Political Apostasy: An Impossible Thing?

Is there such a thing as a “political apostasy?” Steven Montgomery examines the evidence for such a proposition.

“Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” (The Queen, in Lewis Carroll’s “Through The Looking Glass.”)

I had an interesting email exchange with a friend, a fellow Latter-day Saint, a while back. I made the claim that just as one could be a religious apostate there was also such a thing as political apostasy.  Was I making a claim that was an “impossible thing?” Or is it possible to be a reprobate and apostate to political things?

My friend replied, “politics is not a religion and therefore no one can be a political apostate.” Then he made the assertion that if I believed that one could be a political apostate that I was “over-emphasizing that . . . area of [my] life.”

So I answered back stating:

When several of the Founding Fathers appeared to Wilford Woodruff in the Saint George Temple they plead with him that their Temple work be done. President Woodruff recorded their very words to him. Here is what they said, “We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it.”

So maybe it is possible, after all, to be an apostate in God's eyes from something other than the Gospel. That is is possible to be a political apostate from the principles of the Constitution.

My friend disagreed. One's loyalties should lie with God and not government and that you couldn't, “serve two masters.” And that being an “apostate to government” was not the same thing as being an “apostate to God.”

So, I explained to him that when true constitutional principles are applied they are simply an attempt to preserve freedom. And that he was trying to “compartmentalize freedom and the Gospel and put them into two separate boxes.” That, in reality, “freedom and the Gospel are inseparable,” and replied further that:

The War in Heaven was a war fought over freedom. Satan sought to dethrone God, take over His Kingdom, and take away the free agency of man. For his rebellion Satan was cast out, along with his followers to Earth.

But, Satan's war against freedom continues on this Earth. He still seeks to dethrone God and take over His Kingdom.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ on the other hand seeks the highest level of freedom for everyone. Freedom in fact, is a major theme in the scriptures. James said that the Gospel is the “perfect law of liberty“. Paul told the Corinthian Saints that “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty” and admonished Galatian Saints to continue to “stand fast therefore in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.” Pahoran told Moroni in an epistle that the Spirit of God was the “spirit of Freedom.” Christ himself told his believers that if they continued in his word they would know the truth and the truth would set them free. Numerous other scriptures could be cited that portray the idea that the purpose of the Gospel is to free man from captivity, liberate him, and with the proper exercise of free agency, exalt him

. . . .

[So it all boils down to the fact that] you can't really separate the Gospel of Jesus Christ from freedom. Nor can you separate the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the instrument that God prepared to help preserve Freedom-the Constitution of the United States.

This “inseparability” of freedom and Gospel principles is why President J. Reuben Clark once stated in General Conference (Oct 42) that, “the Constitution is a part of my religion. In its place it is just as much a part of my religion as any other part. It is a part of my religion because it is one of those institutions which God has set up for His own purposes.”

Further, if the Constitution and Constitutional law, was designed by God to promote, enhance and protect freedom, then men's actions in relation to freedom can by used as a standard to judge those actions. In fact, President David O. Mckay said that freedom or free agency is a “measuring rod” to judge all the actions of men: “I refer to the fundamental principle of the gospel, free agency, references in the scriptures show that it is essential to man's salvation and may be a measuring rod by which the actions of men, of organizations and of Nations may be judged.”

If freedom is a measuring rod to judge actions, then actions which are good or evil are determined by their effect on freedom or its constituent elements-life, liberty, property, truth and law. Those actions which are good tend to: 1. Preserve, increase and enhance a persons health, strength and vitality, or to act as a co-creator with God in lawful marriage to bring about “new” life; 2. To protect, enhance or otherwise ensure one's own or another's liberty; 3. To protect or increase one's own or another's property; 4. To increase or enhance one's knowledge of the Truth or to act to promote knowledge in others; 5. Be based on and support true Natural and/or Revealed law. If one is going to govern society according to Natural or Divine law a sound knowledge of what is good or evil is necessary.

I would hate to serve two masters but I would certainly fear apostatizing from the political religion of this country, the U.S. Constitution, or from the principles of the proper role of government because by doing so I would ensure that I would be doing just that-serving two masters.

 Steven Montgomery is a happily married, fifty-five year old father of four (2 natural sons, 1 step-son, 1 step-daughter) and is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Steve has taught at a private secondary school, is a published journalist, and now operates (on an occasional basis) the Perfect Law of Liberty website.