Such Things Should Be Done Away

In his recent talk in general conference, Elder David L. Buckner suggested where we can look for unity when there is so much division around us. He said, “In a world filled with contention and division, where civil discourse has been replaced with judgment and scorn, and friendships are defined by -isms and -ites, I have come to know that there is a clear, simple, and divine example we can look to for unity, love, and belonging. That example is Jesus Christ. I testify that He is the great unifier.” Indeed, we see that with the Lamanite and Nephites when the Savior came among them. One of His purposes in being there was to unify them, and His presence among them was so powerful that they lived in unity for many decades after He left. He taught them during His first day among them, “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away” (3 Nephi 11:29-30). He made it very clear that getting rid of contention was very important to Him. And then one of the last things He did among them was to make sure they were unified around Him in the name of the church: “And the Lord said unto them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing?... Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you” (3 Nephi 27:4, 9). He ended the dispute and unified them around Him because that’s what the Father wanted. Their unity was evident after He left, for within two years, “They had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.” Mormon summarized, “And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (4 Nephi 1:3, 15). They were unified in their love for God and their faith in Jesus Christ, and this helped them overcome all contention.

               In our society today, especially at the time of elections, it seems we couldn’t get much further from that goal of ridding ourselves of contention. Elder Buckner gave us hope, though, that unity can occur even among very different people through his story about the religious leaders of New York at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, “In May of 2020, just as the world was grappling with the spread of a global pandemic, members of the New York City Commission of Religious Leaders met virtually in an abruptly called meeting. There was no agenda. No special guests. Just a request to come together and discuss the challenges we were all facing as faith leaders…. For these religious leaders, removing the personal ministry, the congregational gathering, and the weekly worship was a devastating blow. Our small group—which included a cardinal, reverend, rabbi, imam, pastor, monsignor, and an elder—listened to, consoled, and supported one another. Instead of focusing on our differences, we saw what we had in common. We spoke of possibilities and then probabilities. We rallied and responded to questions about faith and the future. And then we prayed. Oh, how we prayed.” Even though they all likely differed in how they prayed, they recognized that God was the God of them all and they came together to supplicate Him. Elder Buckner continued, “In a richly diverse city filled with complexity and colliding cultures, we saw our differences dissipate as we came together as friends with one voice, one purpose, and one prayer. No longer were we looking across the table at each other but heavenward with each other. We left each subsequent meeting more united and ready to pick up our ‘shovels’ and go to work. The collaboration that resulted and the service rendered to thousands of New Yorkers taught me that in a world calling for division, distance, and disengagement, there is always much more that unites us than divides us. The Savior pled, ‘Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.’” And so, we should seek unity in our families, among our friends, and in our wards and communities. And even if we vote differently, we can recognize that we are all children of the same Father in Heaven seeking the same happiness for ourselves and our families. Most importantly, we can seek to come unto the Savior and worship Him, inviting all others to do the same no matter how different they are from us.