Harold B. Lee's BYU 1954 Lecture Series

Many years ago (April, 1981), I attended a stake conference where I had a chance to get better acquainted with  Dean H. Lee, a son of S. Perry Lee, who was the older brother of Harold B. Lee. We had a delightful visit. He was visiting our stake in his assignment as the region's Church Welfare Agent.

Elder Thomas S. Monson

When his father Perry died, then-Elder Thomas S. Monson was a speaker at his funeral on August 17, 1978. In his remarks Elder Monson made reference to a book Perry had given him, one of only ten copies that had been published. The contents, he explained, were a compilation of the teachings of Harold B. Lee to Seminary and Institute instructors on the campus of BYU during the summer of 1954.

While my father, L. Brent Goates, was writing the definitive biography about President Harold B. Lee, he discovered several references in President Lee's diary in that year about the lecture series. It was obvious from his entries that this experience was a source of joy for Elder Lee. He frequently traveled day after day from Salt Lake to Provo in the company of many of his brethren whom he had invited to participate as presenters on particular doctrinal topics.

I told Dean about Dad's efforts in preparing his manuscript for the Harold B. Lee biography, and asked him if he had a copy of the content of the 1954 lecture series. He said he did, and let me borrow his copy. Dad's book was later published as Harold B. Lee: Prophet and Seer.

For many months thereafter I laboriously reworked the content after discovering several missing scriptural references, punctuation and grammatical errors, and confusion over which words were original with Harold B. Lee and which were quoted from other sources. When I was done, I gave my corrected copy to Dad and he and Mom printed a few limited copies for the family. I never had the original manuscript in my hands that was prepared by Uncle Perry until last week after my brother Drew died.

I'm not certain how it came into Drew's possession, but when his son Chris asked me if there were any mementos I would like to have from among his father's personal effects, that was the only thing I could think of that was of interest to me. Drew had shown it to me several years ago, but had been unwilling at the time to part with it for sentimental reasons.

This last week I have been comparing the original manuscript with what I produced. I was delighted to discover Uncle Perry's copy from which I had worked compared favorably.

Now that I have assurance of its accuracy, from time to time I will refer to it going forward. It reminds me of the long-standing reluctance we had in the Church of quoting from the Inspired Version. Since the Reorganized Church had the original manuscript of Joseph Smith's revisions, and we had never been able to verify the content, the Inspired Version was always looked upon as being suspect. Not until Robert Matthews was invited to inspect the original in the archives of the Reorganized Church, did we gain confidence, and now it has been properly enthroned as the "Joseph Smith Translation" and is incorporated extensively in footnotes throughout our canon of scripture.

When visiting my father's ward in recent years, Elder Quentin L. Cook confirmed he was being taught with his other newly ordained contemporaries in the Twelve by President Boyd K. Packer, using this compilation as their shared text. It's a treasure trove of doctrinal insight for which I have been grateful since it came into my possession as a gift from Dean H. Lee.

The Holy Spirit of Promise

Since it is topical and sheds light on my hope and my anticipation of a yet-future reunion with my recently departed brother, Drew, I choose this morning to focus on the topic of the Holy Spirit of Promise.

Elder Harold B. Lee, circa 1954

Here are the words of Elder Harold B. Lee in 1954, as part of his lecture series:

Now to the question of the meaning of the Holy Spirit of Promise. Very often there have been some peculiar ideas with reference to that, ofttimes stemming from those who attempted to make an explanation with not very much understanding. In a sermon by the late Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, on the "Three Degrees of Glory," he said this in explanation of the word of the Lord as contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 76:

[These are they] who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true. (Verse 53).

Elder Ballard makes this explanation:

I would like to pause and emphasize that passage, because, while we receive eternal blessings at the hands of the priesthood which has the right to seal on earth and it shall be sealed in Heaven, this revelation clearly states it must be sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise also.

Now mark you!

A man and woman may by fraud and deception obtain admittance to the house of the Lord and may receive the pronouncement of the holy priesthood, giving to them, so far as lies in their power, these blessings. We may deceive men, but we cannot deceive the Holy Ghost, and our blessings will not be eternal unless they are also sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, the Holy Ghost, one who reads the thoughts and hearts of men and gives his sealing approval to the blessings pronounced upon their heads. Then it is binding, efficacious and of full force. I thank the Lord that there is this provision, so that even though men are able to deceive their brethren, they are not able to deceive the Holy Ghost and thus come into possession of their blessings unless they prove in word, in thought, and in deed their worthiness and righteousness. (Missionary pamphlet, "Three Degrees of Glory," by Melvin J. Ballard, Ogden Tabernacle, Sept. 22, 1922, emphasis mine).

