In the next few weeks we pass through a series of commemorations and holidays that deal with freedom. We’ve already had Flag Day. Juneteenth followed five days later. Tomorrow is the anniversary of Joseph and Hyrum Smith’s martyrdom. In the U.S. Independence Day is just 8 days later. In France Bastille Day is on July 14th, and in Utah Pioneer Day is on July 24th. In just about six weeks the contested idea of freedom is presented to us six times, asking different questions each time.

How have we participated? Most of the time we limit our participation to performative actions: We fly the flag, we signal to others that we remember, we make sure everybody knows that we are connected and behind a vague idea of freedom. We perform that we believe in the vague idea and that we are part of the ‘right’ group.

Too often this performance comes down to demonstrating which side we are on in national arguments. The right shows off by flying flags, carrying arms and claiming to support the police. The left argues by flying different flags,, demonstrating and claiming to support the poor. But the vast majority on both sides are just showing off their sympathy for their tribe—our actions are limited to a performance.

None of this is new. Parley P. Pratt talked about it in his poetry collection, The Millennium (1835), the first published collection of LDS poetry. His poem “Charity and True Patriotism” says, in part:

Charity and True Patriotism

Behold the man whose tender heart

Expanded with a Saviour’s love,

Wide as eternity expands,

His bowels with compassion move.

He looks on Zion from afar,

He hears her captive exiles groan.

Then leaves his wife and children dear,

His brethren and his peaceful home,

And hastens at his Lord’s command

To call his brethren from afar,

As volunteers for Zion’s land,

That in her sorrows they may share.

He dare assert her injured cause,

And sound the trump of freedom when

They trample on his country’s laws,

And disregard both God and man.

…

He is, of course, referring to Zion’s Camp, and suggesting that when we believe in a cause, we need to do more than simply performing our belief—we need to act. Pratt also points out that his opponents “trample on his country’s laws, / And disregard both God and man.” Does that seem like something you’ve heard recently?

A big part of what I’m describing here comes from our tendency to perform which side we belong to—which tribe, which group, which Borg collective we have claimed. No matter how carefully you have thought through your beliefs, what good is that thought if you don’t find a significant way to use those beliefs to bless the whole world? While its important that your “tender heart” expands “with a Saviour’s love” and your “bowels with compassion move”, its even more important that you “volunteer for Zion’s land.” You should “dare assert her injured cause, / And sound the trump of freedom.”

Another part of what I’m talking about asks us to think about whether we are just in a tribe, or Borg collective, or whether we are carefully thinking about what we are doing. Pratt is arguing for those convinced to push forward the cause. He assumes that everyone has been convinced and is certain that they’re seeking the righteous. I’m constantly surprised at how little thought is behind the beliefs of my fellow citizens—they don’t want immigration, but don’t know anything about why immigrants want to come here or what kinds of things would keep them from coming. They focus on the fact that others are violating the law, but somehow ignore their own violations of the law (yes, running a red light and speeding are just as much against the law as overstaying a visa). Or they want more spending for their priorities, but don’t want higher taxes—it’s always someone else’s spending priorities that are illegitimate. I could go on.

Too often there isn’t careful thought behind what we want or which group we’ve joined. We effectively join a Borg collective, never thinking about what the collective wants and instead following mindlessly the latest idea promulgated by the loudest voices in the collective, and sharing mindlessly the latest message, tweet, post, etc. that appeared in their social media feeds. We need to think carefully about what we believe, and about what group we belong to advocates. Does what the group says really align with our values? More importantly, for Mormons, does our group align well with the gospel? with the scriptures? with our doctrine?

Too often I don’t see how it’s possible. The worst argument, IMO, is that even though the leader of our group is shockingly immoral, he has been chosen by God, like Darius of old. What? Are you serious? You are willing to be complicit in evil to reach your political goals? Are they really worth that much evil?

I have not attempted to hide my political positions on Times and Seasons. I’m convinced that the current administration is evil and should be legally removed as soon as possible. They have treated as an inconvenience the U.S. Constitution, ignored its provisions and in the process they have “trample[d] on [our] country’s laws, / And disregard[ed] both God and man.”

And this worries me not just for what the current administration is doing, but also for what it means that the next administration might do. When the pendulum swings back the other way (as it usually does), will that new administration take the excesses of the current one and go one step further? How many swings of the pendulum will we have before actions like January 6th become the norm instead of a, now-legitimated, aberration? Personally, I think January 6th was too far, but the current administration has effectively said to those involved that they did nothing wrong. Given this, how do we stop the pendulum from swinging?

Too often the response I see from my fellow church members is just the same old performative things, flying the flag, posting mindless things on social media, and showing off that they are faithful to a group whose actions are immoral or that they would condemn if they were from their enemies. When do we act to save the U.S. Constitution? Is it hanging by a thread yet?

Can we please start thinking about what we’re doing? Can we go beyond joining a Borg collective? Can we make sure that our values align with what we are performing?

And, when we have done that, can we do more than just performing? Can we “volunteer for Zion’s land” even if that means “that in her sorrows we may share.”