Thursday, December 31, 2009

A Perfect Brightness of Hope

The time has come for us to exercise greater faith and diligence in learning the doctrines of the gospel and establishing Zion in the earth. Each of us has sacred stewardship over several areas, and it is imperative as members of God's Kingdom here on earth that we live up to this stewardship. May the coming year be one in which it can be said of us that we went about doing good.


Happy New Year 2010!

Friday, December 18, 2009

What Messages Are We Sending (or Forwarding)

A very dear friend of mine received an email that had been forwarded around to a lot of people. She asked me my opinion on the matter and I felt that the issue was worth discussing here in some detail.


Misuse of Email

First things first

I ignore or delete 95% of the emails I get that have been forwarded more than once. If I do read them, I’ll usually laugh or say, “hmm that’s interesting…DELETED!” People who forward forwarded emails are showing that they have a low IQ regardless of their beliefs and viewpoints. I usually put a forward from someone I know on equal footing with SPAM. If someone keeps sending me forwards all the time I will filter out anything from them with a subject line containing Fw, Fwd, or the like. I don’t get too riled up about the content or the ideas because they are usually pretty stupid anyway.

I think of the “don’t buy gas from anyone next Wednesday — that'll show 'em” type protests against the gas companies who were “price gouging.” Often these are calls to boycott certain products or movies. I believe that in the free market system we vote everyday by the way we spend our money, and most the time I am against organized boycotts because they don't work and there are better ways of making statements. Again, I question the intelligence of people who come up with these ideas and even more so that of those who forward them around. If you get something worth forwarding on to your entire email list, at least take the time to copy the relevant content, add your own thoughts, and then send it out as something original — crediting the source of course.

The next point

Too many people take stuff at face value. I believe our mothers always said to us as we were growing up, “you can’t believe everything you see on tv.” And now we are having to learn that you can’t believe everything you see: in a photograph, in a newspaper, on the internet, on Wikipedia, or in an email. This just further shows how mindless so many people are.

I would like to interject here that the founders of our country understood how the masses could be stirred up and incited to become mob like. This is why they created the electoral college to elect the president and why originally the state legislatures elected the members of the US Senate (until the 17th Amendment). Our country was set up as a representative Republic, not a democracy, contrary to what far too many people believe.


What Happened in Texas?

I did a quick search and came up with these references:
Original Email
Local Story: posted on Sunday, November 17, 2002
Another Story : posted on 16 Dec 2002

"Let me explain, no, there is no time, let me sum up." =)
The story is 7 years old — making it even more ridiculous that people are still forwarding it around. In 2000 a US House resolution was passed that “encouraged” the display of the motto “In God We Trust” in public buildings. Some guy in Texas took it upon himself to put up some displays that he made carrying the motto. Apparently there is a law that no unofficial signs can be posted in public buildings — a reasonable law. So the post office took the signs down, but then after a fire storm of media attention they replaced them with official signs containing the motto.

Writing “In God We Trust” on the mail is just a knee-jerk reaction to a inaccurate story. The US Postal Service is representative of people’s frustration with government and is probably the branch of government with which we have the most frequent dealings, and so it becomes a target and a caricature more often than it probably deserves — but maybe not… However, the idea of trying to make a statement to the entire postal service by writing "In God We Trust" on all of your mail is not going to accomplish anything, and what it was trying to accomplish didn't even need to be accomplished! This is how silly these ideas can be.


The Political Process

Too many people come up with really unintelligent solutions to what they see as the big problems of the day, and their harebrained solutions usually involve getting other people to do things they themselves are unwilling to do — thus circulating misinformation around through emails is most people's idea of political activism. Our country has a political process. Far too many people are ignorant of the process, and the result is thousands upon thousands of ridiculous calls to action which would accomplish absolutely nothing.

Every day on blogs, posting comments, and talk shows you can read and hear all of these so called great ideas that in reality have not been given an ounce of thought, but they are probably doing their best. When we see things going wrong in the country we are justified in being upset, but too many people will just jump on a bandwagon with a bunch of other people who are also upset. Most don't even know where they're going — they just know they're upset and darn it they're doing something about it. We are all ignorant of different things in the world because one can only become a psudo-experts on so many topics, but I must say it is humorous to see ignorant people when they get upset. However, we must be respectful of the fact that people even care enough to get upset. I think this is why many people "stay out of politics;" they care more about not getting upset or upsetting others than they do about what is going on around them, but that's another topic for another day.


