And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue, or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them.
-Doctrine & Covenants 98:33
Evil is such a dangerous word, isn't it? Well, I'm using it deliberately. Not only has the War in Iraq been the single worst foreign policy disaster in American History, not only were we lied to in the run-up, not only has it been catastrophically mismanaged, and not only has it made us dramatically less safe from terrorists, the war in Iraq is categorically evil.
LDS individuals in America are far-and-away red party faithful, but their personal political leanings cannot hide the truth: Nothing in our doctrine justifies this war and, in fact, our doctrine specifically states that a war like this is evil.
There a few things you must know about me (and by extension, my Church).
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (as the name implies) is a Christian Church. We believe the Bible is true (so far as it is translated correctly). We also believe the Book of Mormon is true. The Book of Mormon, like the Bible, is a historical account from a branch of the House of Israel. Where the Bible is primarily concerned with the House of Judah (Moses, a Levite, notwithstanding), the Book of Mormon is primarily concerned with the House of Joseph. We believe the book is literally true and that the events described therein actually happened.
Second, we believe that God still talks to man, just as he did in ancient times. Throughout history, God has called prophets (like Abraham, Moses, Isiah, etc.) to whom He spoke and through whom He directed His work. To this end, He called a prophet in our day. In 1820, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a Divine answer to a prayer. As Old and New Testament scriptures also reflect, a continuing line of prophets have been called since his death in 1844. Brigham Young is probably the most famous of these, but there is still a living prophet today. His name is Gordon B. Hinckley (you may have seen him on Larry King Live). We believe that President Hinckley receives direct revelation from God.
Third, as phophets of all ages (ancient times and latter-day) receive direct revelation from God, they are also charged to share these revelations with the world. The most famous of the latter-day revelations are contained in a book we call the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C). The majority of the revelations in the D&C were revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. We beleive that the Docrine & Covenants are literally the word of the Lord and that they hold as much weight as the Bible and the Book of Mormon in instructing and directing the Lord's work in our day.
Finally, the Church is officially apolitical. We do not use our pulpits to support specific candidates. Ever. I have literally never heard the name "George Bush" during a Sunday sermon. While our members in America lean heavily Republican, our doctrine specifically rejects Church-sponsored politics. This is most evident today in the fact that both a Republican presidential candidate and the Democratic Leader of the Senate are faithful Latter-day Saints in good standing with the Church. Even more telling, some of our most beloved leaders were outspoken and life-long Democrats. Occasionally specific political issues (usually when it relates to families) will become a Church-wide concern, but this is so rare that it makes the news every time it happens. However, that the Church takes up issues should never be viewed as support for a specific party. The Church was also at the forefront of the Suffrage movement (having granted women the right to vote in 1870) and Native American rights (in both North and South America) for a bit of contrast to more recent political developments.
All that said, let's talk about war.
Anyone with even a remedial understanding of Abrahamic religions knows that our scriptures have a fair amount of war and violence. The Book of Mormon itself contains the accounts of several wars, including the actual epistles between a military leader (Captain Moroni) and a political leader (Pahoran). Frustratingly, a large number of religious people use these scriptural stories as justification for war without understanding the basic context of each battle. As a result, debate about what is and isn't a "just war" has been going on for millennia. With the events of 9-11, the debate has been thrust back into the limelight.
However, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an advantage and it has allowed us to be clear and consistent in our stance on war. We don't need to look back thousands of years for guidence on war.
33 And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue, or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them.
34 And if any nation, tongue, or people should proclaim war against them, they should first lift a standard of peace unto that people, nation, or tongue;
35 And if that people did not accept the offering of peace, neither the second nor the third time, they should bring these testimonies before the Lord;
36 Then I, the Lord, would give unto them a commandment, and justify them in going out to battle against that nation, tongue, or people.
37 And I, the Lord, would fight their battles, and their children’s battles, and their children’s children’s, until they had avenged themselves on all their enemies, to the third and fourth generation.
38 Behold, this is an ensample unto all people, saith the Lord your God, for justification before me.
-Doctrine & Covenants 98 (emphasis mine)
Make no mistake, this is our official stance.
As members of the Church, we must "renounce war and proclaim peace" (D&C 98:16). This has been proclaimed by the leaders of Church again and again. During the second World War, the First Presidency (which included then prophet Joseph Fielding Smith) asserted that the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" (Ex. 20:13) applies both to individuals and to political entities and condemned the notion of war as an instrument of state policy. This doctrine has not changed.
Now, we are clearly not a Church of conscientious objectors. We have been fighting in wars for generations. For more informations on that, please go here, but my focus is elsewhere at the moment.
So, under the narrow view of a "justified war" provided by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants, how does the war in Iraq measure up?
First, the politics. The nation of Iraq did not "proclaim war against" the United States. I am willing to concede (reluctantly) that some people actually believed that Iraq posed an "imminent threat." While this was clearly not the case for those at the Cabinet level, there may have been a few in power who may have actually (incorrectly) come to that conclusion. Regardless, their incorrect beleif is not a reflection of an actual threat and therefore doesn't qualify as a proclamation of war.
Second, and most importantly (for me as a Saint), President Bush did not, has not, and will never seek council from Gordon B. Hinkley in matters of war (or anything else). Unlike the leaders in the scriptures who kept regular counsel with prophets, George Bush does not even recognize President Hinckly as a prophet. Bush hasn't only ignored the word of God in this matter, he isn't even willing to concede that the word of God can be obtained in this matter. Verse 33 states specifically that we should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue, or people, save the Lord command us. Let me be clear, the Lord did not command it. That may not mean a lot to you (and it certainly means nothing to President Bush), but it means everything to me.
Since President Bush's war in Iraq fails to meet these basic criteria and, in fact, was started in direct opposition to these principles, this war is evil.
The implications are vast and I probably sound delusional. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not advocating a theocratic change to our democratic republic and I certainly don't expect our Presidents to start taking queues from Salt Lake City, heaven's no. I am simply trying to point out that religious individuals should be the last people trying to defend this war and that Latter-day Saints have a specific obligation to stop it. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I am pretty lonely in my stance on this war in the religious community. Let's hope that changes.
Wait, let's more then hope. Let's work to change it.
P.S.
I understand that this is heavier writing than is usually featured here at DailyKos and I also recognize that as a religious person, I'm in the vast minority here (DemoTuesdays proved that). Frankly, I'm a litle nervous to hit the "publish" button. But our democracy is reflected perfectly at this website precisely because it gives a forum for people of all persuasions to voice our opinion. I love you for that.