David
O. McKay
9th President
1951–1970
The
United States
Constitution
The
Bill of Rights
Declaration
of
Independence
Born:
8 September 1873
Ordained an Apostle: 9
April 1906
Second Counselor to
Heber J. Grant: 6
October 1934
Second Counselor to
George Albert Smith: 21
May 1945
President of the Twelve:
30 September 1950
President of the Church:
9 April 1951 - 18
January 1970
Died: 18 January 1970
As an
Apostle
1. Let us instill into the hearts of our children
the love of freedom. Teach
them that to be free is as precious as life itself.
Fight every influence- Socialist, communist, whatever it may be –
that would deprive and American citizen of the liberty vouchsafed by the
Constitution. Liberty is truth=– in truth we find liberty.
You teachers, feel it in your hearts; instill it into the hearts of
these precious children. May
the Church of Jesus Christ ever stand true to the ideals of freedom.
(President David O. McKay)
2. We call upon all Church members completely to
eschew Communism. The safety
of our divinely inspired Constitutional government and the welfare of our
Church imperatively demand that Communism shall have no place in America. (The
Frist Presidency - Imp. Era Aug 1931 & David O. McKay - Statements Pg
2)
3..
I desire to call attention to the fact that the united, well ordered
American home is one of the greatest contributing factors to the
preservation of the Constitution of the United States. It has been aptly
said that "Out of the homes of America will come the future citizens
of America, and only as those homes are what they should be will this
nation be what it should be." (CR [Apr 1935] 110)
5..
Our twelfth Article of Faith says:
We
believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in
obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. . . .
.
. . The three significant words used in the 12th Article of Faith express
the proper attitude of the membership of the Church toward law. These
words are—obey, honor and sustain. . . .
We
obey law from a sense of right.
We
honor law because of its necessity and strength to society.
We
sustain law by keeping it in good repute. (CR [Apr 1937] 27-28)
6.
What really prompted me to emphasize this principle is the presence in our
own United States of influences the avowed object of which is to sow
discord and contention among men with the view of undermining, weakening,
if not entirely destroying our constitutional form of government. If I
speak plainly, and in condemnation lay bare reprehensible practices and
aims of certain organizations, please do not think that I harbor ill-will
or enmity in my heart towards other United States citizens whose views on
political policies do not coincide with mine. But when acts and schemes
are manifestly contrary to the revealed word of the Lord, we feel
justified in warning people against them. We may be charitable and
forbearing to the sinner, but must condemn the sin. . . .
.
. . There is another danger even more menacing than the threat of invasion
of a foreign foe. It is the unpatriotic activities and underhanded
scheming of disloyal groups and organizations within our own borders. . .
.
Latter-day
Saints should have nothing to do with secret combinations and groups
antagonistic to the Constitutional law of the land, which the Lord
"suffered to be established," and which "should be
maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just
and holy principles;
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.
Therefore,
it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
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. (D&C [101:]77-80)
Of
course there are errors in government which some would correct, certainly
there are manifest injustices and inequalities, and there will always be
such in any government in the management of which enter the frailties of
human nature. If you want changes go to the polls on election day, express
yourself as an American citizen, and thank the Lord for the privilege that
is yours to have a say as to who shall serve you in public office. (CR
[Oct 1939] 102-05; also in Statements on Communism and the Constitution
of the United States 3, 5-6)
7.
Throughout the ages advanced souls have yearned for a society in which
liberty and justice prevail. Men have sought for it, fought for it, have
died for it. Ancient freemen prized it; slaves longed for it; the Magna
Charta demanded it; the Constitution of the United States declared it.
("The Church and the Present War" 341; also in Gospel Ideals
288)
8.
If we would make the world better, let us foster a keener appreciation of
the freedom and liberty guaranteed by the government of the United States
as framed by the founders of this nation. Here again self-proclaimed
progressives cry that such old-time adherence is out of date. But there
are some fundamental principles of this Republic which, like eternal
truths, never get out of date, and which are applicable at all times to
liberty-loving peoples. Such are the underlying principles of the
Constitution, a document framed by patriotic, freedom-loving men, who
Latter-day Saints declare were inspired by the Lord.
