"The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin."
Deuteronomy 24:16
This is in the middle of a list of laws that were given in the Old Testament, and it is a good law as it stands... no punishing the family of a person for something that they didn't do. Also, in a more abstract sense, it applies to the fall: "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression" (Articles of Faith 1:2). As I was reading it today though, I was thinking of grudges, and feuds, and lifetimes of resentment.
Just as with the Lamanites and the Nephites in the Book of Mormon, we have bitterness and disharmony in our world today that stems from the past. Some of the grudges span the continents. Some of them are in our own backyards. Some of them we are starting ourselves, as we avoid and disown our own family members, or hate our neighbors.
Whatever the issues between us, let's remember today to not start something that can get out of control. Let's *never* indulge in hatred based on labels, or teach our children to hate certain kinds of people. Let's instead try to heal and calm and unite. Let's get to know each other as individuals, and let's resolve individual concerns and not participate in global discriminatory ones.
Deuteronomy 24:16
This is in the middle of a list of laws that were given in the Old Testament, and it is a good law as it stands... no punishing the family of a person for something that they didn't do. Also, in a more abstract sense, it applies to the fall: "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression" (Articles of Faith 1:2). As I was reading it today though, I was thinking of grudges, and feuds, and lifetimes of resentment.
Just as with the Lamanites and the Nephites in the Book of Mormon, we have bitterness and disharmony in our world today that stems from the past. Some of the grudges span the continents. Some of them are in our own backyards. Some of them we are starting ourselves, as we avoid and disown our own family members, or hate our neighbors.
Whatever the issues between us, let's remember today to not start something that can get out of control. Let's *never* indulge in hatred based on labels, or teach our children to hate certain kinds of people. Let's instead try to heal and calm and unite. Let's get to know each other as individuals, and let's resolve individual concerns and not participate in global discriminatory ones.
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