I appreciate the email from Brian about FHE ideas and quotes for tomorrow.
What are your favorite sites for learning about the constitution? (besides, this one, of course
)How are you going to celebrate Constitution Day?
-
linj2fly
- captain of 1,000
- Posts: 1007
How are you going to celebrate Constitution Day?
Just curious to see what ya'll are going to be doing tomorrow/this weekend to commemorate the constitution.
I appreciate the email from Brian about FHE ideas and quotes for tomorrow.
What are your favorite sites for learning about the constitution? (besides, this one, of course )
I appreciate the email from Brian about FHE ideas and quotes for tomorrow.
What are your favorite sites for learning about the constitution? (besides, this one, of course
)-
lundbaek
- Level 34 Illuminated
- Posts: 11123
- Location: Mesa, Arizona
Re: How are you going to celebrate Constitution Day?
Today I sent the following reminder to most of the LDS people on my email address list.
Tomorrow is 17 September, Constitution Day. The importance of the U.S. Constitution to Latter-day Saints is best explained in the following compilation (I have a much more extensive one) of what I consider divinely inspired statements regarding the responsibility of Latter-day Saints to freedom, the U.S. Constitution, and its preservation.
The first three of the following statements concerning the US Constitution were given by the Lord Jesus Christ to the Prophet, Joseph Smith. Of the following sixteen statements, all made by Presidents of the Church during times when they were serving as President of the Church, two were recorded in the Journal of Discourses, four were given as Messages of the First Presidency, one was printed in The Instructor magazine, and eight were given during Church General Conferences. The last paragraph is from the Church publication "Principles of the Gospel". It otta be pretty obvious that "befriending" the Constitution is a Gospel principle. At the end of this section are two statements which were included in a letter to the United States Treasury, signed on 11 October 1941 by the First Presidency of the Church.
D&C 98: 4-7
4 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. 5 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. 6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; 7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.
D&C 101: 77, 80
77 According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
80 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 109:54
54 Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the 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.
"The General Constitution of our country is good, and a wholesome government could be framed upon it, for it was dictated by the invisible operations of the Almghty...." (President Brigham Young, July 4, 1854, Journal of Discourses 7:13-14)
"We believe that the Constitution of the United States was given by inspiration of God" (President John Taylor, April 9, 1882, Journal of Discourses, 23:53)
"[The Church’s] members are under divine commandments to revere the Constitution as a heaven-inspired instrument." (President Wilford Woodruff, December 12, 1889, Messages of the First Presidency.)
"By revelation to Joseph Smith, the Prophet, the Lord declared that he had established the Constitution of the United States through "wise men raised up unto this very purpose."
President (Joseph F. Smith, March 26, 1907, Messages of the First Presidency, 4:150)
"...we believe that the men who wrote the Constitution of this country were inspired of the living God." (President Heber J. Grant, October 1919 General Conference)
"I thank God that we believe that the constitution of our country was given to us under the inspiration of the living God,..." (Heber J. Grant, October 1924 General Conference)
"I am saying to you that to me the Constitution of the United States of America is just as much from my Heavenly Father as the Ten Commandments." (President George Albert Smith, April 1948 General Conference)
"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," (President David O. McKay, February 1956, The Instructor, 91:34)
"[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."
(President David O. McKay, October 1962 General Conference)
"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."
(David O. McKay, April 1966 General Conference)
"We urge members of the Church and all Americans to begin now to reflect more intently on the meaning and importance of the Constitution, and of adherence to its principles.
(President Harold B. Lee, November 1973, The First Presidency Statement on the Constitution, The Ensign)
"In the revelation he [the Lord] gave to Joseph Smith, he said [D&C 98:4-6]. (President Spencer W. Kimball, April 1974 General Conference)
We encourage Latter-day Saints throughout the nation to familiarize themselves with the Constitution. They should focus attention on it by reading and studying it. They should ponder the blessings that come through it. They should recommit themselves to its principles and be prepared to defend it and the freedom it provides. (D&C 109:54.) . We believe the Constitution will stand, but it will take the efforts of patriotic and dedicated Americans to uphold it. . . . We, as Latter-day Saints, must be vigilant in doing our part to preserve the Constitution and safeguard the way of life it makes possible. (From a First Presidency statement in January 1987)
"...we must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers." {President Ezra Taft Benson, October 1987 General Conference}
"I testify that America is a choice land. God raised up the founding fathers of the United States of America and established the Constitution." (President Ezra Taft Benson, October 2, 1988 General Conference)
"The Constitution under which we live....is our God-inspired national safeguard insuring freedom and liberty, justice and equality before the law."
(President Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001 General Conference)
"The men who framed the Constitution were directed by the Spirit of the Lord in establishing the basic freedoms guaranteed the citizens of this country....Unless we members of the Church do all we can to preserve the freedoms we have, within the bounds of the laws of God, we will be held accountable." ..."The Constitution was established through the inspiration of God to preserve the liberty of the people and to maintain his promise." (Principles of the Gospel, Page 135-136, Page 146-147, Published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1991)
The following statements were included in a letter to the United States Treasury, signed on 11 October 1941 by the First Presidency of the Church.
