Freedom Requires Faith

Freedom Requires Faith

“The founders who established this nation believed in God and in the existence of moral absolutes—right and wrong—established by this Ultimate Law-giver. The Constitution they established assumed and relied on morality in the actions of its citizens. Where did that morality come from and how was it to be retained? Belief in God and the consequent reality of right and wrong was taught by religious leaders in churches and synagogues, and the founders gave us the First Amendment to preserve that foundation for the Constitution.”
- Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, February 2011 An address given at Chapman University School of Law.

I often think about my ancestors when I listen to the song “Faith of Our Fathers.” I think about the struggles that my pioneer ancestors went through in order to have religious liberty, at a time when it was not protected in the United States. I also contemplate the founding of this nation, and the many different Christian sects to which my ancestors belonged, and came here from across the sea to be able to freely practice. I also find that my mind wanders to the faith of our Heavenly Father, when He sent His son, that we may be able to return to Him someday, and the principles that He has taught us through prophets throughout the World’s history. Is the faith of our fathers living still? I say it is, however, it is under attack.

Many in The United States have turned their backs on the very faith that was the main motivator at the founding of our nation and have embraced the idea that there is no place for God in the public square, only the thoughts and philosophies of learned men. They deny the source of all intelligence, and want to silence anyone who would speak on the basis of religious or moral law. They claim that faith has no place in politics, society, or in legislation. They demand that those who are religious remain silent and keep their conversation in the church, behind the pulpit, and not on the public street. Those who seek to do this trample on the God-given rights that have been granted to every single human being. They have ignored the rights of religious liberty, free speech and peaceful assembly. They deny the faith of their fathers.

Many people will say that the Founders were Deists which did not believe in Jesus Christ, however, the very establishment of this nation is founded upon those who believed in the Bible, and the teachings of Jesus Christ. It was common knowledge at the time, that everything came from our Creator, and that all needed the blessings of Providence.

"God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever..."- Thomas Jefferson

Maryland, by its very name reveals that those who established it were Catholics. Connecticut was founded by the Puritans and the Anglican, Lutheran and the Reformed Dutch also gathered there. Pennsylvania had the Amish, Mennonite, Moravian, Quaker and Lutheran Christian sects. Many of the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies came for religious freedom and no other reason.

Removing the faith of our fathers will bring about the very destruction of our nation. The principles of Jesus Christ and moral standards are what made America prosperous, powerful and peaceful.

”And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.
Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.” -Ether 2 11-12

Will we be true to the faith of our fathers? Will we protect the right of religious freedom? Will we be a free people? When Christ returns, will He find a people that know Him, who He is, and have fulfilled His desires when it comes to The U.S. Constitution and laws that are in alignment with it?

The answers to those questions are within you and you alone. It is a choice that each and every one of us will have to make. When each of us, as individuals, stand united together for the right of all people of any faith to live their religion, to be part of the public discussion and offer their input and perspectives, we not only gain the respect of those who are of different religious persuasions that may believe differently than we do, but we also will gain the blessings that come from being obedient to God. In this case, as mentioned in D&C 38:22 we are promised that if we follow Christ, we will be a free people. He tells us that we shall have no laws but His laws when He comes. Can we deny the faith of our fathers and still be prepared to accept the Lord when He comes? We cannot. Without the foundation of moral and religious standards, we will lose our liberty. Without liberty, we cannot practice our religion. If we cannot practice it, then we lose the blessings that come from doing so.

“Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your lawgiver, and what can stay my hand?” -D&C 38:22

We must stand up not only for ourselves and our posterity, but also for our neighbors. We must defend the freedom of religious choice for every individual regardless of whether they are Christian or not. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the Gospel and religious liberty is mentioned in the first amendment of the Bill of Rights for a reason. Without it, we will not prosper.

“Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.” –D&C 109:54

Temple Square - The Law, Governments, Liberty, The Way

PR: n/a I: 45,800,000 L: 0 LD: 189,255,497 I: 254,000 Rank: 7 Age: Oct 12, 1999 I: 0 whois source Robo: yes Sitemap: no Rank: 1013 Price: 5626072

Info PR: n/a I: 45,800,000 L: 0 LD: 189,255,497 I: 254,000 Rank: 7 Age: Oct 12, 1999 I: 0 whois source Robo: yes Sitemap: no Rank: 1013 Price: 5626072 Links: 13|3 Density

Forgiveness is Liberty

“I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” D&C 64:10

“Age does something to a man. It seems to make him more aware of the need for kindness and goodness and forbearance. He wishes and prays that men might live together in peace without war and contention, argument and conflict. He grows increasingly aware of the meaning of the great Atonement of the Redeemer, of the depth of His sacrifice, and of gratitude to the Son of God, who gave His life that we might live.

I wish today to speak of forgiveness. I think it may be the greatest virtue on earth, and certainly the most needed. There is so much of meanness and abuse, of intolerance and hatred. There is so great a need for repentance and forgiveness. It is the great principle emphasized in all of scripture, both ancient and modern.”

