In Doctrine and Covenants 121 it states how a man acts when
given power (and in this case this power and authority of the priesthood), and
what type of attributes he/she should have to remain that authority. It states:
“But when we undertake
to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition,
or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the
children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the
heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when
it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.”
Simply put, if we exercise in any unrighteous manner, the
authority we have will be worthless. A similar question we can even ask
ourselves, are the things we do for our vain ambitions? Is it to gratify our
pride? Is it to control the souls of other people? If it is, we should worry
about our own soul and our own relationship with God.
In Machiavelli's The
Prince, It teaches one how to rule. Instead of the Doctrine and
Covenants and becoming in good standing with God, we learn how to be in good
standing with the people one would have authority over. At the beginning of the
book it states how it is easier to rule when given as a hereditary authority
rather than having to move into a new kingdom as ruler. The Prince in essence
gives examples of how to make the right decisions when you become ruler of a
foreign territory. Some of these include: Making sure one does not have too
much power and too many soldiers in the territory they have rule over. Making
sure if and when a revolt arrises harshly suppress the rebels to make sure it
does not get out of hand. There are many others, and they all revolve around
making sure the ruler is in good standing with the people they have rule
over.
We see the differences in the
Doctrine and Covenants and the Prince. While one is directed at authority for
God's sake and another is for mans sake. However, it boils down to if you do
not respect the people you have authority over, or try to rule as a pure
dictatorship. That power and authority will be stripped from you, whether that
be from God or man.