If you have that in mind with respect to the sealing by the Holy Spirit of promise, not only must the marriages to which that had reference be sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, but the Priesthood itself, baptism must be sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, and all eternal covenants before they are to be ours for eternity. You, who go to the temple, if you will listen carefully to the sealing ceremony, you will find that truth clearly taught to dissipate that idea that is ofttimes taught by some (see D&C 132:26) that if one, by some hook or crook, can get into the temple and be married they are assured of an exaltation no matter what they do short of committing the unpardonable sin. If we added three more words to that one verse, "if they repent," we would have what the Lord is trying to tell us. They will receive an exaltation if they repent and receive a forgiveness of their sins if they have not committed the unpardonable sin. But before that time, "they shall be turned over to the buffetings of Satan and they shall be destroyed in the flesh until the day of their redemption." When you understand that, and decide what these words mean, then you will have the terms on which one, who has been blessed and falls short of them, may eventually receive the promised blessings later. (Emphasis mine).

* * *

As I have stated before, it seems to me the pre-eminent qualification for exaltation is repentance. There will be no heirs of that highest degree in the Celestial Kingdom but repentant sinners. The magnitude of those sins and their relative seriousness were all contemplated in the bloody sweat of Gethsemane and the agony of the cross at Golgotha. 

I have witnessed the fulfillment of those words in President Lee's posterity in the passing of my brother Drew. He did everything he could in the flesh to repent of his sins, despite his obvious limitations. He was certainly buffeted by Satan and his minions. On several occasions I had the opportunity to lay my hands on his head and rebuke the evil spirits who tormented him, only to witness their return again and again. 

He is now at peace from the buffetings that destroyed him in the flesh. However, his spirit is free to soar, and I have every assurance his progression will continue in the spirit world to enable him to ultimately and eventually obtain the promised blessings he sought.

Too often in the Church it is my belief we do two things incorrectly: 1) We limit the saving power of the atonement and grace as supernal gifts from our Father in Heaven and His Only Begotten Son; and 2) we measure and compare ourselves against the relative performances of others against the laws the gospel. We demand justice for others, while claiming mercy only for ourselves.

I invite us all to consider more mercy for others.

Even if you're wrong, you'll be at peace and certainly less judgmental.

Democrats and Their Non Sequitur Nonsense

In Latin a "non sequitur" is literally translated as "it does not follow." In effect it is a statement that makes no sense and many such assumptions are constantly on display among Democrats these days.

It seems their solution for solving our debt and deficit problems as a country is to raise taxes. They have proposed or championed during the ongoing debt-limit debate and negotiations some ridiculous ideas about how they think the deficit spending and the total debt can be addressed in this session of Congress.

Here are four proposals to increase taxes and a table showing the approximate amount of time each proposal might "plug" the federal budget deficit, projected in 2011 to be $1.48 trillion (or roughly $4.05 billion per day).

“The four tax increases Democrats have publicly or privately advanced in the deficit reduction debate would reduce the federal deficit by – at most – $40.35 billion a year, a little less than the United States currently borrows every 10 days.

“Even if fully implemented, and even in the unlikely event that these tax hikes do bring in their full projected amount, they will barely make a dent in the deficit, and almost none in a $14.3 trillion national debt.

“These are unserious deficit-reduction proposals -- but they are very serious jobs-reduction proposals.  $40.35 billion is equal to roughly 69,000 average middle class jobs, which cost private businesses about $58,500 each to create.”  (Memo from the Joint Economic Committee).

Do Democrats simply have a death wish? Do they think Americans are stupid? Other countries have figured it out, and America can't? I don't believe it.

They had better get serious soon. Everyone in Washington D.C., including Republicans like Orrin Hatch, have amassed this debt load for many, many years, and now it's time to dismantle the socialist entitlement programs that are really at fault.

Raising taxes just isn't going to do it. They're still playing the class warfare tune that expired a long time ago. If all you can do is get 9 days and 23 hours worth of benefit for all those tax increases on the wealthiest of Americans, better go back to the counting house and keep counting.

