The Church Is Not A Democracy--Nielsen Not Thoreau

The Salt Lake Tribune, predictably has joined the cacophony of voices against the Church for what it has described as Nielsen's participation in the grand tradition of "The Duty of Civil Disobedience". In this morning's editorial, The Tribune notes:

To fully participate in the grand tradition of what Thoreau called "The Duty of Civil Disobedience," it is necessary to risk retribution from the powers that be. Otherwise, you can be dismissed as just another crank. Or, if you lack amateur standing, an editorial writer.

Jeffrey Nielsen is no crank. And, though all he has lost so far has been a part-time teaching gig, he may still claim kinship with those who have risked imprisonment or worse by speaking truth to power.

The Tribune's editorial page--not always one to be bothered with the details when it writes about the LDS Church, should take another look at this one. First, Thoreau's piece (which in fact was and remains a masterpiece) was originally titled Resistance to Civil Government. Why is this important? Well, none of us have a choice about whether or not to be subject to government. We as Americans are born into our democracy. It has the power to coerce. It has the power of the purse and sword--powers that can be enforced--and often are--against the will of its citizens. Civil Disobedience as envisioned by Thoreau remains a powerful force as a check on civil governments all over the world.

The Church, is an organization with which one affiliates by choice, not force. No one has to be a member of the Church. No one even has to be affiliated with BYU either as a student, faculty, or staff. Yet, Mr. Nielsen voluntarily chose to do so--with his eyes wide open. And, as a faculty member, Mr. Nielsen knew full well what the boundaries were before he ever started philosophizing--for money--down in Provo. And, more importantly, he agreed to those boundaries, in writing.

The Tribune continues:

After this term, Nielsen will be out as a philosophy instructor at Brigham Young University. That is because he wrote, with his eyes wide open, a commentary published in the June 4 Tribune criticizing a political stand taken by his church, the church that owns BYU, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Wrong! Nielsen is out because he labeled the BYU trustees' (who also happen to be Prophets, Seers and Revelators of his Church) position on a critical moral issue already well established by the Church, "troubling, immoral, discriminatory, and based on fear and superstition." This is a big deal, considering Nielsen, claims to be a believing LDS member. The LDS Church believes that The Brethren are inspired by God, not by fear, discrimination, superstition, and immorality. By extension the implication is that these men themselves and their views on the family as the fundamental unit of society as well as gay marriage is "troubling, immoral, discriminatory, and based on fear and superstition."

Furthermore, Nielsen chose as his venue, the Salt Lake Tribune, the most public avenue available. It is one thing to disagree with the Church's position. It is quite another to publically ridicule that position in the press, and all over the world. Nielsen knew before he put pen to paper that because of his position as a part time BYU faculty member, because of the highly charged moral issues involved, because of recent First Presidency announcements on the issue, and because of the political climate that his chosen method of expression would do great harm to the Church and BYU in terms of bad publicity. Yet, he went right ahead to exercise his "freedom of speech." Choices have consequences--and Mr. Nielsen is now experiencing his.

Continuing, the Tribune opines:

BYU is a private organization, owned by another private organization. If it thinks it necessary to dismiss anyone for speaking out of school, it has that right.

It is the beauty of civil disobedience, though, that those who exact the punishment also take some risk.

BYU and the church will now be criticized in some circles as being overly harsh and for forgetting the mission of a university to tolerate and nurture different strains of thought. More importantly, Nielsen's dismissal calls attention - more attention than was raised by his initial writing - to one of his main points.

That point was that by taking a public stand in favor of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, the church's leadership went beyond its normal role of defining moral behavior for its own faithful and sought to determine law for all Americans.

The church has an unquestioned legal right to take such a stand, but no expectation that it can do so without being itself labeled, by some, as speaking out of turn.

A self fulfilling prophecy to be certain. Thank you Tribune for joining the cacophony of criticism against the Church and BYU--never one to miss a cheap shot against the Church, one can always count on the Salt Lake Tribune to come through in its self appointed role as the LDS Church watchdog.

Continuing:

Dissent without risk, by individuals or institutions, scarcely qualifies as dissent at all. Without the possibility of retribution, dissent has little power to change anything.

This debate will continue, within the church and without, in public and in private. No matter the outcome, Jeffrey Nielsen will know that, when faced with the choice, he did his duty to his conscience rather than take the easy way out. And how many of us can say that?

Nonsense! Mr. Nielsen's duty as a part time BYU faculty member was not to breach the terms of his employment contract. His duty as a faithful Latter-day Saint was not to publically ridicule and humiliate the governing body of his Church in the time, place and manner he chose. In fact, it was he who took the easy way out, by seeking, and now obtaining his 15 minutes of fame in joining the popular political discourse of his time. He took the easy way out by taking cheap shots at The Brethren and his Church. Sorry Tribune; but, the Church is not a democracy and Mr. Nielsen is no Henry David Thoreau.