Articles of Faith #12

"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law"

We firmly believe that earthly governments and authorities ought to be respected and upheld.  The Lord said, in a revelation to His prophet, that "the law of the land ... is justifiable before me" (D&C 98: 5).  We have a duty, as God's children, to live according to the law and be upstanding members of society.  In addition to simply living within the confines of the law, we believe it is important to participate in the process as much as we can.  It is important to vote on whom the "kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates" are.  We are to stand up and have our voice heard on issues of law and government.  We are to defend our rights of worship, morality, speech, and many others.  But as we do so, we are not representing the church.  We are fulfilling our duty as citizens of our respective societies.

I believe that Jesus Christ lives!  I know His church and His priesthood are restored to the earth.  I know that as we follow His example and live the laws of the land, we can be true representatives of Him.

For more on the Articles of Faith, see http://mormon.org/articles-of-faith/

"If Ye Love Me"

Christ lives.  I know that.  Through living prophets, He has restored His church to the earth.  Along with that church were restored some of Christ's "plain and precious" doctrines that were lost to the world (1 Nephi 13:40).  These were not lost all at once but over time, after God's priesthood authority was lost.  One of these deals with obedience.  Obedience is key to fulfilling God's purposes.  God knows what will make us happy and he gives us commandments to help us.  He gives us these commandments through prophets (See Amos 3:7).  When we follow the commandments we see the blessings God has promised us and we please our Father in Heaven.

This Principle can be seen in earthly laws.  When driving up to an intersection you could ignore the legal traffic restrictions and drive right past a stop sign.  But in doing this you're taking the chance of a hefty fine, costly damage to your vehicle, and even bodily harm to yourself or your passengers.  The laws are there to protect us.  God's laws are the same way.

  I know obedience is essential to fulfilling God's will for us.  I know He loves us and gives us commandments for a reason.  I beleive the words of Christ when He said "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).