"In the first place, we should tell you that it is a part of the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints, as much a part as any other tenet of their religion, that the Lord Himself "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", and that this Constitution "should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles."
"Our people believe that they have a special relationship to the Constitution and its preservation."
"....but this much we feel we can definitely say, that unless the people of America forsake the sins and the errors, political and otherwise, of which they are now guilty and return to the practice of the great fundamental principles of Christianity, and of Constitutional government, there will be no exaltation for them spiritually, and politically we shall lose our liberty and free institutions."
"To honor the Constitution and to honor freedom is a sacred duty for all of us.
"I invoke the blessing on you who are doing this sacred work that you will keep it up, and that in due time the challenges that we face now from within can be conquered so that this nation may remain free." (President Boyd K. Packer, at the 2 July 2009 Provo Freedom Festival)
The following are some statements about the U.S. Constitution made by Apostles in Church general conferences just since 1960.
"...God declared that the United States Constitution was divinely inspired for the specific purpose of eliminating bondage and the violation of the rights and protection which belong to "all flesh""
(Ezra Taft Benson, October 1961 General Conference)
"God [has] placed a mandate upon his people to befriend and defend the constitutional laws of the land and see that the rights and privileges of all mankind are protected."
(Ezra Taft Benson, October 1961 General Conference)
."The Constitution is part of every Latter-day Saint’s religious faith."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1962 General Conference)
"[We] must return to a love and respect for the basic spiritual concepts upon which this nation has been established. We must study the Constitution and the writings of the founding fathers."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1962 General Conference)
"Every Latter-day Saint has spiritual obligations in four basic areas: his home, his church, his job, and his citizenship responsibility......Are we doing our duty in these important fields? What about our citizenship responsibility–our obligation to safeguard our freedom and preserve the Constitution?...We should continue to come to the aid of patriots, programs, and organizations that are trying to save our Constitution through every legal and moral means possible."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1963 General Conference)
"And while the gentiles established the Constitution, we have a divine mandate to preserve it. But unfortunately today in this freedom struggle, many gentiles are showing greater wisdom in their generation than the children of light."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1965 General Conference)
"The Lord raised up the Founding Fathers. He it was who established the Constitution of this land - ..."
(Ezra Taft Benson, October 1965 General Conference)
"The Prophet Joseph Smith declared it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the Constitution, not the Church."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1965 General Conference)
"In the field of public life, it [the kingdom of God] must be a continuing revolution against proposals that contradict the fundamental principles as laid down in the Constitution of the United States, which was written by men whom God raised up for this very purpose."
(Harold B. Lee, October 1970 General Conference)
"May we be wise–prayerfully wise–in the electing of those who would lead us. May we select only those who understand and will adhere to constitutional principles. To do so, we need to understand these principles ourselves.....We should understand the Constitution as the founders meant that it should be understood. We can do this by reading their words about it, such as those contained in the Federalist Papers. Such understanding is essential it we are to preserve what God has given us.
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1976 General Conference)
"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."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1976 General Conference)
Tomorrow is 17 September, Constitution Day. The importance of the U.S. Constitution to Latter-day Saints is best explained in the following compilation (I have a much more extensive one) of what I consider divinely inspired statements regarding the responsibility of Latter-day Saints to freedom, the U.S. Constitution, and its preservation.
The first three of the following statements concerning the US Constitution were given by the Lord Jesus Christ to the Prophet, Joseph Smith. Of the following sixteen statements, all made by Presidents of the Church during times when they were serving as President of the Church, two were recorded in the Journal of Discourses, four were given as Messages of the First Presidency, one was printed in The Instructor magazine, and eight were given during Church General Conferences. The last paragraph is from the Church publication "Principles of the Gospel". It otta be pretty obvious that "befriending" the Constitution is a Gospel principle. At the end of this section are two statements which were included in a letter to the United States Treasury, signed on 11 October 1941 by the First Presidency of the Church.
D&C 98: 4-7
4 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. 5 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. 6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; 7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.
D&C 101: 77, 80
77 According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
80 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 109:54
54 Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the 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.
"The General Constitution of our country is good, and a wholesome government could be framed upon it, for it was dictated by the invisible operations of the Almghty...." (President Brigham Young, July 4, 1854, Journal of Discourses 7:13-14)
"We believe that the Constitution of the United States was given by inspiration of God" (President John Taylor, April 9, 1882, Journal of Discourses, 23:53)
"[The Church’s] members are under divine commandments to revere the Constitution as a heaven-inspired instrument." (President Wilford Woodruff, December 12, 1889, Messages of the First Presidency.)
"By revelation to Joseph Smith, the Prophet, the Lord declared that he had established the Constitution of the United States through "wise men raised up unto this very purpose."
President (Joseph F. Smith, March 26, 1907, Messages of the First Presidency, 4:150)
"...we believe that the men who wrote the Constitution of this country were inspired of the living God." (President Heber J. Grant, October 1919 General Conference)
"I thank God that we believe that the constitution of our country was given to us under the inspiration of the living God,..." (Heber J. Grant, October 1924 General Conference)
"I am saying to you that to me the Constitution of the United States of America is just as much from my Heavenly Father as the Ten Commandments." (President George Albert Smith, April 1948 General Conference)
"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," (President David O. McKay, February 1956, The Instructor, 91:34)
"[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."