This
date, October 6, has been set apart by churches as "Loyalty
Day." It is highly fitting, therefore, as a means of making the world
better, not only to urge loyalty to the Constitution and to threatened
fundamentals of the United States government, but to warn the people that
there is evidence in the United States of disloyalty to tried and true
fundamentals in government. There are unsound economic theories; there are
European "isms," which, termite-like, secretly and, recently,
quite openly and defiantly, are threatening to undermine our democratic
institutions.
Today,
as never before, the issue is clearly defined—liberty and freedom of
choice, or oppression and subjugation for the individual and for nations.
As
we contemplate the deplorable fact that within the brief space of one
year, ten European nations have lost their independence, that over two
hundred and fifty million people have surrendered all guarantees of
personal liberty, deeper should be our gratitude, more intense our
appreciation of the Constitution, and more strengthened our determination
to resist at all costs any and all attempts to curtail our liberties, or
to change the underlying system of our government. ("Essentials of a
Better World" 698)
9.
Therefore, as against the tyranny and despotism of Totalitarianism and
Dictatorships, let us willingly and heroically, defend the Constitution of
this land that guarantees to every citizen of the republic, life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness and favors the divine pronouncement that the
souls of men are precious in the sight of God. ("Address to Marines
Enlisted in Newest 'Mormon Battalion'" 4)
10.
We . . . warn our people in America of the constantly increasing threat
against our inspired Constitution. . . . The proponents thereof are
seeking to undermine our own form of government and to set up instead one
of the forms of dictatorships [which] is now flourishing in other lands.
These revolutionists are using a technique that is as old as the human
race,—a fervid but false solicitude for the unfortunate over whom they
thus gain mastery, and then enslave them. (Grant and McKay 273, 343)
11.
Governments are the servants, not the masters of the people.
All who love the Constitution of the United States can vow with Thomas
Jefferson, who, when he was president, said,
I
have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of
tyranny over the mind of man.
He
later said:
To
preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with
perpetual debt. We must take our choice between economy and liberty, or
profusion and servitude. If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in
our meat and drink, in our necessities and in our comforts, in our labors
and in our amusements.
If
we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under
pretense of caring for them, they will be happy. The same prudence which
in private life would forbid our paying our money for unexplained
projects, forbids it in the disposition of public money. We are
endeavoring to reduce the government to the practice of rigid economy to
avoid burdening the people and arming the magistrate with a patronage of
money which might be used to corrupt the principles of our government. . .
.
In
conclusion, I repeat that no greater immediate responsibility rests upon
members of the Church, upon all citizens of this Republic and of
neighboring Republics than to protect the freedom vouchsafed by the
Constitution of the United States.
Let
us, by exercising our privileges under the Constitution—
(1)
Preserve our right to worship God according to the dictates of our
conscience,
(2)
Preserve the right to work when and where we choose. . . .
(3)
Feel free to plan and to reap without the handicap of bureaucratic
interference.
(4)
Devote our time, means, and life if necessary, to hold inviolate those
laws which will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience,
the right and control of property, and the protection of life. ("Free
Agency . . . A Divine Gift" 367, 378)
12.
The Constitution of this government was written by men who accepted Jesus
Christ as the Saviour of mankind. Let men and women in these United States
then continue to keep their eyes centered upon Him who ever shines as a
Light to all the world. ("The Light That Shines in Darkness"
750)
13.
Men and women who live in America, "the land of Zion," have a
responsibility greater than that yet borne by any other people. Theirs the
duty, the obligation to preserve not only the Constitution of the land but
the Christian principles from which sprang that immortal document.
("The Light That Shines in Darkness" 750)
As
the President of the Church
14. Next to being one in worshiping God, there is nothing in this world upon which the Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution. (Pres. David O. McKay - Instructor 1956 pg. 94)
15.
No greater immediate responsibility rests upon members of the Church, than
to protect the freedom vouchsafed by the Constitution of the United
States. (Pres. David O. McKay - CR Apr 1950 )
16. Today, freedom - political, economic, and
individual freedom - lies destroyed or is in the course of being destroyed
over great areas of the globe. And
it has been destroyed and is being destroyed in the name of freedom...a
ruthless dialectical battle is being waged against individual freedom, and
it is being waged in the name of Freedom. Black becomes White; Tyranny
becomes Freedom; The Force Labor Camp stands for Liberty; The Slave State
is represented as Democracy. This
is the deadly challenge of Communism ((CN: Socialism)). (Pres.
David O. McKay - CR Oct 1962)
17. Today,
we are in danger of actually surrendering our personal and property
rights. This development, if
it does occur in full form, will be a sad tragedy for our people.
