Honesty And Integrity

Honesty and Integrity

Mormon beliefs include a list of thirteen core teachings of the Church, called the Articles of Faith. The thirteenth includes the following statement: “We believe in being honest.” This is a deceptively simple statement, but in today’s complicated world, people seem to have an increasingly difficult time deciding what it means to be honest and how honest they have to be. For Mormons, this is a core belief, and they are asked about their honesty when they are interviewed concerning their worthiness for various church responsibilities.

Training in honesty begins with the youngest children. Children learn in their classes about honesty in terms of telling the truth. This topic is taught as part of a year-long course on the life of the Savior, Jesus Christ. They learn about the trial of Jesus, when he was taken prisoner and brought before the chief priests. They were unable to figure out what to charge him with, since witnesses disagreed with one another. Finally He was asked, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Now, the reason for the question was to find an excuse to kill Him, and Jesus knew that answering affirmatively would lead to His death. However, he did not hesitate to tell the truth. “I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

The children learn that Jesus told the truth even when His life was in danger for doing so, and as a result, they must follow His example and tell the truth, even if they think they might get punished.

Children are also taught honesty through true stories from church history. One such story is that of Jacob Hamblin, a pioneer sent to help settle southern Utah in the 1800s. Jacob quickly developed a friendship with the Native Americans who lived there. He did business with them regularly and they knew they could trust him to treat them honestly and fairly. One day he sent his son to obtain blankets from a Native American man, in exchange for a pony. The man offered a pile of blankets after examining the pony, but the son, wanting to prove what a good business man he could be, refused the offer, saying he wanted more. The man continued to add blankets to the pile until the son agreed to the trade. However, when the boy returned home, he found his father was not proud of his business skill. The boy had taken more than the pony was worth, and he promptly sent the son to return half the blankets. The Native American man, when the boy explained sheepishly what he was there to do, laughed. He had known Jacob would make his son return the extra blankets. The children are taught to appreciate the importance of Jacob Hamblin’s reputation for honesty, even in business and are encouraged to develop such a reputation in their own lives.

Older children and teenagers are taught to examine their daily lives for instances in which they might be tempted to be dishonest in any way. Whether it’s taking a test, answering a question about why they didn’t do their homework, or paying a full tithing, they’re taught to be strictly honest in all their doings with others, and with themselves as well.

By the time Mormon youth become adults, they’ve had a solid grounding in the specifics of honesty and integrity, both at home and at church. They’ve learned from the examples of their parents and of their church leaders and are ready to enter the world as honest people living their beliefs even when it’s challenging.

President Brigham Young said: “We want the Saints to increase in goodness, until our mechanics, for instance, are so honest and reliable that this Railroad Company will say, ‘Give us a “Mormon” Elder for an engineer, then none need have the least fear to ride, for if he knows there is danger he will take every measure necessary to preserve the lives of those entrusted to his care.’ I want to see our Elders so full of integrity that they will be preferred by this Company for their engine builders, watchmen, engineers, clerks, and business managers.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young (1997), 24.)

L. Tom Perry, a Mormon apostle summed up the church’s teachings on integrity and honesty: “We do not believe in honesty merely as a matter of policy. Honesty is a principle of salvation in the kingdom of God.” (L. Tom Perry, “Staying Power,” Ensign, Jul 2003, 40-44)