We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
The dictates of conscience are near and dear to my heart and often the focus of my thoughts, words, and actions. I am blessed to live in a state where it is specifically enumerated in the law. This combination of moral and legal confirmation of what I consider a natural right gives me great confidence in the principle of developing my conscience. This development is another thing I am trying to accomplish with these commentaries. Conscience cannot develop in a vacuum, so I must confess my beliefs to God and humanity, so that I can be further refined. This refinement and my progression are made possible through the gift of agency. Agency is both a privilege and a responsibility, and its proper use is through acts of conscience. Without a dedication to the dictates of conscience people are little more than animals acting out of instinct to whatever stimulus the environment places on us. The development of conscience elevates us from the dust and allows us to reach our full potential as beings containing a spark of the divine.
It should be obvious to anyone reading this that in claiming the privilege to worship I also claim the privilege to disagree. These commentaries are full of what I would call ethical dissent. I do not seek to alter the doctrines of the LDS Church, but it is a matter of conscience where I choose to agree and disagree with those doctrines. I hope that my dissent will be valued by those with mantles of authority above my own; because, I am not fit for blind obedience. I wonder at times how I would have fared under the strict tutelage of the early prophets of the Latter Day Saint, and this leaves me apprehensive that I will disagree too firmly and vocally with one or more of the leaders of our church and lose my priesthood or membership. So far this has proven to be an unfounded fear, but in writing this it does nag at me. Despite that, I do ‘claim the privilege.’ It is always a challenge to assert the things that we believe to be true while allowing others to believe something else. I do believe in the concept of objective truth; and so, when disagreeing about the nature of things, I often come to the conclusion that one of us is correct and the other incorrect but I also often recognize that in any eternal argument both parties can be wrong at the same time. I am certain that I am not the ultimate judge of truth. And to my readers I must forcibly assert that neither are you. Whatever gifts of discernment or claims of objectivity we may assert; human wisdom can only be a dim reflection of that truth. My greatest source of contention is with those who claim that, for whatever reason, they have a monopoly on the truth. I seek to avoid this kind of arrogance and that motivates me even more strongly to allow other people to assert views divergent from my own. I pray that the LDS Church can always remain true to the principle of agency.
Latter Day Sinner 