“The Voice of the People Came in Favor of the Freemen”

"’It is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.’ (Mosiah 29:26.)

"This advice would not necessarily eliminate a constitutional monarchy, a parliamentary government, a unitary state, a federal republic, or even a more authoritarian form of government that truly represented the people. The test is whether the ‘voice of the people’ conducts the business. This principle of King Mosiah was not just a brilliant experiment—it was inspired. An illuminating test of the principle occurred some years later among the people when one faction agitated for an all-powerful king and, consequently, for the abolition of the ’voice of the people.’ Two parties formed—the king-men and the freemen—and gave their ‘voice’ on this question. The results: ’The voice of the people came in favor of the freemen, and [the chief judge] retained the judgment-seat.’ (Alma 51:7.)

“Even though these are political examples, they reflect a theological principle. Our Father himself recognized the principle of consent, and Brigham Young, in discussing celestial government, maintained that ’the eternal laws by which he and all others exist in the eternities of the Gods, decree that the consent of the creature must be obtained before the Creator can rule perfectly.’ (JD, 15:134.)” (Edwin Brown Firmage, Ensign, June 1976, 11)