We must recognize that
property rights are essential to human liberty. (Pres. David O McKay - CR
Oct 1962 )
18. The scriptures make clear that there was a
great war in heaven, a struggle over the principle of freedom, the right
of choice. Prophets of God,
as watchmen on towers, have proclaimed liberty.
Holy men of God have led the fight against anarchy and tyranny.
Why have prophets of God been commanded to proclaim liberty and
lead the battle to preserve freedom?
Because freedom is basic to the great plan of the Lord.
“I do not know that there was ever a time in the history of
mankind wh4en the Evil One seemed so determined to take from man his
freedom. Pernicious efforts
and sinister schemes are cunningly and stealthily being fostered to
deprive man of his individual freedom and have him revert to the life of
the jungle.” (Pres David O. McKay - CR 1965) Pres. Ezra Taft Benson
- CR Oct 1966)
19. We are placed on this earth to work, to live.
It is our duty to STRIVE to make a success of what we possess.
It is the Government’s duty to see that you are protected in
these efforts, and no man has the right to deprive you of any of your
privileges. It is not the
Government’s duty to support you. That
is one reason why I shall raise my voice as long as God gives me ability,
against this idea that the Government will take care of us all, and
everything belongs to the Government.
IT IS WRONG! No
wonder, in trying to perpetuate that idea, they become anti-Christ,
because that doctrine strikes directly against the doctrine of the Savior.
No government owes you a living.
You get it yourself by your own acts! - never by trespassing upon
the rights of a neighbor. ( Pres. David O. McKay - Statements on
Communism and the Constitution)
20. Satan is making war against all the wisdom that has come to men through their ages of experience. He is seeking to overturn and destroy the very foundations upon which society, government, and religion rest. He aims to have men adopt theories and practices which he induced their forefathers, over the ages, to adopt and try, only to be discarded by them when found unsound, impractical, and ruinous. He plans to destroy liberty and freedom - economic, political, and religious - and set up in place thereof the greatest most widespread, and most complete tyranny that has ever oppressed men. He is working under such perfect disguise that many do not recognize either him or his methods. There is no crime he would not commit, no debauchery he would not set up, no plague he would not send, no heart he would not break, no life he would not take, no soul he would not destroy. He comes as a thief in the night; he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Without their knowing it, the people are bing urged down paths that lead only to destruction. Satan never before had so firm a grip on this generation as he has now.( Pres. David O. McKay - Statements on Communism and the Constitution) 7. The Supreme Court of the United States has made it unpatriotic for public schools to teach your children to pray. By making that unconstitutional, the Supreme Court servers the connecting cord between the public schools of the United States and the SOURCE of divine intelligence, the Creator himself. Evidently the Supreme Court misinterprets the true meaning of the First Amendment, and are now leading this Christian nation down the road to atheism. ( Pres. David O. McKay - RS Magazine Dec 1962 & Church News June 22, 1963)
21.
Since Communism ((CN: Socialism)) established, would destroy our American
Constitutional government, to support Communism is treasonable to our free
institutions, and no patriotic American citizen may become either a
Communist or supporter of Communism ((CN: Socialism)). (Pres David O.
McKay - Statements on Communism and the Constitution)
9.
22. During the twentieth century we have traveled
far into the soul-destroying land of socialism and made STRANGE alliances
through which we have become involved in almost continuos hot and cold
wars over the whole of the earth. In
this retreat from freedom, the voices of protesting citizens have been
drowned by raucous shouts of intolerance and abuse from those who led the
retreat and their millions of gullible youth, who are marching merrily to
their doom, carrying banners on which are emblazoned such intriguing and
misapplied labels as “social justice, equality, reform, patriotism,
social welfare.” ((Compiler’s Note: pro-choice?))
