The topic of
discussion for this Constitution concerns the inspiration behind the
Constitution of the United States and how it was drafted and ratified. We know
that the entire Constitution was not inspired of God because God would never
inspire any program that caused any of His children to live in slavery. God
gave each of us moral agency in our premortal life and sent it with us when we
came to earth; He wants us to be free to make our choices – good or bad – in order
that His judgement because He wants us to receive the consequences we deserve.
Slavery of every kind is a tool of Satan because he likes to control people.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has
spoken about the Constitution numerous times.
The source of my quotes is an article published in February 1992 Ensign titled “The Divinely Inspired Constitution.” He listed five great fundamentals of the Constitution that he considers to be
divinely inspired. [A version of this
address, given at the Freedom Festival, Provo, Utah, was printed in Utah Forum, Fall/Winter 1989, pp. 1-11.]
1. “Separation of powers [into the three branches of executive,
legislative, and judicial]…. Thus, we
see that the inspiration on the idea of
separation of powers came long before the U.S. Constitutional Convention. The inspiration
in the convention was in its original and remarkably successful adaptation of
the idea of separation of powers to the practical needs of a national
government. The delegates found just the right combination to assure the
integrity of each branch, appropriately checked and balanced with the others.”
2. “A written bill of rights. This second great fundamental came by
amendment, but I think Americans all look upon the Bill of Rights as part of
the inspired work of the Founding Fathers.
The idea of a bill of rights was not new. Once again, the inspiration
was in the brilliant, practical implementation of preexisting principles….
“I have always felt that the
United States Constitution’s closest approach to scriptural stature is in the
phrasing of our Bill of Rights. Without the free exercise of religion, America
could not have served as the host nation for the restoration of the gospel,
which began just three decades after the Bill of Rights was ratified. I also
see scriptural stature in the concept and wording of the freedoms of speech and
press, the right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures, the
requirements that there must be probable cause for an arrest and that accused
persons must have a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, and the
guarantee that a person will not be deprived of life, liberty, or property
without due process of law….”
3. “Division of powers [between nation and states]. Another inspired fundamental of the U.S. Constitution is its
federal system, which divides government powers between the nation and the
various states. Unlike the inspired
adaptations mentioned earlier, this division of sovereignty was unprecedented
in theory or practice. In a day when it
is fashionable to assume that the government has the power and means to right
every wrong, we should remember that the U.S. Constitution limits the national government
to the exercise of powers expressly granted to it.” [See the Tenth Amendment.]
4. “Application of Popular
sovereignty. Perhaps the most important of the great fundamentals of the
inspired Constitution is the principle of popular sovereignty: The people are the source of government
power. Along with many religious people, Latter-day Saints affirm that God gave
the power to the people, and the people consented to a constitution that
delegated certain powers to the government….”
5. “The rule of law and not of men. Further, there is divine
inspiration in the fundamental underlying premise of this whole constitutional
order. All the blessings enjoyed under the United States Constitution are
dependent upon the rule of law. … The rule of law is the basis of liberty.”
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