Liberty, Freedom, Repentance and Exaltation

On this 4th of July, 2011, a message of liberation and freedom from sin on this wise: The atonement of Jesus Christ is infinite and eternal and more powerful than any of us has surmised.

In recent weeks, events in the lives of two younger brothers have done much to advise my beliefs and buttress my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the gift of personal revelation.

First, brother Hal suffered a massive coronary and the emergency installation of three stents in occluded arteries saved his life. The doctors who attended him estimated he was within minutes of death.

Lesley Drew Goates

Second, while we were all focused on Hal and praying for his recovery, brother Drew died in his sleep, ending a truncated life filled with challenges beyond the normal scope of most mortals.

I have always believed the gospel of Jesus Christ. I cannot remember a time when I did not have a testimony. I find as I have grown older the foundation of my testimony remains strong and is deepening and ripening. I have discovered new insights and perspectives I never imagined as new facets of my faith become exposed to the sunlight of truth.

If I were teaching from the Gospel Principles manual about what is required to obtain exaltation in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, I would likely lay it out in an outline something like this:

Requirements for Exaltation

President Joseph Fielding Smith

The time to fulfill the requirements for exaltation is now (see Alma 34:32-34). President Joseph Fielding Smith said, "In order to obtain the exaltation we must accept the gospel and all its covenants; and take upon us the obligations which the Lord has offered; and walk in the light and understanding of the truth; and 'live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God'" (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:43).

To be exalted, we first must place our faith in Jesus Christ and then endure in that faith to the end of our lives. Our faith in him must be such that we repent of our sins and obey his commandments.

He commands us all to receive certain ordinances:

We must be baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ.
We must receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
We must receive the temple endowment.
We must be married for time and eternity.

In addition to receiving the required ordinances, the Lord commands all of us to --

Love and worship God.
Love our neighbor.
Repent of our wrongdoings.
Live the law of chastity.
Pay honest tithes and offerings.
Be honest in our dealings with others and with the Lord.
Speak the truth always.
Obey the Word of Wisdom.
Search out our kindred dead and perform the saving ordinances of the gospel for them.
Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Attend our Church meetings as regularly as possible so we can renew our baptismal covenants by partaking of the sacrament.
Love our family members and strengthen them in the ways of the Lord.
Have family and individual prayers every day.
Honor our parents.
Teach the gospel to others by word and example.
Study the scriptures.
Listen to and obey the inspired words of the prophets of the Lord.

Finally, each of us needs to receive the Holy Ghost and learn to follow his direction in our individual lives.

Discussion

Why are faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ necessary to become exalted?
What ordinances must we accept in order to become exalted?
What laws does the Lord give us that we must obey to become exalted?
Why must we learn to follow the direction of the Holy Ghost to become exalted?

After We Have Endured to the End

What happens when we have endured to the end in faithful discipleship to Christ? The Lord has said, "If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God" (D&C 14:7). President Joseph Fielding Smith said, "If we will continue in God; that is, keep his commandments, worship him and live his truth; then the time will come when we shall be bathed in the fulness of truth, which shall grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:36). I would emphasize that everything we receive from God in the end is a GIFT, despite what we may think we deserve through our righteous endeavors under the law.

Joseph Smith

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: "When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel -- you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil [died] before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave" (TPJS, 348).

Drew's final stop on his mortal journey was a modest burial plot in the Salt Lake City Cemetery amid the family members who preceded him in death -- my Grandfather Harold B. Lee, his two wives, Fern Lucinda Tanner Lee, Freda Joan Jensen Lee, Uncle Ernest L. Wilkins, Aunt Maurine Lee Wilkins, my mother Helen Lee Goates, and Drew's infant daughter Julie Goates. As I dedicated Drew's grave I was in awe with the revelation that flowed.

Somehow, in a way I may never fully comprehend, his mortal journey now at a merciful terminal point, Drew is on the path leading toward exaltation through little or no merit based upon his performance under the laws of the gospel as outlined above. He did the best he could, but his performance under the law fell woefully short during his mortal probation.

However, he repented for years through prodigious amounts of pain and suffering. I cannot judge the quality or the quantity of his sackcloth and ashes, but I know it was commensurate every day of his mortal probation with the magnitude of his sins.