(Pres. David O. McKay - Gospel Ideals pg. 273 & ETB
Feb 1966 Assen. Hall)
23. We cannot, we must not, be insensible to the
evil forces around us, and especially the communistic conspiracy, the
avowed object of which is to destroy faith in God, to sow discord and
contention among men with the view of undermining, weakening, if now
entirely destroying, our constitutional form of government, and to weaken
and subvert the ideals of our younger generation. (David O. McKay –
CR Oct 1968)
24. On the flyleaf of the book, The Naked Communist, by W. Cleon Skousen, we find this quotation, (and I admonish everybody to read that excellent book): “The conflict between communism and freedom is the problem of our time. It overshadows all other problems” ( Pres. David O. McKay - CR Oct 1959)
25. I come with another theme this morning - Two contending forces. Those forces are know and have been designed by different terms throughout the ages! In the beginning there were known as Satan on the one hand, and Christ on the other. In Joshua’s time they were called “gods of the Amorites” for one, and “the Lord” on the other. In these days, they are called “domination by the state” on one hand, and free agency on the other. Khrushchev, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, said, “If anyone believes that our smiles involve abandonment of the teachings of Marx, Engels, and Lenin, he deceives himself poorly. Those who wait for that must wait until a shrimp learns to whistle. ((That was in 1959!)) He spoke about a common goal. That communist goal means something different from what you and I have in mind when we speak about the millennium or a universal peace. When you speak of peace, the Communists mean the cessation of all opposition to Communism. Once this is understood, the utter falsity and hypocrisy of Communist reference to peace becomes at once obvious. I have mentioned these things simply to emphasis one dominant force which has as its ultimate achievement and victory–the destruction of capitalism, the destruction of the free agency of man which God has given him, and that destruction may be brought about –as advocated by Marx himself – in a brutal way. (President David O McKay - May 18, 1960 BYU)
26.
It is the right and obligation of every citizen, and therefore every
member of the Church, to be alert and to be informed about social,
educational, communistic, and other political influences that would tend
to undermine our free society. But
it would defeat its own purpose if it were done in a manner that would
tend toward division in our own membership.
It
must never be forgotten that converts to the Church come from all nations,
representing diverse views on controversial issues.
Ours must be the responsibility to teach our members from all
nations the true doctrines of Christ with such power that they be
fortified against all false ideas, regardless of the label under which
they may presented.
The
Melchizedek Priesthood course of study for the coming year will include in
the lesson material such subjects as liberty and freedom, religion and the
state, the dangers of Communism, and other subjects considered of vital
importance in the study of the profound truths of the gospel.
The study of these lessons will enable the brethren of the
Priesthood to become better acquainted with forces that are opposed to
righteousness, as well as with the Lord’s plan of salvation for all His
children. (Pres. David O. Mc Kay - CR Apr 1969)
27. You are not just a cog in the state.
To be such I think is the greatest danger in the world today, and I
find some in our Church who rather favor that.
They think the state is our protector.
((Compiler’s Note: Provider?))
It isn’t. The state
is a servant, is here to protect you in your work, on your farm, and in
your business, and to see that justice is administered, and you have a
right to that protection. The
state has not anything that you do not give it.
The government ha no means but that which you give it, and we give
it to the government so that it will protect each individual in his right.
That is a fundamental principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (
Pres. David O. McKay CN 11-28-1951 PPNS. pg 117)
28. We encourage every person and every group who
is sincerely seeking to study constitutional principles and awaken a
sleeping and apathetic people to the alarming
conditions that are rapidly advancing about us.
We wish all of our citizens throughout the land were participating
in some type of organized self-education in order that they could better
appreciate what is happening and know what they can do about it.
(Pres. David O. McKay - CR April 1966)
31.
Next to the divine authority of the Priesthood I believe that no principle
of the Gospel is more endangered today than is that principle which gives
us individual freedom. . . .
It
was that very principle that induced our Founding Fathers to declare their
independence from the countries in Europe and to establish the
Constitution, giving to each individual the right to worship, the right to
build, the right to work, the right to think, to speak, to preach, so long
as each gave to other individuals that same privilege. (Statements on
Communism and the Constitution of the United States 19; from the
dedication of the Douglas Ward Chapel, Salt Lake City, UT, 18 Oct 1953)
32.
A few hundred years afterward, came the Declaration of Independence, and
then the Constitution of the United States, fundamental in which is the
right of the individual to worship God, to speak as he feels, own his
property, to take care of his family—his home, his castle.
("Principle of Choice Most Vital to World" 3; also in Stepping
Stones to an Abundant Life 52)
33.
The two most important documents affecting the destiny of America are the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.
Both these immortal papers relate primarily to the freedom of the
individual. ("Favorable and Unfavorable Phases of Present-day
Conditions" 407; also in Gospel Ideals 309)
34.
