"Believe it or not, at one time the very notion of government had less to do with politics than with virtue. According to James Madison, often referred to as the father of the Constitution: 'We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of the government--far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God' (Russ Walton, Biblical Principles of Importance to Godly Christians, New Hampshire: Plymouth Foundation, 1984, p. 361)."
"Religion in a Free Society," Ensign, Oct. 1992, 65
[b]"The principles and philosophies upon which the U.S. Constitutional law is based are not simply the result of the best efforts of a remarkable group of brilliant men. They were inspired by God, and the rights and privileges guaranteed in the Constitution are God-given, not man-derived. The freedom and independence afforded by the Constitution and Bill of Rights are divine rights--sacred, essential, and inalienable. In the 98th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord indicates that the 'law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me' (D&C 98:5)."
"Religion in a Free Society," Ensign, Oct. 1992, 65
"The United States Constitution was the first written constitution in the world. It has served Americans well, enhancing freedom and prosperity during the changed conditions of more than two hundred years. Frequently copied, it has become the United States' most important export. After two centuries, every nation in the world except six have adopted written constitutions (see "The Constitution," Wilson Quarterly, Spring
1987, pp. 97, 126), and the U.S. Constitution was a model for all of them. No wonder modern revelation says that God established the U.S. Constitution and that it 'should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles' (D&C 101:77)."
Ref. "The Divinely Inspired Constitution," Ensign, Feb. 1992, 68
"In the year 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous French historian, came to our country. . . . Here is his own stirring explanation of the greatness of America:"
'I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great'
(Prophets, Principles and National Survival, compiled by Jerreld L. Newquist, p.
60).
"How strong is our will to remain free--to be good? False thinking and false ideologies, dressed in the most pleasing forms, quietly--almost without our knowing it--seek to reduce our moral defenses and to captivate our minds. They entice with bright promises of security, cradle-to-grave guarantees of many kinds. They masquerade under various names, but all may be recognized by one thing--one thing they all have in common: to erode away character and man's freedom to think and act for himself."
"Watchman, Warn the Wicked," Ensign, July 1973, 39)
QUOTE |
America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great' |
QUOTE |
"How strong is our will to remain free--to be good? False thinking and false ideologies, dressed in the most pleasing forms, quietly--almost without our knowing it--seek to reduce our moral defenses and to captivate our minds. They entice with bright promises of security, cradle-to-grave guarantees of many kinds. They masquerade under various names, but all may be recognized by one thing--one thing they all have in common: to erode away character and man's freedom to think and act for himself." |