It looks like the church has released another essay on citizenship and the government. It's not very long, but it appears to have the same format as the others. Has anyone else noticed this one?

https://www.lds.org/topics/citizenship?lang=eng

"With respect to freedom of religion, governments are responsible to not prescribe “rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion . . . [or] suppress the freedom of the soul”

No, that job is left to religions and more specifically, TSCC.

on other words, governments should turn a blind eye to intentional deception and fraud, if conducted in the name of religion.

I asked the following question on lds.net. I wonder how they will respond.

Do you think governments should turn a blind eye to deception and fraud if it is conducted in the name of religion? I'm not talking about the LDS church specifically, but with other organized religions, if it is provable that they are giving a false persona and have false motives, and/or are provably saying things which the leaders of the organized religion know is false or unlikely, for their benefit, another's benefit, or for undue control through half truths, false promises, and exaggerated negative consequences that elicit unneccesary thoughts of fear, over-riding rational thought and agency (much like a sex offender manipulating under age youth or the mentally unstable). Another thing to consider is that this fraudulant conduct would also have a negative impact, whether intentional or unintentionally, on the mental welfare, monetary welfare, and on the security of those not involved as adherrants of the fraudulent faith, through the culture instilled.

http://www.lds.net/forums/general-discussion/59033-do-you-think-governments-should-turn-blind-eye-deception-fraud.html#post802606

The moderator is suspicious. S/He is asking which specific incident are you referring to. Tell them scientology in France. T he parallels to LDS are obvious but they will be oblivious. The temple is true and tithing is God's law. But auditing is bogus and selling that is fraud..

The LDS church has been condemming others faiths as an "abomination" and 'teaching for doctrines the commandments of men". hence they are the one and only true religion. So they send out 80,000 missionaries to expose the fraud the other religions are without saying so in words.

They left out the fact that Heavenly Father hates socialized medicine, maybe next essay.

Seems to me like it's aimed at gay marriage and Prop 8 being overturned by judges.

"Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, believed in the voice of the people, saying, “It is rare that the public sentiment decides immorally or unwisely, and the individual who differs from it ought to distrust and examine his own opinion.”

The voice of the people supposedly spoke on gay marriage in California and should have stood...but no...

TSCC is just a good citizen getting involved with Prop 8, the ERA and practically every law ever written in Utah. Any attempts to reign them in is religious persecution.

DOH! Why didn't I see that sooner?

This essay is supposed to address the issue without actually stating it.

"Governments are instituted of God, for the benefit of Man."

Wow, just two questions;

1. Is this the same government that BY advocated overthrowing?

2. What about the governments of Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot, were they instituted of God as well?

"Governments are instituted of God...."

Evidence to back up this sweeping statement? I suspect TSCC would just say that it started with Adam. Yeah, that imaginary dude who governed his naked wife, raised kids (one of which murdered another) and encouraged incest and inbreeding.

Good start God.

maybe it's because the morg is playing both sides of the illegal immigration here in the USA?