What Can We Learn from Ancient American History?

            I studied Mosiah 29 during my “Come, Follow Me” studies this week. I learn that King Mosiah was getting old, but all his sons declined the opportunity to succeed him. They had all left on a mission to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Lamanites, so King Mosiah suggested to the people that they change their form of government. The people loved King Mosiah, so they were happy when he told them that he would continue to be their king until he died. However, he suggested that they change their government to one of judges.


            King Mosiah reminded his people that “all men are not just” and some kings cause a lot of iniquity, wickedness, abominations, and bondage for his people. He told them that it is almost impossible to dethrone a wicked king because they have their friends who support them. They write evil laws and trample the commandments of God under their feet. (See Mosiah 29:16-22.) Then he told them his plan for a new form of government.

25 Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord.

26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law – to do your business by the voice of the people.

27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.

King Mosiah continued by explaining how the system of judges would work. The people would choose lower judges and higher judges. If the lower judges did not judge fairly, the people would take their case to the higher judges to be judged. If the higher judges judged unfairly, they would be judged by the lower judges. The system worked great until most of the people and all the judges became wicked, and then the government collapsed and led to the destruction of the ancient American society.

We live in a day when secret combinations are trying to destroy the constitutional government of the United States to form a one-world government. The supporters of the secret combinations are trying to turn the United States into a socialist nation. If the secret groups convince the majority of American citizens to support them, our government will collapse. Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints warned that we must not be indifferent to wickedness in society, because destruction awaits nations that choose unrighteousness:

Speaking behaviorally, when what was once the lesser voice of the people becomes more dominant, then the judgments of God and the consequences of foolish selfishness follow (see Mosiah 29:26–27).

“Cultural decline is accelerated when single-interest segments of society become indifferent to general values once widely shared. This drift is facilitated by the indifferent or the indulgent as society is led carefully down to hell (see 2 Nephi 28:21). Some may not join in this drift, but instead they step aside, whereas once they might have constrained, as is their representative right. …

“We actually have an obligation to notice genuine, telltale societal signs. …

“For what happens in cultural decline both leaders and followers are really accountable. Historically, of course, it is easy to criticize bad leaders, but we should not give followers a free pass. Otherwise, in their rationalization of their degeneration they may say they were just following orders, while the leader was just ordering followers! However, much more is required of followers in a democratic society, wherein individual character matters so much in both leaders and followers (in Conference Report, Apr. 1999, 28–30; or Ensign, May 1999, 23–24).

According to Elder Maxwell, American citizens are just as responsible for the conditions in our nation because we choose our leaders. Many of our problems have come from tolerance for less than ideal practices and social correctness. Elder Boyd K. Packer also spoke of the recent trends of distorting tolerance:

The virtue of tolerance has been distorted and elevated to a position of such prominence as to be thought equal to and even valued more than morality. It is one thing to be tolerant, even forgiving of individual conduct. It is quite another to collectively legislate and legalize to protect immoral conduct that can weaken, even destroy the family.

There is a dangerous trap when tolerance is exaggerated to protect the rights of those whose conduct endangers the family and injures the rights of the more part of the people. We are getting dangerously close to the condition described by the prophet Mosiah [in Mosiah 29:26–27] (“Children of God,” BYU Women’s Conference, May 5, 2006, 6).

Donald Trump is a blessing to America in several ways, and one of them is his unwillingness to tolerate what was happening in the United States under previous administrations. He loves America, he loves the military, and he loves first responders. He loves and supports all Americans. He does not seem to care what race or religion they come from. He tries to surround himself with fellow patriots who support the rule of law – and too bad for political correctness or being tolerant of stupidity. He calls them out for what they are.

I believe that Trump stopped the destruction of America, and that is the reason why he is so hated by Democrats, socialists, communists, and other liberals. One of the ways that he stopped the destruction was putting constitutionalist justices on the Supreme Court and federal courts throughout America. He has also done more to heal the racial differences in the land than any previous president, including the one known as the Messiah (Barack Obama). I believe that Trump will go down in history as one of the greatest Presidents of the United States.