law, and it is growing bigger, more confusing and more of a headache every day. The law of entropy applies to law as well.
How do we overcome this? When Jesus walked the Earth, he preached a sermon wherein he told them he has fulfilled the exactness of the Mosiac Law, and replaced it with a higher law of mercy and forgiveness. People were held to a higher standard, but they could receive forgiveness if they did not meet that standard.
Early on in the LDS church history, John Taylor, the third President of the Church, reported: “Some years ago, in Nauvoo, a gentleman in my hearing, a member of the Legislature, asked Joseph Smith how it was that he was enabled to govern so many people, and to preserve such perfect order; remarking at the same time that it was impossible for them to do it anywhere else. Mr. Smith remarked that it was very easy to do that. ‘How?’ responded the gentleman; ‘to us it is very difficult.’ Mr. Smith replied, ‘I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.’”3
I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.So it is with us. In order to achieve true freedom from the exactness of the Mosaic style law of law, with more laws than people can know, to get away from the tyranny of being outlaws at all times, and all it takes is someone to notice you to put you in jail or keep you from running for office (example Dinesh D'Souza a conservative political activist mentioned below), we need to learn to govern ourselves.
On May 20, 2014 D'Souza pleaded guilty to one felony count of making illegal contributions in the names of others. On September 23, 2014, the court sentenced D'Souza to five years probation, eight months in a halfway house (referred to as a "community confinement center") and a $30,000 fine.If all men were angels, we would not have a need for a government. If all government were angels, we would have no need of a constitution.
As it goes in Froot's example, I am reluctant to spell out every last detail on what is acceptable and what is not. As far as language, I am the same way. Sometimes a properly placed "F Bomb" is the right way to communicate. Most of the time it isn't. Most of the time, I get annoyed by language and I want to cut you off and tell you what you can or cannot say. But it does not make for a pleasant society.
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