Plato’s Crito is
an inspiring dialogue between Socrates and his friend, Crito, and the
appropriate response to injustice. Socrates has been imprisoned wrongly and his
wealthy friend, Crito, has arranged his escape. Socrates refuses, holding to
his principles to uphold the law and insisting that when he dies he will be
judged in the underworld for behaving unjustly towards his city’s laws. He
says, “In leaving the prison against the will of the Athenians, do I wrong any?
Or rather do I not wrong those whom I ought least to wrong? Do I not desert the
principles which were acknowledged by us to be just?” Socrates was not willing
to break man’s law because he did not want to break God’s law. He ends the
discourse by saying, “Then let me follow the intimations of the will of God”.
Similarly, faithful Latter-day Saints feel the same as Socrates, we “believe in
being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying,
honoring, and sustaining the law”. However, in line with Socrates’ closing
statement, we need to obey the laws of our land, but we are first accountable
to God, not man.
Socrates’ believed that by breaking man’s law, he would have
broken his covenants to God as well. His virtue remained in tact in the face of
adversary. Many instances in history show that man’s laws are not always in
line with God’s laws, and in these circumstances, we must remember that we are
accountable to God’s laws, and need to hold ourselves to a higher
standard. The First Presidency of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have said:
“For much of human history, civil laws have generally been compatible with God’s laws. Unfortunately, there have been notable exceptions to that pattern. For example, it is legal in the United States to perform an abortion on an unborn fetus. However, this practice is not morally acceptable before God. The consumption of alcohol, while contrary to God’s law, is legal in most nations of the world, but the physical and social toll for doing so is a painful matter of record.”
Socrates insightfully remarked that by breaking out of
prison he would make himself an outlaw who would not be welcome in any other
states, and when he dies, he will be harshly judged by God for behaving
unjustly towards his city’s laws. There is no justification for men to break
the law of the land. Christ gave us the example of the law-abiding citizen when
the Pharisees asked Christ is it was lawful to give tribute money to Caesar.
After learning Caesar’s inscription was on the tribute money Christ said,
“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the
things that are God’s.” (Matt 22:21).
The recent Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex
marriage in the United States is an example of that discrepancy. The Council of the First Presidency of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have said:
“Changes in the civil law do not, indeed cannot, change the moral law that God has established. God expects us to uphold and keep His commandments regardless of divergent opinions or trends in society. His law of chastity is clear: sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife.”While the trends of society will continue to change, we must acknowledge the laws of the land that that are different than God’s, and we must adhere to God’s laws. President Holland advises, “all of us are accountable to God for the responsible exercise of our religious beliefs and we are calling on our fellow citizens to be responsible in exercising their religious freedom.” When the laws of the land deviate from God’s, remember whom we will all be accountable to in the final Day of Judgment. We are not at liberty to change God’s laws.
Bibliography
“52d.” Four Texts on Socrates: Plato’s Euthyhro ,Apology, and Crito, and
Aristophanes’ Clouds. Ithaca [N.Y.: Cornell UP, 1984. Print.
Smith, Joseph. “Chapter 1:12.” The Pearl of Great Price, Salt Lake City: F.D. Richards, 1851.
Print
“Breaking News: LDS Chrurch Leaders Issue New Directive On
Gay Marriage.” Gephardt Daily. 1 July
2015. Web. 6 July 2015
“Transcript of News Conference on Religious Freedom and Nondiscrimination.” www.mormonnewsroom.org. Web. 6 July 2015.
“Transcript of News Conference on Religious Freedom and Nondiscrimination.” www.mormonnewsroom.org. Web. 6 July 2015.
I think it's interesting how you caught that for Socrates, following the law of man and following what he believed to be God's will supported the same decision, whereas our current debate puts the two at odds. In a sense, you showed it to be a dichotomy where we need to choose one or the other. Obviously, when it comes to belief and practice, we need to follow the laws of God first. I wonder under what circumstances, if any, that would of necessity mean breaking the laws of the land? I think we can keep both.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting how you caught that for Socrates, following the law of man and following what he believed to be God's will supported the same decision, whereas our current debate puts the two at odds. In a sense, you showed it to be a dichotomy where we need to choose one or the other. Obviously, when it comes to belief and practice, we need to follow the laws of God first. I wonder under what circumstances, if any, that would of necessity mean breaking the laws of the land? I think we can keep both.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you talked about how Socrates had entered a covenant with the people by living among them, and in so doing created a covenant with God to obey the law. You appropriately brought in insights from the First Presidency declaring our modern stance on obeying the law. Everything flows together very clearly, ending with your powerful statement that we are accountable to the Laws of God and not of man and the Final Judgement. Well stated!
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Trevor, your ending was definitely powerful! God is our ultimate judge. I think that too often people forget that. He will judge us according to not only the way we defend His law and sustain His prophets, but also the way we judge others and how we treat those with different views. It's sad to watch the way our law is growing more distant from God's law, but we are so blessed to have a living prophet to always guide us in the right way! Great post!
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