Consequence, defined: that which follows something on which it depends; that which is produced by a cause; a result of actions.
We Latter-day Saints know a little bit about consequences. We teach (or at least we should teach) our children from a very young age that we have been given agency by our Creator and that our actions will produce good or bad “fruits”, or in less metaphorical terms, good and bad consequences. We teach our children that sometimes our actions produce consequences that we do not expect. We offer warnings during this learning process – “don’t do x because y will surely follow” – and we hope that our children will be able to grasp the concept without suffering too much.
Yet for all the years of lessons and experiences that should cement the law of unintended consequences into our minds, we often ignore the warnings that we have been given by those who came before us. Specifically, I would like to describe our ignorance concerning the warnings related to unintended consequences that will destroy our agency and liberty.
Latter-day Saints have been commanded by the Lord and His prophets to earnestly study the Book of Mormon. We have been promised that by examining the history of the Nephites and Jaredites we will be able to identify the actions in our own lives that will help us to avoid the unintended consequences that led to the destruction of both civilizations. According to Gordon B. Hinckley:
The Book of Mormon narrative is a chronicle of nations long since gone. But in its descriptions of the problems of today’s society, it is as current as the morning newspaper and much more definitive, inspired, and inspiring concerning the solutions of those problems.
I know of no other writing which sets forth with such clarity the tragic consequences to societies that follow courses contrary to the commandments of God. Its pages trace the stories of two distinct civilizations that flourished on the Western Hemisphere. Each began as a small nation, its people walking in the fear of the Lord. But with prosperity came growing evils. The people succumbed to the wiles of ambitious and scheming leaders who oppressed them with burdensome taxes, who lulled them with hollow promises, who countenanced and even encouraged loose and lascivious living. These evil schemers led the people into terrible wars that resulted in the death of millions and the final and total extinction of two great civilizations in two different eras.
Several truths are made clear in this statement. We see that the Book of Mormon clearly describes the consequences of unrighteousness. We also see that much of that unrighteousness was intricately connected to government. It was the “ambitious and scheming leaders” who encouraged the people to disregard their God-given rights, to lead glamorous and sinful lifestyles, to fight and kill, and to be unknowing victims of theft in the form of burdensome taxation. I am sure that these are just a glimpse of the corruption that plagued the Nephites and Jaredites and ultimately led to their bitter endings. One must wonder – how many of these consequences were unintended? Surely the majority of the people did not intend to drive their society off the proverbial cliff. Instead, I expect that the Nephite and Jaredite people had the best intentions in the world but that they were in many cases blinded by their crafty and deceitful governors.
Jacob 4:14 lays out an interesting case study regarding the Jews who had fallen away in the Old World:
“But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.”
In this prophetic statement, Jacob explains that the Jews were blinded when they looked “beyond the mark”. In other words, they looked beyond the commandments of God and instead sought after worldly things. And because the people used their agency and chose to search after worldly things the Lord allowed them to stumble. The truth became hard for them to understand because of their stiffneckedness, and their well-meaning search for truth outside of the gospel brought about many unintended consequences.
Undoubtedly this is similar to what occurred in the Nephite and Jaredite civilizations. The craftiness of those in power, in combination with the ignorance and apathy of the people, led to the spiritual blindness that caused individual and societal destruction.
We face the same problem today. We have been warned to awaken to a sense of our awful situation and to befriend constitutional principles. Promises have been made that if we will do these things and heed the Lord’s commandments we will be able to protect ourselves and the consequences of our principled actions will be to our benefit. Those who walk in blindness are sure to suffer from the unintended consequences of sin and ignorance. It is abundantly clear that many in our own society, Latter-day Saints and non-members alike, are unable to see the danger that exists because of our own ambitious and scheming leaders. The vast majority of laws passed by state and federal legislatures deviate wildly from constitutional principles and, for that reason, they often lead to unintended consequences that can “only” be fixed through more government involvement. A few examples:
In every case the “solution” is more government involvement. And, of course, this only leads to more unintended consequences.
If we would simply follow the Lord’s counsel and befriend laws that are constitutional – laws that are based on correct principles – we could avoid so many of the unintended consequences that are symptoms of the nanny state. Laws are heaped upon laws in an effort to ensure that no new complications are created – a well meaning effort by some, no doubt – but this simply increases the costs and levels of bureaucracy and eventually the whole system must collapse.