No Latter-day Saint can be true to his country, true to his Church, true
to his God, who will violate the laws which relate to the moral welfare
and the spiritual advancement of mankind. The Latter-day Saints should
uphold the law everywhere. And it is time that all of us—the leaders of
this country, the politicians, the statesmen, the leaders in civic affairs
in the state and in the cities, as well as parents and private citizens
should so speak of and so uphold the constitutional law of the land that
there will everywhere be a renewal of respect for it and a revival of the
virtues of honor, honesty, and integrity. ("Honor, Honesty,
Integrity" 566)
35.
Our founding fathers, despite some natural fears, clearly regarded the
promulgation of the Constitution of the United States as their greatest
triumph. ("The Gospel and the Individual" 901; revised in Treasures
of Life 168)
36.
Above all else, strive to support good and conscientious candidates of
either party who are aware of the great dangers inherent in communism, and
who are truly dedicated to the Constitution in the tradition of our
founding fathers. ("The Gospel and the Individual" 903)
37.
I am but repeating what we all know and feel when I say that our country's
greatest asset is its manhood. Upon that depends not only the survival of
the individual freedom vouchsafed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights,
and all other ideals for which the founders of the Republic fought and
died, but the survival of the best that we cherish in present-day
civilization throughout the world. . . .
.
. . Our educational system will radiate such principles just to the extent
that we employ in our public schools, high schools, colleges, and
universities men and women who are not only eminent in their particular
professions, but loyal to the Constitution of our land, influential as
leaders, noble in character. ("True Education: The Paramount Purpose
of a Free People" 258)
38.
Teachings and ideologies subversive to the fundamental principles of this
great Republic, which are contrary to the Constitution of the United
States, or which are detrimental to the progress of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, will be condemned, whether advocated by
Republicans or Democrats. ("Closing Address" 952)
39.
We advocate the necessity of all members of the Church showing
appreciation of your franchise, your citizenship, by voting, exercising
your right to say who shall be your leaders. They become our servants.
That is the spirit of the Constitution. ("Closing Address" 953)
40.
I appreciate the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights
that grant unto each man individual liberty. . . . I have nothing but
contempt in my heart for men who would disgrace that flag or would mar the
standards of freedom and individual liberty. (Thompson 124; from an
address given at Laguna Beard Ward, Laguna Beach, CA, 4 Jan 1953)
41.
We pray, O Lord, that thou wilt inspire men to desire to make equal
advancement in preserving and making applicable to society the principles
of individual liberty and freedom of worship brought by the pioneers and
vouchsafed by the Constitution of the United States. (Morrell 128; from
the dedicatory prayer of the Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge, Omaha, NE,
Jun 1953)
42.
By law, the public schools of this nation must be nondenominational. They
can have no part in securing acceptance of any one of the numerous systems
of belief regarding a supernatural power and the relation of mankind
thereto. That restriction applies to the atheist as well as to the
believer in God. The scientist who tells young people that religious faith
is to be condemned because it is "unscientific" is violating the
Constitution of the state and of the nation as much as he who would take
advantage of his position to advocate the superiority of any religion.
("'Education for Citizenship"' 2; revised in Pathways to
Happiness 66-67)
43.
I think we owe at least the consideration to be loyal to this country and
to spurn with all the soul that is within us the scheming disloyal
citizens who would undermine our Constitution, or who would deprive the
individual of his liberty vouchsafed by that great document, and some of
our men who have come up through the public schools are doing just that.
Let every loyal member of the Church look down with scorn upon any man or
woman who would undermine that Constitution. ("Safeguard in
Loyalty" 3)
44.
We are grateful for the Constitution of the United States of America which
permitted the Church of Jesus Christ to be established through heavenly
messengers, and which grants to every man the right to worship God
according to the dictates of his own conscience. ("Dedicatory Address
Delivered at Swiss Temple Dedication" 798; also in Morrell 167-68)
45.
Next to being one in worshiping God, there is nothing in this world upon
which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending
the Constitution of the United States!
May
the appeal of our Lord in His intercessory prayer for unity be realized in
our homes, our wards, and stakes, and in our support of the basic
principles of our Republic. ("The Enemy Within" 34)
46.
We are grateful for this land of America, "choice above all other
lands" [2 Nephi 1:5]. The freedom vouchsafed by the Constitution of
the United States, which guarantees to every man the right to worship Thee
in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience, made possible the
establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. O
Father, may the American people not forget thee! Help us to see the
greatness of this country and to minimize its weaknesses. . . . Government
exists for the protection of the individual—not the individual for the
government. Bless, we beseech Thee, the President of the United States,
his Cabinet, the Houses of Congress and the Judiciary. Give the President
health and wisdom needful for the world leadership now placed upon him.
