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by President David O. McKay (Excerpts) April, 1942 General Conference following the Attack on Pearl Harbor In the face of the tragic condition among mankind, honest thinking men and women ask how is it possible to reconcile the teachings of Jesus with the participation of the Church in armed conflict. War is basically selfish. Its roots feed in the soil of envy, hatred, desire for domination. Its fruit, therefore, is always bitter. They who cultivate and propagate it spread death and destruction, and are enemies of the human race. War originates in the hearts of men who seek to despoil, to conquer, or to destroy other individuals or groups of individuals. Self exaltation is a motivating factor; force, the means of attainment. War is rebellious action against moral order. War impels you to hate your enemies. The Prince of Peace says, Love your enemies. War says, Curse them that curse you. The Prince of Peace says, Pray for them that curse you. War says, Injure and kill them that hate you. The Risen Lord says, Do good to them that hate you. with the Teachings of the Savior Thus we see that war is incompatible with Christ's teachings. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of peace. War is its antithesis, and produces hate. It is vain to attempt to reconcile war with true Christianity. Notwithstanding all this, I still say that there are conditions when entrance into war is justifiable, and when a Christian nation may, without violation of principles, take up arms against an opposing force. Such a condition, however, is not a real or fancied insult given by one nation to another. When this occurs proper reparation may be made by mutual understanding, apology, or by arbitration. Neither is there justifiable cause found in a desire or even a need for territorial expansion. The taking of territory implies the subjugation of the weak by the strong - the application of the jungle law. Nor is war justified in an attempt to enforce a new order of government, or even to impel others to a particular form of worship, however better the government or eternally true the principles of the enforced religion may be. There are, however, two conditions which may justify a truly Christian man to enter - mind you, I say enter, not begin a war: 1) An attempt to dominate and to deprive another of his free agency, and, 2) Loyalty to his country. Possibly there is a third, viz., Defense of a weak nation that is being unjustly crushed by a strong, ruthless one. Man's Free Agency Fundamental to Progress Paramount among these reasons, of course, is the defense of man's freedom. An attempt to rob man of his free agency caused dissension even in heaven. Without freedom of thought, of choice, or of action within lawful bounds, man cannot progress. The Lord recognized this, and he knew that it would take man thousands of years to make the earth habitable for self-governing individuals. Throughout the ages advanced souls have yearned for a society in which liberty and justice prevail. Men have sought for it, fought for it, and died for it. Ancient freemen prized it, slaves longed for it, the Magna Charta demanded it, and the Constitution of the United States declared it. Abraham Lincoln said: "This love of liberty which God has planted in us constitutes the bulwark of our liberty and independence. It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling seacoasts, our army, and our navy. Our defense is in the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and we have planted the seeds of despotism at our very doors." A second obligation that impels us to become participants in this world war is loyalty to government. We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that He holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, for the good and safety of society. We believe that no government can exist in peace, except its laws are made to secure for each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life. The greatest responsibility of the state is to guard the lives, and protect the property and rights of its citizens; and if the state is obligated to protect its citizens from lawlessness within its boundaries, then it is equally obligated to protect them from lawless encroachments from outside - whether the attacking criminals are individuals or nations. The state is duty bound to protect itself from such treachery, and its only effective means of doing so under present world conditions is by armed force. As a Church, we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, their property, and the government from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons where immediate appeal cannot be made to laws, and relief afforded. (D&C 134:11) Even though we sense the hellish origin of war, even though we feel confident that war will never end war, yet under existing conditions we find ourselves as a body committed to combat this evil thing. With other loyal citizens we serve our country as bearers of arms, rather than standing aloof to enjoy the freedoms for which others have fought and died. Home / For Latter-day Saints |