Agency is Part of God’s Plan

Imagine going out to eat and ordering a salad, only to have the waiter tell you that you may not have it, that you must have the soup instead. How would you feel? The choice between soup and salad is a fairly benign one, but it demonstrates a characteristic of human nature: we don't like to be forced into decisions we're capable of making for ourselves. We resist compulsion. Even when we face more serious decisions, ones with moral implications, it is important that we choose for ourselves. God will always respect our agency. While there will always be consequences for our choices—good and bad, sometimes very serious and eternal—God has never approved of using force (Alma 30:9). In fact, God is the spirit of freedom and He knows that the human spirit requires freedom to effectively serve and believe in Him. He told Adam and Eve not to eat the forbidden fruit, but He also said, “…nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself.” (Moses 3:17)

When freedom is taken away from us we often behave badly or develop a host of physical ailments. Fortunately, most of us live in circumstances that allow us to use our God-given agency every day to make choices that will determine our destiny.

It’s important to remember not to trample on other people’s freedoms in pursuit of our own. Even when we feel our way of thinking may be for someone else’s “own good,” it’s important to remember that everyone has the right to an opinion, the right to act according to their own consciences. Our attempts to control others almost always fail and have negative consequences for both parties: misery, resentment, anger, depression, and retaliation are just a few. In our relationships we want to duplicate the perfect love Christ modeled for us that essentially says, I may not agree with your choices, but I defend your right to make them and love you regardless.

Making Hard Choices

Some people seem to take pride in never taking a stand or making a hard choice. They think of themselves as being mellow and tolerant. “Live and let live” is their mantra.

Being tolerant and nonjudgmental are good traits, but doing nothing is a choice in itself and not a very good one. Neither is letting other people, society or political institutions make decisions for you. For example, just because almost every movie portrays sex before marriage as perfectly acceptable doesn’t mean it is. Our character will be developed and refined when we make choices based on what’s morally right. And despite prevailing wisdom, there really is a right and wrong in the world. Truth isn’t relative and sin isn’t just some unenlightened person’s “value judgment.”

Not long ago in a speech, James E. Faust of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints related a story from when he was a young soldier in World War II. A board of “hard-bitten career soldiers” were interviewing him for officer candidate school. They asked him if he didn’t believe the moral code should be relaxed during wartime, due to the stress of combat. President Faust felt they were suggesting it should, and wondered if he would score points by going along with the idea. In the end, though, he simply said, “I do not believe there is a double standard of morality.” He was ultimately accepted for officer candidate school, perhaps because of his determination to do what was right because it was right, even when it was hard.

But how can you make correct choices if you’ve never been taught right and wrong? Intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth which is found in Christ’s restored gospel. Without it we learn by sad experience that making the easier choice, the selfish choice, the sinful choice never leads to real happiness. It’s ironic that choosing what often seems easiest—sin, pleasure, laziness, selfishness—makes our life more difficult in the long run.

Young single Mormons often get asked questions like, “How is it possible that you’ve never slept with anyone?! Don’t you want to?” Wanting to, says one young woman, is so utterly beside the point. “Mere wanting is hardly a proper guide for moral conduct.” A parent with young children may want to sleep in past 6 a.m. and let the kids fend for themselves or quit his job in favor of doing something more fun. A responsible parent chooses to make all sorts of sacrifices. It requires discipline to choose the right. The ironic thing is the more disciplined we are and the more righteous our choices, the more freedom we have. Sin limits our future choices: drugs, alcohol, infidelity quickly become addictions that become very difficult to break free from. The addiction becomes the master and we its slave. Unmitigated freedom tends to paralyze.

Taking a Stand

In today’s world, churches and institutions need to take a stand on morally difficult decisions. We need to have moral courage.

With the benefit of hindsight, history books can sometimes simplify issues that have divided people over the years. One side comes out looking forward-thinking and right, while the other seems like shortsighted “bad guys.” Thinking about controversies that face us today, however, makes it easier to see how hard it can be in the present to tell who is “right” and who is “wrong.” Taking a stand in an issue like this is difficult, especially if your stance is not a popular one.

Mormons are encouraged to stand up for what they believe, regardless of prevailing opinion. It may not be easy or fun. Sometimes taking a stand means subjecting yourself to ridicule, slander or even physical abuse. In this kind of situation, a person can rely on the Lord to help them maintain their beliefs. He expects us to do what we believe is right in any situation, and He will help us have the moral courage to do it. It isn’t enough to look away or to keep quiet. Looking away can sometimes be a sin in itself. We are acting as Jesus acted when we stand up for what we believe and take action.

Political Neutrality

Although we believe in taking a stand on moral issues, as a Church we remain neutral in matters of party politics. Church leaders don’t dictate which candidate Mormons should vote for even if a candidate doesn’t agree with a publicly stated Church position. Neither does it dictate policy to elected officials who are Mormon. The Church may communicate its views to them just as it would to any other elected official, but it recognizes that these men and women must make their own choices based on their best judgment and with consideration of the constituencies they were elected to represent. Mormons are expected to align themselves with whatever political party they choose, as well.