(President David O. McKay, October 1962 General Conference)
"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."
(David O. McKay, April 1966 General Conference)
"We urge members of the Church and all Americans to begin now to reflect more intently on the meaning and importance of the Constitution, and of adherence to its principles.
(President Harold B. Lee, November 1973, The First Presidency Statement on the Constitution, The Ensign)
"In the revelation he [the Lord] gave to Joseph Smith, he said [D&C 98:4-6]. (President Spencer W. Kimball, April 1974 General Conference)
We encourage Latter-day Saints throughout the nation to familiarize themselves with the Constitution. They should focus attention on it by reading and studying it. They should ponder the blessings that come through it. They should recommit themselves to its principles and be prepared to defend it and the freedom it provides. (D&C 109:54.) . We believe the Constitution will stand, but it will take the efforts of patriotic and dedicated Americans to uphold it. . . . We, as Latter-day Saints, must be vigilant in doing our part to preserve the Constitution and safeguard the way of life it makes possible. (From a First Presidency statement in January 1987)
"...we must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers." {President Ezra Taft Benson, October 1987 General Conference}
"I testify that America is a choice land. God raised up the founding fathers of the United States of America and established the Constitution." (President Ezra Taft Benson, October 2, 1988 General Conference)
"The Constitution under which we live....is our God-inspired national safeguard insuring freedom and liberty, justice and equality before the law."
(President Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001 General Conference)
"The men who framed the Constitution were directed by the Spirit of the Lord in establishing the basic freedoms guaranteed the citizens of this country....Unless we members of the Church do all we can to preserve the freedoms we have, within the bounds of the laws of God, we will be held accountable." ..."The Constitution was established through the inspiration of God to preserve the liberty of the people and to maintain his promise." (Principles of the Gospel, Page 135-136, Page 146-147, Published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1991)
The following statements were included in a letter to the United States Treasury, signed on 11 October 1941 by the First Presidency of the Church.
"In the first place, we should tell you that it is a part of the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints, as much a part as any other tenet of their religion, that the Lord Himself "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", and that this Constitution "should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles."
"Our people believe that they have a special relationship to the Constitution and its preservation."
"....but this much we feel we can definitely say, that unless the people of America forsake the sins and the errors, political and otherwise, of which they are now guilty and return to the practice of the great fundamental principles of Christianity, and of Constitutional government, there will be no exaltation for them spiritually, and politically we shall lose our liberty and free institutions."
"To honor the Constitution and to honor freedom is a sacred duty for all of us.
"I invoke the blessing on you who are doing this sacred work that you will keep it up, and that in due time the challenges that we face now from within can be conquered so that this nation may remain free." (President Boyd K. Packer, at the 2 July 2009 Provo Freedom Festival)
The following are some statements about the U.S. Constitution made by Apostles in Church general conferences just since 1960.
"...God declared that the United States Constitution was divinely inspired for the specific purpose of eliminating bondage and the violation of the rights and protection which belong to "all flesh""
(Ezra Taft Benson, October 1961 General Conference)
"God [has] placed a mandate upon his people to befriend and defend the constitutional laws of the land and see that the rights and privileges of all mankind are protected."
(Ezra Taft Benson, October 1961 General Conference)
."The Constitution is part of every Latter-day Saint’s religious faith."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1962 General Conference)
"[We] must return to a love and respect for the basic spiritual concepts upon which this nation has been established. We must study the Constitution and the writings of the founding fathers."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1962 General Conference)
"Every Latter-day Saint has spiritual obligations in four basic areas: his home, his church, his job, and his citizenship responsibility......Are we doing our duty in these important fields? What about our citizenship responsibility–our obligation to safeguard our freedom and preserve the Constitution?...We should continue to come to the aid of patriots, programs, and organizations that are trying to save our Constitution through every legal and moral means possible."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1963 General Conference)
"And while the gentiles established the Constitution, we have a divine mandate to preserve it. But unfortunately today in this freedom struggle, many gentiles are showing greater wisdom in their generation than the children of light."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1965 General Conference)
"The Lord raised up the Founding Fathers. He it was who established the Constitution of this land - ..."
(Ezra Taft Benson, October 1965 General Conference)
"The Prophet Joseph Smith declared it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the Constitution, not the Church."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1965 General Conference)
"In the field of public life, it [the kingdom of God] must be a continuing revolution against proposals that contradict the fundamental principles as laid down in the Constitution of the United States, which was written by men whom God raised up for this very purpose."
(Harold B. Lee, October 1970 General Conference)
"May we be wise–prayerfully wise–in the electing of those who would lead us. May we select only those who understand and will adhere to constitutional principles. To do so, we need to understand these principles ourselves.....We should understand the Constitution as the founders meant that it should be understood. We can do this by reading their words about it, such as those contained in the Federalist Papers. Such understanding is essential it we are to preserve what God has given us.
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1976 General Conference)
"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."
(Ezra Taft Benson, April 1976 General Conference)
