Many of you may have already read the Prophet’s June 2007 Ensign article on war. The primary message from this article is clearly to discuss the war that is going on around us every day — ie, the war between the forces of good and evil. Much of that war is not visible to us and is primarily a battle for our souls.
But President Hinckley takes time to repeat themes he made in his April 2003 conference address, comments that many interpreted to provide justification for the Iraq war.
Let me make this very clear right from the start: I do not think President Hinckley is launching an all-out battle to justify President Bush, the Republicans or the war in Iraq.
However, I do believe he is reminding us of two extremely important messages:
1)We spirits have lived with war constantly, and we will continue to live with war. The war may not involve bombs and bullets, but it is a war nonetheless. It is important to be on the right side in this war.
2)The Lord supports free agency and is opposed to compulsion. See, for example, the following message from the Prophet:
The war goes on. It is waged across the world over the issues of agency and compulsion. It is waged by an army of missionaries over the issues of truth and error. It is waged in our own lives, day in and day out, in our homes, in our work, in our school associations; it is waged over questions of love and respect, of loyalty and fidelity, of obedience and integrity. We are all involved in it—child, youth, or adult, each of us. We are winning, and the future never looked brighter.
There are a few messages I have chosen to take away from this most recent communication from the prophet:
A)While we are followers of the Prince of Peace, the prophet does not support pacifism on Earth at this particular time. When I say “pacifism,” I mean a pacifism that rejects all war similar to the Amish.
B)Even though public opinion is turning against the war in Iraq and perhaps even the war on terror, the prophet has not significantly changed his opinion on this issue since April 2003.
C)Wars that increase personal freedom are sometimes justified simply on the basis that free agency is augmented and compulsion decreased.
D)We need to be ever more vigilant in our awareness that Satan is waging a war for our souls and will try to convince us to go down the wrong path. He truly is at war with God’s people, and even though we can’t see it we can feel its effects around us when people stray from righteousness.
Again, President Hinckley’s primary message is associated with D) above. But I think A-C are also relevant and worthy of discussion.
I would ask those who disagree to not disagree disagreeably. Comments with personal insults aimed at me or other commentators will be deleted. Please keep on-topic. If you disagree, please provide evidence from the prophet’s talks or other Church-related sources. Thanks.