In the 1987 General Conference, President Ezra Taft Benson shared his concerns that as a nation we have “apostatized” from several of the principles of our Constitution. I was alarmed that he used that word when describing how we have strayed from these founding values. To apostatize means more than simply turning away from something. It also means to deny it. President Benson was so concerned that the people of our country were corrupting the principles of the Constitution, and making unauthorized changes to it. By doing so, we are left without its original protections.
To help protect us, President Benson gives us four steps in avoiding this type of apostasy, and admonishes us how to “secure the blessings of liberty and ensure the protection and guidance of our Father in Heaven.
1. We must be righteous.
The world is becoming more evil as it steps further away from the righteous principles that this country was founded on. As the world is re-defining the definition of marriage and family, and attempts to take God out of public places, we are seeing a decline in public and civic virtue. It is vital that as members of the church, we uphold God’s laws and boldly declare that we want to bring morality back to our land.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated: “Those who enjoy the blessings of liberty under a divinely inspired constitution should promote
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Members of the Church are under special obligations to seek out and then uphold those leaders who are wise, good, and honest. Thus, we strongly urge men and women to be willing to serve on school boards, city and county councils and commissions, state legislatures, and other high offices of either election or appointment, including involvement in the political party of their choice.”