We live in a pluralistic world and in a pluralistic universe. Not everybody is the same. Not everybody wants to be the same. Not everybody believes the same. Not everybody wants to live the same. Not everybody wants the same laws, the same standards, or the same cultural parameters. And believe it or not, God is fine with that.

God is not going to force anyone to believe or do what He knows is best. We all must be free to improve and advance as we see fit. And so, in each iteration of eternity, some will rise, some will fall, but nobody stays the same.

Within this vast universe, there are many realms and kingdoms. Within each kingdom there exist laws by which everyone must abide. These kingdoms are ranked according to the laws they have and the degree of glory they manifest. If an individual is unwilling to abide by the laws and standards of a given kingdom, he or she is reduced in rank to a lower kingdom with lesser laws, and lesser powers and privileges. Inversely, individuals who desire to live a higher law and attain a higher glory are given opportunities for advancement, by and by.

Glory is the manifestation of truth and goodness. Each kingdom represents a given spectrum of glory. Each individual found within a given kingdom of glory must manifest at least the minimum degree of truth and goodness required to abide by that kingdom of glory. Those with no goodness, but who yet acknowledge reflections of truth, do not merit a kingdom of glory, but must abide in a kingdom without glory.

It is interesting how God basically gives people what they want. He is a facilitator, not a tyrant.

“…for I know that [God] granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.”[1]

God is a regulator and a facilitator for advancement. Those who embrace His laws and desire higher laws and higher glories, with even greater powers and privileges, eventually get to prove themselves either as able and worthy, or to disprove themselves as unable and unworthy. God facilitates advancement, but in so doing, He must also enforce the requirements of the laws of every realm and kingdom. We are promoted and demoted according to the terms of the law. Those who advance, who are promoted to higher degrees of glory, do so in accordance with the terms of the law. Those who regress, do so in violation of the law. Those who violate the law must be dealt with according to the laws of justice, to protect the sanctity of the law; otherwise, there could be no law.

Within this vast pluriverse of diverse realms and kingdoms, God must act as a protector for all his intelligent creations. These protections are enabled and enforced by the application of equitable and consistent laws. This is called the rule of law. These laws are calculated to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of intelligent beings, otherwise, they would be unable to live the measure of their creation if their rights and freedoms were being perpetually infringed or violated.

Here on earth, it is no different. God’s laws are just as applicable here as they are in any other realm or kingdom, or on any other planet. We are just as much legally obligated to observe and obey God’s laws here as we would be anywhere else within the vast cosmos where kingdoms of glory exist. Of course, the difficulty here is that the existence and divine sovereignty of God are not always obviously apparent. Most are blind to it, but many are not. We are blinded by sin, but we are made to see by following the voice of God within us.

On planet Earth, respect for God is entirely a matter of faith, integrity, and spiritual discernment. Likewise, faith and discernment are dependent upon correct knowledge and obedience to conscience. Those without knowledge of God, who are not obedient to His laws and commandments, who ignore the voice of conscience, have no faith in Him and therefore have little or no spiritual discernment. They are without law in their lives. The result is corruption, destruction, a return to chaos, and great suffering.

On planet Earth, believers in God are expected to teach and preach of God, and to promote the goodness and righteousness of His laws and leadership. They are to be enthusiastic proponents of God’s laws, also called Natural Law, and of the fundamental rights and freedoms which God designs for us to have, as manifest by His laws and commandments. When and as the people of the earth respond positively to the teachings of the gospel, they are accordingly blessed; when they reject these teachings, they are accordingly smitten with destruction and cursed. These are the naturally occurring consequences.

For those who desire political freedom, economic prosperity, increasing happiness, and the legal protection of fundamental rights, there is really only one way: God’s way, which is that the citizens of nations must be virtuous, god-fearing, and righteous. Without this, there is simply no way you are going to convince an ungodly majority to fear God, respect His laws, or recognize your fundamental God-given rights and freedoms. It will never happen. Logic and reason be damned. They don’t care. Their minds are darkened, their hearts are selfish, and their desire is to live in sin, to be legally and culturally justified and normalized in sin, and to have everybody believe and say that this is a good thing.

The price for freedom, equity, and dependable security is virtue and righteousness. There is no other way.

All of our political action groups, clubs, societies, associations, and organizations formed and operated with the intent to fix the political system will never succeed until the people at large repent, honor God, and choose to keep His commandments. Logic is always compromised by corruption and wickedness. Rational thought is always compromised by lust.  A corrupt, wicked, and lustful generation cannot have good government. It cannot be done.

And just to recap from the previous chapter: “Lust is the product of desires not based on truth, reality, or morality. Lustful desires do not reflect solvent solutions. When we lust, we desire that which will not truly satisfy our needs or appetites. Sin, and the lust for sin, conflict us with reality; because as it turns out, feeding our lusts only makes things worse, not better.” Lust operates in conflict with creation; it promotes chaos and destruction. It promotes slavery, affliction, and suffering. 

As will be demonstrated in subsequent chapters, the laws and commandments of God are entirely based on rational and dependable principles. They are entirely logical and reasonable. One does not even need to believe in God in order to understand and acknowledge the goodness and logic of God’s laws and commandments. And so, we will review the essentials of God’s laws and commandments in subsequent chapters, both secularly and theologically.

An honest and rational atheist will have no issues with following God’s laws and keeping God’s commandments, once they are explained correctly. On the other hand, an honest and rational atheist, once correctly informed, will also no longer be an atheist, but an ardent and enthusiastic disciple of Jesus Christ.

The truth of God is all-encompassing. It is all interconnected. It is all interdependent and codependent. Religious truth is interconnected with political truth and scientific truth. All truth can and must be circumscribed into one great whole, which is infinite and eternal.

At this point, it becomes necessary to review and explain the foundational political principles and laws of God. These are an integral part of understanding the ostensibly religious principles and laws of God. These principles and laws should, ideally, be understood both secularly and biblically. It is my intention to do both. Once we arrive at a functional understanding of these principles and laws, we can then apply them to how God’s law operates both in this world and in all the worlds and realms throughout the cosmos. We will then be enabled to understand the structure and fundamental principles of law throughout the universe.

The great political conundrum inherent to this world is the wide diversity of religious persuasion. Indeed, we find that all religion is political, and all politics are religious. There is no separating the two. Our political beliefs are defined by our religious beliefs, and our religious beliefs are defined by our knowledge and understanding. If our knowledge and understanding is misinformed, then our religious and political beliefs will be likewise misinformed and dysfunctional, or shall we say, less than optimal. And so, wide diversity in religious beliefs will inevitably include a high proportion of false beliefs engulfing the entire planet in unnecessary strife and suffering. The solution, as always, is increased truth and virtue.

But even if we cannot agree religiously, we ought to agree logically. On the other hand, the idea of any majority reaching a reasonable consensus by an appeal to reason and logic is transcendentally absurd. In a world defined by irrationality and insanity, such a reality is inescapably impossible. And so, even though the fundamental rights and liberties of man can be defined anti-religiously, by an appeal to sheer logic, reason, and dispassionate objective deduction, it does not matter. Humans are not rational, logical, or reasonable, and never will be for as long as they remain creatures of lust, rejecting virtue, and pursuing evil, simply because they can. In effect, in almost every case, they insist on learning the hard way, and they must be free to do so. And so, God, again and again, essentially says, “Have it your way. Eventually, you will learn or burn. So be it.” Of course, I am paraphrasing, but I think you get the point.

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[1] Book of Mormon | Alma 29:4

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