Preserving, Protecting, and Defending the Constitution of the United States
Good morning. Thank you for your patriotic devotion and sacrifice in attending this early morning flag raising ceremony. I feel the weighty responsibility of addressing all of you on this important anniversary. I have pondered much what I might share with you that will be of greatest worth. I ask for your forbearance and patience as I share a message that those we sustain as Prophets, Seers, and Revelators believe to be of vital importance. I pray that I might convey this message with the help of the spirit of Almighty God.
It is my hope and desire that each of us experience not only an enjoyable holiday commemorating our nation’s birthday, but also for us to gain an increased appreciation for the liberties that the Founding Fathers secured for themselves and their posterity, and for our own forefathers and fellow citizens who have served and sacrificed and in some cases fought and even died to safeguard those liberties, and last but not least, to recognize more clearly our own responsibility to act to preserve those liberties for ourselves and our posterity.
Would all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces, or in public safety roles (such as police officer or fireman) please stand and be recognized for their service?
“The Declaration of Independence was a pronouncement adopted by the Continental Congress 236 years ago today on July 4, 1776, which announced to the world that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire”.
Several years following the signing of peace treaties ending the Revolutionary War, state delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 and collectively fashioned our Constitution, the supreme law of the United States of America.
The Constitution of the United States defines a social contract founded upon the principle that the federal government is to be a representative republic of the people, by the people, and for the people, composed of three independent branches of government: a legislature that enacts the laws, an executive that enforces the laws, and a judiciary that interprets the laws. The Constitution enumerates the responsibilities and powers of each branch of the federal government, as well as the checks and balances intended to maintain equilibrium. No branch of this triad government is to improperly interfere with the functioning of the other branches or the individual member states, or encroach on the liberties of the citizens who elect their representatives and thereby consent to be governed by them, and which citizens those government officials are sworn to faithfully serve.
Twenty-five years ago this coming October General Conference, then Prophet and Church President Ezra Taft Benson, gave a landmark talk on our divinely inspired Constitution and the rising threats to the liberty our Constitution it is intended to assure.
In just the past few years, several of our living Apostles, including Elder Oaks and Elder Cook, have felt inspired to again teach concerning the importance of the US Constitution, preventing the erosion of religious liberties, and the importance of member involvement in public discussions. Since time does not permit me to share any of these superb talks in their entirety, I strongly encourage you to access these talks on the lds.org website in the near future and carefully read them during your gospel study time.
In speaking about our divinely inspired Constitution, President Benson quoted scriptures from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants wherein the Lord said that the US Constitution “belongs to all mankind” (D&C 98:5; italics added) “and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles” (D&C 101:77; italics added).
“I established the Constitution of this land,” said the Lord, “by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80).
Continuing to quote President Benson, “Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary great prologue leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what our Savior Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Ne. 21:4). America, the land of liberty, was to be the Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church.
Referring to the foundational principles enumerated in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, President Benson reminds us that the 134th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants declares, “We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate (inviolate means to protect something sacred) as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life” (D&C 134:2). Life, liberty, property—mankind’s three great rights.
At the conclusion of the Declaration of Independence, the signatories wrote, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
President Benson went on to share some of the many challenges the Founding Fathers faced, as well as several quotes in which they recognized and admitted that it was only by repeated divine guidance and intervention that such a group of diverse interests were able to compose what is probably the most amazing governance document ever written by the hand of man.
The dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, as dictated by the Lord and found in the Doctrine and Covenants, contains this statement: “May those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever” (D&C 109:54).
Twenty-five years ago, President Benson gave the following assessment of the then health of the United States Constitution. “Unfortunately, we as a nation have apostatized in various degrees from different Constitutional principles as proclaimed by the inspired founders. We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: “Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction” (19 July 1840, as recorded by Martha Jane Knowlton Coray; ms. in Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City).
For centuries our forefathers suffered and sacrificed that we might be the recipients of the blessings of freedom. If they were willing to sacrifice so much to establish us as a free people, should we not be willing to do the same to maintain that freedom for ourselves and for future generations?
Only in this foreordained land, under its God-inspired Constitution and the resulting environment of freedom, was it possible to have established the restored church. It is our responsibility to see that this freedom is perpetuated so that the Church may more easily flourish in the future.
The Lord said, “Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land” (D&C 98:6).
How then can we best befriend the Constitution in this critical hour and secure the blessings of liberty and ensure the protection and guidance of our Father in Heaven? I have taken the liberty of composing a list of five suggestions derived from both President Benson’s talk as well as a talk Elder Oaks gave in 2010 entitled, “Fundamentals of our Constitutions”.
FIRST and foremost, we must be righteous.
John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
The Book of Mormon warns us relative to our living in this free land: “Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever” (2 Ne. 1:7).
“And now,” warned Moroni, “we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity” (Ether 2:9).
Two great American Christian civilizations—the Jaredites and the Nephites—were swept off this land because they ceased to “serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). Our choices will help determine what becomes of our civilization.
SECOND, we must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers.
