Rule of Law

It's been a while since I posted. Busy and all that.

Doesn't mean I've stopped thinking about liberty!

2 things to blog about today:

1. I had the chance to vote in the conservative nomination for our area. It was a good experience. I was contacted by one of the candidates a few weeks ago, Mike Lake, who encouraged me to join the party and vote for him. He got my name from friends of mine and upon reviewing his web site and some of his positions, I agreed to vote. Mike ended up winning the riding, so I'm interested to see where it goes from here. Hopefully I can get a chance to sit down with him and ask him some questions.

2. I've had a couple of epiphanies about "Rule of Law" over the past couple of days. The first came while listening to the Book of Mormon, first Chapter of Alma. In this chapter we learn about a man named Nehor. Nehor began to preach to the people the doctrine of "priestcraft", or in otherwords the idea that those who teach the people religion should be upheld and paid by the people for doing so. He attempts to enforce his beliefs by the sword and is eventually tried, convicted and put to death for attempting to uphold priestcraft with murder. We learn some interesting things about how Alma, the new Chief Judge applies the "Rule of Law".

First in verse 12, learn that there was a strong belief that upholding priestcraft and other practices that offend natural law would "prove the destruction" of the people.

Second, in verse 14, we learn that Alma believed in Rule of Law when he states "Therefore thou art condemned to die according to the law ...; and it has been acknowledged by this people; therefore this people must abide by the law".

In verses 17-18, we learn of some of the laws that were enforced and learn that "the law could have no power on any man for his belief", but the law did enforce against dishonesty, theft, and murder.

Verse 33 teach us further the importance of "Rule of Law" and the results of upholding it.

"And it came to pass that by thus exercising the law upon them, every man suffering according to that which he had done, they became more still (speaking of those who did not belong to the Church and engaged in immoral and prideful practices), and durst not commit any wickedness if were known; therefore, there was much peace among the people of Nephi ..."