MercynGrace wrote:I never said I held this opinion, I said it came up in our gospel doctrine class and that I would like some authoritative source for responding to it. . . . . . . . .
I'd love to have specific scriptures to "bolster" this argument, that's why I asked about it.
MercynGrace, here are a few. I've collected more and found the same sentiment in several D&C passages, some of which are quoted by Mosby, but haven't had time to add to my list:
PRE-EMPTIVE WAR BUMPS UP AGAINST THE BOOK OF MORMON
For those of you who are LDS, Elder L. Tom Perry, in the October Conference said: “Among the lessons we learn from the Book of Mormon are the cause and effect of war and under what conditions it is justified.”
So what does the Book of Mormon say about the conditions for a just war? Here are most of the relevant passages:
3 NEPHI 3:20-21: “Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni: Pray unto the Lord and let us go up upon the mountains and into the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in their own lands. But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord forbid; for if we should go up against them, the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but will wait till they shall come against us; therefore, as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them unto our hands.”
MOSIAH 8:1-2: 1: “I, Zeniff, having been taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or of the land of our fathers’ first inheritance, and having been sent as a spy among the Lamanites that I might spy out their forces, that our army might come upon them and destroy them – but when I saw that which was good among them I was desirous that they should not be destroyed.” 2: “Therefore, I contended with my brethren in the wilderness, for I would that our ruler should make a treaty with them; but he being an austere and a blood-thirsty man commanded that I should be slain; but I was rescued by the shedding of much blood; for father fought against father, and brother against brother, until the greater umber of our army was destroyed in the wilderness; and we returned, those of us that were spared, to the land of Zarahemla, to relate that tale to their wives and their children.” [This story illustrates Zeniff, coming to an awareness of how it is wrong to go into foreign lands to destroy the people or forces in that land. It is significant that they themselves were almost all destroyed when part of their numbers insisted on proceeding with their attack against the Lamanites.]
ALMA 43:26, 46-47: [Moroni preparing for an attack from the Lamanites coming into Nephite lands]: 43: “And [Moroni] caused that all the people in that quarter of the land should gather themselves together to battle against the Lamanites, to defend their lands and their country, their rights and their liberties: therefore they were prepared against the time of the coming of the Lamanites”. 46: “And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.” 47: “And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country and their rights, and their religion.”
ALMA 48:14-16: 14: “Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives.” 15: “And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger.” 16: “And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.”
MORMON 3:8-10, 14-16: 8-10: “And in the three hundred and sixty and second year [the Lamanites] did come down again to battle. And we did beat them again, and did slay a great number of them, and their dead were cast into the sea. And now, because of this great thing which my people, the Nephites, had done, they began to boast in their own strength, and began to swear before the heavens that they would avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren who had been slain by their enemies. And they did swear before the heavens, and also by the throne of God, that they would go up to battle against their enemies and would cut them off from the face of the land. And it came to pass that I, Mormon, did utterly refuse from this time forth to be a commander and a leader of this people, because of their wickedness and abomination.” 14-16: “And when they had sworn by all that had been forbidden them by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that they would go up unto their enemies to battle and avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren, behold the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Vengeance is mine, and I will repay; and because this people repented not after I had delivered them, behold they shall be cut off from the face of the earth.”
MORMON 4:1, 4-6: 1: “And now it came to pass that in the three hundred and sixty and third year, the Nephites did go up with their armies to battle against the Lamanites, out of the land Desolation.” 4-6: And it was because the armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them.” But, behold, the judgements of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed.”
Hugh Nibley had a lot to say on this subject and on these various passages, and came to the conclusion that preemptive warfare is strictly forbidden by the Lord. And he had seen some of the bloodiest fighting in WWII. I was in Vietnam and have come to the same conclusion, especially after discovering this doctrine in LDS scriptures. And the more I see, the more it makes sense, especially in the light of how modern warfare inflicts incredible 'collateral' damage, just as a matter course in how it is used and by the nature of the weaponry and techniques employed.
If you had a chance to see some of the horrible videos out Iraq, showing Americans murdering civilians in cold blood, and capturing some of their other abject wickedness, it would become very clear why the Lord has this commandment, if it isn't already (I've seen 6 or 5 of these and believe me, they are sickening). This isn't to say there are many units and individuals who would stoop this low; and I am aware of atrocities committed by certains factions against Americans and other foreigners. But two wrongs do not make a right.
They then could fulfill the prophecy of the Constitution hanging by a thread and the Elders saving in it on the brink. 
There is only one other person here that know the answer to that mystery.... 
And you know who you are 
I am glad you called me on it