Part of King Mosiah’s argument for establishing a government “by the voice of the people” (Mosiah 29:25-26) rested on a shared conviction that all people are equal. His people had been taught this principle for many years (see 2 Nephi 26:33, Jacob 2:17, Mosiah 2:26), and it had recently been emphasized within the church (see Mosiah 27:3). Mosiah and his father had both labored alongside their people to create a sense of equality. (See Mosiah 2:14, Mosiah 6:7.) But Mosiah wanted to emphasize that they couldn’t count on this norm of conduct; it was entirely dependent on the king.
His people were now familiar with the captivity and suffering endured by Limhi’s and Alma’s people as a direct result of the wickedness of King Noah. The trouble, he explained, is that under a wicked king, you may have no choice but to engage in sinful behavior. “The sins of many people have been caused by the iniquities of their kings; therefore their iniquities are answered upon the heads of their kings” (Mosiah 29:31). It may be small comfort to know that the king is ultimately accountable for your bad behavior. As Limhi’s and Alma’s people could attest, that knowledge does not shield you from the consequences of your wrong actions.
The remedy, Mosiah said, is to spread out the decision-making and to give people more autonomy:
I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike.
Mosiah 29:32
“Rights and privileges” sounds pretty good, but Mosiah’s people understood that they were accepting not only agency but also the corresponding accountability:
They relinquished their desires for a king, and became exceedingly anxious that every man should have an equal chance throughout all the land; yea, and every man expressed a willingness to answer for his own sins.
Mosiah 29:38
These Nephites understood that rights and responsibilities are interconnected. If they wanted the privilege of choosing their own leaders, for example, they would need to think carefully about their options, educate themselves on the topics those leaders would address, and then cast their vote for wise people who would strengthen their nation and uphold its values.
Elder Patrick Kearon said:
Rights and responsibilities can’t be separated without negative consequences. The symbiosis between rights and responsibilities is often forgotten in the rush to demand that something be given to us, while forgetting to foster the conditions in which that right can even be respected or have meaning. …
Behind every right, if we look closely enough, stand layers upon layers of social practices that regulate innumerable human interactions in societies, families, marriages, friendships and all human relationships. They are called “norms,” and they require innumerable transactions of give and take. The demands we make of the law only make sense when embedded in a web of countless norms that make our society possible. We need to keep finding ways to align what we demand with what we can contribute—to our families, workplaces, neighborhoods, churches, schools and communities.
“Of Rights and Responsibilities: The Social Ecosystem of Religious Freedom,” Keynote address at the Religious Freedom Annual Review, Brigham Young University, 19 June 2019
Today, I will find ways to exercise my responsibilities as a citizen of a democratic nation. I will recognize that the rights I enjoy are inseparable from the responsibilities I carry, and that I am accountable for the decisions I make with the freedoms I have been given.
Leave a Reply