Rob Eaton is a religion professor at BYU who shared how his career as a lawyer and religion professor has shaped his view on being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today.
“Lawyers care about words. You're arguing about the meaning of words, cases and statutes. In fact, in some ways, scriptures and legal precedents are similar,” Eaton said.
Eaton’s journey into the legal world began at Stanford Law School, followed by legal work at various firms and insurance companies. Eaton is a husband, a father, a lawyer, a professor, a former mission president and an author. He was also the associate academic vice president for BYU-Pathway Worldwide.
Looking back, Eaton said his decision to pursue law was grounded in practicality.
“Before I went to law school, I understood that you’re not saving the whales,” Eaton said. “My reason for going to law school was pretty pragmatic and kind of embarrassing, which is that I thought I could be good at it.”
Reflecting on his experience at Stanford Law School as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, Eaton said he was treated with respect as "a quaint religious minority."
“Even though we might disagree on matters, they treated me really well. All my professors treated me really well,” he said.
Since then, Eaton said he has observed changes in Stanford's campus climate, particularly concerning civil discourse.
“I’ve read some things about what’s happened at Stanford — not specifically about religious minorities, but people pushing so hard that they don’t respect contrary views or leave room for civil dialogue,” Eaton said.
Eaton shared his thoughts on the increasing polarization in today’s world, especially around important social issues.
“I feel almost like Satan has taken a very good thing — eliminating prejudice and racism in society — but has found clever ways to twist it, so we end up starting to argue about it.”
When asked why he decided to retire from practicing law to become a religion professor, Eaton gave a different answer than, "I could be good at it."
“I think I watched 'Gandhi' the movie too many times, and I had it in me. I wanted to do something noble; something that would really make a big difference. To me, I couldn’t think of anything better than teaching truths of eternal consequence,” Eaton said.
Though Eaton’s path has shifted, his legal background continues to add value to his work as a religious professor.
“At a law firm, the stakes are high and people push back. So, you get peer review; people challenge your thinking. You get really precise,” Eaton said. “You also have to see things objectively before going into a debate. To do that, you have to look at the other side very carefully. Being fair-minded, careful, and writing clearly and compellingly — those skills have blessed me as a religion professor.”
Eaton concluded by sharing his favorite part of being a religion professor.
“Meeting one-on-one with students and helping bring about spiritual change, helping strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, in their plan, in the Atonement, and in the Church of Jesus Christ. That’s my favorite part,” Eaton said.
Cora Chesley is a BYU student who took one of Eaton's religion classes. She shared her thoughts on him as a professor.
"In his class, you feel less like a number and more like a student," Chesley said. "He was really good at teaching, and he delivered his messages well."
Sophia Gardner, another one of Eaton's students, shared her love for his class.
“I loved professor Eaton’s incredible ability to make the class feel the Spirit and to really know his testimony of God is real,” she said. “He was able to easily make it known that the things he taught were real.”
Eaton knew as a professor there would be an opportunity to help students understand the Church of Jesus Christ. He did good work as a lawyer, but he is excited to do good by sharing what he knows about the gospel with college students.
“For me, the focus is on how to teach better and how to help students,” Eaton said.