Intelligent Obedience:

Behavior that Comes from the Deepest Wells of Morality

Stain glass depiction of the Tree of Life from the LDS Conference Center. Also shown: the white fruit, the iron rod, and the mist of darkness.
See: 1 Nephi 8.

Mindless or blind obedience is not the kind of obedience that God is requesting. Latter-day Saints are expected to be informed citizens who behave intelligently and who use good judgment.

Neal A. Maxwell, We Will Prove Them Herewith, p.21-22
The Church does not desire blind obedience; rather, that we see things with the eye of faith. (Ether 12:19.) Elder John A. Widtsoe observed: "The doctrine of the Church cannot be fully understood unless it is tested by mind and feelings, by intellect and emotions, by every power of the investigator. . . . There is no place in the Church for blind adherence."

Besides, real obedience is not blind. It reflects the reassurances of previous tutoring experiences from the Lord, inducing us to trust Him and His prophets, again and again. … President Brigham Young put it bluntly: "I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way."

Some excellent quotations from General Authorities on the topic of intelligent obedience can be found at FAIR.

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Proper obedience comes from within the heart, the innermost parts of the person, and from preexisting moral foundations. Mindless obedience is simply saluting and acting upon an order without concern for the moral consequences and without receiving heavenly confirmation or disconfirmation.

Proper obedience is acting upon one’s conscience and is based upon the deepest wells of one’s morality. Mindless obedience has only one moral: “Do what you are told.”

If obedience to rules was all there were to life and religion, then there would be no need for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us and guides us because every situation is a little different. We cannot be commanded in all things by rules that sometimes have exceptions.

Moses (prior to obtaining the 10 Commandments) killed an Egyptian:

Exodus 2:11 – 12
11 ¶ And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that [there was] no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

Notice that he felt like he had to look “this way and that way.” Moses made a deliberate act on his own to save one of his brethren. Did he do the “right” thing? Probably yes, but Moses felt responsible for his action. He pursued a course in which he hoped no one was watching, and he hid the body in the sand.

Was it right for Nephi to kill drunk and unconscious Laban?

1 Nephi 4:7 – 18
7 Nevertheless I went forth, and as I came near unto the house of Laban I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth … drunken with wine.
8 And when I came to him I found that it was Laban.
9 And I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the sheath … .
10 … Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.
11 And the Spirit said unto me again: Behold the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. …
12 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me again: Slay him… ;
13 Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.
14 And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered … : Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise.
15 Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law.
16 And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass.
17 And again, I knew that the Lord had delivered Laban into my hands for this cause--that I might obtain the records according to his commandments.
18 Therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword.

Whether right or wrong, Nephi’s act was deliberate. He hesitated before the killing as if to ask himself, “Do I really want to go through with this?” (See: England, Eugene. “Why Nephi Killed Laban: Reflections on the Truth of the Book of Mormon.” Dialogue 22 (3) Fall 1989: 32-51).

J. W. Welch, "Hugh Nibley and the Book of Mormon," Insights, Neal A. Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University
[Hugh Nibley] never wearied of telling how the Arab students [particularly those in the 1950s], to whom he taught the Book of Mormon at Brigham Young University, reacted favorably to cultural elements contained in this book of scripture. Sometimes their reactions were not even to be anticipated. For example, as the class one day read the account of Nephi's slaying of Laban, they became skeptical. It turned out that their interest was not in what had justified Nephi's slaying of Laban, an extraordinary act in the mind of most Westerners, but why he had waited and debated so long!

“Thou shalt not kill” is one of the 10 commandments, but there are times when other issues are more important. Even so, note that both Moses and Nephi acted upon their consciences, even to the point of hesitating before killing. They were not blindly following some order. They knew what they were doing and why they were doing it. As such, I presume they were also willing to suffer any consequences.

Please note: It takes an extraordinary set of moral circumstances in order for killing to ever be justified. Our scriptures say nothing less.

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There are NO perfect prophets. Peter denied Jesus three times. Paul, as Saul a non-Christian, persecuted the Church and possibly was an accessory at the stoning of Stephen:

Acts 7:57 – Acts 8:1
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
58 And cast [him] out of the city, and stoned [him]: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 8:1
1 ¶ AND Saul was consenting unto his death.

Who knows how many deaths Saul (Paul) could have prevented? No wonder he was such a strong believer in grace. Grace fell all over him (like Alma the younger), and he needed every bit of it.

We do carefully listen to our Apostles and Prophets, but we do not worship them. Their office is to be respected, and their words as prophets are to be studied. However, only Jesus is our commander-in-chief. Only Jesus can fulfill that role.

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German soldiers during World War II blindly obeyed orders and gassed millions of Jews in concentration camps. When asked, the men who pulled the gas levers said they were merely obeying orders from their military superiors. The lever-pullers committed crimes and atrocities, even though they believed they were not responsible.

Being a follower does NOT absolve responsibility. We are always responsible, especially to God, for our actions. God expects us to use our FULL brains.

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Perhaps no one sees more death than a heart surgeon. Thus, it is fortunate for us that we have an Apostle who is a former surgeon. Read the following excerpt:

Excerpt: Carrie A. Moore, April 15, 2006, “Death is part of life, ex-surgeon says,” Deseret Morning News
Latter-day Saints who have heard Elder [Russell M.] Nelson's sermons will recall the analogy of the glove — which only comes to life when a person's hand fits snugly inside, much like he describes a distinct body and spirit. …

Those whose bodies have died have often described to the surgeon how they saw him "struggling over their body trying to bring them back, watching as though they were a third party. …

He has observed both patients and family members who have experienced what can only be described as visitations from deceased relatives shortly before their own deaths, and said he is absolutely certain his first wife not only lives in another realm, but she is often close by. There is no diminishing such experiences as mere imagining or wishful thinking, he said.

"I have felt her presence beside me on very sacred and special occasions. I don't have to hear a voice or see a face to know that someone is there."

Elder Nelson’s spiritual experiences are very similar to the way God communicates with us in general – by a still, small voice.

Look for the spiritual symbolism given below. God is ready and able to lead the way:

Exodus 13:21 [brackets are mine]
21 And the LORD went before them [the Children of Israel] by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

Proverbs 6:23
23 For the commandment [is] a lamp; and the law [is] light; and reproofs of instruction [are] the way of life:

Isaiah 42:16
16 And I will bring the blind by a way [that] they knew not; I will lead them in paths [that] they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

John 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Alma 38:9
9 And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.

D&C 84:45
45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

It only makes sense to me that we should move toward the light. If we are confused as to where to go, then we should pray.

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We should obey God, not men. Read below:

Acts 5: 29
29 Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

We know we need to obey governments, when they do not contradict God’s rules. Jesus would also say that governments should never give its people immoral orders. Read the following and its preceding verses:

Luke 20: 25
25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

The meaning of Luke 20:25 is a little tricky. If you look at the preceding verses, Jesus asked for a coin, which had the printed image of Caesar and perhaps a declaration that Caesar was the son of God. Jesus then was saying, “Give back to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and give back to God the things which are God’s. In effect, Jesus was reminding his listeners that all things are God’s. But, also he wanted his listeners to ask themselves the question, “Who is my God, Caesar or Father in Heaven?” I think in a subtle way Jesus was teaching to obey God rather than man.

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When we follow the Lord's commandments, our minds are expanded, not constricted. When we follow these commandments our powers of decision and our powers of wisdom are greatly increased, not diminished. In other words, the truth makes us free and non-truths bind us.

We are not on this earth to be mindless. We are on this earth to come to understand our Eternal Father, and to learn to be like him.

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Copyright 2008 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] com; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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