Moroni 6

Moroni lists the qualifications for baptism, indicates that memberships records were kept, and tells us there was a form of church discipline. Disciplinary councils are such an important part of the church, and to me, they're an indication of the truthfulness of the gospel. There are two reasons for church discipline. One is to protect the integrity of the church. Serious sin must be dealt with. How much of a righteous influence any church has in the world depends on the righteousness of its members. For the church to successfully fulfill the Lord's command to go into every nation, it must be unusually different and righteous, offering something beyond what the rest of the world has to offer. If the church did nothing in terms of discipline, then it would be stamping its approval on all things that should be condemned. Imagine how the world would view the church if we turned a blind eye to pedophilia, pornography, or financial fraud, crime, or sexual misconduct. If this is the Lord's church, there has to be a higher standard.

The other important reason for church discipline is to help someone who has been involved in spiritual misconduct to repent. Since unrighteousness affects both the person and the church, people must be accountable for serious sin, and there must be consequences for it. Disciplinary councils are only held in cases of extreme transgression. Most people can take care of their own repentance where the church or other people have not been affected by the sin. Sometimes, the help of a good bishop is necessary. But in serious cases, if the church did not act, it would be very difficult for victims of misconduct. And, it also harms the person who has transgressed, because it can perpetuate the same misconduct in the person's life. The higher standards of the Lord are also the way to true happiness and peace because they are the standards that are based on divine laws. These are not arbitrary standards decided by a committee, but actually natural principles and laws that have been proven over time again and again to be true. If a person lives them, they will be happier, stronger, and more at peace. When a person lives in conflict of them, they are more in conflict with themselves and find life to have less direction and purpose. These laws are the same to me as other laws such as gravity. You can jump off of a roof and the result will always be the same. When we live with the parameters of the laws, it's then that we can utilize and harness them for our own advancement and good.