The solution is clear. We must defend the Constitution and the principles espoused therein, and in doing so we will be able to eliminate the unintended and destructive consequences that have led to the fall of many great nations. Only by honoring and heeding the Lord’s commandments can we guarantee peace, prosperity, and liberty in this land.
Here is Doug’s quote of Jacob 4:14:
“But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.” – Jacob 4:14
Here is Doug’s interpretation of what Jacob said:
“In this prophetic statement, Jacob explains that the Jews were blinded when they looked ‘beyond the mark.’ In other words, they looked beyond the commandments of God and instead sought after worldly things.”
This may come as a huge surprise, but Jacob does not indicate in any way that the Jews looked beyond the “commandments” of God or that they sought after “worldly things,” in the quote above. This is just another example of how well-intentioned people (do-gooders of society) use personal interpretation to support their beliefs, political causes, or agendas. Now, I’m not saying the Jews didn’t do those things. I am merely saying that in Jacob’s quote, this is not what he is referring to. Using selective interpretation, we can make the scriptures support any cause we want. But this would be an unrighteous use of interpretation, wouldn’t it. As a side note, this is exactly how the courts are able to legislate from the bench to find “legal” support for their agenda rather than what was intended by the legislature.
Paul
As I stated in an earlier thread on illegal immigration, there are no unintended consequences. All “consequences” are intended. God is not a god of Chaos.
D&C 130:20–21
“There is a law irrevocably decreed…”
“As I stated in an earlier thread on illegal immigration, there are no unintended consequences. All “consequences” are intended. God is not a god of Chaos.” — Robert
I have been debating on whether or not to address this issue on this board because many of you may not be ready to hear it. There are so many Christians, especially the LDS, who believe that God is at the helm of everything that happens in this world, and that He controls events from beginning to end. This may give many people comfort, believing that no matter what they do, God is there to handle it and bring it to the proper conclusion. But this theory violates the prime directive of the Gods, which is Free Agency. The Gods cannot interfere with our choices anymore than they can interfere with the outcome of our decisions, good or bad. Were they to interfere, Free Agency would be flushed down the toilet.
If I stand at the top of a sky-scraper and throw a baseball down to the busy street below, the chances are very good that the ball will hit somebody and may even kill them. It should be self-evident that God did not make me go to the top of the building, did not make me bring that baseball, did not make me throw the baseball down to the street, and did not take control of the baseball in mid-flight and guide it down to fulfill a desired result. Hence, God was not involved in the process at all. It was just me exercising my free agency, my right to choose my own path, good or bad.
It should also go without saying that God did not cause the BP oil spill in the Gulf, did not cause the cataclysmic events of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, did not cause the Space Shuttle Challenger to blow up shortly after take-off, did not cause Princess Diana to die in a meaningless car crash, and is not the one who orchestrates the deaths of numerous people (men, women, and children) around the world in a variety of accidents, wars, and plagues. Bad things happen just like good things, and all things in between. Events happen because of the decisions we all make or don’t make. We are either in the right place or the wrong place, at either the right or wrong time. You get the point.
God does not cause cancer, leukemia, mental illness, or a host of other natural or man-made diseases. He does not dictate which children are aborted and which are allowed to live. He did not murder millions of Jews in WWII under the despotic rule of Hitler, or millions more people in Soviet Russia under the diabolical hands of Stalin. And He is not punishing Americans by bringing into power a despotic federal government. God did not do any of this. We did this either directly or indirectly through our personal choices.
To say that all consequences are intended is a mistake based on incorrect beliefs or faulty doctrine. Consequences are merely the end result of decisions that we make. There is no conspiracy or God-sponsored agenda to any of it. We are here to learn, to grow, and to experience life inside these mortal bodies. As for a law irrevocably decreed in heaven, it just means that there are benefits behind obeying the rules. In other words, if you don’t put your hand into the fire, you won’t get burned. Not getting burned is the blessing. If you bought BP stock when it was cheap and sold it all before the Gulf incident, you will reap the blessings of NOT losing your shirt. LOL!