It is not my intention here to detail his deficiencies, though they were many. There is no purpose to be served by an attempt to wash the dirty family laundry in this day of cyberspace truth telling. Suffice it to say the list of his sins would be comprehensive and infamous. Contrasted with the life of his illustrious grandfather, the 11th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Drew's individual merits for exaltation would be woefully short of the minimum standard required for exaltation in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom.

President Harold B. Lee

If the truth were known, as the eldest grandson of Harold B. Lee, and speaking strictly for myself, I came to understand many years ago that I would never measure up -- the mountain was simply too high, the path too rocky and the topography too steep to ascend to his high and lofty station. Certainly, without any doubt, Drew shared similar sentiments. We all did. To be saved in the celestial kingdom alongside our grandfather is to have to chop some pretty tall timber. He seemed to be more than a mere mortal. Even after all these years one cannot tune into any General Conference, any speaker in any session, without a high probability of hearing a quote from Harold B. Lee.

Imagine a father, the son-in-law of Harold B. Lee, who was desperate to have his posterity measure up, to never deviate from the gospel plan, to keep the commandments with exactness and honor, to magnify their calling to the high and lofty station to which we were called as his posterity, and to live righteous lives within the fishbowl into which we were thrust by his high and holy calling so the whole membership of the Church could see our shining examples in nothing but good works.

Of course, it was a worthy goal, but proved impossible to achieve.

Imagine a president of the Church who fully understood the challenge, who warned us all that Satan desired to have us. "If he cannot get to me," he cautioned, "then he will do everything he can to get to me through all of you."

We were a small family. Grandfather and Nana had two daughters, Maurine and Helen. Between them ten grandchildren emerged. The results in living the laws of the gospel have been a mixed bag in varying stages of exactness and honor. Would that surprise anybody, knowing what you know about your own families? I will not presume to judge any of them, only to summarize that if we are all to be judged by the law without the sweet accompaniment of mercy, we are all doomed -- and I mean all of us.

We did not measure up. We did the best we could, all of us with our respective talents, tendencies, performances and desires, but I am certain all would agree, none of us deserves the high station through entitlement in the eternal worlds ahead that will be accorded Harold B. Lee. Not one of us.

President Thomas S. Monson

As I pronounced the dedicatory prayer over his grave, however, the words of President Thomas S. Monson were still resounding deep within my soul. The funeral cleansed me. The music was heavenly, a violin trio of family members performing "How Great Thou Art" and a male quartet singing "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing."

President Monson was a surprise visitor to Drew's funeral. He slipped into the Relief Society room just as my father was beginning the family prayer. He greeted us and bore a brief testimony after Dad's prayer had been concluded. He quipped to my perpetually shrinking father (now shriveled to about 5' 2" after starting at 6' 1"), "Well Brent, I'm still taller than you."

Then he stopped at one of the pews as he entered the chapel to greet a little grand-daughter, Jenna, who was standing on the bench watching him. He leaned over, taking her by the hands, "Watch my ears," he invited. They wiggled in matched symmetry, then he whispered with a twinkle in his eyes, "I only do that for little girls." (Not really true, because most of us priesthood men recall a General Priesthood Meeting when he did it for the whole Church).

What a gentle giant of love, unstinting service to all, and unmatched good humor. He spoke at the conclusion of the services for Drew. "I want you to know I feel part of the Goates family, the Lee family, and other families who have shown me the way, and I follow their teaching. They aren't gone, they're just away. I want to strive to be with them, and with Drew and with all, when He calls to go with them on high," he said simply in summary. Really? Did I hear that right? You hope to be with my unworthy prodigal brother someday? Did he just turn the requirements of the law on their ear and shake them all upside down with mercy? Was he saying the unworthy prodigal was now somehow more worthy than all of us who are left behind in mortality still toiling under the law? How thankful I am for a living prophet, the servant of all!

He came unannounced with hope, with love and with forgiveness in his heart to bless our grieving hearts. Such is the man and his mantle. The man is a living prophet, a prophet among prophets, a wonderful gift of love from our Heavenly Father to all His children who will accept him as a true servant, one willing to serve, to love, and to bless even the least among us.

As we now think upon the "awful arithmetic of the atonement" in the sweet afterglow of Drew's funeral, we stand in awe of those who lie buried in that hallowed little plot of dirt in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. There are two more still living whose mortal remains will someday take the last two remaining spots. In it all our hope is renewed that all in the family plot will come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, embrace one another and rejoice in the possibility of eternal life together.

