The Scriptures, Some Greeks, and a Decision

Can anyone satisfy the increasingly contradicting demands of religious beliefs and the laws of the land? Is one influence more important than the other? Or are we all doomed to struggle for our entire lives trying to balance the two? As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church), I have pondered these questions more than once in my life. The purpose of this post is to share how I have found peace while dealing with this issue—especially in regards to the controversial issue of same-sex marriage.  To support my points, I will examine both Plato’s Crito, the Twelfth Article of Faith of the LDS Church, as well as contemporary and ancient examples of balancing religious and governmental influences.

Plato’s Crito is a conversation between the Greek philosopher Socrates and one of his students, Crito. In Crito, Socrates defends his reasoning for choosing to die and upholding the law over escaping from prison and breaking the law. Plato makes a strong argument for upholding the law when, through the mouth of Socrates, he argues that civilized human beings give themselves as “slaves” to laws and receive common comforts such as educational and professional training in exchange (Crito). As a member of the LDS Church, I believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law (Smith 61). Plato says that man should be a “slave” to the law while the Twelfth Article of Faith states that we should obey, honor and sustain the law. The two philosophies are similar, but the difference between them, while subtle, is important. The two writings differ where Plato, through Socrates, says that people give their lives to the law of the land while the Twelfth Article of Faith makes no such claim.

Many people act as if the recent ruling by the Supreme Court that legalized same-sex marriage is absolute, and that all people must accept and give themselves to it—or, as Plato put it, “[we] are [the law’s] child and slave as [our fathers] were before [us]”. While Plato did believe that men should give themselves to the law, he also believed, as I do, that “the opinions of some men are to be regarded and of other men are not to be regarded” (Crito). In this, Plato argues that we should give ear only to those who are experts in the subject matter. The expert in the subject matter of the moral correctness of same-sex marriage is God. Why should we listen to the inexperienced voice of the many and ignore the perfectly experienced voice of the One? (Crito) The Greeks understood this principle very clearly. Despite laws against killing fellow countrymen, Odysseus was viewed as being in the right when he killed the suitors at Ithaca because of Zeus’ law that one should not take advantage of a hospitable host (Odyssey 22.1-522). Despite defying his commanding officer, Achilles was viewed as being in the right because his honor as a demigod was disgraced by Agamemnon (Iliad 1.255-259). Oedipus was a famed king, yet even he learned the hard way that one cannot defy the will of the gods (Sophocles lines 334-385). Ancient Greek custom suggests that laws from deity supersede laws from man.

Although I do not believe in the ancient Greek gods, I do believe in a God that helps us and gives us laws by which we should live. I believe that God’s laws supersede the laws of man. God created marriage, and only God can alter it. God has said that marriage must only be between a man and a woman and those that violate it will bring upon themselves the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets (The Family 8-9). In the New Testament, Jesus taught that we should separate the things of the world from the things of God (Mark 12.17). Similarly, we should separate the divinity of marriage with the worldly effects of being married (taxes, social security, etc.). This may be difficult for those in positions that will deal with the same-sex marriage on a daily basis such as pastors and judges. They, just as the ancient Greeks and the Savior taught, must put divine law over temporal law and fulfill their duties accordingly.  Our law contains the freedom of religion. If we are to abide by it as well as the most recent Supreme Court decision, then no one should have to act contrary to their religion—including marrying same-sex couples. This may mean that judges and similar public and government employees who have strong convictions against marrying same-sex couples have to leave their jobs or fight for their own rights to practice their personal beliefs in the workplace. However, that does not mean that we should attack individuals who believe differently than what God teaches. Unlike the inexperienced voice of the many that will try to rule the moral compass of the world, God, who is perfectly experienced, will not change His laws for, as the Lord said, “my ways [are] higher than your ways” (Isaiah 55.9).

Works Cited

The Holy Bible. Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979. King James Vers. Print.

Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Stanley Lombardo. Indiana: Hackett, 2000. Print.

---.The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1996. Print.

Smith, Joseph. The Pearl of Great Price. Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979. Print. 

Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Trans. J. E. Thomas. Delaware: Prestwick House, 2005. Print.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 23 Sept. 1995. Print. 

(all pictures courtesy of Google images)