Paul
Thanks you Paul! I grind my teeth when people, especially members remark after a tragic event “There must have been a reason”, which is akin to saying “As Allah wills it” The only reason bad things happen is because free will is exercised–Even when done with the best of intentions.
Too often members believe every problem should be dealt with with a furry of activity This is part of our directive to preach the gospel, save our dead, and strengthen the members. All o this is well and good. But in terms of political matters, one should give careful thought. Some things are better left alone. You’ll never find a better defender of freedom than Captain Moroni, yet he did not invade Lamanite territory to punish or convert them. He left there salvation to God and future missionary work.
Ron,
Captain Moroni is one of my favorite people of the Book of Mormon. I would ride with him into the vary jaws of hell if he requested it of me. All I ask is to have enough cool-aid and grilled-cheeze sandwiches to keep me going. :-)
Paul
I have to admit that shoehorning religion, philosophy and politics together in this way makes me very uncomfortable. It seems to be more of a way to add unearned moral authority to one’s arguments than a way of internalizing one’s religion (the “unearned” bit is not a slur on Doug, just a general observation).
It’s just so selective – what is to stop one from noticing the upward aggregation of wealth and power over the last two decades and then citing scriptures where the rich got richer and “ground the faces of the poor,” all while believing that their special effort had earned them this right and placed them above others? Far more examples of this type of downfall exist (the “pride cycle”) than the solitary “governmental” example of King Noah, whose taxation was not intended to help the poor, or vulnerable workers trying to provide for their families, but was merely an example of using his existing power and affluence to gain even more and live in hedonism. Ignoring this reality while perpetuating the myth of the illegal immigrant welfare leech is profoundly discordant, and attempting to turn this (I feel) meritocratic and potentially immoral philosophy into a religious truth moreso. We take bits and pieces of various scriptures and philosophies and use them often in the opposite fashion to which they were originally intended.
Clumpy,
I understand most of what you are saying, but I am not sure what point you are actually trying to make. Could you simplify it for me? Thanks!
Paul
Sorry – note that while I did read the other comments I was responding directly to the original post, nothing you or anybody else wrote in the comments.
If I were to state my thesis in a nutshell, it would be that I am very uncomfortable with taking religious and political principles and using them to benefit the powerful and connected and marginalize the poor and vulnerable, and furthermore attempting to rationalize this type of behavior as a moral good, particularly when the natural applications of these principles would seem to naturally tend toward the reverse conclusion. That’s still quite a sentence but hopefully more comprehensible ;).
Clumpy,
Okay, now I get it. :-)
Paul
I found some of the above comments very interesting and insightful. I really enjoyed the article, Doug.
PAJ, I agree that things happen based on the decisions that we make but I also believe that God is fully aware of every decision we have made, are making, and ever will make and allows us the privilege of learning from our own mistakes. Robert never said that God “caused” these things, only that “consequences are intended”. In other words, our Free Agency is ours and can not be denied, but the consequences for our free choices are “known.” He is eternal and sees everything from the beginning to end as “one eternal round”. He knows where every choice we make will lead, He knows how every choice we make will affect others. I also believe that He will do everything He can to ensure that His children return to Him. He gives us every opportunity to choose to return to him. I believe He sends us reminders of the path we need to take, whether it be through the choices of others, like the BP oil spill, or through the power of His creations, like Hurricane Katrina. (C.S. Lewis has some very insightful writings on the topic of free agency and the nature of God.) As for whether or not God caused those things you listed above to occur, I don’t believe anyone has the right to say as that information, as far as I know, has not been revealed. But I do know one thing, He would have us learn from all of these experiences and remember Him.
<> — Katie
So you believe that God is aware of every decision we will ever make? And you believe this based on what revelation? It seems to me that you are making a huge assumption.
<> — Katie
Robert’s quote, “As I stated in an earlier thread on illegal immigration, there are no unintended consequences. All ‘consequences’ are intended. God is not a god of Chaos” clearly infers that God is somehow behind it. Consequences are intended “only” when the results are expected. If not, then the consequences are NOT intended. Even if God somehow knows the outcome of every choice, that does not mean the results are intended. These are two completely different things – “known outcome” and “intended results.”
