I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a freshman at BYU. I am currently taking a religion class on the Book of Mormon. Last week we talked about a specific section in this book that discusses our ability to make decisions and freely act for ourselves. We discussed several prerequisites for the ability to truly be free to act. One of those prerequisites was the knowledge of good and evil. If we do not understand what is right and wrong then we will not be able to truly be free to make choices. Yes we can still choose between two options, but without knowledge of the moral quality of our options our choices won’t really mean anything. If I don’t understand that lying is wrong then the choice between being honest and being dishonest will not really hold much importance.
If we didn’t understand right and wrong our choices wouldn’t mean as much. My professor expanded upon this by stating that, consequently, if we learn more about the difference between right and wrong, through reading the scriptures and words of modern prophets, then our freedom and ability to choose will increase. This doesn’t initially sound like a very attractive idea, because, as I stated earlier, the more we know about right and wrong the more weight our choices have and the more accountable we become. The more we know the greater the potential punishment.
Ever since Adam and Eve, mankind has been free to choose for themselves.
Think of, for example, our justice system. Once you turn 18 it is assumed that you understand morals sufficiently and can make adequate judgments. You can now receive greater penalties for breaking the law. Additionally I will expand on the honesty example I gave earlier. The more we understand about what is honest and what is not, the more honest we have to be. Yet, a greater understanding of good and bad brings not only greater potential for punishment, but also greater potential for reward and happiness. Just as Adam and Eve could not have progressed if left in their innocent state, so also we cannot progress if we do not gain an understanding of right and wrong.
As I mentioned before, the more we know about good and evil the more weight our choices have. In a positive perspective, if we then make good choices they will mean more. Happiness comes as we choose the right and greater happiness can come as we strive to gain a greater understanding of the distinction between good and evil and then choose the good.
This article was written by Zach S., a student at Brigham Young University and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Zach is interested in math and science and enjoys running, soccer, and ultimate Frisbee.
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