Here’s some suggested reading for the July 4th weekend:
First, Ezra Taft Benson’s thoughts on the Bicentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Click here.
To see a great web site on how we have gone wrong in our understanding of the Constitution and the intentions of our Founding Fathers, please visit this web site.
To read Wilfred Woodruff’s two accounts of his meetings with the Founding Fathers in the St. George temple read here.
To read on how modern-day secularists are misquoting our Founding Fathers, please read this.
Read President Benson’s thoughts on the Constitution here.
Surprised the latest issue of The New American isn’t on that list.
Great topic, Geoff. I have made it a practice to read the Declaration of Independence every Independence Day for the last 10 years or so. It is an amazing document with truly revolutionary principles. I weep every time I read the words:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
And:
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States…. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
This should be required, regular reading for all U.S. citizens, and all people who yearn to be free.
Mike, thanks for linking that great document.
Steve, just curious, did you bother to actually read all of the links before making your snarky comment? Given the time between my post and your comment, I’m guessing no. If you had actually read them, you would have discovered that three of my suggested readings are simply the words of modern-day prophets. Almost all of the rest of the rest of the readings are composed of quotations from the Founding Fathers. A far cry from The New American, my friend.
I wanted to write a post on the Fourth of July, but got sidetracked by Sandra Day O’Connor (and my job).
Anyway, in short, I immigrated to America when I was almost 10 years old, and, although I am sick to my stomach at some of the things America has done and is currently doing, I love this country and the freedoms we enjoy, and I’m so grateful to my parents for making the sacrifices they did so that my family could live here (especially my Dad, who half-heartedly grumbles every Fourth of July that he is celebrating the “day we gave America back to the Indians”.)
So, without sounding like a Republican campaign commercial, I am proud to be an American, and I’m grateful for all those who are sacrificing (rightly or wrongly) so much more than I will ever have to in the name of their country.
God bless America, and Happy Fourth of July!
Since when does it take more than 33 minutes to click on 5 links?
C’mon Steve. It’s Canada Day. Take a valium and think True North thoughts.
On the other hand, there’s enough bending of the facts in some of those links to give one pause (and I’m not even going to open the ETB link).
For example, Misquoting our Founding Fathers, an appropriate title, we read:
The founders did not want an established national religion. That’s it. They allowed for state established religions.
The fact is, the founders in their drafting of the federal constitution were silent as to the powers of the states to regulate or establish religion. They didn’t allow it, because they understood that the federal government in those days would have no authority to allow it. They did not forbid it either, for the same reason.
The actions of the founders in the state legislatures and state constitutional conventions would be a better source for their attitudes regarding established churches. Somebody else will have to do the research on that–I don’t know it. However, the fact that all establishments of churches were ended within a half-century of independence suggests that that generation liked state establishment no more than they liked national establishment.
Mark B, you make a good point. That comment also gave me pause. But you have to admit there is a disconnect between non-establishment of religion (meaning no national state religion as there was in England at the time) and no school prayer, no 10 commandments, no Bible reading, etc. I was more interested in the quotations of the Founding Fathers than anything else. I actually thought quoting modern-day prophets and the Founding Fathers would be rather non-controversial. Just shows how wrong I can be.
Steve, perhaps you have some positive suggestions on writings from another apostle that talk about the Founding for July 4th reading?
Mark B, perhaps I am missing the point of your #7, but are you honestly implying by saying that you will not even open the ETB links that you have greater moral authority and factual consistency than a prophet?
P.S. The Fourth of July in Boston is awesome! Anyone else headed down to the Esplanade to catch the Pops and the fireworks?
a random John, and all you other traitors who are leaving, the fireworks in Utah are weak.
Actually, Geoff B, I couldn’t resist the temptation to see what was behind those links. (It seemed that both led to a 1987 talk Pres. Benson gave. You might want to check/fix the first one.)
You draw a mighty big inference from my brief comment. I don’t think it’ll bear all that weight. If the link had been to a 1967 rather than a 1987 talk, I probably wouldn’t have chosen it for my 4th of July reading.
I’m having problems keeping those links up. You can do a search for Benson Declaration of Independence and read the Declaration talk from 1976. Sorry for my lack of technical skills on keeping the link up.
Geoff, I did indeed peruse your wonderful links, hence my suggestion for an additional link to add to your continuum.