Three-horns Never Play with Long-necks...

Lately, I've been reading the book "Life's Lessons Learned" by Dallin H.Oaks.


I just read one or two brief chapters right before bed each night and mark my favorite passages with blue post-it notes.




I need more post-it notes.

Here is something from the chapter called "Sins vs. Mistakes" that I felt was important to share given the political circumstances that we members of the church will face in the coming year.

Speaking at BYU in 1994 about "Sins vs. Mistakes," Elder Oaks says,

"Both sins and mistakes can hurt us and both require attention, but the scriptures direct a different treatment [for each]." 

"Chewing on a live electrical cord or diving headfirst into water of uncertain depth are mistakes that should be made known so that they can be avoided.  

"Violations of the commandments of God are sins that require chastening and repentance...we should not require repentance for mistakes, but we are commanded to preach the necessity of repentance for sins..."


"The distinction between sins and mistakes is important to our actions in the realm of politics and public policy debates.  We have seen some very bitter finger-pointing among Latter-day Saints who disagree with one another on the policies a government should follow, the political parties they should support, or the persons they should elect as public servants.  Such disagreements are inevitable in representative government.  But it is not inevitable that they should result in the personal denunciations and bitter feelings described in the press or encountered in personal conversations."


"We put political disagreements in the appropriate context when we remember that even if our political adversaries are making the wrong choice (as we suppose), that is generally a matter of error (mistake) rather than transgression (sin).  (Of course, there are some public policies so intertwined with moral issues that there may be only one morally right position, but that is rare)..." 


Now this is me talking:  To become a more "Zion-like people," we need to be respectful of one another, even during an election year.