<> — Katie
Yes, God is eternal, but so are we. If you don’t believe it, then read the King Follet Sermon. It is clear that God has a perspective that we don’t have nor do we comprehend it in our present condition. So for you to make such a statement with no knowledge of what it actually means is rather silly. Like a project manager, it is normal to see the end from the beginning of a project without knowing all the details that will happen along the way.
<> — Katie
Again, even if He can see all of this (and I’m not saying He can’t), it does not lend credit to your conclusion that all consequences are intended. God could know how everything will generally work out, but still not do anything to interfere with the process or our Free Agency. Hence, He does not become involved.
<> — Katie
Like what? Fix the books? Pretend He wasn’t looking? Bribe the scribes? LOL! All He can do is provide us with a code of conduct and a moral roadmap, which He has done, and then leave the rest to us. How we behave here is totally up to us.
<> — Katie
So you believe that Hurricane Katrina was created by God? Do you believe He intended to wipe out the people in New Orleans, or was that an unintended result? Gack! I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!
<> — Katie
Seriously, do you believe that God causes cancer, hepatitis, or HIV? Do you really need a revelation from God to answer this question? If God did cause diseases and earthly cataclysms, then that would interfere with our Free Agency and with our lives. Honestly, life is hard enough without a vengeful God whipping us across the back like a slave driver. Please!
<> — Katie
Well, you got that one right. :-)
Paul
Apparently, this board doesn’t like angle brackets. Gack!
PAJ, I agree that things happen based on the decisions that we make but I also believe that God is fully aware of every decision we have made, are making, and ever will make and allows us the privilege of learning from our own mistakes. — Katie
So you believe that God is aware of every decision we will ever make? And you believe this based on what revelation? It seems to me that you are making a huge assumption.
Robert never said that God “caused” these things, only that “consequences are intended”. In other words, our Free Agency is ours and cannot be denied, but the consequences for our free choices are “known.” — Katie
Robert’s quote, “As I stated in an earlier thread on illegal immigration, there are no unintended consequences. All ‘consequences’ are intended. God is not a god of Chaos” clearly infers that God is somehow behind it. Consequences are intended “only” when the results are expected. If not, then the consequences are NOT intended. Even if God somehow knows the outcome of every choice, that does not mean the results are intended. These are two completely different things – “known outcome” and “intended results.”
He is eternal and sees everything from the beginning to end as “one eternal round”. — Katie
Yes, God is eternal, but so are we. If you don’t believe it, then read the King Follet Sermon. It is clear that God has a perspective that we don’t have nor do we comprehend it in our present condition. So for you to make such a statement with no knowledge of what it actually means is rather silly. Like a project manager, it is normal to see the end from the beginning of a project without knowing all the details that will happen along the way.
He knows where every choice we make will lead, He knows how every choice we make will affect others. — Katie
Again, even if He can see all of this (and I’m not saying He can’t), it does not lend credit to your conclusion that all consequences are intended. God could know how everything will generally work out, but still not do anything to interfere with the process or our Free Agency. Hence, He does not become involved.
I also believe that He will do everything He can to ensure that His children return to Him. — Katie
Like what? Fix the books? Pretend He wasn’t looking? Bribe the scribes? LOL! All He can do is provide us with a code of conduct and a moral roadmap, which He has done, and then leave the rest to us. How we behave here is totally up to us.
He gives us every opportunity to choose to return to him. I believe He sends us reminders of the path we need to take, whether it be through the choices of others, like the BP oil spill, or through the power of His creations, like Hurricane Katrina. — Katie
So you believe that Hurricane Katrina was created by God? Do you believe He intended to wipe out the people in New Orleans, or was that an unintended result? Gack! I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!
(C.S. Lewis has some very insightful writings on the topic of free agency and the nature of God.) As for whether or not God caused those things you listed above to occur, I don’t believe anyone has the right to say as that information, as far as I know, has not been revealed. — Katie
Seriously, do you believe that God causes cancer, hepatitis, or HIV? Do you really need a revelation from God to answer this question? If God did cause diseases and earthly cataclysms, then that would interfere with our Free Agency and with our lives. Honestly, life is hard enough without a vengeful God whipping us across the back like a slave driver. Please!
But I do know one thing, He would have us learn from all of these experiences and remember Him. — Katie
Well, you got that one right. :-)
Paul