Sustainable Societies

Elder Christofferson began his talk with some remarks about “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” adopted by United Nations in 2015.

“What are the fundamentals that sustain in a flourishing society, one that promotes happiness, progress, peace, and well-being among its members? We have scriptural record of at least two such thriving societies. What can we learn from them?”

Sustainable Societies

by Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Elder Christofferson's talk remind me of what in Chinese we said 大同. 大同 is an ancient Chinese ideology. It refers to the ideal world that mankind can finally reach, and represents mankind's beautiful vision for the future society.

The basic characteristics are that everyone loves and helps each other, every family lives and works in peace, there is no difference, no war. This state is called "the world of great harmony", and this kind of world is also called "the world of great harmony."

Although 大同 thought is a Chinese ideology, some other concepts such as religions, Western utopias, modern socialism and the global village also have great similarities with 大同.

The concept of 大同 has now joined the global political, economic, technological and cultural integration ideas. It also emphasized the importance of "equal opportunities", such as all people are born equal, etc..

However, he felt more concerned with sustainable societies and mentions his thought on this:

“The societies in these two examples were sustained by the blessings of heaven growing out of their exemplary devotion to the two great commandments: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” and “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself…”

“…Sustainability is not guaranteed, and a thriving society can fail in time if it abandons the cardinal virtues that uphold its peace and prosperity. In this case, yielding to the temptations of the devil, the people “began to be divided into classes; and they began to build up churches unto themselves to get gain, and began to deny the true church of Christ.”

“Reflecting on this and other examples of once flourishing societies that later foundered, I think it safe to say that when people turn from a sense of accountability to God and begin to trust instead in the “arm of flesh,” disaster lurks…”

What can we do for this? It is actually bounds back to the basic unit of the society:

“The institutions of family and religion have been crucial for endowing both individuals and communities with the virtues that sustain an enduring society. These virtues, rooted in scripture, include integrity, responsibility and accountability, compassion, marriage and fidelity in marriage, respect for others and the property of others, service, and the necessity and dignity of work, among others.”

“Nevertheless, when secularization separates personal and civic virtue from a sense of accountability to God, it cuts the plant from its roots. Reliance on culture and tradition alone will not be sufficient to sustain virtue in society. When one has no higher god than himself and seeks no greater good than satisfying his own appetites and preferences, the effects will be manifest in due course.”

“In contrast, our joyous message to our children and to all humanity is that “the truth of God” points a better way, or as Paul said, “a more excellent way,”¹⁸ a way to personal happiness and community well-being now and to everlasting peace and joy hereafter.”

“The truth of God refers to the core truths that underlie His plan of happiness for His children. These truths are that God lives; that He is the Heavenly Father of our spirits; that as a manifestation of His love, He has given us commandments that lead to a fullness of joy with Him; that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Redeemer; that He suffered and died to atone for sins on condition of our repentance; that He rose from the dead, bringing to pass the Resurrection of all humankind; and that we will all stand before Him to be judged, that is, to account for our lives.”

As Elder Christofferson closed his talk, he included a quote which, if applied, will lead us all to more sustainable societies:

“There is much we can do as neighbours and fellow citizens to contribute to the sustainability and success of the societies we live in, and surely our most fundamental and enduring service will be to teach and live by the truths inherent in God’s great plan of redemption…”

“If enough of us and enough of our neighbours strive to make our decisions and guide our lives by the truth of God, the moral virtues needed in every society will abound.”

That would be how a God should be and should feel about His children, and that was the God once I knew! When the missionaries came to our family and talk with us, the feeling that I had is just like the things that they taught had been inside me and in my subconscious mind since the day I was born.

And the missionaries just worked in the Lord’s hand to trigger the button in me and the truth  are all revealed out in me. I am so grateful that I do not need to go to a lot of churches to look for Jesus Christ. It is a blessing to me that I came to the true Church of Jesus Christ!

In conclusion, Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught that, a truly wonderful life (even with all of the trials that come because of the purpose of living a mortal life) can be had by anyone who comes unto Christ and truly tries to live the standards and principles taught by our Saviour. As we spread this message, we can assist in the creation of communities of peace and joy throughout the world.