Learning Political Civility from Pahoran to Lincoln

Review of Rodney Dieser, Cease to Contend: Healing a Nation Through Christlike Civility in Politics (Springville, UT: Cedar Fort, 2025). 136 pp., $16.99 (paperback).

Abstract: In Cease to Contend: Healing a Nation Through Christlike Civility in Politics, Rodney Dieser offers a timely and faith-centered response to the growing crisis of political polarization and incivility. Grounded in the Savior’s admonition to avoid contention, Dieser draws from scripture, Church teachings, historical examples, and cognitive behavioral therapy to help readers recognize and overcome thought patterns that fuel division. This review explores the book’s integration of gospel principles with therapeutic tools, highlighting the power of humility, empathy, and reframing as antidotes to anger and dehumanization in public discourse. By invoking figures such as Pahoran and Abraham Lincoln, the book provides both spiritual and practical models for engaging in political conversations with grace and restraint.

A new book by Rodney Dieser, Cease to Contend, provides a much needed practical and insightful guide to the Lord’s admonition in Doctrine and Covenants 136:23, from which the book is titled.¹ Dieser is an expert in the history of community service as well as a practicing licensed mental-health counselor. With seven previous books and more than 150 academic articles, he capably turns his expertise to the issue of political divisions in the United States.

[Page 308]In an October 2024 General Conference address, President Dallin Oaks asked, “What should followers of Christ teach and do in this time of toxic communication?”² The problem is familiar and obvious; anger and a level of dehumanization have come to dominate political discourse in the United States and many other countries around the world.

To put some hard evidence to the phenomenon we all see so clearly, Dieser’s book cites that a 2021 Pew Research study found, “59% of Americans find political conversations with people they disagree with as ‘stressful and frustrating’” (p. 11). More worryingly, the figure increased 9% from just two years earlier. Pew Research also found that large majorities of both Republicans (69%) and Democrats (83%) believe that members of the other party are closed-minded.³

The current political animosity leads to a degree of dehumanization of opposing political parties. Virtually all Americans object to unethical behaviors such as tax fraud and child exploitation, and there is no difference between parties on such matters. However, when surveyed, both Democrats and Republicans thought that about 23% of their political opponents would approve of such acts.⁴

President Oaks points out that when Jesus appeared to the Nephites, one of the first principles he taught was to avoid contention. “Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away” (3 Nephi 11:30). The challenge is that othering, aversion, and moralization create a powerful psychological and emotional cocktail that drives political engagement, and modern politicians and pundits employ it extensively for their personal political interests.⁵

Readers are familiar with the story of Judge Pahoran, in Alma 60, who was severely reprimanded by Captain Moroni for failing to send reinforcements and supplies to Moroni’s army. Moroni accuses [Page 309]Pahoran of withholding provisions that might have saved thousands of lives and a great deal of suffering. He accuses Pahoran of negligence, sitting on his throne in a thoughtless stupor, and slothfulness.

Many of us have marveled at Pahoran’s civil, patient, even loving response to Moroni. We might have asked ourselves in a moment of contemplation or during a Sunday School lesson whether we would be as humble as Pahoran if we found ourselves in a similar situation. Pahoran’s calm response is remarkable and worthy of emulation by all.

In more modern times, Abraham Lincoln is one of our greatest and most celebrated presidents in American history. Indeed, more has been written about Lincoln than any other figure in history except Jesus Christ himself.⁶ One of the things that made Abraham Lincoln such a remarkable figure was his ability to listen to and reason with people with whom he disagreed.

Lincoln met Edwin Stanton in 1855. Both had been hired to work on the same legal case—Stanton for his reputation and Lincoln for his knowledge of Illinois law. The case was eventually moved to Cincinnati and Lincoln was dismissed from the case. Never having received this message, Lincoln travelled to Cincinnati to help try the case. When he arrived and met Stanton, Stanton “reportedly called him a ‘long-armed ape’ and said, ‘he does not know anything and can do . . . no good’” (p. 127). Nevertheless, and despite the insults, since Lincoln was already there and invested in the case, and seeing that Stanton had such a strong reputation, Lincoln stayed and watched the trial. Lincoln was so impressed by Stanton that, when elected president, he called on Stanton to overhaul the War Department, which was instrumental in the Union winning the Civil War.

Judge Pahoran’s and President Lincoln’s ability to calmly respond in the face of such political hostility are remarkable and desirable. Few of us are likely as cool under fire as either of these men, but it is a trait for which we can strive. Without it, democracy withers. Though not explicitly listed among the gifts of the Spirit by Paul, Moroni, or Joseph Smith, I suspect that this trait is something that, like other gifts of the Spirit, can be developed through study, prayer, and effort.

In Cease to Contend, Dieser comes to the issue of political divisions from three perspectives: historical, gospel, and academic. Dieser pulls together quotes and anecdotes from important historical figures, [Page 310]scripture verses, quotes from modern Church leaders, as well as academic references and ideas. He weaves them together to create a depth of perspective that is both engaging and thought-provoking.

Using a conversational tone that makes the book easily readable by a general audience, Dieser offers tools to help readers identify and rectify problematic patterns in their own thinking. He uses personal stories, humor, scripture, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help the reader understand and recognize the pitfalls he identifies. He also explains the therapy, or treatment, to overcome problematic thoughts and behaviors.

Professor Dieser explains in Cease to Contend the cognitive traps that lead us into contention, and the therapeutic practices that can help readers adopt thought patterns more like those of Pahoran and Lincoln. They are familiar ideas to faithful disciples of Christ, but explained in a way that is relatable and tied to modern concepts of mental health. He talks about reframing your mindset to understand people with different perspectives, listening to understand instead of to argue, and consuming reliable, non-inflammatory information.

Cease to Contend is not likely to be a best-seller. It seems that outrage and hostility sell books, get clicks, and draw people to the polls. However, outrage and hostility also feed contention and dehumanization. Dieser’s book is a Christ-centered attempt to counter the contention that has become so prevalent in society today.