Everywhere we hear calls for unity; from the news, social media, to our civic and religious leaders. But the clamorous calls for unity often lack a vital detail: What are we unifying on? That is not just an important question. That is a THE important question that we must understand. I was talking to my wife about the endless calls for unity the other night when it struck me–unity itself is not a virtue. Now let me explain. Yes, Jesus Christ commanded us to be unified when in Doctrine and Covenants 38:27, He said, “if ye are not one ye are not mine.” and countless times we are counseled to be unified and we are told that Zion is of one heart and one mind. These verses alone would make one think that unity in and of itself is a virtue, but there is another half of the equation–the unity of Satan and his followers. In the New Testament, when Jesus Christ was accused of casting out devils by the powers of Satan, he rejected that idea by teaching that Satan and his followers are also unified. In Mark 3:22-26 we read:
22 ¶ And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
Mark 3:22-26 KJV
Satan loves calls for unity.
Returning to the calls for unity. When the world calls for unity, rest assured it is not calling for a coalescence around eternal truth. Politicians, actors, and the talking heads on the news are not calling for a return to our traditional family values that our country was founded on, true expressions of Charity, or civil public discourse. They are not calling for us to unify in Christ! Their call for unity is a call for conformity to sin. ‘Tolerance’ and ‘Unity’ are the buzzwords they use to trick many good Christians into falling off the pathway of discipleship. Unity is often used as a mask or a synonym for this faux-tolerance, and Thomas S. Monson warned us about this when he taught, “The philosophies of men surround us. The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived.”
So where does that leave us with Unity? Is it good or bad?
We must learn that unity for the sake of unity is not a gospel principle. One of the Facebook pages I own and run is called, “Latter-day Saints Standing United.” On that page, I get countless messages saying, “Don’t share that quote/article/talk, it is not unifying.” What am I sharing that causes such blowback by members of the Church? What am I sharing that causes these comments? I am sharing content that proclaims the sanctity of life, the importance of traditional marriage, or of the evils of Satan’s gospel counterfeits! These members tell me that I should stop sharing about those topics as they will drive people away from the Church, or that they don’t build unity. They claim that we must sacrifice the controversial parts of the gospel truth to obtain unity as if unity were the supreme gospel virtue. But they miss the unity boat entirely, namely that unity is only a virtue if we are unified in eternal truth.
Unity has true value when people are united in eternal truth. Unitedly standing for the sanctity of life regardless of who you are shoulder to shoulder with, be it a Muslim, Jew, Catholic, or a fellow Latter-day Saint: That is the unity we are commanded to have! Standing next to an atheist or agnostic as we help our neighbors rebuild after a natural disaster: That is the unity we are commanded to have! Latter-day Saint partnering with non-denominational Christians to feed the hungry: That is the unity we are commanded to have!
**NOTE, and I can’t emphasize this enough. Unity does not mean you agree on everything. When you are standing for truth, focus on that principle that you agree on. For example, you can get Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Latter-day Saints, and Southern Baptists all to agree on the importance of traditional (heterosexual) marriage, but if you instead decide only to stand with those who agree with you 100% on all issues, then you will stand alone and there will be no unity. We must learn how to disagree without becoming disagreeable! Elder Marvin J. Ashton taught this when he said, “There are still those among us who would rather lose a friend than an argument. How important it is to know how to disagree without being disagreeable. It behooves all of us to be in the position to involve ourselves in factual discussions and meaningful study, but never in bitter arguments and contention.”
A great way to think about unity is by comparing it to Lehi’s vision of the tree of life. The faithful are united in pressing forward towards the tree of life with steadfast faith in Christ. And the wicked who are in the great and spacious building are unified in their tolerance of sin and persecution of the saints. Those calling for unity from the great and spacious building are merely calling for those pressing towards the tree of life to let go of the iron rod, cross the river, forsake the gospel, and join the crowds mocking the saints.
An easy way to apply this analogy to our current circumstances is to look at social media today. Social media is often like the great and spacious building from Lehi’s dream. Think about it! It stands in the air, aka Wi-Fi, is full of people persecuting the saints for living the gospel, and many times it is unified in celebrating sin. When the great and spacious building calls for unity, recognize that it is calling for us to abandon Christ and the eternal truths of His gospel. When that call comes, tell Satan “No!”
Harold B. Lee
Unity in Christ.
The most important unity to seek is unity with Christ. When we partake of the sacrament, we renew and covenant to live a life of unity with the Spirit so that we can always have the Spirit to guide us. A great litmus test to ensure we are unified in Christ is to ensure you are unified in following His Prophet and His Spirit. If you calibrate yourself to these two guideposts then you won’t be led astray.
Because Unity with the Christ is so important, Satan seeks to have us contend one with another, so that we lose the Spirit because of infighting. We should seek to develop charity so that we do not give in to the temptation to fight and quarrel with our neighbors and the fellow saints! President Monson taught this in general conference, “Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.”
Ultimately, it is only the gospel that will unite us, and save us from the desolation that always follows the disunity and decay of a society. There is no politician, political party, or any amount of unity on any other topic that will save us if we are not unified in Christ. We must be followers of Christ in word and deed, and we also must live a life that beckons others to embrace Jesus Christ and His gospel! Ezra Taft Benson taught this, “Only the gospel will unite men of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family.” Our duty is to learn that gospel, be humble enough to follow it, and brave enough to share it.