Before that time comes, however, there will be ample opportunity for more sincere and wrenching repentance, for growth beyond the grave, and for progression. Because Drew had finally obtained the strait and narrow path in this life, according to his last bishop who also testified at the funeral, Drew will not fall off it again in the spirit world ahead. Don't think for one minute that grace is cheaply obtained, however. The glories of exaltation are not obtained on the cheap, nor are they offered at discount rates. Before he is resurrected Drew will pay the uttermost farthing in remorse.

But perhaps the most powerful lines came from daughter Katie when she wept, "Daddy, I forgive you for everything, and I hope that someday you will forgive me too."

Repentance and forgiveness -- keys to turn in the lock that release all the demons of hell who keep us bound in chains of guilt and remorse in the darkness of secret sins.

I believe there must be an unwritten law of commensurate suffering that attaches somehow to the infinite atonement, requiring accountability for individual sins, and almost unimaginable grief and sorrow for sins despite the promises the pain can be assuaged through accepting Christ's suffering. (See D&C 19).

In my younger brother I witnessed the fulfillment of the miracle of Christ's atonement, which thing I had never before supposed was possible because I had put unwarranted limitations on its magnitude.

When I see myself for what I really am, the unworthy prodigal rather than the righteous older brother, my vision expands and the light shines more brightly on the path of liberty, freedom, repentance and exaltation.

How grateful I am on this Independence Day to know it is possible for me to see Drew again if I live worthy enough. I want to be an eyewitness of his release from the prison of his broken physical body that entrapped his soaring spirit. Now freed from pain, addiction and sin, as I once knew him when he was an innocent child, I expect to be with him again. I have renewed hope and joy in the fulfillment of that promise.

May each of us realize that blessing for ourselves and those we love most.

Gay Marriage and Immigration -- Some Thoughts

Let me make a bold statement -- I do not speak for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on anything. What I do here is totally on me. This blog represents no one but me. I am an agent unto myself, and I take full responsibility for what I think and what I write. If you disagree, I would love to discuss it with you. If you support my conclusions, then come join with me in expressing those opinions more courageously than you have heretofore done, and help spread the love.

In a bipartisan vote in favor of extending marriage rights to gay couples, the New York State Senate passed the bill after provisions protecting churches who opposed the measure were written into the language of the final version. It is significant to some proponents of the LGBT community that the legislature in New York is under Republican Party control. It signals progress to them that other "red" states may soon take up their cause.

New York becomes the sixth state where gay couples can wed, doubling the number of Americans living in a state with legal gay marriage.

It appears the legal ramifications of what is being done to promote the LGBT agenda will continue to be defined by votes in various jurisdictions throughout the country, with many predicting this New York vote will spur momentum in other states to follow suit.

There are many who say, "What's the big deal? If they want to get married, who are we to get in their way?" It is not likely lightning bolts will strike dead gay couples on the courthouse steps when they step out of the shadows to legalize their domestic relationships. The world will not suddenly come to screeching halt because of it, nor will the stock market collapse, the moon be turned to blood, and earthquakes and plagues suddenly break out in response.

Instead, the reality is that life will continue. Oh, except that life is created between a man and woman and it's called procreation and gays and lesbians have no ability to create the life. But I digress. I've written about all of that before. If you are confused about the associated underlying gospel doctrine, please click the link. Study it as passionately as you tend to give heed to the prevailing winds of false doctrine that swirl around your head. Do not let the political winds that blow at gale force turn you away from the foundation of truth that has already been laid for you. God would not have you believe a false doctrine in this benighted world when He has given you light and truth in unfailing doses of brilliant illumination.

I have been thinking this morning in the wake of this news what it really means for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose leaders stand shoulder to shoulder with other religions in opposition. The Church's opposition in California to the Prop 8 ballot initiative seeking to legalize gay marriage there in recent years is an example of what can be forecast into the future on this issue. New York may the be latest fatality in the onward spread of LGBT thinking, but the Church's opposition will not abate.

On the immigration front here in Utah, we have seen as recently as last week a referendum of sorts on the Church's benign and humanitarian stance. Critics of the position of the Church have openly stated they prefer to uphold the platform of the national GOP and the state GOP that opposes any and all attempts short of 100% enforcement of border security. They criticize the Church for not screaming at the federal government to do its job. The delegates I saw in action at last week's state GOP convention who were determined to send a message were predominantly members of the Church. It seems they are more interested in upholding and sustaining the platform of the Republican Party than they are of the stated position of the leaders of their Church.

