Early in our marriage, my wife, Mary, and I decided that
to the extent possible, we would choose activities that
we could attend together.
We also wanted to be prudent with our budget.
Mary loves music and was undoubtedly concerned that I
might overemphasize sporting events.
So she negotiated that for all paid events, there would be
two musicals, operas, or cultural activities for each
paid ball game.
Initially I was resistant to the opera component, but over
time I changed my mind.
I particularly came to enjoy the operas by Giuseppe Verdi.
This week will be the 200th anniversary of his birth.
In his youth Verdi was intrigued with the prophet
Jeremiah, and in 1842, at the age of 28, he achieved fame
with the opera Nabucco, a shortened Italian form of the
name Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
This opera contains concepts drawn from the books of
Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Psalms in the Old Testament.
The opera includes the conquest of Jerusalem and the
captivity and bondage of the Jews.
Psalm 137 is the inspiration for Verdi's moving and
inspiring "Chorus of Hebrew Slaves." The heading of this
psalm in our scriptures is very dramatic (quote): "While
in captivity, the Jews wept by the rivers of Babylon--Because
of sorrow, they could not bear to sing the songs of Zion."
My purpose is to review many forms of bondage and
subjugation.
I will compare some circumstances of our day with
those in the days of Jeremiah before
the downfall of Jerusalem.
In presenting this voice of warning, I am grateful that
most Church members are righteously avoiding the
conduct that was so offensive to the Lord
in Jeremiah's time.
The prophecies and lamentations of Jeremiah are
important to Latter-day Saints.
Jeremiah and the Jerusalem of his day are the backdrop to
the beginning chapters in the Book of Mormon.
Jeremiah was a contemporary of the prophet Lehi.
The Lord dramatically informed Jeremiah of his
foreordination: "Before I formed thee in the belly I
knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I
sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto
the nations."
Lehi had a different calling, mission, and
assignment from the Lord.
He was not called in his youth but in his maturity.
Initially his was a voice of warning.
But after faithfully declaring the same message as Jeremiah,
the Lord commanded that he should take his family and
depart into the wilderness.
In doing so, Lehi blessed not only his family
but also all people.
During the years before the destruction of Jerusalem, the
messages the Lord gave to Jeremiah are haunting.
He said: "My people have changed their glory for that
which doth not profit.
...
They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and
have hewed ... out ... broken cisterns, that can hold no
water." Speaking of the calamities to come upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Lord lamented, "[For them] the
harvest is past, the summer is ended, and [they]
are not saved."
God intended that men and women would be free to make
choices between good and evil.
When evil choices become the dominant characteristic of an
culture or nation, there are serious consequences both in
this life and the life to come.
People can become enslaved or put themselves in bondage not
only to harmful, addictive substances, but also to
harmful, addictive philosophies that detract from
righteous living.
Turning from the worship of the true and living God and
worshipping false gods like wealth and fame and engaging
in immoral and unrighteous conduct result in bondage in
all its insidious manifestations.
These include spiritual, physical, and intellectual
bondage and sometimes bring destruction.
Jeremiah and Lehi also taught that those who are righteous
must help the Lord establish His Church and kingdom and
gather scattered Israel.
These messages have echoed and been reinforced across the
centuries in all dispensations.
They are at the heart of the restoration of the gospel of
Jesus Christ in this, the final dispensation.
The captivity of the Jews and the scattering of the tribes
of Israel, including the ten tribes, are prominent
doctrinal factors in the restoration of the gospel.
The ten lost tribes made up the northern kingdom of Israel
and were carried away captive into Assyria in 721 B.C. They
went to the "north countries."
Our tenth article of faith states, "We believe in the
literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the
Ten Tribes." We also believe that as part of the covenant
the Lord made with Abraham, not only the lineage of
Abraham would be blessed, but also that all the people of
the earth would be blessed.
As Elder Russell M. Nelson has stated, the gathering "is not
a matter of physical location.
[It is] a matter of individual commitment.
People can be brought to the knowledge of the Lord without
leaving their homelands." Our doctrine is clear: "The Lord
scattered and afflicted the Twelve Tribes of Israel
because of their unrighteousness and rebellion.
However, the Lord also utilized this scattering of
his chosen people among the nations of the world to bless
those nations."
We learn valuable lessons from this tragic period.
We should do everything within our power to avoid the sin and
rebellion that led to bondage.
We also recognize that righteous living is a
prerequisite for assisting the Lord in gathering His elect
and in the literal gathering of Israel.
Bondage, subjugation, addictions, and servitude come
in many forms.
They can be literal physical enslavement but can also be
loss or impairment of moral agency that
can impede our progress.
Jeremiah is clear that unrighteousness and rebellion
were the main reasons for the destruction of Jerusalem and
captivity in Babylon.
Other kinds of bondage are equally destructive of the
human spirit.
Moral agency can be abused in many ways.
