Never share a message in Church without it being tied directly to Jesus Christ
THE IDEA BEHIND this religious test or standard is, of course, that if the topic or message one intends to share in Church can be tied directly to Jesus Christ then it clears the bar, as it were, and is deemed appropriate—therefore, one can feel perfectly comfortable in discussing or sharing it in Church. But, if this intended topic or message cannot be tied directly to Jesus Christ then it fails to meet the standard or clear the bar and is, therefore, not an appropriate topic or message and ought not to be shared in a Church setting.
AND SO WE see that everything depends on our ability to tie the Constitution of the United States directly to Jesus Christ both doctrinally and scripturally. Once this has been done there is nothing more that need be said as Joseph Smith’s previously quoted testimony would bear out to be true, that is, that the Constitution of the United States is true, just as the Bible and Book of Mormon are true—for eternal principles are eternal principles be they religious or political. And, YES, there are political truths that are eternal truths!
And for this purpose [to maintain the rights and privileges of all mankind] 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.
According to Jesus Christ, then, who is ultimately responsible for establishing the Constitution of the United States? Yes! It is Jesus Christ himself! In short, Jesus Christ is here taking full responsibility or ownership of the Constitution of the United States, as it is He who “established the Constitu- tion of this land.” Jesus Christ, then, is the ultimate Founding Father and ought to be recognized as such if we are to fully appreciate the divinely in- spired nature of the Constitution and all our other Founding Documents—such as the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence.
The fact is we Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus Christ oversaw (1) the discovery of America by Columbus, (2) the coming of the Pilgrims, (3) the American Revolutionary War and (4) the establishment of the Constitution.
Here are just a few of the historical events that can be tied directly to Jesus Christ: Columbus’ Discovery of America—1 Ne. 13:12 Pilgrims and Puritans—1 Ne. 13:13-16 American Revolutionary War—1 Ne. 13:17-19; D&C 101:80 America as a Christian Bible Nation—1 Ne. 13:20 Founding Fathers Raised Up—D&C 101:80 Establishment of U.S. Constitution—D&C 101:80 America’s Unprecedented Prosperity—1 Ne. 13:30 Coming Forth of Book of Mormon—1 Ne. 13:34-37 Establishment of Gospel In Last Days—1 Ne. 13:38-42
And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them. And that 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. Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil. I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.
“I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed his stamp of approval on the constitution of this land.”
1. It is ONLY that part of the law of the land which is constitutional which is justifiable in the eyes of the Lord. 2. The constitutional parts of the law are ONLY those parts which support the principle of freedom by maintaining our rights and privileges. 3. The constitution is not just an American document but is a freedom document that belongs to ALL mankind. 4. Members of the Church are ONLY justified in befriending those parts of the law which are TRULY constitutional (see #2). 5. Any extra-constitutional laws or willful refusal to uphold the existing constitutional law of the land, (i.e., whatsoever is more or less than this), cometh of evil. 6. Just as the Lord God makes you free, so, likewise, does the constitutional law of the land make you free, tying both God and the Constitution together. 7. When the wicked rule the people mourn becauseof their oath breaking, extra-constitutional and, therefore, despotic or tyrannical acts. 8. The principle of freedom (our rights and privileges) depends, therefore, on our seeking out, electing, and upholding honest, wise and good men, as any- thing less than this, also, cometh of evil.
1. The Saints are not anarchists. As long as there is a Constitutional path for a redress of our grievances (i.e., violations of the rights and privileges of the citizenry), then, we LDS are to “importune for redress.” 2. Again, the Constitution was established by Jesus Christ for the purpose of maintaining the rights and privileges of all mankind and not just we Americans. 3. These rights and privileges are in accordance with just and holy principles—for eternal principles are eternal principles be they religious or political. 4. Constitutional protection of rights and privileges is essential to preserve not only our liberty but our moral agency. In short, there can be no individual accountability without individual liberty. 5. Slavery—human bondage—robs mankind of liberty as well as moral agency and, “Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.” 6. Jesus Christ established the Constitution of this land and it was established for at least the following four purposes: To maintain the rights and privileges of all mankind; To protect individual liberty of action; To preserve moral agency and accountability; To eventually eliminate human bondage worldwide. 7. The Constitution was established by the hands of wise men (Founding Fathers), whom Jesus Christ raised up for all the purposes listed above. 8. Freedom came at a high cost as America, the land of Liberty, was redeemed by the shedding of blood. The blood of our American Patriots, therefore, is sacred blood and should be revered as such.
“The Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded in the wisdom of God. It is a heavenly banner ... It is like a great tree under whose branches men from every clime can be shielded from the burning rays of the sun,”
More and more there are those Latter-day Saints who truly believe that what is needed today is for a modern-day Captain Moroni to rise up amongst us and hoist his “title of liberty” in the air for all us Latter-day Saints to rally behind, (Alma 46:13, 36), but, this sentiment is an enormous error on our part for our latter-day Captain Moroni has already arrived, only he wasn’t a Captain, but, a General, and his name was George Washington; and the “title of liberty” for our day has already been hoisted and it is called the Constitution of the United States, which Constitution is, indeed, “a glorious standard” and “a heavenly banner,” which was “founded in the wisdom of God,” as Joseph Smith so testified, (see cited quotation).
So, YES, the Constitution of the United States can be tied directly to Jesus Christ, and, therefore, clears the bar of appropriateness in ANY LDS Church setting—including temple dedications and services—as is evidenced in the dedicatory prayer of the Kirkland temple by the prophet Joseph Smith: “May those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.”
However, being a disciple of Jesus Christ involves much more than talking and preaching of Christ. The Savior Himself restored His Church to help us on the path to become more like Him. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is structured to provide opportunities to practice the fundamentals of discipleship. Through our participation in the Church, we learn to recognize and act on the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We develop the disposition of reaching out in compassion and kindness to others.
President Thomas S. Monson often repeated these words of advice: “Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies.”13 ... God uses the weak and the plain to bring about His purposes. This truth stands as a testimony that it is God’s power, not man’s, that accomplishes His work on the earth.
Lehi then stated, “I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit.”16 Please note that Lehi did not leave the tree of life. He stayed spiritually with the Lord and invited his family to come where he was to partake of the fruit. The adversary would entice some to leave the joy of the gospel by separating Christ’s teachings from His Church. He would have us believe that we can stay firmly on the covenant path on our own, through our own spirituality, independent of His Church. In these latter days, Christ’s Church was restored in order to help Christ’s covenant children stay on His covenant path.
A third element of the framework is that personal revelation will be in harmony with the commandments of God and the covenants we have made with Him. Consider a prayer that goes something like this: 'Heavenly Father, Church services are boring. May I worship Thee on the Sabbath in the mountains or on the beach? May I be excused from going to church and partaking of the sacrament but still have the promised blessings of keeping the Sabbath day holy?' In response to such a prayer, we can anticipate God’s response: 'My child, I have already revealed my will regarding the Sabbath day.'"
Never share a message in Church without it being tied directly to Jesus Christ
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