Mormonism’s The Rule of Law To some LDS leaders, the phrase “rule of law” claims a righteousness in the U.S. Constitution. To them, this divinity invites into the law Judeo- Christian principles. Is it this claimed feature that legitimizes Church involvement in politics? In the May 27 Church section of the Deseret News, the First Presidency stated that it “rarely takes a position on pending legislation and does so only when it involves an important moral issue.” Is there an implied Constitutional moral substance known to LDS leaders? Do these moral substances supersede the religious neutrality stated in the Constitution’s First Amendment? Does law depend upon this moral substance to legitimize it? Does this imply a Mormon responsibility for the “rule of law?” Are there answers to these questions?

Claude J. Burtenshaw