An LDS Perspective on Political Prisoners
Depiction of Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail You are a child of God. Therefore, it is beneath your dignity to kiss the earthly rings of tyrants and shine the boots of oppressors. Remember that your kingdom, like Christ's, is not of this world. When Jesus taught that we should render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's he meant money. Not souls. Not the dignity and self-possession that is ours by birth. It is against our religion to accept violence from the State—not for ourselves, and not for others. Read D&C 121-123 again. That's what they say. That's what they mean. How can we hold any other position when the Prophet Joseph Smith was executed through vigilante justice? How can we choose false imprisonment for anyone when it was exercised against our own people so many times? The God who told our prophet and our people "fear not what man can do" in the face of state violence will not forgive us if we side with jailers of the innocent. Not in this moment. No...
