Rule of Law

A recent comment at Dave's Mormon Inquiry  has me thinking about the rule of law.  Just like a speaker in sacrament meeting opens with a quote from Webster's, I will defer to Wikipedia for a definition:  "The rule of law is the principle that governmental authority is legitimately exercised only in accordance with written, publicly disclosed laws adopted and enforced in accordance with established procedure decided by government. The principle is intended to be a safeguard against arbitrary governance."

Obedience in the Mormon Church

 Presenting my second guest post, from my good friend GDTeacher, who is a moderator at the New Order Mormon discussion board:

The leaders and published teachings of the Mormon Church focus strongly on the inherent virtue and the eternal importance of obedience to God, His commandments, and His leaders. This obedience imperative is common to many conservative religions, of which Mormonism is one. In spite of the church dogma and culture supporting unquestioning obedience to church leaders, people are responsible to make their own ethical and moral decisions. This essay will explore the basis for this Mormon belief in unquestioning obedience, some of the conflicts surrounding it within the church, as well as the potential negative ramifications of this dogma.