“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and
awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above
me and the moral law within me," wrote Christian 18th century philosopher
Immanuel Kant. This pioneering thinker had a wise and acute sense of truth and
a faith in God with moral conviction. The "starry heavens above me and the
moral law within me" were more profound to Kant than the vastness of his
philosophy, which would alter the course of all subsequent philosophy, and were
perhaps an inspiration for it. His awe of moral law is reverent and astute and
an example of virtue and nobility. A moral law is an absolute truth and an
essential of existence and the product is progression leading to the full
realization of divine potential.
Latter-Day Saints understand universal moral law as universal truth as
much as gravity, and more eternal than space and time. It is a refined and very
organized universe that holds moral law as high if not higher than any other
law and it must be obeyed for the sake of an orderly and harmonious existence
in all realms of this existence. It is comforting to think of a universe so
divinely structured, of which God is the nexus, that exists with such a degree
of order and harmonious precision, of its infinite precepts only a finitude are
known, but understood is moral law, which is understood as a refining and
fundamental principle to the perpetuation of universal stability in its
balanced state as without it chaos would ensue. All creatures with a conscience
are subject to universal morality, which complied to, merits exaltation, or
rebelled against, costs a heavy price in a universe of justice. This moral law
has existed always and will always exist as God’s own standard and no conscientious
creature is exempt, each knowing right from wrong, absolutely.
Individually, as literal bodily and
spiritual sons and daughters of Heavenly Father, each has the duty to uphold
the universal moral law that is not a worldly polemic open to debate but a
requirement of each that must be fulfilled for the very structure of the
existence enabling freedoms enjoyed. Each has free agency but this agency
is best used to decide who might make the best eternal companion, how to act
with decorum and modesty, how to do those things that represent the being and
actions of Jesus Christ at all times, how to practice honesty in all aspects of
life not discluding being honest with one’s self, and how to treat others with
kindness and maintain an eternal perspective of Christ-like charity for all
fellow-men. Morality reaches beyond the sexual sin and is the measure by which
each may live a life that is magnanimous as is practiced a moral code that
shows a sincere love for one’s fellow being and a deep and abiding love for the
Savior.
This is not a casual thing, this is an urgent
and essential responsibility for the realization of the eternal plan of
salvation of all of God’s children. For this reason, the Savior suffered in the
garden of Gethsemane with an infinite suffering and was nailed to a cross by
his hands and feet. How is this the purpose of Christ’s passion? If each were
to go through life in the imperfect state, even the best, as hard as one might
try, will fall short of the universal standard of the moral law according to
the being of God. During a lifetime of even the most devout individual,
countless infractions of morality will surmount to a state that the individual,
at the bar of justice, regardless of meritable efforts, will be held
responsible for all of the many infractions of falling short of God’s universal
moral law and the chaos they contributed to and will face a like chaos of
eternal suffering.
However, in this existential state of being, with these many, countless
for most, infractions of universal morality, as imperfect as one might be, as
long as the profound practice of repentance is put to sincere and honest use
between the individual and God, the miracle of sincere growth is achieved. But
it is no arbitrary thing that repentance is mandated for progression.
Repentance is mandated because there is balance to be maintained that is
essential to the perpetuation of universal harmony and without repentance there
is punishment. The redemption of the Savior is the gift to all mankind of pure
love that is reality itself in which his infinite suffering allows each of God’s
children the exemption from damnation and the reality of eternal salvation and
exaltation.
The two options are black and white and one
element stands between heaven and hell and this is the atonement, something all
might use pragmatically, striving to raise the bar day by day with each lesson
learned, forever increasing personal standards of morality. The beloved
Savior’s suffering will not be in vain but he can see as his fold reaches its
goal back to the Father to be as Him. When Kant, the Christian philosopher said
“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the
more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and
the moral law within me," he might not have been as aware as Latter-Day
Saints, that these observations are not two separate entities, but are the
universality of the perfect being of the perfect reality manifest in Christ.
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