Show QUESTIONS ON CHURCH MEMBERS VOTING to the editor will you kindly inform an anxious contingent of latter day saints what position po those are in who might vote in the negative on disciplinary or similar questions 2nd and what law if any of the church is in broken or strained by opposing and voting against any quee quention tion that may be presented for endorsement or rejection 3rd ard do you not think those who allow a question to go by default so to speak are in the more unenviable position than the one who openly opposed but subsequently accepts like all minorities have to do D P FELT 1 when questions of the nature re berred to are presented to church mem bers duly assembled to transact business those members have a perfect right and it to Is their duty to to exorcise exa roise their tree free agency in voting either in 10 the be affirmative or negative and they are tree rree from criticism or reproof for the ibe cont exercise of that right bui when the affirmative vote is 18 the majority tits fie question is settled anil and tue boull acquiesce in ID the dt to maintain a 8 po to 10 tu to that adopted by vote of the church virtually is ii withdrawing from with the church it if a matter 0 the nature dot bribed ba passed upon by the gentral general con orence of the church the n the decision deol aion of that conference is the rule ot of the uburth should occasion occa aion be such that the matter li Is submitted later to branch organizations tiona of the church then a negative vote would be antagonism to a church rule adopted in regular lorm form and in force and would be an n act of withdrawing or holding back from fellowship such as has hab been named earned A member who assumed the negative under the condl aloda lost elated would be a subject 1 to labor with 0 so o a as to be brought into harmony with the ibe church while so an officer who assumed tte antagonistic position tion would not be worthy of re taming the official calling unless he repents pento re for it would be inconsistent to sustain lo in official position one who antagonizes antagonize a church rule or to 10 per mit aoh such person to exercise official jurisdiction over any member who Is i in full fellowship rod and harmony with she church there to IB considerable difference between casting a negative vote upon the original of proposition a and casting such auch vote in a branch upon a rule role already adopted by the be church and in force upon its ito mom mem hero generally federally 2 no law to 18 broken in opposing or in voting against a proposition when presented for ori gloal slon and vote thereon provided such opposition keeps within rules rulea of decorum but in some cases an opposition vio lacea rules of good order not because the proposition under consideration to is opposed but because ot the form taken by the antagonism la in which oabe case a law to Is broken A further reply to this inquiry li Is riven given in the answer to question one 8 that depends depend wholly on the circumstances of opposition or of al lowing the matter to go by default it if the deault has baa been through look lack of correct comprehension of a rule already adopted by the general vote rote of the church thea than active opposition to the rule to Is an offense while silence until the proper understanding to arrived at Is not if the default be through carelessness or lack of courage at a time when opposition was in due beacon and term form then the former would be reprehensible while the lat Is ter would not be but it if a person la in either of those oases cases m writing criticism repents repe be to Is entitled entitle to forgiveness and reconciliation |