If we think that our country could never fall into bondage, we are mistaken. We must be virtuous and elect leaders who value freedom.
"The one great revolution in the world is the revolution for human liberty. This was the paramount issue in the great council in heaven before this earth life. It has been the issue throughout the ages. It is the issue today.
"It is difficult for Americans to understand the danger to our liberty. 'It is generally outside the range of our experience.' But we live today in an age of peril. We are threatened with the loss not only of material wealth but of something far more precious--our liberty itself.
"Never before in the history of our country has there been a greater need for all of our people to take time to discover what is happening in the world. Every day decisions are being made affecting the lives of millions of human beings.
"We as a people have never known bondage. Liberty has always been our blessed lot. Few of us have ever seen people who have lost their freedom--their liberty. And when reminded of the danger of losing our liberty and independence our attitude has usually been: It cannot happen here.
"We must never forget that nations may, and usually do, sow the seeds of their own destruction while enjoying unprecedented prosperity.
"In that sacred volume of scripture, the Book of Mormon, we note the great and prolonged struggle for liberty.
We also note the complacency of the people and their frequent willingness to give up their liberty for the promises of a would-be provider.
"The record reveals that a man "of cunning device . . . and . . . many flattering words," . . . sought . . . "to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, . . ." (Alma 46: 10.)
"Then Moroni, the chief commander of the armies dramatically ". . . rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it--In memory of our God our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children--and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.
"'. . . (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, . . .' (See ibid., 46:12-13.)
"This great general, Moroni, like the prophets whose words are recorded in the Book of Mormon, spoke of the Americas as a chosen land--the land of liberty. He led the people in battle who were willing to fight to "maintain their liberty."
"And the record states: '. . . that he caused the title of liberty to be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the land.... and thus Moroni planted the standard of liberty among the Nephites." (Ibid., 46:36.)
"This is our need today--to plant the standard of liberty among our people throughout the Americas.
"While this incident occurred some seventy years BC, the struggle went on through one thousand years covered by this sacred Book of Mormon record. In fact, the struggle for liberty is a continuing one--it is with us in a very real sense today right here on this choice land of the Americas."
Full article can be found at: http://www.latterdayconservative.com/ezra-taft-benson/human-liberty-is-the-mainspring-of-human-progress.html
3 comments:
Will anybody listen to wisdom? I don't see much evidence that they will. There's too much complacency, and too many people, even members of the Church, who should know better, worshiping the false god of "hope and change." All we can do is to keep teaching the word of God, and hope that people will repent.
Well said, my brother!
If one insists on being willfully ignorant, there's not much that can be done to illuminate their mistake in doing so.
Great talk though!
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