They adamantly cite the 12th Article of Faith:  “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.” They contend the Church can't have it both ways, picking and choosing which laws they obey, honor and sustain. It's as if they want to hold the Church accountable for the federal government's inability or unwillingness to carry out its constitutional duties. If the Church makes a determination on the grounds of the federal government's failure to act to enforce immigration laws, that is something completely different than asserting the Church is not adhering to the tenets of the 12th Article of Faith.

It seems the members of the Church will have to be tested yet again in these times over this question: Will they come out in support of popular issues like gay marriage and immigration enforcement in opposition to the public positions the Church's leaders have taken, or will they align their thinking, writing and speaking with their leaders?

I have answered that question for myself. I will stand with the Brethren. Scroll down the comment page until you see the post by "goatesnotes" -- that would be me.

I have cited my reasons in past posts, but some of it bears repeating this morning in the wake of this latest challenge to the stated positions the Church has taken. Some ask, "Why does the Church get involved in these controversies? Why don't they just mind their own business and let people do what they want? Don't they believe in free agency?"

In matters involving morality, the Church has an obligation and duty to its members to lead out and give direction. The Church will never violate the exercise of moral agency, but it will offer guidance and direction while leaving the final decision in the hands of the individual. In both controversies, the LGBT agenda and immigration, the Church is doing nothing more than restating the time-honored Christian traditions of what constitutes the true definition of marriage between a man and a woman, and advocating the need for humanitarian considerations in our treatment of immigrants without regard to their legal status.

Because I have already addressed the LGBT issues in the past, this morning I'll flesh out the immigration debate in more detail.

Winston Churchill

In a radio broadcast in 1939, Winston Churchill, speaking about Russia said: "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest."

If we were to attempt to unravel the riddle of the current state of immigration in this country, perhaps that is where we must start -- the national interest of the politicians we have elected to represent our individual interests. This much is certain: the federal government has failed to secure our borders in the aftermath of 9/11 and continues to dither without any forward progress toward addressing the practical realities of the presence of some 12 million undocumented residents who are here illegally. Why is that true?

The cynic would say, and who would contradict, it's because they represent a block of voters that must be wooed. Why has there been little but token effort to secure our borders? Why has comprehensive immigration reform legislation at the federal level been blocked again and again? It seems as if a false choice has been erected -- amnesty or deportation -- so why can't we take a vote, pass laws and come to some agreement? Why do we permit identity theft, document fraud, employers who hire illegals knowingly, and give access to our schools, our health care and other services knowingly without any political will to enforce the laws we already have on the books both in the states and at the federal level?

The simple answer is we seem to lack the political willpower in the halls of Congress in Washington D.C. to do anything about it. The federal government has abdicated one of its few expressed powers granted to it in the Constitution -- to secure the national interest -- and many of its elected representatives have breached their oath of office to defend us from all enemies foreign and domestic.

So, if that case can be made that the federal government has been derelict in its duty and it has a perceived political benefit in doing so (wooing potential voters with a wink and a nod with a free pass over their true identities), what comes next? At that point is civil disobedience justified and to what extent? Can a state pass a law requesting a waiver from the federal government to collect taxes so the revenues generated under the bill can be utilized to take enforcement steps against crime within the borders of its state? Shall federalism -- the argument over which powers are the states' and which the federal government's -- finally be defined by such a course of action? Stay tuned, that's what this is all about.

Arizona responded with a harsh enforcement law designed to put teeth into the growing problem it faced along its borders. Not wanting to repeat the same mistake in Utah, a coalition came together around a document entitled the "Utah Compact." It laid out five basic principles, beliefs really, about how legislators should go about putting together legislation attempting to address the immigration issue:

THE UTAH COMPACT
A DECLARATION OF FIVE PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE UTAH’S IMMIGRATION DISCUSSION

FEDERAL SOLUTIONS Immigration is a federal policy issue between the U.S. government and other countries — not Utah and other countries. We urge Utah’s congressional delegation, and others, to lead efforts to strengthen federal laws and protect our national borders. We urge state leaders to adopt reasonable policies addressing immigrants in Utah.

LAW ENFORCEMENT  We respect the rule of law and support law enforcement’s professional judgment and discretion. Local law enforcement resources should focus on criminal activities, not civil violations of federal code.

