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Agency
Often called Free Agency--
The ability and privilege God gives people to choose and to act for themselves.
See:
The Gift of Agency (Elder Wolfgang H. Paul Of the Seventy of the LDS Church)
It is obvious that there is some confusion in our society about this subject. In the media, advertisements, entertainment, and elsewhere, we find the idea widespread that when someone can do what he wants, he enjoys freedom and will be happy. It suggests that the only criteria for our decisions are what is pleasing to us, what is fun, or what matches our individual desires.
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(Genesis 2: 16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed. ** (2 Nephi 2:
15-16)
15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the
field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition
to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.
16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the
one or the other.
Men are free to choose liberty and eternal life or captivity and death.
** (2 Nephi: 2: 27) Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are
expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to
the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
Ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves.
** (Helaman 14: 30) And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and
whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge
and he hath made you free.
A third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away because of their agency.
++ (Doctrine and Covenants 29: 36) And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was
before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me
because of their agency;
It must needs be that the devil should tempt men, or they could not be agents.
++ (Doctrine and Covenants 29: 39) And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could
not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet—
Satan sought to destroy the agency of man.
## (Moses 4: 3) Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the
Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
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