Why We Meet

I thought it might be worthwhile to take a few minutes to outline why this group has been started and the purpose of meeting on a regular basis.

I believe that we have been blessed more than any people who have lived on earth. We live in a time in which we have been given a heritage of freedom. The restored Gospel is on the earth and the world is being prepared in these last days for the return of Jesus Christ. God has said that to whom much is given, much is required. It stands to reason that due to the many blessings we've been given, we also have certain responsibilities in this day and age that we will be held accountable for fulfilling.

I believe that one of the great blessings we have is the freedom to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness in our lives. A condition in which these freedoms are present was necessary for the Gospel to be restored, for the church to grow, and will be necessary for the establishment of the New Jerusalem in this land. I further believe these freedoms are God given. He inspired the drafting of a constitution to ensure that we will not be deprived of the freedoms we’ve been given. We cannot over-estimate the value of liberty in our lives, or the role it plays in our Heavenly Father’s plan. Nevertheless, we have enjoyed these blessings now for so many generations that it becomes easy to take them for granted. We hear stories of great sacrifice from those who gave everything to preserve our liberty. Yet it is so easy for us to get caught up in our own lives and daily concerns that we don’t always pay enough attention to what makes possible our daily lives as we know them. Elder Ezra Taft Benson stated “If we lose our freedom, it will be because we did not care enough—because we were not alert enough—because we were too apathetic to take note while the precious waters of our God-given freedom slipped—drop by drop—down the drain.” (Title of Liberty, p. 10)

We have been warned by almost every president of the church since Joseph Smith that the day would come in which the constitution of our nation would be in great danger, even on the verge of collapse. The membership of this church would be responsible for standing up and preserving our freedoms. Here’s just one of the many statements issued by latter day prophets on this matter. John Taylor stated, “When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States the Elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men. . .And they will tear away one plank of liberty after another, until the whole fabric will totter and fall; and many other nations will be cast down and empires destroyed; and this nation will have to suffer as others will. And it will be as Joseph Smith once said, ‘When all others forsake the Constitution, the Elders of this Church will rally around the standard and save its tattered shreds.’ We will come to its rescue and proclaim liberty to all men.” (Journal of Discourses 21: 8 and 20:357)

I believe we are seeing efforts to undermine our constitution on a daily basis, and that it has been this way for some time now. One plank of liberty after another is being torn away, and the dangers are increasing. I have no doubt that the prophesies will be fulfilled, and that we, our children, and our grandchildren will be called upon to stand up and fight for the freedom we have been granted. Elder Ezra Taft Benson stated in reference to preserving our freedom, “the only questions, before the final victory, are, first, what stand will each of us take in this struggle? And second, how much tragedy can be avoided by doing something now?” (Title of Liberty, P. 20) Liberty will prevail. We can either be a part of the victory, or not.

As I’ve contemplated all of this, three things became abundantly clear to me.

1. There will be threats to our freedoms so intense that the very constitution will “hang as if by a thread” and that we are seeing this begin to transpire before our very eyes.
2. That the cause of freedom will be victorious in the end, but it will be after much difficulty.
3. Each of us can answer the call and play a role in preserving freedom and helping ensure the Gospel can continue to grow and the kingdom can be prepared for Christ’s return.

I believe we can begin to make a difference and answer the call as we return to the core, fundamental principles that God has revealed and upon which our nation was founded. Yet these principles are not always taught and discussed often anymore. We see the events of the world transpiring around us, and it is sometimes difficult to know what to support and what to oppose because its not always easy to view current events in the light of true principles. In fact, it is seldom even discussed anymore what the prophets have expounded to us for decades about the future of our nation and the responsibilities we have to preserve freedom. We need to reacquaint ourselves with proper principles, teach them to one another and understand how they apply in our world. One way that we have been advised to accomplish this is by getting together in local groups to teach one another and jointly gain greater perspective on the founding principles of our nation.

President David O. McKay stated, “They [church members] are free to participate in non-church 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. . . 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)

So, in the spirit of what President McKay encouraged of us, we are endeavoring to meet on a regular basis to do as he advised.

THE OBJECTIVES OF OUR GROUP

With the aforementioned in mind, the following sums up some of the key objectives of this meeting group.

• Become familiar with the correct principles upon which our nation was founded. While there will be discussions about those things transpiring in our day that are counter to these principles, the primary focus will be on what we stand for as citizens of this nation, not dwelling on what we’re against.
• Increase our ability to assess the current events of the day in light of correct principles. Ezra Taft Benson stated that, “Every Latter-Day Saint may well ask as he attempts to appraise any program, policy, or idea promoted by any would be political leader. First, is the proposal, the policy, or the idea being promoted right as measured by the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Secondly, is it right as measured by the Constitution of the land and the glorious principles embodied in that Constitution? Thirdly, is it right as measured by the counsel of the living oracles of God?”
• Determine what we as individuals and as a group can do to stand up for correct principles and help preserve the freedom as guaranteed by our constitution.
• Help awaken others by expanding the size of the group and introducing others in our area to the importance of being anchored to correct principles of government and preservation of freedom.
• If possible, encourage and support the establishment of discussion groups in other areas outside of our neighborhood.

Most importantly, this group is for all of us. As our participation increases and the group evolves, our objectives may expand according to the desires and needs of the membership.

WHAT OUR MEETING GROUP IS NOT

I think it is also worthwhile to underscore a few key things that this group is not, so as to avoid misunderstanding.

• This is not a political party group. We are focused on principles, not parties. Whether Republican or Democrat, the principles revealed by God when our nation was founded should be understood and adhered to.
• While there will certainly be discussion on how the current events of the day conform or diverge from correct principles, the focus of the meetings will not be to simply complain about things we don’t like in current administrations. In other words, the meetings are not intended to be complaint sessions.
• The meetings are intended as forums for open discussions, although there will be specific topics and directed discussion agendas. We need not agree on all points and policies, but this will not be a place for arguments.

Thanks to those who have been able to join and participate in the discussion sessions we’ve held. I think there are some worthwhile and engaging sessions yet to come. We look forward to meeting.

Thanks,

Natalie and Richard