If there is one single verse of Scripture that has been ringing like a warning bell in my head in recent years, it is Verse 6 of the 98th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants. “Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;”. Given by the Lord Jesus Christ thru the Prophet Joseph Smith, at Kirtland, Ohio, August 6, 1833, its message is clear that “The saints are to befriend the constitutional law of the land.” as stated in the section outline. It is preceded in Verse 4 by the statement “it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.”, and I believe, it was well echoed and even magnified by then Apostle David O. McKay’s statement in the October 1939 General Conference that: “Next to being one in worshiping God, there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States.”

By revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, as recorded in Verse 80 of the 101st Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord declared that He had established the Constitution of the United States thru “wise men raised up unto this very purpose.” In the April 1918 General Conference Heber J. Grant stated: “I believe, as does our beloved President Joseph F. Smith, that the Constitution of the United States was written by the inspiration of Almighty God.” And in the April 1935 General Conference, President J. Ruben Clark said: “To me...that statement of the Lord, ‘I have established the Constitution of this land,’ puts the Constitution of the United States in the position in which it would be if it were written in this book of Doctrine and Covenants itself. This makes the Constitution the word of the Lord to us.”

In the April 1963 Conference, then Apostle Ezra Taft Benson said: “...the Lord told his prophet there would be an attempt to overthrow the country by destroying the Constitution.” And on another occasion he stated: For years we have heard of the role the elders could play in saving the Constitution from total destruction. But how can the elders be expected to save it if they have not studied it and are not sure if it is being destroyed or what is destroying it?” (TETB)

In the October 1966 General Conference President McKay stated: “We all know that...there has been an alarming increase in the abandoning of the ideals that constitute the foundation of the Constitution of the United States...”. Until rather recently certain General Authorities expressed similar concerns, but now it seems left to us to decide for ourselves if the situation has improved or worsened since then.

In the October 2001 General Conference, President Gordon B. Hinkley reminded us that “The Constitution under which we live....is our God-inspired national safeguard ensuring freedom and liberty, justice and equality before the law.”

Included in a First Presidency statement of 15 January 1987 is, I think clarification of what it means to “befriend” the US Constitution: “We encourage Latter-day Saints throughout the nation to familiarize themselves with the Constitution. They should focus attention on it by reading and studying it. They should ponder the blessings that come through it. They should recommit themselves to its principles and be prepared to defend it and the freedom it provides.”

In the April 1966 General Priesthood Meeting, Marion G. Romney stated in his opening remarks: “This is the first time I have ever attempted to give a talk a second time. My excuse is that the Brethren have asked me to give this talk here tonight” In it, he said: “[The Lord] has told us that in preparation for the restoration of the Gospel, He himself established the Constitution of the United States, and He has plainly told us why He established it....He said He established the Constitution to preserve to men their free agency, because the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ presupposes man’s untrammeled exercise of free agency. Man is in the earth to be tested. The issues as to whether he succeeds or fails will be determined by how he uses his agency. His whole future, through all eternity, is at stake. Abridge man’s agency, and the whole purpose of mortality is thwarted.”

Having presented what I have, I want to make it clear that I am not advocating the teaching of the US Constitution or of its principles as such in our church meetings. The time is past when we can make and hear statements such as the above, and others even stronger, over the pulpits and in our church classes. Members will have to find other routes over which to become involved in preserving the US Constitution and its principles. This includes self-study and discussions within the confines of our own homes and communities.

Active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in general have many demands placed upon them, including providing for and spending quality time with their families, making time for personal and family prayers and Gospel study, engaging in missionary work, conducting family history research, attending the temple, going home and visiting teaching, and participating in other worthy activities. In spite of all these responsibilities, it appears we are also under obligation to defend and promote the freedoms that make all these activities possible.

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Ralph Hughes is a retired turbomachinery engineer. He lived and worked 12 years in Europe, England and the mid-East, and has been active in promoting awareness of the importance of Americans befriending the U.S. Constitution. Also, Ralph is "executor of my wife's honey do list."

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