Lessons from the Doctrine and Covenants 2021
Lesson No. Thirty-Six
The Constitution of the United States
is the Work of the Lord and Will Not Fail - D&C 101:77-80
The Constitution is the work of the Lord and is to be maintained on the principles of agency and accountability – In D&C 101 the Lord said that he “established” the Constitution and that it “should be maintained for the rights and protection of all mankind according to the just and holy principles” (Vs 77). Those just and holy principles are moral agency and accountability (Vs 78). Agency and accountability go together. Agency makes us accountable for our choices. “Therefore, it is not right any man should be in bondage one to another. And for this purpose I have 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” (Vs 79-80). Bondage of any kind reduces agency and is displeasing to God. The Lord established the Constitution and He will help us maintain it in order to preserve agency and avoid bondage.
The test of constitutionality – In April 1966 General Conference, at the request of the First Presidency, Elder Marion G. Romney spoke about our Constitution and the doctrine of agency. He explained D&C 101:77-80, and then concluded: “So when the Lord said: ‘I the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law [that is, constitutional law] also maketh you free’ (D&C 98:8), he is saying laws that are constitutional make us free.” Elder Romney concluded with a profound insight: “The test of constitutionality in the words of the Lord is whether [the law in question] preserves man's agency." The question we should ask when considering public policy, candidates, or legislation is whether our agency will be preserved.
Moral relativism denies the existence of divine standards of right and wrong, and concludes there is no sin – Korihor in the Book of Mormon was an advocate of moral relativism: "Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so. And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime" (Alma 30:16-17).
Moral relativism threatens our freedom – Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke of moral relativism and the threat it is to freedom: "What has caused the current public and legal climate of mounting threats to religious freedom? I believe the cause is not legal but cultural and religious. I believe the diminished value being attached to religious freedom stems from the ascendency of moral relativism. More and more of our citizens support the idea that all authority and all rules of behavior are man-made and can be accepted or rejected as one chooses. Each person is free to decide for himself or herself what is right and wrong. Our children face the challenge of living in an increasingly godless and amoral society."
True freedom is a change of heart and a desire to keep the commandments of God – “I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed” (D&C 98:8). The process by which the Lord makes us free is simple and powerful and beautifully described in the Book of Mormon: As we keep our covenants we become the children of Christ and our hearts are changed through faith on his name, and we have no disposition to do evil, but rather to do good continually. (See Mosiah 5:2-8) Without a disposition to do good and keep the commandments men are inclined to sin and follow the ways of the world, “then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction” (Alma 12:11).
The work of the Lord never fails – In connection with the loss of 116 pages of Book of Mormon manuscript the Lord explained an important principle to Joseph Smith: “The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught. For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round. Remember, remember that it is not the works of God that is frustrated, but the works of men” (D&C 3:1-3).
The United States will not fail because it continues to have an essential role in the work of the Lord – President Harold B. Lee, a prophet of God who wrote the following 50 years ago, foresaw what is happening in our day, and he assured us about the future of our country: “Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation founded on principles laid down by men who God raised up, will never fail. This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of her New Jerusalem. This is the place that the Lord said is favored above all other nations in all the world. This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. This is the favored land in all the world. Yes, I repeat, men may fail, but this nation won’t fail! I have faith in America; you and I must have faith in America, if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a day when we must pay heed to these challenges. I plead with you not to preach pessimism! Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. This is the favored land. This is the land of our forefathers. It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through” (Ye Are the Light of the World, pp. 350).