("Dedicatory Prayer—Los Angeles Temple" 226; also in Thompson
125)
47.
So the perpetuity of this land and nation depends upon faith. Any power or
any influence that will destroy directly or indirectly this principle of
faith in God is an enemy to the Constitution of the United States.
("Faith and Freedom: Two Guiding Principles of the Pilgrims"
322; also in Treasures of Life 143)
48.
In education for citizenship, therefore, why should we not see to it that
every child in America is taught the superiority of our Constitution and
the sacredness of the freedom of the individual? Such definite instruction
is not in violation of either the Federal or the State Constitution. . . .
Education
for citizenship demands more emphasis upon moral and spiritual values. Our
government was founded on faith in a Supreme Being as evidenced by the
Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, by George Washington,
and Benjamin Franklin in the Constitutional Convention, and by a hundred
other incidents prior to, during, and following the birth of this
Republic. Said the Father of our Country: "We have raised a standard
to which the good and wise can repair; the event is in the hands of
God." . . .
I
love the Stars and Stripes, and the American Way of Life. I have faith in
the Constitution of the United States. I believe that only through a truly
educated citizenry can the ideals that inspired the Founding Fathers of
our Nation be preserved and perpetuated. ("'Education for
Citizenship"' 3; revised in Statements on Communism and the
Constitution of the United States 20-21; Pathways to Happiness
70-71; from the inauguration ceremonies of the Utah State Agricultural
College, Logan, UT, 8 Mar 1954)
49.
I should like to express gratitude this Thanksgiving season for this great
country, for the Constitution of the United States which grants to each
individual liberty, freedom to think and to speak and to act as he
pleases, just so long as each gives to the other man that same privilege.
I am thankful for this country which has given more persons opportunity to
raise themselves under an individualistic, capitalistic, free enterprise
system from menial to commanding positions than any other nation in the
world, past or present. ("Faith and Freedom: Two Guiding Principles
of the Pilgrims" 322; also in Treasures of Life 144-45)
50.
[One] principle that actuated the lives of the fathers who founded our
Constitution was faith in God. (Treasures of Life 88)
51.
Another fundamental for which we should be grateful is the free agency
which God has given us—freedom and liberty vouchsafed by the
Constitution of the United States.
I
wonder if we appreciate this great gift. That free agency, the right to
exercise that free agency, and the right of trial by your equals is
vouchsafed by the Constitution of the United States. Let us have a spirit
of gratitude in our hearts for the free exercise of our agency and the
rights of liberty. (Treasures of Life 138)
52.
Our founding fathers, despite some natural fears, clearly regarded the
promulgation of the Constitution of the United States as their greatest
triumph. ("The Gospel and the Individual" 901; revised in Treasures
of Life 168)
53.
By inheritance we enjoy liberty vouchsafed by the Constitution to speak,
to work, to study, to pray as we wish, so long as we do not deprive others
of the same privileges. (Treasures of Life 381)
54.
The Church does not interfere, and has no intention of trying to
interfere, with the fullest and freest exercise of the political franchise
of its members, under and within our Constitution.
But
Communism is not a political party nor a political plan under the
Constitution; it is a system of government that is the opposite of our
Constitutional government, and it would be necessary to destroy our
government before Communism could be set up in the United States. . . .
.
. .[Communism] even reaches its hand into the sanctity of the family
circle itself, disrupting the normal relationship of parent and child, all
in a manner unknown and unsanctioned under the Constitutional guarantees
under which we in America live. (Pathways to Happiness 46)
55.
Above all else, strive to support good and conscientious candidates of
either party who are aware of the great dangers inherent in communism, and
who are truly dedicated to the Constitution in the tradition of our
founding fathers. ("The Gospel and the Individual" 903)
56.
As we celebrate the birthday of the Declaration of Independence on July 4,
one hundred and eighty-eight years ago, let us catch the spirit of that
morning and awaken appreciation for the blessings and privileges that are
ours if we but remain loyal and true to the Constitution of the United
States as established by our Founding Fathers. . . .
After
the Revolutionary War was over and nine years after the Declaration of
Independence was signed, the Founding Fathers met in that same Old State
Hall to frame the Constitution of the United States.