I will mention four that are particularly pernicious in
today's culture.
First, addictions that impair agency, contradict moral
beliefs, and destroy good health cause bondage.
The impact of drugs and alcohol, immorality,
pornography, gambling, financial subjugation, and
other afflictions impose on those in bondage and on
society a burden of such magnitude that it is almost
impossible to quantify.
Second, addictions or predilections that, while not
inherently evil, can use up our precious allotment of
time, which could otherwise be used to accomplish virtuous
objectives.
These can include excessive use of social media, video and
digital games, sports, recreation, and many others.
How we preserve time for family is one of the most
significant issues we face in most cultures.
At a time when I was the only member of the Church in our
law firm, one woman lawyer explained to me how she always
felt like a juggler trying to keep three balls in the air at
the same time.
One ball was her law practice, one was her marriage, and one
was her children.
She had almost given up on time for herself.
She was greatly concerned that one of the balls was always on
the ground.
I suggested we meet as a group and discuss our priorities.
We determined that the primary reason we were working was to
support our families.
We agreed that making more money wasn't nearly as
important as our families, but we recognized that serving our
clients to the best of our abilities was essential.
The discussion then moved to what we did at work that was
not necessary and was inconsistent with leaving time
for family.
Was there pressure to spend time in the workplace that was
not essential?
We decided that our goal would be a family-friendly
environment for both women and men.
Let us be at the forefront in protecting time for family.
Third, the most universal subjugation in our day, as it
has been throughout history, is ideology or political
beliefs that are inconsistent with the
gospel of Jesus Christ.
Substituting the philosophies of men for gospel truth can
lead us away from the simplicity of
the Savior's message.
When the Apostle Paul visited Athens, he tried to teach of
the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Of this effort we read in Acts, "For all the Athenians
and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing
else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing."
When the crowd realized the simple religious nature of
Paul's message, which was not new, they rejected it.
This is emblematic of our own day, where gospel truths are
often rejected or distorted to make them intellectually more
appealing or compatible with current cultural trends and
intellectual philosophies.
If we are not careful, we can be captured by these trends
and place ourselves in intellectual bondage.
There are many voices now telling women how to live.
They often contradict each other.
Of particular concern are philosophies that criticize or
diminish respect for women who choose to make the sacrifices
necessary to be mothers, teachers, nurturers, or
friends to children.
A few months ago our two youngest granddaughters
visited us, one each week.
I was at home and answered the door.
My wife, Mary, was in another room.
In both cases, after a hug, they said
almost the same thing.
They looked around and then said, "I love to be in
Grandma's house.
Where is Grandma?" I didn't say it to them, but I was
thinking, "Isn't this Grandpa's house too?" But I
realized that when I was a boy, our family went to
Grandma's house.
The words of a familiar song came into my mind: "Over the
river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go."
Now, let me say unequivocally that I'm thrilled with the
educational and other opportunities that are
available to women.
I treasure the fact that the backbreaking work and domestic
drudgery required of women has been reduced in much of the
world because of modern conveniences and that women
are making such magnificent contributions in every field
of endeavor.
But if we allow our culture to reduce the special
relationship that children have with mothers and
grandmothers and others who nurture them, we will
come to regret it.
Fourth, forces that violate sincerely held religious
principles can result in bondage.
One of the most invidious forms is when righteous people
who feel accountable to God for their conduct are forced
into activities that violate their conscience--for example,
health providers forced to choose between assisting with
abortions against their consciences or
losing their jobs.
The Church is a relatively small minority even when
linked with people who are like-minded.
It will be hard to change society at large, but we must
work to improve the moral culture that surrounds us.
Latter-day Saints in every country should be good
citizens, participate in civic affairs, educate themselves on
the issues, and vote.
Our primary emphasis, however, should always be to make any
necessary sacrifices to protect our own family and the
rising generation.
The vast majority of them are not yet in bondage to serious
addictions or false ideologies.
We must help inoculate them from a world that sounds a lot
like the Jerusalem that Lehi and Jeremiah experienced.
In addition, we need to prepare them to make and keep
sacred covenants and to be the principal emissaries to help
the Lord establish His Church and gather scattered Israel
and the Lord's elect everywhere.
As the Doctrine and Covenants beautifully reads, "The
righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations,
and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of
everlasting joy." Our challenge is to avoid bondage
of any kind, help the Lord gather His elect, and
sacrifice for the rising generation.
We must always remember that we do not save ourselves.
We are liberated by the love, grace, and atoning sacrifice
of the Savior.
When Lehi's family fled, they were led by the Lord's light.
If we are true to His light, follow His commandments, and
rely on His merits, we will avoid spiritual, physical, and
intellectual bondage as well as the lamentation of
wandering in our own wilderness, for He
is mighty to save.
Let us avoid the despair and sorrow of those who fall into
captivity and can no longer bear to sing
the songs of Zion.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.