Just and Holy Principles

The Founders:

Alexander Hamilton: Let us recollect that peace or war will not always be left to our option; that however moderate or unambitious we may be, we cannot count upon the moderation, or hope to extinguish the ambition of others. (Hamilton, Alexander Federalist No. 34, January 4, 1788)

James Madison: It is a principle incorporated into the settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute. (Madison, James letter to the Dey of Algiers, August, 1816)

John Jay: But the safety of the people of America against dangers from foreign force depends not only on their forbearing to give just causes of war to other nations, but also on their placing and continuing themselves in such a situation as not to invite hostility or insult; for it need not be observed that there are pretended as well as just causes of war. (Jay, John Federalist No. 4)

Thomas Paine: Not all the treasures of the world, so far as I believe, could have induced me to support an offensive war, for I think it murder; but if a thief breaks into my house, burns and destroys my property, and kills or threatens to kill me, or those that are in it, and to "bind me in all cases whatsoever" to his absolute will, am I to suffer it? (Paine, Thomas The American Crisis, No. 1, December 19, 1776)

Thomas Jefferson: Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it. (Paine, Thomas The Crisis, no. 4, September 11, 1777)

James Madison: America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat. (Madison, James Federalist No. 14, November 30, 1787)

Alexander Hamilton: To judge from the history of mankind, we shall be compelled to conclude that the fiery and destructive passions of war reign in the human breast with much more powerful sway than the mild and beneficent sentiments of peace; and that to model our political systems upon speculations of lasting tranquillity would be to calculate on the weaker springs of human character. (Hamilton, Alexander Federalist No. 34, January 4, 1788)

George Washington: To be prepared for war, is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. (Washington, George First Annual Message, January 8, 1790)

George Washington: There is a rank due to the United States, among nations, which will be withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of weakness. If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war. (Washington, George Fifth Annual Message, December 3, 1793)

Joseph Story: It should therefore be difficult in a republic to declare war; but not to make peace...It is important also to consider, that the surest means of avoiding war is to be prepared for it in peace. (Story, Joseph Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833)

The Brethren:

Gordon B. Hinckley: The question arises, “Where does the Church stand in all of this [War in Iraq]?”

First, let it be understood that we have no quarrel with the Muslim people or with those of any other faith. We recognize and teach that all the people of the earth are of the family of God. And as He is our Father, so are we brothers and sisters with family obligations one to another.

But as citizens we are all under the direction of our respective national leaders. They have access to greater political and military intelligence than do the people generally. Those in the armed services are under obligation to their respective governments to execute the will of the sovereign. When they joined the military service, they entered into a contract by which they are presently bound and to which they have dutifully responded. One of our Articles of Faith, which represent an expression of our doctrine, states, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (A of F 1:12).

But modern revelation states that we are to “renounce war and proclaim peace” (D&C 98:16).

In a democracy we can renounce war and proclaim peace. There is opportunity for dissent. Many have been speaking out and doing so emphatically. That is their privilege. That is their right, so long as they do so legally. However, we all must also be mindful of another overriding responsibility, which I may add, governs my personal feelings and dictates my personal loyalties in the present situation...

It is clear from these and other writings that there are times and circumstances when nations are justified, in fact have an obligation, to fight for family, for liberty, and against tyranny, threat, and oppression... This places us in the position of those who long for peace, who teach peace, who work for peace, but who also are citizens of nations and are subject to the laws of our governments. Furthermore, we are a freedom-loving people, committed to the defense of liberty wherever it is in jeopardy. I believe that God will not hold men and women in uniform responsible as agents of their government in carrying forward that which they are legally obligated to do. It may even be that He will hold us responsible if we try to impede or hedge up the way of those who are involved in a contest with forces of evil and repression.

Now, there is much that we can and must do in these perilous times. We can give our opinions on the merits of the situation as we see it, but never let us become a party to words or works of evil concerning our brothers and sisters in various nations on one side or the other. Political differences never justify hatred or ill will. I hope that the Lord’s people may be at peace one with another during times of trouble, regardless of what loyalties they may have to different governments or parties. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “War and Peace,” Ensign, May 2003, 78)

David O. McKay: Peace will come and be maintained only through the triumph of the principles of peace, and by the consequent subjection of the enemies of peace, which are hatred, envy, ill-gotten gain, the exercise of unrighteous dominion of men. Yielding to these evils brings misery to the individual, unhappiness to the home, war among nations. (Gospel Ideals, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1953, p. 280.)

Marion G. Romney: When I was in the military service during the First World War, we were told that we were “making the world safe for democracy”; we were fighting a war to end all wars. When my eldest son was in the military during the Second World War, he was told that he was preserving the cause of liberty and freedom. The same rationale has continued for the past several decades.

Why is it that our generation, with all its vaunted learning, has failed so miserably in its pursuit of peace? The only answer I can give you is that we are not willing to pay the price for it...

Now, we may rest assured of this: if there is no devil, there is no God. But there is a God and there is a devil, and the bringing of peace requires the elimination of Satan’s influence. Where he is, peace can never be...

We should rejoice, for to proclaim peace is the sole purpose of our life’s mission. We should find no pleasure in the fact that men’s strivings for peace have proved ineffectual. I wage no war against their efforts. Many of them are doing the best they can in the light they have. Nevertheless, I can see no justification for us, who have the clear light of the revealed gospel of Christ, to spend our lives stumbling around through the mists following the uncertain glimmer of a flickering candle lighted by the wisdom of men. Rather, we should devote our energies to spreading the true light, and leave the mists to those who do not see that light. (Marion G. Romney, “The Price of Peace,” Ensign, Oct. 1983)

David O. McKay: Peace will come and be maintained only through the triumph of the principles of peace, and by the consequent subjection of the enemies of peace, which are hatred, envy, ill-gotten gain, the exercise of unrighteous dominion of men. Yielding to these evils brings misery to the individual, unhappiness to the home, war among nations. (Gospel Ideals, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1953, p. 280.)

John A. Widtsoe: The only way to build a peaceful community is to build men and women who are lovers and makers of peace. Each individual, by that doctrine of Christ and His Church, holds in his own hands the peace of the world.

That makes me responsible for the peace of the world, and makes you individually responsible for the peace of the world. The responsibility cannot be shifted to someone else. It cannot be placed upon the shoulders of Congress or Parliament, or any other organization of men with governing authority. (In Conference Report, Oct. 1943, p. 113.)

Joseph F. Smith: For years it has been held that peace comes only by preparation for war; the present conflict (WWI) should prove that peace comes only by preparing for peace, through training the people in righteousness and justice, and selecting rulers who respect the righteous will of the people. …

There is only one thing that can bring peace into the world. It is the adoption of the gospel of Jesus Christ, rightly understood, obeyed and practiced by rulers and people alike. (Improvement Era, Sept. 1914, pp. 1074–75.)

References:

→   Gordon B. Hinckley, “War and Peace,” Ensign, May 2003, 78

→   Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Times in Which We Live,” Ensign, Nov. 2001

→   World Peace, Dallin H. Oaks, General Conference, Apr. 1, 1990

→   Marion G. Romney, “The Price of Peace,” Ensign, Oct. 1983