In November 2015
I posted an entry titled “God’s Hand in the Founding of America.” I noticed recently that the post received more hits than normal, so I pulled it
up to see why. I was astonished at how appropriate it is for today, and I
decided that there was much in the essay that needs to be reposted.
America is a nation that is deeply
divided and filled with hate. There are obviously people who live in the United
States but hate America, and there are obviously people living in the United
States who love America enough to die for it. The first group of people is
attempting to destroy the constitutional way of life that has made America
great, and the second group recognizes the dangers facing America and is trying
to “make America great again.”
There are those people who say that
black is white and white is black, who call evil good and good evil. There is
so much fake news floating around that any intelligent person might have
difficulty in determining what is true. What chance do the less intelligent
people have to know the truth?
The Book of Mormon – Another Testament
of Jesus Christ tells us that a prophet named Lehi lived in Jerusalem six
hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ. He was troubled by the
wickedness among his people, and he attempted to call them to repentance. However,
they rejected his teachings and sought to kill him. The Lord directed Lehi to
take his family into the wilderness. After eight years in the wilderness, they
reached a large body of water, and the Lord directed them to build a ship in
order to cross the water. They followed the Lord’s directions and eventually
arrived in the Americas.
The Book of Mormon tells the story
of Lehi’s family and their experiences with God. Early in the record the Lord
tells Lehi that He has prepared a place for them.
And inasmuch as
ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of
promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is
choice above all other lands (1 Nephi 2:20).
The Book of Mormon contains many
references to this land of promise being “choice above all other lands” and the
promise of prospering to all those who keep His commandments in this land of
promise. The history of the people bears witness that they did prosper when
they were righteous but suffered when wicked.
Knowing that the Lord considers the
Americas to be a land of promise to the righteous, it is no surprise that He
had a hand in the founding of America. In a revelation given to Joseph Smith
the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, December 16-17, 1833, the Lord says the
following.
77 According to
the laws and constitution of the
people, which I have suffered to be
established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all
flesh, according to just and holy principles;
78 That every
man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the
moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for
his own sins in the day of judgment.
79 Therefore, it
is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
80 And for this
purpose have I established the
Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this
very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood (Doctrine and Covenants 101:77-80; emphasis added).
We learn from the above scriptures
that America is a choice land where righteous people will prosper. We also
learn that God “raised up” the “wise men” who wrote the U.S. Constitution. The
United States of America became a great nation by abiding by the divinely
inspired Constitution. As we move away from the divine document, we fall from
greatness.
More than forty years ago on
February 24, 1976, Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke at Brigham Young
University on the topic of “God’s Hand in the Founding of America.” I believe that this message is more relevant
today than when given, and I encourage you to read it for yourselves. He begins
his address with the following statement:
I look around me
and find some very definite signs of the decay that is beginning to occur. Corruption, crime, dishonesty, immorality,
pollution, laziness, devotion only to special interests – these are signs that
precede the fall of great civilizations.
We see so much evidence of these signs before our eyes. Yet I realize the promise that has been given
to us in this great land of America. I
also remember the prophecies concerning our great responsibilities to preserve
that which we have been blessed with by God.
The Lord has promised to sustain the truth in this land.
Elder Perry shares the words of
several latter-day prophets that indicate that the Constitution and the United
States will go through perilous times. Brigham Young said, “The time will come
when the destiny of this nation will hang upon a single thread” (Journal of Discourses, 7:15). John
Taylor says that the Constitution will be “torn to shreds” (The Gospel Kingdom, Deseret Book Co.,
1943, p. 219). George Q. Cannon says that “the Constitution and free government
under it will be sustained and preserved” (Journal
of Discourses, 23:104). It
is obvious from the words of these latter-day prophets and apostles that the
U.S. Constitution and the nation will go through some difficult times before
being preserved.
One of the purposes for Elder
Perry’s address to the students at BYU was to present the Church’s Bicentennial
message to America. The Church printed
and distributed a document titled “God’s Hand in the Founding of America” in an
effort to “reverse the trend and help chart the course of this country back
toward righteousness….” The Church wanted the people of America to hear the
following “unique messages.”
First, America’s
early history began more than 2,000 years ago and is contained in an ancient
and sacred record called the Book of Mormon.
Second, the discovery of America and the establishment of the United
States was a part of God’s plan and were brought about by men who were inspired
and guided by God. And finally,
America’s future destiny is dependent on the righteousness and morality of her
families.
Elder Perry emphasizes the
importance of knowing and understanding America’s past. This seems especially
pertinent when many of the rising generation do not know the meaning of the
year 1776 or why we celebrate the Fourth of July. Elder Perry continues.
Why is it so
important to know and understand America’s past? We know that history provides
important lessons and warnings for today – lessons about God and his interest
in the affairs of men; and warnings in the form of destructions that came to
early American civilizations when they lost their reverence for family,
morality, or God….
America is now even further down the
slippery slope of destruction than it was in 1976 when Elder Perry made his
presentation. America is still a land of promise but on certain conditions. The
determination of whether God prospers us or destroys us is determined by our
righteousness and our obedience to commandments of God. Will we learn from
history, or will we follow previous civilizations in the path to destruction?
It is up to us!
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