Because I Said So!

Since today’s topic is obedience, I am going to begin by giving you a command:

“Thou shalt post comments”

According to Mormon doctrine, obedience is the “First Law of Heaven.” There is also the “First Principle of the Gospel,” which Mormon-savvy readers will identify as faith. These are two important firsts in the teachings of Mormonism, and this is no coincidence. I believe the two words – “faith” and “obedience” – for the most part are one-in-the-same. But we’ll get to that in a minute.

While we’re on words, let’s look at the word “obedience” a bit closer. I admit, for most of my life, the word “obedience” sounded like nails on a blackboard to my ears. I don’t think that I am the only one for whom that is the case either. This definition of obedience meant being compelled to do something that I would otherwise have no interest in doing.

Since Mormons emphasize obedience so much, it is easy to understand why critics claim that Mormons are a bunch of “sheep,” being compelled to live according to a relatively strict moral code. In this definition of the word, obedience is blind.

This is how I thought for most of my life, including during my first few years as an active Mormon. Of course, there are many church members who are seemingly bound by laws that they would otherwise be inclined to break. I have heard many Mormons claim: “it’s a good thing I’m a Mormon, because if I wasn’t, there’s no telling all the bad things I would be doing!”

However, upon closer examination, I noticed that a significant portion of Mormons did not share this same sentiment. Sure, they were obedient to the commandments. But there was a fundamental difference – they did so willingly, and without any complaint or without seeming to have desires to do anything but be obedient. I began to realize that this was a different kind of obedience, which was nothing like the blind or compelled obedience that I thought made up the very definition of the word.

According to this second definition, a synonym for obedience could be “loyalty,” which still tends to carry a more positive connotation amongst Anglophones. Church members who willingly obey do so because the desires of their heart are to act in accordance with the will of God. This doesn’t mean that they do everything without question. In fact, Mormons are encouraged to seek greater understanding through prayer, study, discussion, and deep-thinking or pondering.

Now, this is where “obedience” and “faith” become the same thing to me, in terms of how they are properly defined in the language of Mormonism. Faith is acting upon a partial knowledge and understanding. As we exercise faith in something (religious or not) our understanding pertaining to that thing increases. In other words, if we obey some law, we gain understanding of whether continued obedience to that law is worth it. Therefore, faith/obedience is defined as the action we take.

When I have used this principle, it has never failed to prove successful for me. Not every law I have obeyed has been a good one. I have certainly exercised faith in things that didn’t merit my faith, but in most cases, I have thankfully gained understanding from these experiences. However, I have yet to identify any law from God, as set forth in the Gospel, to which obedience hasn’t resulted in a greater knowledge that what I have done is right.

In conclusion, obedience can be a very good thing. It is not something that is meant to be done blindly. It should be done with full consciousness and willingness, according to our agency. So, I guess that means you only have to leave comments if you really want to.

P.S. I watched Star Wars Episode III last night, and as I was about to fall asleep, I thought of an absolutely awful Star Wars/Obedience joke, which I will share with you now:

What was Anakin Skywalker required to recite over and over again to his Master during his Jedi obedience training?

Master – Obey, One Can Obey

I warned you it was bad.