The Bigger Story Behind the Story

Religion is under attack in our country — and around the world. It always has been and always will be, but the assault is becoming increasingly brutal each day. In this environment anything that strikes at our religious nerves is going to get a lot of attention. Not everything is as bad as it is sometimes made out to be, but I think the worst thing we could do is become insensitive to those forces that are trying to secularize our society and thereby diminish the role of religion in our public discourse.

The US is a religious country. Its foundation is religious. The very God of heaven oversaw the founding of this nation for His purposes. Our nation will only continue to thrive and prosper if it continues to serve the God of this land who is Jesus Christ. When we cease to do that we will become vulnerable, and our nation may even be destroyed, depending on what happens to the righteous in the land. My thoughts are that a very powerful undercurrent is constantly eroding away our religious foundation, and it will cause everything we have built to come crumbling down unless we are actively building, strengthening, and reinforcing that foundation.

I found an interesting study about religion in America from 2001. Even though the data is eight years old it is still insightful. What stands out most to me is 80.2% of Americans claim a religious affiliation. Out of the remaining 19.8% it is safe to assume that a large percentage of them believe in God — this is a nation that believes in God. I think that with 76.5% of people self-identifying as Christians we can say that the United States is a Christian nation.

There are a small number of those who do not believe in God and/or are hostile toward religion in general and Christianity in particular. Again this is nothing new, but the important thing to recognize is that it is a very small number of people who are making all the noise. This country is very open and accepting of other religions and of the non-religious. I don’t think you could find another nation on the earth that has as much religious diversity and tolerance and acceptance as the US: Another interesting site: Adherents.com.

It seems to me that the intolerance and discrimination come from those who do not believe. To say, “I don’t believe in God or religion so I don’t have to adhere to religious principles and anything religious in American government is "establishing religion"" is to say something that cannot be — namely, that we must reorder society to accommodate certain individuals because they are different and this country is a melting pot and is about accepting others and their differences. The truth is that in a society built upon ordered liberty we must all be excepting of others — even those in the minority. Our nation wants to protect the minority from the majority, which is one of the primary reasons for the bill of rights. However, this argument about changing society to accomodate the few is used far too often to excuse ideas and beliefs that undermine who we are as a nation, a nation founded upon belief in God and adherence to certain traditions and codes of conduct. I can see why so many people are upset when our traditions are trampled upon and disrespected and when our religious liberties are infringed upon by those who do not believe.


Make a Stand but Take the Higher Road

When others start to push for laws and regulations that inhibit the free exercise of religion it is going to upset a lot of people — and rightfully so! It is safe to say that there is a trend toward more secularism in America. Though their numbers are small, more and more people are becoming less religious and often irreligious. The adversary is orchestrating this opposition. He is also well aware of the agitation felt by those who believe and he seeks to exploit it for his own purposes.

Some of the most challenging of Christ’s teachings are the commandments to love our enemies and to turn the other cheek. But this does not mean that we shouldn't or can't challenge those who confront us; and it does not mean we have to be pacifists, nor does it imply that we cannot speak out and even criticize others when they are wrong. The people of Ammon did not sit idly by while Korihor went around trying to undermine the faith of their people, but “took him, and bound him, and carried him before Ammon,” Alma 30:20


Back to Where We Started

The original email that began circulating did not contain the words “sit down and shut up.” That was added later by someone who has not learned the lesson about taking the higher road. As for everyone who forwarded the email with that statement, we are all subject to the passions of the flesh and those can be used against us, even when or especially when we stand up for what is right.

What I take away from all of this is that:

  • I will continue to pay no attention to the foolish outcries of the uninformed
  • I will continue to stand up for truth and righteousness in the face of fierce opposition
  • I will continue to support wise leaders who can rally the strength of the people behind worthy and noble causes, and
  • I will continue to trust that the purposes of the Almighty will be accomplished in spite of the wicked and in spite of our own foibles and errors
  • And come on people, let's make better use of our time than forwarding around emails that do no good for anyone!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Just and Holy Principles

Just and Holy Principles: Latter-Day Saint Readings on America and the Constitution



This is a book that every Latter-day Saint in the United States should own and regularly read from. If every American understood what it said it would be a benifit to the country and the Church. Knowing what is in the Constitution, understanding it, and supporting it through our beliefs, actions, and votes will help to secure a safe future for us and our children and get us off the dangerous path we are now on!





