In the year 1820, the area around Manchester, New York was caught up in “an unusual excitement on the subject of religion.” Joseph Smith noted that it “created no small stir and division amongst the people.” He further noted that:
Notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion … it was seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts were more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued … so that all their good feelings for one another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions.
Joseph Smith–History 1:6
Smith also said that “the contests of these parties of religionists” caused him to “labor under extreme difficulties.”
A raging wildfire
America is in exactly the same position today – except that our “war of words and tumult of opinions” is about politics, not religion. The questions the young Joseph Smith asked back then still apply to our current situation.
In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?
Joseph Smith—History 1:10
The Epistle of James, chapter 3, talks about the dangers of the tongue. He compares the boasting and lying tongue to a raging wildfire. This is not a small metaphor. A wildfire can destroy everything in its path.
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
James 3:6
James goes on to call the untamed tongue “An unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
Who to believe?
In our world of talk radio, propaganda television, and unregulated online social media, these warnings from James, the brother of Jesus, about the dangers of the tongue are especially relevant. Millions of Americans voluntarily drink the “deadly poison” every day.
Other people are frustrated and confused about how to navigate this media landscape. ”How,” they ask, “am I to know who to believe, who to trust, who to listen to?
I believe the last six verses of James, chapter 3, provide us with the way to discern truth from lies.
13. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
James 3:13-18
14. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Just in case the language is less than clear, let me summarize these verses in modern English.
(13) – The wise man with knowledge will show you what he knows in a good conversation in meekness.
James 3:13-18 (Paraphrased into modern English)
(14) – If you feel bitter, jealous, and angry you should be humble and don’t believe or tell lies.
(15) – Feelings of anger, resentment, and jealousy, as well as feeling superior and telling lies are not holy, but devilish.
(16) – Evil creates confusion, envy, and strife.
(17) – Wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, welcoming, and merciful. Wise people are not partial for or against anyone and are not hypocrites.
(18) – Righteousness brings peace, not strife.
Listen to the source
With this scriptural guide telling us how to recognize truth from lies, I challenge everyone to compare ANY speech by Donald J. Trump to ANY speech by Joseph R. Biden. I find that people do not actually listen to what these men say from their own mouths. Instead, they listen to, and believe, what the propagandists and spin doctors say about them.
When you take the time to actually listen to them speak, the contrast between these two candidates is dramatic and obvious.
I have met Joe and Jill Biden personally. I have shaken their hands. I testify that they are “peaceable, gentle, and welcoming.” They care about others more than themselves; and their love of our country is palpable when you are in their presence.
I don’t see how anyone, especially any religious person, could ever vote for that other guy….
Excellent observations, Brian. It is astonishing that any religious person could not see through Trump, and the accompanying grievance, petulance, hypocrisy, boasting. Indeed, if “Charity suffereth long and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things,” Trump is the exact opposite.
And yet, in my own home ward, there are many who put down Joe Biden and cheer Trump on… When I tell them I am a Democrat, they look shocked and then give me a sad look and one guy said, I would be interested in knowing why you believe what you do because it is so far from what mainstream LDS people believe. It makes me doubt myself; but in my study of the BofM on the issue of bad leaders there is so much that fits our current situation. When I pray about our current political climate and what to believe, I get such a dark feeling when I ask if the Republicans have the answer to what ails our country. I don’t think the Democrats are doing much good these days either but I see more good than bad. I also belong to MWEG (Mormon Women for Ethical government) and have learned a lot from them. There are also many quotes from GA’s that tell us to study the characters of those we vote for and to be sure to vote for people who follow the Constitution. Your Insight newsletters have
helped me to keep holding on.
It’s nice to hear LDS people say they can see through Trump but it saddens me when in the same breath they say “But the Democrats aren’t much better” or some variation of that. I realize that politics is messy or even dirty and I understand how hard it is to finally conclude that something you’ve believed in your whole life and most of your family and friends still believe in is wrong without some justification. Granted both D’s and R’s are human organizations and have problems but they aren’t the same or even close anymore. In the BoM, there were times when the Lamanites were more righteous than the Nephites, we have to be able to recognize that in our own time with our politics and be able to both state it and call it out for what it is. Maybe in 20 years, it will reverse itself again but in the meantime, we need to state what we see and believe strongly and without qualification.