Guest Post: Rantin' & Ravin'

Hi!

My name is is Tammy and I write on Rantin' & Ravin'.

I was so excited to hear from J-lyn here on To Stand As Righteous Women. When she asked if I would do a guest post, I jumped on the chance.

She basically gave me a free reign as long as it was inspiring for her readers and encouraged you all in righteousness. So, I gave it a little thought and took it to prayer. Isn't that what we should do in all things?

I read over her previous posts here and here and decided to write about the constitution.

The United States Constitution is an inspired document. This document serves as a model for other nations and is currently the oldest Constitution still used today.

I know that the Lord inspired people such as Columbus, the Pilgrims and the puritans to search for a place where they could have religious freedom. I know that the Founding Fathers were led by the Father to write the words of the Constitution. The Constitution was laid out to allow for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am a history major and I have had many professors teach me that the Founding Fathers were not Christians.

How can this be?

The Declaration of Independence affirmed the Founding Fathers’ belief and trust in God in these words: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

At the conclusion of the Declaration of Independence, they wrote, “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 Declaration was a promise that would demand terrible sacrifice on the part of its signers. Five of the signers were captured as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary War; another had two sons captured. Nine died from wounds or from the hardships of the war.

Would you be willing to die for something that you truly didn't believe in, for Someone you truly didn't believe in?

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention were the recipients of heavenly inspiration. James Madison (my favorite!!), often referred to as the father of the Constitution, wrote: “It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution” (The Federalist, no. 37, ed. Henry Cabot Lodge, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1983, p. 222).

Alexander Hamilton, famous as the originator of The Federalist papers and author of fifty-one of the essays, said: “For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interest” (Essays on the Constitution of the United States, ed. Paul L. Ford, 1892, pp. 251–52).

Charles Pinckney, a very active participant and author of the Pinckney Plan during the Convention, said: “When the great work was done and published, I was struck with amazement. Nothing less than the superintending Hand of Providence, that so miraculously carried us through the war … could have brought it about so complete, upon the whole” (Essays on the Constitution, p. 412).

Don't let anyone ever tell you that they were not Christians!

In a talk given by Ezra Taft Benson titled, Our Divine Constitution, he says, 

"How then can we best befriend the Constitution in this critical hour and secure the blessings of liberty and ensure the protection and guidance of our Father in Heaven?

First and foremost, we must be righteous.

 

John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (The Works of John Adams, ed. C. F. Adams, Boston: Little, Brown Co., 1851, 4:31). If the Constitution is to have continuance, this American nation, and especially the Latter-day Saints, must be virtuous.

Second, we must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers.

 

Have we read The Federalist papers? Are we reading the Constitution and pondering it? Are we aware of its principles? Are we abiding by these principles and teaching them to others? Could we defend the Constitution? Can we recognize when a law is constitutionally unsound? Do we know what the prophets have said about the Constitution and the threats to it?

As Jefferson said, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free … it expects what never was and never will be” (Letter to Colonel Charles Yancey, 6 Jan. 1816).

Third, we must become involved in civic affairs to see that we are properly represented.

Note the qualities that the Lord demands of those who are to represent us. They must be good, wise, and honest.

Fourth, we must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, our teaching, and our advice.

  

We must become accurately informed and then let others know how we feel."

Have you ever head the expression, "The Constitution is hanging on by a thread"? 

That thread is your vote. 

It's important we make our voices heard.

Mark your calendars, November 6th!