Rules

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I've been rather involved in a couple of blog discussions recently about how Evangelical Christians and Latter-day Saints interact, and in the midst of all this, a discussion about rules for LDS missionaries has developed. In an effort to not sidetrack the original posts on those blogs, but to still let my thoughts flow free, I thought I'd pose a question to you folks out there reading this blog:

What is the purpose of having rules?

I've been pondering this question for far too long, I'm sure, but I still haven't really come up with a definite, satisfactory answer, but I'd be glad to know your thoughts on the matter. So please, share with the class!

Comments

Unknown said…
Do you mean "why do missionaries have rules" or "why do we (in general) have rules"?

One answer to the former question might be: to establish discipline. Perhaps you could even say, to establish the expectations of a contract (or in religious parlance, a covenant). Now, understanding somewhat where Evangelicals are coming from theologically, I'd venture to say they might have a problem with that kind of answer-- ultimately discussions between our respective groups tend to lead to each side judging the other side's arguments through their own framework of understanding. And of course argument B doesn't fit with framework A, because it was designed for framework B!

The answer to the latter... well, depending on your political bent there might be all sorts of answers. I suppose the one that everyone should agree with is to create a fair society that best maintains and encourages peaceful interactions between its citizens. I don't know that there's any kind of religious aspect to that, and even atheists would generally agree that society requires some form of basic morality to prevent self-destruction.
October 19, 2009 at 3:01 PM
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