Thursday, December 3, 2009

They Use Much Flattery

The last post spoke about the importance of language and its proper use. Now here is a warning found throughout scripture about why we need to be very careful of the words of those around us.


Many forces seek to corrupt language and confuse man's understanding — I believe Satan is fully aware of the power and influence that words can have over the minds of men. I believe we are in the midst of a great battle over language as much as anything else right now. Daily we are confronting "evils and designs which exist in the hearts of conspiring men" and one of the designs these conspirators use is the hijacking of the words of freedom and liberty and the twisting of them to appeal to and ignite the passions of the people. We must understand what they are doing and reclaim the language and help others to see clearly what is going on around them.



To do this we must dissect the language used by those who are "learned" and who have "a perfect knowledge of the language of the people" and who "use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil." (Jacob 7: 4) This is how Jacob described the words of Sherem the antichrist. The Bible Dictionary says the following under the word antichrist:

A word used by John to describe one who would assume the guise of Christ, but in reality would be opposed to Christ (1 Jn. 2: 18, 22; 1 Jn. 4: 3-6; 2 Jn. 1: 7). In a broader sense it is anyone or anything that counterfeits the true gospel or plan of salvation and that openly or secretly is set up in opposition to Christ. The great antichrist is Lucifer, but he has many assistants both as spirit beings and as mortals. See 2 Thes. 2: 1-12; Rev. 13: 17; Jacob 7: 1-23; Alma 1: 2-16; Alma 30: 6-60.



One of the primary tools of those who set up counterfeits to the true gospel is the use of flattering language. Flattery is used to win the hearts and minds of the people. They are usually led down the path of iniquity so as to blind their minds from being able to perceive the deception. Here are some examples of this:



After Zeniff died, his son Noah began a wicked reign that led to great misery and destruction among his people. The scripture says he "changed the affairs of the kingdom." The people followed King Noah down the path of destruction because they turned from righteousness to wickedness due to the flattering words of the king and his priests.

Mosiah 11:7

Yea, and they also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them.

The people threw in with them because they were deceived. And after a time the consequences were very biter.

Mosiah 21:13-15
13 And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies.
14 And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions.
15 And now the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities;

So the pattern is very clear: Wicked men have evil designs on a righteous people, the people are deceived, they fall into iniquity, they loose their freedom and become captive, they begin to repent but must suffer the consequences of their actions.



Case study two takes place only a short time later. The two groups of people that stemmed from the previous story — Limhi's people and Alma's people — both joined the rest of the Nephites in Zarahemla after being freed from their servitude and bondage. With liberty restored the process of deceit and flattery began once more:

Mosiah 26:6

For it came to pass that they did deceive many with their flattering words, who were in the church, and did cause them to commit many sins; therefore it became expedient that those who committed sin, that were in the church, should be admonished by the church.

Mosiah 27:8
Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities.

This story would have followed the same pattern as the story of King Noah except for the prophet Alma. He was a righteous man and prayed to the Lord to help his people and his son, and the Lord heard his prayer and Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah were converted. Now had the wickedness spread as it did in the land of Nephi-Lehi and had the people done to Alma as they had Abinadi then the land of Zerahemla would have been taken over by the Lamanites and the Nephites would have been killed or enslaved just like Noah's people were.


The two lessons to focus on in this discussion are: wicked people will always use flattery as they seek to deceive the people, destroy their liberty, and bring them down into bondage; the second lesson is the wicked are spared for the sake of the righteous, but as soon as the wicked overcome the righteous destruction is imminent.

Hel. 13: 14

14 But behold, it is for the righteous’ sake that it is spared. But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction; yea, wo be unto this great city, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in her.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The Power of the Word of God

Alma 31: 5
5 And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.


