Posted on 09/08/2010 9:43:08 PM PDT by Ripliancum
Teachings from the leaders of the Mormon (LDS) Church on the blessings of our Constitution and the freedoms we must defend.
President Ezra Taft Benson statements (continued):
The Founding Fathers recognized the importance of vital religion and morality in the affairs of individuals and governments, and they turned to religion in order to give their new experiment a sense of direction. They were well aware that the principles of moral, intellectual, and spiritual integrity taught and exemplified by the Savior are the perfect guide for the conduct of countries and of individuals. It is no accident that the principles of Christian religion are the foundation of the Constitution of the United States. (TETB 600; from an address given at Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 1964)
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About two hundred years ago some inspired men walked this land. Not perfect men, but men raised up by the Perfect Man to perform a great work. Foreordained were they to lay the foundation of this republic. Blessed by the Almighty in their struggle for liberty and independence, the power of heaven rested on these founders as they drafted that great document for governing men—the Constitution of the United States. Like the Ten Commandments, the truths on which the Constitution was based were timeless; and also as with the Decalogue—the hand of the Lord was in it. They filled their mission well. From them we were endowed with a legacy of liberty—a constitutional republic. (”Prepare, Then Fear Not” 57; revised in Enemy 53; GFC 326; TETB 595; from an address given at the New England Rally for God, Family, and Country; Boston, MA, 4 Jul 1966)
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We had better take our small pain now than our greater loss later. There were souls who wished afterwards that they had stood and fought with Washington and the founding fathers, but they waited too long—they passed up eternal glory. There has never been a greater time than now to stand up against entrenched evil. (”Not Commanded in All Things” 538; also in GFC 387)
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The Lord raised up the Founding Fathers. He it was who established the Constitution of this land—the greatest document of freedom ever written. This God-inspired Constitution is not outmoded. It is not an outdated “agrarian document” as some of our would-be statesmen, socialists, and fellow travelers of the godless conspiracy would have us believe. It was the Lord God who established the foundation of this nation; and woe be unto those—members of the Supreme Court and others—who would weaken this foundation. (”America—A Man and an Event” 1150)
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The sad and shocking story of what has happened in America in recent years must be told. Our people must have the facts. There is safety in an informed public. There is real danger in a complacent, uninformed citizenry. This is our real danger today. Yes, the truth must be told even at the risk of destroying, in large measure, the influence of men who are widely respected and loved by the American people. The stakes are high. Freedom and survival is the issue. (Enemy 91; from an address given at a meeting sponsored by the American Wake Up Committee, St. Louis, MO, 28 Feb 1966)
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Leaders of youth, teach our young people to love freedom, to know that it is God-given. . . . Teach them to love their country, to know that it has a spiritual foundation...
Teach them that the Constitution of the United States was established by men whom God raised up for that very purpose, that it is not outmoded, that it is not an old-fashioned agrarian document, as some men in high places are calling it today. (Enemy 303-04; from an address delivered at the MIA Conference, Salt Lake City, UT, Jun 1966)
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The question as to whether we may save our constitutional republic is simply based on two factors: the number of patriots and the extent of their obedience.
That the Lord desires to save this nation which he raised up there is no doubt. But that he leaves it up to us, with his help, is the awful reality. (”Prepare, Then Fear Not” 58; revised in Enemy 55; GFC 327; from an address given at the New England Rally for God, Family, and Country; Boston, MA, 4 Jul 1966)
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Jefferson warned that we should not talk about confidence in men but that we should inhibit their power through the Constitution. [Thomas Jefferson, Draft of Kentucky Resolutions of 1798; Works 9:470-71.] (”Our Immediate Responsibility” 9; also in Enemy 313)
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The Prophet Joseph Smith declared it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the Constitution, not the Church. And have we elders been warned? Yes, we have. And have we elders been given the guidelines? Yes indeed, we have. And besides, if the Church should ever inaugurate a program, who do you think would be in the forefront to get it moving? It would not be those who were sitting on the sidelines prior to that time or those who were appeasing the enemy. It would be those choice spirits who, not waiting to be “commanded in all things” [D&C 58:26], used their own free will, the counsel of the prophets, and the Spirit of the Lord as guidelines and who entered the battle “in a good cause” [D&C 58:27] and brought to pass much righteousness in freedom’s cause. . . .
Brethren, if we had done our homework and were faithful, we could step forward at this time and help save this country. The fact that most of us are unprepared to do it is an indictment we will have to bear. The longer we wait, the heavier the chains, the deeper the blood, the more the persecution, and the less we can carry out our God-given mandate and worldwide mission. The war in heaven is raging on the earth today. Are you being neutralized in the battle? (”Not Commanded in All Things” 538-39; also in GFC 385-89)
Today's post further explores statements by Ezra Taft Benson, 13th President the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. President Benson, who served in Eisenhower's cabinet for the full 8 years, (the only cabinet member to do so), simultaneous to his service as an Apostle for the Church, was there in a pivotal time for our country. President Benson was an outspoken critic of Communism and Socialism. He was both a prophet and a statesman, and IMO was there by no coincidence.
freedom ping
“Jefferson warned that we should not talk about confidence in men but that we should inhibit their power through the Constitution.”
Put not your trust in princes - Ps 146:3
Amen.
Excellent post as always. Keep up the good work.
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