Guidelines for a Moral Society

I was recently discussing the current political environment and the issues created by government “solutions”. I mentioned to him that with all the experience I’ve had in politics, and because of my religious beliefs, I have come to the conclusion that the only true way to eliminate the problems of the world is to instill a moral society. I spent the rest of the conversation trying to explain how a moral society wouldn’t need government handouts because people would come and help their fellow neighbors; giving examples of how people managed to survive hardship before Medicare, Social Security, and food stamps were invented.

The desire to live in a utopia society is something many LDS people have and still look forward to in mortality. We call this society Zion, but most of us believe it cannot fully happen until the return of Jesus to rain for the final millennium of the earth’s temporal existence. However, there are things we can do to create our own mini Zion within our own homes and lives; being in the world but not of the world.

In W. Cleon Skousen’s book The Cleansing of America, he suggests these 45 principles that we must follow to prepare ourselves for living in a “Zion Society”. Here is my summary of what that list suggests:

  1. Love the Lord thy God
  2. Love your neighbor
  3. Confess God’s hand in all things
  4. Repent
  5. Enter into a Baptismal Covenant
  6. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost
  7. Endure to the end
  8. Value life, yours and others
  9. Be honest with yourself and others
  10. Don’t covet, or want something for nothing
  11. Teach your children truth
  12. Take care of and show respect for your family
  13. Live the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
  14. Save sex strictly for proper godly and lawful marriage
  15. Respect your body, and it’s abilities, don’t abuse them; especially not sexually
  16. Honor your covenants; especially those made to God, don’t use his name in vane
  17. Be fruitful, work and give service
  18. Pay your employees an honest wage
  19. Give your excesses to the poor
  20. Help the helpless
  21. Don’t partake of addictive substances or practices, no illicit drugs, alcohol, or other excesses.
  22. Don’t be easily offended, be a peacemaker seeking for peaceful solutions, not war or contention
  23. Be clean and modest in your appearance
  24. Beautify and take care of your home, or any portion of the earth you have stewardship over
  25. Pray always, in secret with real meaning not vain repetition
  26. Acknowledge and seek to overcome your weaknesses
  27. Build your treasures in heaven, much more so then earthly treasures
  28. Don’t riot or form mobs
  29. Public servants shall not accept bribes
  30. Judge equitably, with equity and fairness, and do your own investigating to uncover the truth
  31. Honor and sustain lawful government
  32. Continually seek for and learn truth
  33. Organize your knowledge, and be prepared to answer questions
  34. Have provisions for emergencies: food storage, supplies, and an emergency fund
  35. Stay out of debt, it must only be used temporarily for basic needs
  36. Don’t gossip or spread rumors
  37. Bear each others burdens, morn with those that morn


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