-“..the Elders of Israel begin to understand that they have something to do with the world politically as well as religiously, that it is as much their duty to study correct political principles as well as religious, and to seek to know and comprehend the social and political interests of man…” [President John Taylor, JD 9:340]

-here is another reason why prophets don’t tell us everything: Mormon 1: 15-17 15 And I, being fifteen years of age and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.16 And I did endeavor to preach unto this people, but my mouth was shut, and I was forbidden that I should preach unto them; for behold they had willfully rebelled against their God; and the beloved disciples were taken away out of the land, because of their iniquity. 17 But I did remain among them, but I was forbidden to preach unto them, because of the hardness of their hearts; and because of the hardness of their hearts the land was cursed for their sake.

–why is the word on government quite for a while it seems? Perhaps the tares are being allowed to grow up with the wheat to not choke out the wheat while it is young and tender. Perhaps, as President Benson said, they speak little of politics at General Conference because we are a worldwide organization being watched by evil forces who seek ways to bring us down.

– “The science of government is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take place of, indeed to exclude, in a manner, all other arts. I must study politics and war, that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.” (John Adams writing to his wife; Quoted in Adrienne Koch, ed., The American Enlightenment [New York: George Braziller, 1965], pg. 188). (*Also Scott Bradley quoted this to Elder Oaks of the 12 Apostles who seemed enthused by it.)

– October 1987 general conference talk “Our Divine Constitution” (see Ensign Magazine, November 1987) President Ezra Taft Benson quotes Joseph Smith, saying: “The Prophet Joseph Smith said: ‘t is our duty to concentrate all our influence to make popular that which is sound and good, and unpopular that which is unsound. ‘Tis right, politically, for a man who has influence to use it. … From henceforth I will maintain all the influence I can get’” (History of the Church, 5:286).

-The Church is politically neutral, yet it encourages members to be politically involved in a way that coincides with their religious values. (http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official-statement/political-neutrality)

 

 

 

Voting Your Conscience Doesn’t Violate Tolerance or Separation of Church & State – online

 

Video of this presentation click here. The video goes into more depth and clear explanation than the following text:

 

People confuse the separation of church and state to mean that you shouldn’t be able to say any social policy with your church also happens to hold in the state realm.

 

For example, many people will not vote against gay marriage because they say of separation of church and state forbids it; they say, ‘my church doesn’t believe in gay marriage and so we’re not going to vote for that.’

 

All the government is is a set of social constructs; if you refuse to voice your opinion on every social contract just because it’s tied to religion, then your government will be one that will collapse on itself.

 

You need to do everything you can to preserve society from collapsing as a decent human being who doesn’t want society to fall into anarchy.

 

You need to voice your opinion on social things; for example, some things are inherently wrong, all church aside. These can include incest rape homosexuality pedophilia murder theft and so forth; those are inherently wrong. Being those things makes you a bad person.

 

There are other things such as paying your tithing; if you don’t pay your tithing, it doesn’t make you a bad person, it just makes you a non-religious person. If you do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior, it does not make you a bad person, it just makes you a non-Christian person. Those are religious tenants, and we do not seek to make these religious items national law. However, we do seek to make important social standards into law.

 

For example – if you lived in a society where it was okay to have rape, how’s that going to affect your children? It’s going to brainwash them into thinking that rape is okay. Your society will collapse, so you morally ought to, as a decent human being, go to the polls and vote that no rape should be legal.

 

Children raised by non-biological parents do not even begin to compare with the success of children from biological parents. This is one of the many reasons that homosexual marriage is inherently harmful to children, and thus evil which would lead to the downfall of civilization as we know it.

 

We can say with great confidence that, all church aside, it is against social and biological human nature to be homosexual and we should not allow our society to embrace that lifestyle.

 

For more strong points in favor of voting your conscience, watch the video of this presentation which expounds to much greater detail.