Yesterday, as I finished paying for some groceries at the cash till, another lady behind me went next. The lady asked for some cigarettes and the cash till clerk asked the lady for some identification, since she looked young. As the lady was getting her identification to prove her age, the cash till clerk stated in a guilty type of tone as she tried to excuse herself, saying, “Sorry, but I have to cover my butt“.
This struck me as very interesting and odd.
In Canada, it is law in most of the provinces that a person must be 19 years of age to purchase cigarettes and all merchants are under law to confirm that age by proper identification or risk a hefty fine. The purpose of this law is to reduce the use of tobacco by younger persons. Since it is law, where is the reason to be guilty or feel bad to ask another for proper identification when the there is legal right and authority to do so?
People tend to be afraid of the law, afraid to abide in it, afraid to stand by it, afraid to protect it and just afraid. I have seen this false guilt before, where people do something to abide in the law or abide in what is right and true, then they get verbally challenged by friends or people they know, they fall immediately into guilt, bringing up all kinds of excuses, even to their own detriment to lie, just to avoid being associated with law biding choices so they do not suffer false embarrassment . To them, to be law biding and to exercise the law or exercise what is right seems embarrassing, demeaning, wrong or foolish.
What happens when this fear of the law takes hold? A person will become vulnerable to breaking that same law or breaking another, just to feel accepted again or to avoid conflict or confrontation. This is simply the fear of man, as said in the Bible. How people will fear man, which is fearing the world, fearing to their spiritual detriment and downfall ( Exodus 23:2 / Psalm 118:6 / Proverbs 29:25 ). This influence is everywhere, home, friends, work and in society. We are surrounded by fear mongers who appear nice and may act nice, but when it comes to be law-biding, their heads spin around to reveal the evil face.
I experienced this in my life. Doing my job as required, being law-biding, proper, true, honest, sincere, etc and up comes the challenge by people who on one side say, “I respect what you do, being honest and diligent…but…” and after the “but” comes the clincher, the degrading remark or undermining comment to coerce, trick and convince to be less than true and good, because others do not want to face themselves in your mirror of righteousness and responsibility.
Fear of the law, one of the most integrated parasitic disease in society today, worming through the minds and hearts into sin and evil ways.
As easily as it was with the cash clerk, who could have easily said, “It is by law that I am required to identify you age“. How simple such a response could be, but it is not done because the mindset and thinking of many people in society is to be afraid of the law and it is this fear that will worm itself into the hearts of any latter-day Saint who entertains such self-justifications.
Instead of saying, “Sorry, but…” a person can instead say “It is the right way” or “It is what Christ teaches“, or “it is God’s spiritual law“, or…”it is to do the right thing“.
Never be afraid of the law and never be afraid of people, not even your boss, they are not the ones who guarantees your salvation, Jesus Christ does and he requires you to “love the spiritual laws“, which is what Paul the Apostle clearly said as well ( Romans 7:22 / Romans 13:10 / James 2:8 ) .
Amen
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