–President Gordon B. Hinckley (Oct 2005)

To forgive is to “cease to feel resentment against an enemy or a claim to requital for insult.” When it is put into this context, it seems so much simpler to forgive. We determine to let go of any feelings of resentment or of a belief that we have a right to be compensated or to have some form of retaliation take place to make things right. We determine that we are going to give this burden of pain, sorrow, anguish or even loss to who it belongs to, to the One who paid for it already, on His knees, on a mount full of olive trees.

When we do not forgive ourselves or others, we are denying the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we are saying that He has not paid enough for the sins of the one we refuse to forgive. We are denying the atonement and taking upon their sins and ours upon ourselves.

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

Our Father in Heaven forgives us based upon the life and sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ, upon His merit, and not our own. Because of the high cost of this sacrifice, we should be much tenderer with one another, and forgiving, because He has already paid the price of what has occurred, what is presently occurring and what will yet occur. Forgiving does not mean that we forget the lessons that can be learned, including when to withhold trust, but it means to give that burden away so that its chains of bitterness, pain and sorrow cannot hold you.

When we forgive others we are truly free. We are free to love more, to see each other as Christ sees us, and to develop a better relationship with Christ. When we acknowledge that He has given all and paid for all, we come to know Him and love Him. We heed his call that beckons us to come unto Him, all of us who are heavy laden, and He will give us rest. Rest, from the burden and stress from carrying the sins of others and ourselves that He already offered to carry for us. When we accomplish this, we can feel his enveloping love as He says to each of us,

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, my servants, that inasmuch as you have forgiven one another your trespasses, even so I, the Lord, forgive you.” D&C 82:1

“Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice.” D&C 110:5

To read other great articles like this one, visit  http://www.LDSLiberty.org

Principle 28 The United States has a Manifest Destiny

The United States Has a Manifest Destiny to be an Example and a Blessing to the Entire Human race.

 D&C 109: 54 

54 Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the ^anations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the ^bConstitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.

One of the most important characteristics of the first American settlers was their strong sense of mission.  They had a conviction that they were taking part in the unfolding of a manifest destiny of divine design, which would shower blessings on all of mankind.  Historian John Fiske writes,

"They believed they were doing a wonderful thing.  They felt themselves to be instruments in accomplishing a kind of 'manifest destiny.'  Their exodus [from Europe] was that of a chosen people who were at length to lay the everlasting foundations of God's kingdom upon earth....This steadfast faith in an unseen ruler and guide was to them a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night.  It was of great moral value.  It gave them clearness of purpose and concentration of strength, and contributed towards making them, like the children of Israel, a people of indestructible vitality and aggressive energy."

 It has continued to be a theme, that can be found in many inaugural addresses given by the presidents of the United States.  Just to clarify, this is a mission of a nation, and not about any kind of superiority.

John Adams wrote,

"I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in Providence for the illumination of the ignorant, and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth." 

And Alexander Hamilton wrote,

"It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force."  

He also went on to say that if the people of the United States failed in this mission, that is would bring about the "the general misfortune of mankind."

John Adams later said that if the people abandon the freedom that they have gained by the adoption of the Constitution, it would be "treason against the hopes of the world."

The Founders knew that they were taking part in something new, something different from anything else on the face of the earth.  They pursued the more noble course.  Shall we too go forth in such a noble cause? 

D&C 58:27 Verily I say, men should be ^aanxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
28 For the power is in them, wherein they are ^aagents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their ^breward.

There is no greater cause than the liberty of mankind.  It was in the war in heaven that this mission began, and it is here that it continues.  This nation has and will yet face tough and trying times, but it has a mission to fulfill, and the Lord has decreed that it will be fulfilled.  It is up to us, if we will accept the call to come to our nation’s aid, or if we will deny our responsibility and be cut off.

3 Nephi 21:11 Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause ^ahim to bring forth unto the ^bGentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be ^ccut off from among my people who are of the covenant.
12 And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a ^alion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
13 Their hand shall be lifted up upon their ^aadversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off.
14 Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they ^arepent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy ^bchariots;
15 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy ^astrongholds;
16 And I will cut off ^awitchcrafts out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers;
17 Thy ^agraven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands;
18 And I will pluck up thy ^agroves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities.
19 And it shall come to pass that all ^alyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away.
20 For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that ^aday whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I ^bcut off from among my people, O house of Israel;
21 And I will execute ^avengeance and ^bfury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
22 But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and ^aharden not their hearts, I will ^bestablish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be ^cnumbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their ^dinheritance;
23 And they shall assist my ^apeople, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the ^bNew Jerusalem.
24 And then shall ^athey assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.
25 And then shall the ^apower of heaven come down among them; and ^bI also will be in the midst.
26 And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even ^awhen this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of ^bthis people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been ^clost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem.

In verse 20, we see the key, we must repent and come unto Christ in order to avoid being cut off as prophesied.  In order for the United States to fulfill her mission, we must each personally fulfill ours, to become sanctified, purified, and having cleansed our inner vessels, so that we may then be filled with the power of God, and be instruments in His hands.  There is no other way.