The Sacred Obligations of Citizenship

The Sacred Obligations of Citizenship By President Anthony W. Ivins LAW is a system or rule established by recognized authority for the government and control of action. All things, whether in the heavens above or in the earth beneath, are governed and controlled by definite, orderly laws. These regulations may be classified as civil and criminal laws, enacted by men through the agencies which they, themselves, have created, and are designed for the protection, development, and hap- piness of society. Laws may be in the form of commands which we are compelled to obey, for the violation of which penalties may be inflicted by those who administer the mandate, under the authority by which the law is created. These regulations are designed to protect the individual or community against the improper encroachment upon the inherent rights to which all people are entitled. For the infraction of these laws we are held responsible, and may be restrained of our liberty, dispossessed of our property, or even of life itself, provided the offense committed justifies the inflic- tion of such penalty. In contrast to this is the universal law of God, the Creator of heaven and earth and all things which in them are. The Universe, the earth upon which we have being, the animal and vegetable life which exists upon it, man, himself, the masterpiece of the creations of God, all exist, move and act under the merciful provision of the laws which He has ordained in order that we may go forward in an orderly manner to the accomplishment of the destiny which is be- fore us. We may observe or disregard these unchangeable laws as we choose. Agency has been given us to observe or violate either God- given or human laws. If we violate either, we must pay the pen- alty; if we observe them, we reap the reward. Our very existence depends upon the observance of certain simple laws. We know that these mortal bodies cannot exist with- out food. We may eat or abstain from taking nourishment. To eat is to obey an indispensable law. If we wilfully ignore this law, we die, and are responsible to the giver of life alone for our act, the civil law cannot deal with us; but if we wilfully deprive an- other of life, as we have deprived ourselves, it is murder, and human law inflicts the penalty which is provided.

THE SACRED OBLIGATIONS OF CITIZENSHIP 459 Thus it is seen that for the transgression of laws which affect ourselves alone, where the rights of others are in no manner infringed upon, we are responsible to the Divine Lawgiver only. This principle of personal responsibility for the deeds done while here in mortality is exemplified more clearly in the Law of the Lord which was given through Moses, for the government of ancient Israel, than in any other code so far as we have personal knowledge, and it is a fact that our modern system of jurisprudence is copied very closely after the pattern which was given more than three thousand years ago. The conduct of ancient Israel was governed, in almost the minutest detail of their lives, by fixed laws. The food which they were to eat, the manner of clothing to be worn, their conduct toward one another and the stranger who might be within their gates, and the responsibility to the God of their fathers, were all set forth in the greatest detail. The penalties attached to the violation of these laws were governed by the gravity of the offense committed. If a person ate that which was forbidden, or touched or handled a thing which was unclean, it was necessary for him to cleanse himself before mingling with the congregation of the people; he had committed an offense against himself only. If he found an article which had been lost by another, and wilfully retained possession of it instead of return- ing it to the owner, he was obliged to restore it with an added amount which was not great; but if he stole an ox or a sheep, which was not lost, he was to restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. He who deliberately took human life was put to death, but if a life was taken by accident, the penalty was not great. Blasphemy of the name of God was a capital offense. If a man committed adultery with a married woman, the wife of his neighbor, both the man and woman were put to death. If the act was committed with an unmarried maiden who was betrothed to another, and she made no resistance, both man and maiden were stoned to death; if, however, the maiden cried out for help and no one came to her rescue, the man alone suffered the death penalty, the maiden being blameless. These citations are given to illustrate the careful distinction which was made in defining the gravity of the offense committed under the law, and the care with which the punishment was meted out to the offender. The law of Moses was a code which appears to us harsh, and, in some respects, unjustifiable; but it cannot be denied that its rigid enforcement made the Israelitish kingdom the dominant secular

460 IMPROVEMENT ERA power of the world, and that when the observance and execution of the law was disregarded, the decadence of the nation began, and that the refusal of the people to return to faith in the God of their fathers and obedience to his laws resulted in the utter dissolution of the kingdom. The law of Moses, in so far as it applied to the law of sacrifice, was fulfilled in Christ, whose coming it symbolized; but the laws of morality, integrity, justice and submission to civil law remain in full force, and were confirmed and taught by the Redeemer. The most just and righteous laws are of no value unless hon- estly and righteously administered. It is not the violator of the law alone who is responsible for his act. If a man murder, and I, knowing him to be guilty, assist him to escape the penalty which the law should inflict, I become accessory to his crime, and should be punished for my participation in it. If a man steal, and another, knowing the theft to have been committed, acquires the stolen property, both are equally guilty of theft. If the law prohibits the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors, and I purchase that which I know to be contraband, I am equally guilty, and should be dealt with as a criminal. Every citizen of the United States is under solemn obligation to honor, uphold and magnify the law. Every person chosen either to enact or administer the law makes solemn covenant that he will honestly and conscientiously discharge the great responsibility which he assumes. If he violates the trust reposed in him, he not only becomes a law breaker, but a perjurer unworthy the respect and con- fidence of honest men, worse than an ordinary criminal — he has vio- lated a sacred trust. In no other country of the world is greater liberty granted to its citizens than in the United States of America. In no other country of the world should citizenship be more highly prized, and the law be so universally upheld and honored, and yet we are told that we are today the most lawless nation of the world. Let the people of the United States resolve that no law breaker, whether it be the highest official in our government or the humblest citizen, shall go unpunished. Let rational laws be enacted which will protect every citizen in his inherent rights, and be administered in justice and equity, and our country will go on to the glorious destiny to which the Lord intended that it should. Disregard the law and the solemn obligations of citizenship, and our country, like the nations which have gone before, will be swept off, leaving only magnificent ruins to bear witness of its former greatness.