I took Religion 325 (D&C) from Steven Harper, a religion professor at BYU and author of Making Sense of the Doctrine & Covenants; and he would always say, "Language is important, words are very important. The words in the revelations are what they are for a reason." He would criticize the effectiveness of anything that tried to pass itself off as scripture when it altered the words of actual scripture (movies, modern translations, etc.) because as he would say, "there is power in the words of the revelations."



The Book of Mormon itself, makes reference to the word "language" in 25 different passages, and "word" in its various forms is used in 196 different passages. The most frequent use of "language" is when it refers to the "manner" in which one was speaking, ie. "this was his language." But the important passages are the ones that speak of "language" being preserved either by the plates and records or by the instructing of sons by their fathers. Language is also referred to often in the context of the spiritual gifts associated with speaking and interpreting. The preservation of language is important, and how we use words and the way we speak is a crucial part of a society.


From this brief discussion I would like to point out the importance of journal writing, educating ourselves and our children, and studying the Word of God. Let us learn the words of the scriptures and treasure them up in our hearts, for the words found therein are sacred and have a power second to none when compared to any other written work.








Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Grievous to Be Borne

Taxation in the Book of Mormon


The word tax, in its various forms, appears in four Book of Mormon passages.



Mosiah 2: 14
And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day.

Mosiah 7: 15,22
15 For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves; for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites.
• • •
22 And all this he did, for the sole purpose of bringing this people into subjection or into bondage. And behold, we at this time do pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of our flocks and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or our lives.

Mosiah 11: 3, 6
3 And he laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed, a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of all their grain.
• • •
6 Yea, and thus they were supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor exceedingly to support iniquity.

Ether 10: 5-6
5 And it came to pass that Riplakish did not do that which was right in the sight of the Lord, for he did have many wives and concubines, and did lay that upon men’s shoulders which was grievous to be borne; yea, he did tax them with heavy taxes; and with the taxes he did build many spacious buildings.

6 And he did erect him an exceedingly beautiful throne; and he did build many prisons, and whoso would not be subject unto taxes he did cast into prison; and whoso was not able to pay taxes he did cast into prison; and he did cause that they should labor continually for their support; and whoso refused to labor he did cause to be put to death.


I make the casual observation that confiscatory taxation is not right in the sight of the Lord. The king of the Lamanites taxed Limhi's people at 50%, which was "grievous to be borne;" but Noah's tax or 20% caused "the people ot labor exceedingly to support iniquity."


Now what should we say about the current state of taxation in the US?

Saturday, September 26, 2009

That They Might Cross Him

Reading the Book of Mormon over the last couple months I became aware of a phrase that described the evil designs of those who were fighting against the servants of God. Several times they would "question him, that they might cross him." I was intrigued by this and decided to look into this practice. My initial search led me to the following three Book of Mormon scriptures and five New Testament scriptures:

Mosiah 12: 19
19 And they began to question him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to accuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment; for he did withstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words.
About 148 B.C.

Alma 10: 16
16 And it came to pass that they began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or contradict the words which he should speak.
About 82 B.C.

Hel. 9: 19
19 Nevertheless, they caused that Nephi should be taken and bound and brought before the multitude, and they began to question him in divers ways that they might cross him, that they might accuse him to death—
Between 23 and 20 B.C.

Matthew 22:15
15 ¶ Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

Mark 12:13
13 ¶ And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

Luke 11:53-54
53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

Luke 20:20
20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

John 8:6
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

Abinadi, Amulek, Nephi, and even Jesus Himself, were all subjected to this age old legal parlor trick. You get someone worked up with false accuasations or "trick questions" and if you are able to find a misstatement in their words you then lay aside the original accusation and accuse them of blasphemy, heresy, lying—or in our modern parlance—contempt, misconduct, or perjury.


These evil designs have been around for a long time, and they are with us today. Hopefully we can be aware of these and see them for what they are, and call people out as did the Savior and His prophets when conspiring men seek to cross us in our words.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Stand Fast in Liberty

There is a peculiar phrase that is used in the Book of Mormon on several occasions:


  • Mosiah 23:13 "And now as ye have been delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust no man to be a king over you." —Alma


  • Alma 58:40 "But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come." —Helaman


  • Alma 61:9 "And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free."
    • • •
    Alma 61:21 "See that ye strengthen Lehi and Teancum in the Lord; tell them to fear not, for God will deliver them, yea, and also all those who stand fast in that liberty wherewith God hath made them free. And now I close mine epistle to my beloved brother, Moroni." — Pahoran

What does it mean to "stand fast in liberty?"

