Do you ever like to just thumb through your scriptures and read the verses you’ve marked in the past? I love doing that every now and then. These are a few I’ve marked in Mosiah 27 -29 for example. As I’ve read through these, I see some wonderful truths about societies and their governments. King Mosiah is speaking here to his people. He’s been a righteous king but at this point in the Nephite history, Mosiah suggests they abandon their king-ruled society for a representative republic. It’s a republic because it’s ruled by law and it’s representative because it allows for elected officials. In essence, it’s a similar form of government to the one the Founding Fathers set up in the United States.

Mosiah starts off in chapter 27 by suggesting how they should treat one another as a society:

“That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.” Mosiah 27:4

He also makes it clear that this society will flourish best when the people have Christ in their hearts:

“And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters: And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.” Mosiah 27:25-26

Then, as he sets up judges, he concedes that it would be ideal if all their leaders were godly men because he says:

“Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just.” Mosiah 29:12

Next he explains to them why they should no longer have a king and why this representative republic is better than a monarchy:

“And behold, now I say unto you, ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king save it be through much contention, and the shedding of much blood. For behold he has his friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God; and he enacteth laws, and sendeth them forth among his people, yea laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whoseoever doth not obey his laws he causeth to be destroyed; and whosoever doth rebel against him he sends his armies against them to war; and if he can he will destroy them; and thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the ways of all righteousness” (Mosiah 29:21-23).

“Therefore choose you by the voice of the people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord” (Mosiah 29:25).

The laws they were given, by the way, were the 10 commandments. Having given his people a representative republic with its great virtues, he warns them of the primary weakness of this form of government — the people themselves:

“And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgements of God will come upon you; yea then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he hath hitherto visited this land. (Mosiah 29:27)

“But I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, yea, even as long as any of our posterity remains upon the face of the land.”

We can learn a lot from Mosiah about the proper role of government and why it is so critical that we have a righteous society if we want to maintain a stable representative republic like we have (had?) in the U.S. If you’re interested in learning more about the proper role of government and the constitution, I recommend reading the US Constitution along with the Book of Mormon.