The
French historian, Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot, while visiting in the
United States, asked James Russell Lowell, "How long will the
American Republic endure?" Lowell's answer was: "As long
as the ideas of the men who founded it continue dominant."
And
what were those ideas? Two fundamental principles were: Freedom from
Dictatorship and Freedom of the Individual! This goes right
back to our free agency, which is as precious as life itself. . . .
.
. . Do we realize what it means to have a knock come at our door at night,
and to have fear because it is the police, then to hear a voice
commanding: "Open the Door!"? One woman who was alone got just
such a command, and, scantily dressed, was taken, not down in the
elevator, but rushed down four flights of stairs, put in a black wagon
with guards on each side and carried off to prison. She was innocent, but
the door closed behind her and that was the beginning of a nine-year
prison sentence. This is a frequent happening in dictator countries in
this the twentieth century!
That
is the kind of treatment the spirit of man rebels against; that is why we
had the Declaration of Independence; that is why we had the Constitution
of the United States drawn up by men who were inspired; and that is why we
have the Bill of Rights, granting protection to each individual. The
government was established to protect the individual; the individual is
not a part of the State, nor should he be used as part of the State. The
government is set up to protect him in his rights.
What
other fundamental prompted these men when they framed the
Constitution—"the greatest instrument," said one man,
"ever written by the hands of man"? I name it as Faith in
God, next to free agency, or correlative with free agency. As an
illustration, during the critical time when the representatives of the
colonies were trying to frame the Constitution in that Old State Hall,
Benjamin Franklin, the oldest man present, arose and stated his faith in
an overruling Providence and in the power of prayer, and then said:
I
have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing
proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affairs of men. And if
a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable
that an empire can rise without His aid?
We
have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that 'Except the Lord
build the house, they labour in vain that build it.' I firmly believe
this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed
in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. . . .
I
therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the
assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in
this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or
more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.
.
. . However, the point I wish to make is that Benjamin Franklin emphasized
that faith in God is a fundamental principle of the Constitution of the
United States. I should also like to refer to a remark made by George
Washington, who, following the establishment of the Constitution, and the
acceptance of it by the thirteen Colonies, wrote this:
Of
all the dispositions of habits which lead to political prosperity,
religion and morality are indispensable supports. . . .
Actuated
by these two fundamental and eternal principles—the free agency of the
individual and faith in an overruling Providence—those 56 men who signed
the Declaration of Independence, those who drew up the Constitution of the
United States nine years later, gave to the world a concept of government
which, if applied, will strike from the arms of downtrodden humanity the
shackles of tyranny, and give hope, ambition, and freedom to the teeming
millions throughout the world. ("The Founding of an American
Republic" 249-51; also in Statements on Communism and the
Constitution of the United States 31-37)
57.
The First Presidency has previously issued a statement urging you as
citizens to participate in the great democratic processes of our national
election in accordance with your honest political convictions.
We
have urged you, above all, to try to support good and conscientious
candidates of either party who are aware of the great dangers inherent in
communism and who are truly dedicated to the constitution in the tradition
of our fathers. We have suggested also that you should support candidates
who pledge their sincere fidelity to our liberty—a liberty which aims at
the preservation of both personal and property rights. ("Vote Your
Convictions" A1)
58.
The Constitution of the United States, as given to us by our fathers, is
the real government under which individuals may exercise free agency and
individual initiative. ("Cherish Noble Aspirations" 1161)
59.
In order that there may be no misunderstandings by bishops, stake
presidents, and others regarding members of the Church participating in
nonchurch meetings to study and become informed on the Constitution of the
United States, Communism, etc., I wish to make the following statements
that I have been sending out from my office for some time and that have
come under question by some stake authorities, bishoprics, and others.
Church
members are at perfect liberty to act according to their own consciences
in the matter of safeguarding our way of life. They are, of course,
encouraged to honor the highest standards of the gospel and to work to
preserve their own freedoms. They are free to participate in nonchurch
meetings that are held to warn people of the threat of Communism or any
other theory or principle that will deprive us of our free agency or
individual liberties vouchsafed by the Constitution of the United States.
