SCRIPTURE: “We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others.” –D&C 134:4. [source]
LETTER: “We urge Church members to let their voices be heard in opposition to measures that would legalize physician-assisted suicide.” –excerpt from a letter from the First Presidency to leaders and members in Colorado, 12 October 2016. [source]
COMMENTARY: Let’s pretend that the Mormon scriptures say that religious beliefs should be used to limit the rights of other people. And let’s pretend that Jesus said do unto others what you’re convinced is right for them regardless of their protestations to the contrary. And let’s pretend that Satan’s plan to limit agency was examined by God and deemed an all around good idea. And let’s pretend that the Mormon church values life so much that it encourages its members to protest war and refuse military service. And let’s pretend that most Mormons are so clueless they have no idea what the church’s stance is on physician-assisted suicide. And while we’re at it, let’s pretend that as a society we consider it inhumane to grant early death to suffering animals with no hope of long-term quality of life. When we pretend hard enough and long enough, then yeah, it totally makes sense that prophets of God would step into the political arena and tell church members how they should vote. When we stop pretending, though, it looks like nothing more than outright hypocrisy. But what do I know? I’m just another apostate.
