I heard today that religion is restrictive, and that religion takes away freedoms.

I got up this morning at 4:00.  I went out into the living room with my Book of Mormon, sat down on the couch, covered myself with my blanket, and had a prayer before I began reading.  I prayed for the Holy Ghost to attend my studying and thoughts; and to give me a subject to think about and to write about, and possibly to teach about in priesthood meeting next week.  That setting, that prayer, and that exercise never fail to bring revelation.

I intended to read three chapters.  Instead, I found myself ready to doze off after just one chapter.  I fell asleep, and I dreamed.

I saw our strawberry patch.  It’s thick and lush.  We’ve harvested many gallons of big, luscious, red-to-the-core strawberries from it this year.  Also, earlier this year, Margie had back surgery.  Years earlier I had a hip replacement.  In my dream, while looking at the strawberry patch, both of our doctors issued the self-same commandment:  “Thou shalt not bend over!”

How unfair!  How frustrating!  How restrictive!

Some people chafe at the 10 commandments because they are couched in negative terms.  They say they’re “thou shalt nots,” and are, therefore, restrictive.  The fact of the matter is that the commandments were given for our benefit and for our happiness.  Our Father’s purpose in giving us the commandments was not to keep us from having the strawberries, but to make us happy and healthy so that we could enjoy them.  He wants us to have the strawberries, but he doesn’t want us to rupture a disc or to disjoint our new prosthesis.  He simply says, “Thou shalt not bend over,” and doesn’t tell us why.  If we have faith, we follow the commandment.  We find a different way to harvest the strawberries.  Maybe we hire someone to make raised beds for us, or maybe we have the kids do the harvesting for us.

If the Lord says that tobacco and alcohol aren’t for the body, we can know with a perfect knowledge that they aren’t good for us.  We don’t have to know why.  As we gain experience, and observe what happens to others who don’t observe the commandment, the reasons for the commandment will become clear.

Why do people complain that the Lord’s 10 commandments are restrictive?  Do they want to kill and steal and worship dumb idols?  Does swearing and taking the Lord’s name in vain make them more attractive, or make them sound more intelligent?  Is committing adultery going to make them and their families happier and healthier?

Two of the 10 commandments are “thou shalts” rather than “thou shalt nots.”  I don’t see the complainers rushing to keep the Sabbath day holy and to honor their parents just because those two commandments are couched in positive terms .  My observation is that if a person is inclined to break one or more of the commandments, he generally breaks most or all of them.  People have their freedom and agency to do so, but I’ve yet to see anyone looking pure and happy while violating the commandments.

“Men are that they might have joy,” the Lord said.  (2 Ne. 2:25).—And then He adds, “Here are some instructions that will bring you to that joy if you’ll follow them.”

The Lord issued a whole set of strange-sounding instructions to Moses that he was to give to the Children of Israel.  He didn’t say specifically why the instructions were given; but in hindsight, and with our modern-day knowledge of microbiology, the instructions make perfect sense.  The Children of Israel were told to wash in water if they touched an open wound.  Those who obeyed that ritual avoided getting infections that the less careful died from.

“We cannot break the commandments,” movie maker Cecil B. DeMille said.  “We can only break ourselves against them.”

God’s purpose in giving us commandments is not to exert power over us, and to show us who is in control.  His purpose in giving commandments is to make us more happy and healthy, and more useful to our fellow man.

My dream was a simple one.  All I saw was a strawberry patch.  All I heard were the words, “Thou shalt not bend over.”  On the surface that commandment seemed objectionably restrictive and unfair; but I immediately knew its meaning.  It was given for our good, and I knew that if we were wise we’d follow it.

All of the Lord’s commandments were given for our good.  If we’re wise, we’ll follow them.