Freedom is often misunderstood.  This means that arguments, positions, and claims for freedom are just as often flawed and in many cases lacking.  This is not new, and people have been discussing and striving for their ideal version of freedom ever since (and before) the very beginning.

In the pre-existence when our heavenly father proposed his plan of salvation to his children and asked for a volunteer to be the savior, there was already a mistaken understanding of freedom.  Lucifer, as an eager volunteer, claimed that he could truly ‘free’ everyone once and for all, by relieving them – or helping them be ‘free’ from – the responsibilities of choosing for themselves.  Thus, he offered a false sense of freedom (freedom from the possibility of failure, and freedom from progression and learning).  Please note that his plan for total freedom for us also included himself being ‘free’ from the responsibilities of actually being a savior.¹

The very first family on earth also includes a reference to this false sense of freedom, when Cain – after being encouraged by the master deceiver himself that he would somehow be a true master, and ‘get gain’ by being ‘free’ from his brothers unfair yoke, he “rose up against Abel, his brother, and slew him”.  Following this murder, “Cain gloried in that which he had done, saying: I am free; surely the flocks of my brother falleth into my hands”.²

The Book of Mormon is also full of individuals desiring to be ‘free’ from restrictions.  Laman and Lemuel repeatedly murmured about the ‘hard things’ required of them, and they often expressed the desire to be ‘free’ from Nephi and Lehi’s teachings and expectations.  Korihor claimed that the people (followers of Christ) were “bound down under a foolish and vain hope”, and further referenced that belief as a “yoke”.³ King Noah, his followers, and then many of the Lamanites and the kingmen that follow all throughout the remaining Book of Mormon stories repeatedly want to be ‘free’ from the burden or bonds of responsibility and duty (as required by society and order).  But, because I love his example so much, I am going to highlight what I think is one of the best examples of this false freedom – Giddianhi.⁴

Giddianhi was a guy that wanted to be free.  Free from anything and anyone that told him what to do or how he should live his life.  He had a bunch of friends who liked to be free as well, so they dissented (to dissent is to hold or express opinions that are at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially expressed) from the Nephites and the authoritative governing body.  By dissenting (and choosing to leave), he and his band of friends were totally free.  Free from the oppressive rule of society and its norms, expectations, rules, laws, and on an on.  With his new freedom, he convinced many others that life outside of the government and its societal yoke was much better – and many listened and joined him in his utopian refuge of freedom.  The only problem that Giddianhi encountered was that his little band grew to a big band fairly quickly – since everyone loves the idea of freedom (especially Giddianhi’s version of it), his followers soon looked to him (as the leader of the free people) to provide them with their daily sustenance (food, shelter, clothing, support) in order to stay alive and they likely asked him several times about the details of this new society (where the food was, who was cooking them dinner, who was planting the crops or raising their flocks – and other things that a rule-laden society would produce through responsibility and the yoke of bondage also known as a market or economy or industry or just bondage).  Suddenly, his freedom seemed a whole lot like bondage.  He was bound to his promise of freedom from all cares and responsibilities.  He soon realized that freedom from sowing is also freedom from reaping.

So, being a smart man, Giddianhi (like many others before him) just stole stuff.  They began to lay waste to all of the cities that were nearby, and stole the food and other necessary items in order to survive.  After all, true freedom means you are free to do whatever you want right?  Yep, his community really is the best.  Nobody could tell Giddianhi what he could and couldn’t do – he was the only one who could decide what was right and wrong, and just taking whatever you want seemed like a nice plan to everybody.

Eventually, Giddianhi’s dream world of free people started to look bleak, as the cities and towns that his people laid waste to weren’t spontaneously being rebuilt and the fields and flocks that they had plundered and eaten were not being replanted with food in order to sustain the appetite of his ever growing band of robbers and let’s be honest, Giddianhi isn’t going to rebuild or restore them.  That’s too much work.  That is why he dissented from the Nephites in the first place – too much responsibility and not enough freedom.

So, the law abiding citizens burdened under the yoke of bondage (the kind of bondage that drove Giddianhi and his fellow dissenters away) decided (under the wise leadership of Lachoneous and Gidgidonni) to move in together and store all their food in one central location to avoid being plundered continuously by Giddianhi and his robbers.  After this move, Giddianhi’s newfound freedom left him with limited options – mostly since they were unwilling to actually work for anything.  Somehow, the very freedom he claimed to embrace was the source of his stopped progression.  He was certainly free from the Nephite rules and laws, but he was not free at all.⁵

Realizing his plight, Giddianhi wrote a letter to the governor of the Nephites in a desperate attempt to sway the government (which they had dissented from) to provide for his needs without any effort on his part.  He politely asked (or demanded) Lachoneous through this letter to give him all of their food, lands, possessions, and the power of government – and then he adds the kicker – “that this my people (the band of robbers) may recover their rights and government, who have dissented away from you because of your wickedness in retaining from them their rights of government”.⁶

This band of robbers led by Giddianhi considered anything that prevented them from being government leaders and having slaves with no effort on their own part (similar to what king Noah was) as ‘wickedness’. All of the societies and laws that make up a good nation with hard work and cooperation is just labeled as bondage to them. They feel that this way of leadership (free of responsibility but somehow full of all the available benefits) is their ‘right’.