I believe this means that we need to not only respect, honor, and value the blessings of liberty, but also promote freedom and fight tyranny. We must always be vigilant against the subtle and blatant attacks against our freedom. Our great country is moving down an extremely dangerous path, and there are many powerful people who will push the nation down that path even faster if we do not band together and push back.

How serious is this situation?


"Let us never forget that today we are in the biggest battle ever staged. Our opponent is socialism-the Welfare State-and the penalty of failure is enslavement. We must keep keep strong spiritually, morally and economically as individuals, families, communities and as a nation. Only in this course is safety." -Elder Ezra Taft Benson February 28, 1962

"I have been on both sides of the Iron Curtain several times. I have talked to these godless leaders face to face. I say to you with all the sincerity of my soul that since 1933 this godless counterfeit to the gospel has made tremendous progress towards its objective of world domination, for over one-third of the human family are now under totalitarian subjugation. Today we are in a battle for the bodies and souls of men. It is a battle between two opposite systems: freedom and slavery, Christ and anti-Christ." —Elder Ezra Taft Benson April 12, 1977


I am a firm believer that God made man to be free and that the devil and his angels seek to enslave mankind. I have seen first hand the ill effects of welfare misused. The Lord has commanded us to care for the poor among us, and the counterfeit that satan has set up to deceive and snare mankind is the government run Welfare State. The purportedly benevolent purposes for which the statist seeks his power and control are a diabolical ruse.



Man is to be free, he is to have liberty, and he is meant to use his agency to determine his own destiny. The soul of man is crippled and weakened when he becomes ensnared by the dole. The war on poverty can only be won by instilling the laws of the celestial kingdom, and when man rejects that law he is left to himself and his puny efforts only worsen and deepen the problem.



May God bless America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. And may we as Americans seek to be a righteous example of light and truth to our fellow man throughout the world so that in due time they might also enjoy the blessings of liberty and "stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free."

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

To Thine Own Self Be True

"This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."
—William Shakespeare, Hamlet, act I, scene iii, lines 7880.


"He who surrenders himself without reservation to the temporal claims of a nation, or a party, or a class is rendering to Caesar that which, of all things, most emphatically belongs to God: himself..."
—C.S. Lewis


"Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s."
Matt. 22:21—See Also: Mark 12:17 & Luke 20:25

Where Allegiance Lies
First, we are loyal to God
Second, we are loyal to truth
Third, we are loyal to principle
Fourth, we are loyal to self

If we follow this formula, we will always seek the benefit of mankind and we will be in a position to help mankind.

“Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”

"We are truly happy only when we are engaged in unselfish service. Let us use the freedom which comes from self-reliance in giving and serving.

"Can we see how critical self-reliance becomes when looked upon as the prerequisite to service, when we also know service is what Godhood is all about? Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires to serve. How can we give if there is nothing there?
  • Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves.
  • Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse.
  • Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved.
  • Teaching cannot come from the unlearned.
  • And most important of all, spiritual guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak.

There is an interdependence between those who have and those who have not. The process of giving exalts the poor and humbles the rich. In the process, both are sanctified. The poor, released from the bondage and limitations of poverty, are enabled as free men to rise to their full potential, both temporally and spiritually. The rich, by imparting of their surplus, participate in the eternal principle of giving. Once a person has been made whole or self-reliant, he reaches out to aid others, and the cycle repeats itself.

"We are all self-reliant in some areas and dependent in others. Therefore, each of us should strive to help others in areas where we have strengths. At the same time, pride should not prevent us from graciously accepting the helping hand of another when we have a real need. To do so denies another person the opportunity to participate in a sanctifying experience."

Friday, March 27, 2009

In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children



And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.
And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land— Alma 46:12-13

Purpose Statement

To Discuss:
  1. The divine origins of the Constitution and the importance of Constitutional principles
  2. The prophecies about America - her destiny and history as the Promised Land
  3. Teachings from Latter-day prophets about how we should act as citizens of our nation
  4. Gospel principles that apply to forming opinions about government and policies