evidence: James Madison’s example, and the June 1, 2023 letter from the First Presidency together with recent teachings from President Nelson and President Oaks, highlight the point I want to make in this post. It is that we need to live in tension without giving way to contention. In other words: In order to form a more perfect union, we must do the difficult work of holding firmly to what the Lord called "just and holy principles" while we humble ourselves, learn from other children of God whose views differ from ours, and find common ground for the general welfare.