The
Church, out of respect for the rights of all its members to have their
political views and loyalties, must maintain the strictest possible
neutrality. We have no intention of trying to interfere with the
fullest and freest exercise of the political franchise of our members
under and within our Constitution, which the Lord declared he established
"by the hands of wise men whom [he] raised up unto this very
purpose" (D&C 101:80) and which, as to the principles thereof,
the Prophet Joseph Smith, dedicating the Kirtland Temple, prayed should be
"established forever." (D&C 109:54.) The Church does not
yield any of its devotion to or convictions about safeguarding the
American principles and the establishments of government under federal and
state constitutions and the civil rights of men safeguarded by these.
.
. . We therefore commend and encourage every person and every group who is
sincerely seeking to study Constitutional principles and awaken a sleeping
and apathetic people to the alarming conditions that are rapidly advancing
about us. ("Statement Concerning the Position of the Church on
Communism" 477)
60.
We should feel grateful that we are not hampered nor hindered in any way
by a government that would presume to tell us how to worship, what to
worship, or how to build. I wonder how many of us kneel down and thank the
Lord for that freedom vouch-safed to us by the Constitution of the United
States, a step towards the liberty, the freedom mentioned by the Savior
when he said, "If ye continue in my word . . . ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free" [John 8:32].
Very
seldom do we think of our God-given privileges to exercise the freedom
which dates back to the Constitution, even to the Declaration of
Independence.
William
E. Gladstone, having read the Constitution one hundred years after it had
been in force, said:
The
American Constitution is, so far as I can see, the most wonderful work
ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of men. It has
had a century of trial, under the pressure of exigencies caused by an
expansion unexampled in point of rapidity and range; and its exemption
from formal change, though not entire, has certainly proved the sagacity
of the constructors and the stubborn strength of the fabric. . . .
Do
we feel to thank God for the freedom we have here in this country? (Man
May Know for Himself 388-89)
61.
There are some fundamental principles of this Republic which, like eternal
truths, never get out of date, and which are applicable at all times to
liberty-loving peoples. Such are the underlying principles of the
Constitution, a document framed by patriotic, freedom-loving men. . . .
True
Americans should have nothing to do with secret combinations and groups
antagonistic to the Constitutional law of the land. (Secrets of a Happy
Life 72-73)
62.
We must not pick out that which will tear down a brother's character, nor
the character of our Founding Fathers, nor the works of those great men
who founded the Constitution of the United States. Let us be true to our
nation! There is every reason to be true to it. (Man May Know for
Himself 67)
63.
We should be grateful for our Founding Fathers, for Washington and
Lincoln, and for our boys and other great men who have fought and died for
our freedom. (Man May Know for Himself 387-88)
64.
In the United States of America, the Constitution vouchsafes individual
freedom, and let us pray also that the Lord will frustrate the plans of
the Communists who would deprive us of freedom. ("Let Virtue Garnish
Thy Thoughts" 30)
65.
The Magna Carta . . . was an expression of freedom-loving men against an
usurping king. It was a guarantee of civil and personal liberty. These
guarantees later found fuller and complete expression in the Constitution
of the United States. (Stepping Stones to an Abundant Life 88)
66.
Be true to the Constitution of the United States, to the Bill of Rights.
Do not let any theories of immigrants or misguided politicians induce you
to do anything that will deprive us of our liberties as vouchsafed by that
immortal document. (Stepping Stones to an Abundant Life 112)
67.
We should love the stars and stripes, and accept the constitution of these
United States as divine. Don't hesitate to stand on the right side. (Stepping
Stones to an Abundant Life 414)
68.
It is a part of our "Mormon" theology that the Constitution of
the United States was divinely inspired; that our Republic came into
existence through wise men raised up for that very purpose. We believe it
is the duty of the members of the Church to see that this Republic is not
subverted either by any sudden or constant erosion of those principles
which gave this Nation its birth.
In these days when there is a special trend among certain groups, including members of faculties of universities, to challenge the principles upon which our country has been founded and the philosophy of our Founding Fathers, I hope that Brigham Young University will stand as a bulwark in support of the principles of government as vouchsafed to us by our Constitutional Fathers. (Letter to Ernest L. Wilkinson 2)
Jesus
Christ Joseph Smith
Jr.
Brigham Young
John Taylor
Wilford Woodruff
Lorenzo Snow
Joseph F. Smith
Heber J. Grant
George A. Smith
Founding
Fathers
Joseph F. Smith
Harold B. Lee
Spencer Kimball Ezra T. Benson Howard Hunter
Gordon Hinckley First Presidency Elders
Citizens
Rule Book