This is remarkably similar to people today that think it is their ‘right’ to act any way they please, and that anyone who opposes their personal thought process is bigoted, racist, sexist, or has directly wronged them in some way. And when others don’t agree with their view of ‘freedom’ they shout to the world and all who will hear that they have been wronged, and demand retribution by their rights of ‘freedom’ to which they are obviously entitled.

Just to recap how ridiculous this stance is, Giddianhi’s letter could really read something like this:

Dear Lachoneus,

Me and my merry band of robbers like your city. In fact, we like your city so much we want to live there. We want to plunder and steal all of your crops, buildings, and everything else. It would be so much easier for us if you just let us have it. That way, my ‘warriors’ don’t get tired and nobody gets killed (and because if you and your people are dead, nobody will be around to keep the flocks, plant the crops, and really keep life going – because we don’t know how to and don’t want to do it for ourselves).

 Further, and because I want to justify this stance in some way, we feel that it is our right to rule over you. Why you ask? Well, because we don’t like the way the laws are set up and we don’t like the rules you have.  They aren’t fair to us and they don’t provide a way for us to not work and still enjoy all the benefits.  After all, that’s why most of us ‘dissented’ from you in the first place. We think in our minds that we should rule over you, (and you didn’t let us rule over you while we were there) and that makes you wicked therefore we think it is our ‘right’ to rule over you now (again/still).

 Please understand noble Lachoneus, that we have no intentions of being civil, instituting or living by justice, common sense, reality, or anything else (because we are totally free) and if left to ourselves we will probably run the city and your crops into the ground like we’ve done elsewhere because it would be hard work to maintain order and keep up with everything, and we both know that’s one of the reasons we ran away and complained about your system in the first place.  So, in summary, please give us your city because we can’t build or maintain any of our own.

 Giddianhi

If we think that freedom is being ‘free’ from any and all rules, responsibilities, duties, restrictions, expectations, or any other external factor that we feel prevents us from being truly free to do whatever we want, whenever we want, for no other reason that our simple desire – we have a very limited view of freedom – we limit it to our being free from something – and by doing that we prevent ourselves from actually being free to something.  Freedom to something is the actual capacity and resources and ability to make a choice – or do something.  I can enjoy the temporary feeling of being free from my piano teacher, but not without forfeiting my freedom to actually learn how to play the piano.  The freedom to play the piano by necessity includes bondage to practice.

Freedom, the true and real and lasting kind of freedom – is binding.  It permanently binds us to things (especially responsibilities).  Just ask Moroni, who indicated to Zerahemnah that “the sacred support, which we owe to our wives and our children, by that liberty which binds us…”⁷ was in fact the very thing that strengthened them (allowing them to prevail in battle).  Pahoran, in his epic response to Moroni’s scathing letter, also indicated that “the spirit of freedom” is in fact “the spirit of God”⁸ and I don’t think for one second that God acts the same way as Giddianhi (wishing to be free from his duties).  God has a whole lot of responsibility on his plate, and yet, somehow he is the freest of all beings.

Somehow, somewhere we got confused and forgot that true freedom isn’t the fairy tale idea of not having anyone to answer to, or having any responsibilities, or any authority figures at all.  Too many complain that “they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; nothwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them”.⁹

Before we think that this is just a political context, – please know that this is most definitely a universal context and a family context – and that freedom from one thing is slavery to another.  “Freedom from evil is slavery to goodness”.¹⁰

There are many in the world today who act like Giddianhi and ‘free’ themselves of the duties, responsibilities, and expectations of any long-term commitment (including commitments they have made contractually) all while claiming that it is their ‘right’ to avoid or leave any commitment if at any time it suits their fancy (i.e. when it gets hard or inconvenient or they just get tired) or if they’d simply like to be ‘free’ of all the interference.  If however, (and when) we fail to give ourselves an excuse or an alternative (when we bind ourselves fully) – the untapped capacity to dig deeper inside us is triggered, and suddenly we understand what the ‘bonds’ of freedom really are.  “In this sense, our bonds are our liberation.  Until being ‘forced’ by such voluntary commitment, we may never tap into the reservoirs of strength and compassion we carry within ourselves”.¹¹

In our effort to be free from the obstacles that would prevent our progress, let’s not hesitate when we see the bonds of liberation being offered to us by the Lord.

 

 

Notes

1. If people are not allowed to choose between good and bad, they will never choose badly, and thus there will be no sin. If there is no sin, there is no need for repentance and no need for a savior to take upon himself the pains and sickness of his people in order to overcome death and redeem them from sin.  Thus, Satan proposed a way to save everyone without having to actually save anyone or do anything at all except ‘free’ everyone from the positive and spiritual development opportunities brought about by the effects of sin (grief, guilt, remorse, humility, repentance, increased love, service, etc.).
2. Moses 5:31-33
3. Alma 30:13 (see also verse 23 referencing ordinances)
4. Colby mentioned some of Giddianhi’s qualities here.
5. We all complain about school and the never ending assignments, projects, tests, etc. (wishing to be free from them) without realizing that the bondage of school is the very thing that makes us free to be something by giving us options in life and for a career.
6. This letter is so awesome, and one blog post cannot do it justice – so please read the entire story found in 3 Ne. 3 (and surrounding chapters).
7. Alma 44:5
8. Alma 61:15
9. 12:6
10. This is a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. (as quoted by Tim Ballard in The Lincoln Hypothesis) pg. 207.
11. The Belonging Heart, by Bruce C. and Marie K Hafen. 182