Science and Scriptures

The Rule of Law - An Interview with Tim Taylor

Episode Summary

This episode is an interview with Tim Taylor, an Deputy County Attorney for Utah County and, when deployed, a National Guard JAG attorney. We discuss "The Rule of Law" - the principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law . Especially at this difficult time, understanding the Rule of Law is critical.

Episode Transcription

Tim Taylor Interview “Science & Scriptures”

This is the podcast “Science and Scriptures”, Episode #7 – The Rule of Law -an Interview with Tim Taylor

Hello again, this is Scott Frazer, the host for this show.  Last week, Dr. Lon Cook, a PhD biochemist from MIT and medical researcher talked to us about the abilities of our bodies to detect when damage has occurred internally and the steps it takes to fix that damage. Our bodies are amazing vehicles which God has provided for our time on earth, and we should be thankful for them.

This week we have another guest interview.  Our guest and my neighbor is Tim Taylor, who is a Deputy County Attorney for Utah County.  Tim obtained his law degree at Creighton School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska and has worked for Utah County for 20 years.  Tim is also in the National Guard, working for the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) office when he is deployed.  Tim is a Latter-day Saint in my ward and a great neighbor.

Tim, welcome to the podcast.  Did I miss anything in my introduction you would like to add?

Because of Tim’s expertise, we are going to talk today about the “Rule of Law and The 10 Commandments”. 

 

  1. The “Rule of Law” is defined by Dictionary. Com as “the principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced; the principle of government by law”.  The Rule of Law (and those who enforce it) seem to be under a constant attack from all sides today.  Tim, what can you tell us about the history and importance of the Rule of Law?

 

  1. I am interested in your views on how criminal law differs from religious laws, or commandments. For example, only 3 of the 10 commandments are illegal - thou shall not kill, thou shalt not steal, and sometimes, thou shalt not bear false witness.  Criminal Law has many more laws than the scriptures (even if you include the Mosaic Law). How are the two sets of laws different, though they both try to regulate human activity?    

 

  1. Joseph Smith once stated, “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves”.  Of course, this was in Nauvoo, where the church was isolated.  Do you think this approach could work in today’s world?

 

  1. Do you think enforcing the Rule of Law or the criminal code is necessary to maintain our freedom to worship?
  2. Keeping our religious freedom is difficult anywhere, but much more difficult in certain foreign countries.  The BYU International Center for Law and Religion Studies holds an annual Religious Freedom annual Review to assess where the worst persecutions occur.     

 

Tim, I know you have been deployed with the National Guard outside of the United States.  How do the Rule of Law and Religious Freedoms in general fare outside of the United States?

  1. Do you have any examples where enforcing the laws of the land overlapped the Church or religious freedoms in general?
  2. The law of the Gospel, or that first taught by Jesus Christ, is recognized as a higher order of law than the Mosaic Law. It requires much more of its people. It includes having mental discipline as well as civic discipline.  It includes treating people with kindness as well as recognizing their rights as individuals.  Tim, do you think Utah lives the law of the Gospel, or could live it? 
  3. Because we live in the United States, we rarely realize that chaos on the streets of a society disrupts most all spiritual pursuits – church attendance, temple worship, missionary work, etc.  What can we do as normal citizens to support our legal system and law enforcement?  

So that is all we have for you today.  I’d like to thank Tim Taylor once again for his time today and for the job he does to keep our county safe.  We should be very grateful for the rule of law in our nation.  It guarantees our right to worship God in the way we choose, and it keeps chaos from engulfing our state.  As Tim summarized, there are things we can do to support our laws, so let’s do those things. This is Scott Frazer from Science and Scriptures.  TAKE CARE.