BYU NewsNet - Soul Neighbors

Oftentimes, the morality of our actions is appraised not by what we do, but by why we do them. Mormon taught this principle in a letter to his son Moroni many years ago: "For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he retained the gift."

As you may recall, there was some controversy when Soulforce, a gay-awareness group, came to BYU last year. The media has been very serviceable in reminding the public that 29 people were arrested as a result of their protests on campus, but few are so quick to recall the high degree of civility and courtesy in disagreement BYU students demonstrated during their visit. One Soulforce member even said, "I don't think we've had crowds like this at any other school where we weren't openly welcome on campus."

Soulforce is returning to Provo in March. The BYU administration will not allow them back on campus because of their demonstrated disregard last year for school policies that apply to all visitors. The decision is regrettable, but only because Soulforce will undoubtedly try to use it to strengthen their assertion that BYU is an intolerant, discriminatory institution.

Soulforce members will still be able to protest at public venues in town, where they can enjoy full rights to assembly and freedom of speech. And students will still be able to engage in conversations with the group members and demonstrate the fruits of our religion. As we interact with Soulforce, let's treat them with the same regard we demonstrated last year - not because the nation will be watching, but simply because it is the right thing to do.

Esteem and charity for one's neighbor is a high moral law in practically any society. We've all been taught to love our neighbors, but when our neighbor starts breaking our windows, we don't have to invite them over for dinner, regardless of their beliefs and values. But if we act charitable to our Soulforce neighbors merely to prove a point or set an example, we are being charitable for the wrong reason. Indeed, setting forth a good example is a noble reason, but it should only be a by-product of our conduct - not a primary motive.