On Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 11:08 AM, Stuart Jansen <[email protected]> wrote: > On Fri, 2010-02-26 at 10:52 -0700, James Carroll wrote: > >> By removing all privacy, we remove all temptation. > > > By removing all choice we remove all sin. > > I guess maybe we should have voted for that other guys plan instead...
So what are your thoughts on Alma 46:35: "And it came to pass that whomsoever of the Amalickiahites that would not enter into a covenant to support the cause of freedom, that they might maintain a free government, he caused to be put to death; and there were but few who denied the covenant of freedom." ? Do you think Moroni used Satan's means in this case? What about the converted Lamanites that tied up Korihor when they got tired of his preaching? Mormon seems to think different, as his side comment is that "they were more wise than many of the Nephites" (Alma 30:20). What about the BYU policy not to allow the sales of clearly defined sin on campus? Is that against the principle of agency? And the most interesting one. Didn't the Law of Moses come from Jesus Christ himself who offered himself to suffer the infinite pain for ours sins so that we could have agency and still return to the presence of the Father? Yet how did the Law of Moses punish Sabbath breaking? What I conclude from those examples is that the principle of agency is too sacred to be presented in the simplistic binary manner of "we must allow sin, or else it is the plan of the devil". It cannot be properly understood without the Holy Ghost. Which is not available in the presence of sin. Satan, on the other hand, is quick to upgrade his privileges by exploiting our poor understanding of the doctrine of agency. We cannot go wrong, though, by applying Alma 48:17: "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." -- Sasha Pachev AskSasha Linux Consulting http://asksasha.com Fast Running Blog. http://fastrunningblog.com Run. Blog. Improve. Repeat. -------------------- BYU Unix Users Group http://uug.byu.edu/ The opinions expressed in this message are the responsibility of their author. They are not endorsed by BYU, the BYU CS Department or BYU-UUG. ___________________________________________________________________ List Info (unsubscribe here): http://uug.byu.edu/mailman/listinfo/uug-list
