In a revelation
given to Joseph Smith on August 6, 1833, we find the following: “When the
wicked rule the people mourn. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be
sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold;
otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil” (D&C 98: 9–10)
On an October 5,
2016, the LDS First Presidency released this official statement: “Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties, and members should seek candidates who best embody those principles.”
Given these
statements, I can’t help but wonder how so many Latter-day Saints justify in
their own minds their support for Donald Trump as president and will doubtless
vote for his reelection.
Just for a thought
experiment, I’m going to list two sets of opposite character traits. As you
read them, I want you to ask yourself which set of qualities describes Jesus
and which set describes Donald Trump.
Love Animosity
Compassion Vindictiveness
Selflessness Egotism
Honesty Dishonesty
Humility Arrogance
Chastity Infidelity
Benevolence Spite
Kindness Cruelty
Decency Crudeness
Loyalty Deceitfulness
Serenity Anger
Honor Corruptness
I think it’s
fairly obvious that the first of each pair of qualities describes Jesus. And I
think it’s also fairly obvious that the second of each pair quite accurately
describes Donald Trump. To argue otherwise, you would have to be living in a
cave, or perhaps in the Fox News bubble. So, if these terms accurately describe
Trump, why, I ask, do so many Latter-day Saints want this man to be president?
Would these people tell their children that they want them to emulate Donald
Trump in the way they live their lives and treat other people?
Frankly, I can’t
imagine a less Christlike man. This past week, at the national prayer
breakfast, Trump directly contradicted Jesus. When Arthur Brooks spoke, he
reminded his listeners of Jesus’s commandment to love our enemies. Afterward,
Trump openly disagreed with this and then proceeded to attack his perceived “enemies.”
And this is the man Evangelicals and Latter-day Saints want as the leader of
their country.
I’ve said it
before, and I’ll say it again here: I believe many Latter-day Saints today are
more Republican than they are Mormon. They would choose their Republican tribe
over the principles of their religion. Somehow they don’t understand that
support of corruption is the same as complicity in it. We are not blameless
when we support candidates who do not “embody those principles” that are “compatible
with the gospel.”