President Benson encouraged members of the Church to read, ponder, abide by, teach, and become prepared to defend the US Constitution and its principles. Its my personal observation that the teaching of the principles of the Constitution is especially needed among the rising generation, as many schools have de-emphasized this subject matter in recent decades. President Benson suggested that reading some or all of the Federalist Papers, which were written to explain the Constitution and encourage its ratification, would help us better understand the operation of the Federal Government as intended by the Founding Fathers.
Elder Oaks said, “All citizens should be familiar with the Constitution’s great fundamentals: the principle of popular sovereignty (which means that the people are the source of government power), the structure of federalism that divides powers between the state and the federal government, the individual guarantees in the Bill of Rights, and the principle of separation of powers among the various branches of government. We should take alarm at and consider how to oppose any action that would infringe these fundamentals. (emphasis added)
THIRD, all citizens should give law-abiding support to their national, state, and local governments and become involved in civic affairs to ensure that we are properly represented.
The 134th section of the Doctrine and Covenants declares:
“We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them. . . .
“We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside” (D&C 134:1, 5).
Elder Oaks taught that sustaining and upholding the government includes fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. We frequently hear of rights and entitlements, but infrequently discuss the obligations of citizenship, which sometimes includes compulsory duties like military service. It also includes numerous voluntary actions citizens must shoulder themselves if we are to preserve the principle of limited government through citizen self-reliance. For example, since U.S. citizens value the right of trial by jury, they must be willing to serve on juries, even those involving unsavory subject matter.
FOURTH, we must make our influence felt by our vote, our writings, our teaching, and our advice.
We must become accurately informed and then let others know how we feel.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “It is our duty to concentrate all our influence to make popular that which is sound and good, and unpopular that which is unsound. ‘Tis right, politically, for a man who has influence to use it. … From henceforth I will maintain all the influence I can get” (History of the Church, 5:286).
The Lord said that “he holds men accountable for their acts in relation” to governments “both in making laws and administering them” (D&C 134:1). We must follow the Lord’s counsel when he says: “Honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil” (D&C 98:10).
Note the qualities that the Lord demands of those who are to represent us. They must be good, wise, and honest.
Elder Oaks expressed his alarm at the steady decline of voter turnout in many parts of the United States. Voting is a fundamental right and responsibility that must not be taken for granted. Political participation can be inconvenient. It requires sacrifices of time and resources, but it is essential to our democratic society. Without substantial voter turnout, the people abrogate the great fundamental of popular sovereignty.
Elder Oaks counseled that while participating in political discourse and sharing our opinions, it is critical that we maintain civility. We currently have an excess of ugliness and contentiousness in our communications on many political issues. We have all been exposed to it, and some of us have occasionally been part of it. We all bear some responsibility for the current political polarization and the stalemates that have resulted from it. We ought to tone it down. Meaningful debate and discussion about policies, programs, and procedures is essential to a democratic society. But contentiousness for the sake of division is bad for democracy. It is bad for law observance. It is bad for neighborly relations. And it is particularly destructive as an example for the rising generation, who, if not taught better, will perpetuate and magnify its ugliness and divisiveness for generations to come.
LAST, but not least, we must promote patriotism.
Elder Oaks said that his favorite prescription for patriotism is that of Adlai Stevenson, the Illinois governor who was twice the Democratic candidate for President:
“What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? . . . A patriotism that puts country ahead of self; a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”
I am personally grateful for the example of my father, who I consider to be a patriot and a role model in his love of country and devotion to duty above self. He was an Air Force pilot during the Vietnam War. He could have made choices that would have decreased his chances of being deployed to Southeast Asia, but in a letter to his father explaining his decision to not exercise those options said that he considered it his obligation and duty to serve his country in its hour of need and to defend the principles of freedom. Before he could complete the 100 missions required to return home, he was shot down over North Vietnam near the Chinese border. His plane was seen enveloped in a fireball and no parachute was detected. Because of violations of the Geneva Convention, it was unknown by the outside world for several years whether he was alive or dead. He sustained a gunshot wound to the neck during his capture. Along with many other Prisoners of War, his captors subjected him to cruel and inhumane treatment, including months of solitary confinement and unimaginable torture. My father was one of the fortunate ones who returned home after six years to a homeland and country for which his appreciation had grown immensely. He has spoken hundreds of times to many different audiences about the importance of freedom, liberty, and recognizing and appreciating the blessings that the God of heaven has poured out upon this nation and its people.
I wish to conclude my remarks by sharing President Benson’s closing comments from twenty-five years ago. “I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith. It will be saved by the righteous citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church—among others—men and women who understand and abide the principles of the Constitution. I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it.
I testify that the God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and He has now sent other choice spirits to help preserve it.
We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:10).
May God give us the faith and the courage exhibited by those patriots who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
May we be equally as valiant and as free, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
These are hyperlinks to the two talks referenced in my remarks:
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/10/our-divine-constitution
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/fundamentals-of-our-constitutions-elder-dallin-h-oaks