FAMILIES  Strong families are the foundation of successful communities. We oppose policies that unnecessarily separate families. We champion policies that support families and improve the health, education and well-being of all Utah children.

ECONOMY  Utah is best served by a free-market philosophy that maximizes individual freedom and opportunity. We acknowledge the economic role immigrants play as workers and taxpayers. Utah’s immigration policies must reaffirm our global reputation as a welcoming and business-friendly state.

A FREE SOCIETY  Immigrants are integrated into communities across Utah. We must adopt a humane approach to this reality, reflecting our unique culture, history and spirit of inclusion. The way we treat immigrants will say more about us as a free society and less about our immigrant neighbors. Utah should always be a place that welcomes people of goodwill.

Out of that modest beginning came Utah's HB116, an attempt to pass legislation at the state level designed to go as far as a state could in taking on the practical realities of dealing with an immigrant population, taking into account their illegal status, and providing a path forward for them that respected the humanitarian needs of those affected.

Yes, the legislators were warned in advance that on its face it was unconstitutional because it was asking for a waiver from the federal government to allow it to collect taxes normally passed along to the feds, but pass it did and it was done knowingly. It was based in large measure on the need to preserve families that were being broken up because of the absence of federal guidance and hit-and-miss enforcement that left everyone grappling with what to do -- arrest and deport, ignore and co-exist, embrace or reject. But at a deeper level, it sought to define where we draw the line on enforcement -- go after the criminals, not the hard-working law-abiding aliens who are honestly seeking a better life in America.

The Church buttressed the legislation that was signed into law by the governor with a restatement of its long-held position on the matter. In part, the Church reaffirmed: "What to do with the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants now residing in various states within the United States is the biggest challenge in the immigration debate. The bedrock moral issue for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is how we treat each other as children of God."

And therein, a simple statement of belief based upon a moral principle -- how we treat each other as children of the same Father in Heaven -- has the Church set its statement before us to accept or reject. It troubles me that perhaps some of us have gotten our priorities out of sync. It seems about half of us Republican Mormons in Utah are more interested in what the Party thinks than what the Brethren do.

If it came to a showdown, and you were standing before your precinct to be elected as a state delegate, how would you respond? Would you swear an oath of allegiance to the state Republican Party platform to get elected, or would you stand on the moral principles as outlined by the Church in seeking a humanitarian approach to a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma?

I have enough confidence in the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to believe they are aided by revelation in their attempts to unravel even the peskiest Gordian knots of gay marriage and immigration.

How about you?

Mike Lee and "The Pledge"

Today in the Cannon House Office Building Caucus Room, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) will participate in a press conference with many of his colleagues to introduce a topic he hinted at when he spoke to the Utah Republican Party Organizing Convention last weekend here in Utah.

The topic of today's press conference is to announce "The Pledge;"

I pledge to urge my Senators and Member of the House of Representatives to oppose any debt limit increase unless all three of the following conditions have been met:


Cut - Substantial cuts in spending that will reduce the deficit next year and thereafter.


Cap - Enforceable spending caps that will put federal spending on a path to a balanced budget.


Balance - Congressional passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution -- but only if it includes both a spending limitation and a super-majority for raising taxes, in addition to balancing revenues and expenses.

Laugh if you want -- "yeah, right, would any politician actually commit to such a path?" -- but I for one salute the junior senator from Utah for his unrelenting determination to change the "business as usual" approach to what's going on among lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

I'm going to be interested in how many like-minded people there are, who will actually take steps to address the details of our spending as a nation. The Federal Reserve has downgraded its projections for growth in the economy from two-month-old estimates. I'm guessing the conflagration of tripwires in the economy is going to force a resolution among lawmakers, not because they will voluntarily sign up for distasteful political realities, but because conditions will compel them to finally get serious.

At the press conference remarks will also be offered by Senators Hatch, DeMint, Rubio and others.

I don't know about any of you, but I for one am grateful for these men who have the guts to take on the problem without apologies to the go-along-to-get-along crowd that has put us in the financial jeopardy we find ourselves as a nation. Until this moment in time, nothing like this has happened, and I credit an aroused electorate for putting the pressure on the elected representatives.

It's why we sent Mike Lee to Washington. If not in 2012, then in the cycle after that in 2014, the Senate must turn over into a filibuster-proof majority with enough votes to turn the Republic around. Today's press conference is only a good start. . . but,

I like the direction it's going. . .