I was reading a few talks by President Ezra Taft Benson, who was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both of the administrations of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. President Benson brought a renewed emphasis to being a true American and becoming educated and taking a stand for the principles upon which this nation was founded. Here are a few of my favorite quotes which has given me a great deal to ponder...
"In this great struggle for free agency, think what a power for good we could be in this world if we were united. God will hold us responsible. Let us not be deceived in the sifting days ahead. Let us rally together on principle behind the prophet as guided by the promptings of the Spirit. We should continue to speak out for freedom and against socialism and communism. We should continue to come to the aid of patriots, programs, and organizations that are trying to save our Constitution through every legal and moral means possible. God has not left us in darkness regarding these matters. We have the scriptures ancient and modern. We have a living prophet, and we may obtain the Spirit. The time is fast approaching when it will require great courage for Latter-day Saints to stand up for their peculiar standards and doctrine–ALL their doctrine, including the more weighty principles such as the principle of freedom...The longer we wait, the heavier the chains, the deeper the blood, the more the persecution, and the less we can carry our God-given mandate and worldwide mission. The war fought in heaven still rages on earth today."
This quote was given years ago. Do you think it may be still relevant today? My belief is that it may be even more relevant today than it was years ago. I have heard many say, 'well I will wait for the prophet or general authorities of the church to tell me what I must do and what organizations I must join and how to go about standing up for what is right, I just do not think it is right (other than promote these teachings in my own home) to do anything other than this.' To these people I again quote from the words of President Benson who left no question as to what our responsibility is in regards to this type of thinking...
"And now as the last neutralizer that the devil used most effectively – it is simply this: Don’t do anything in the fight for freedom until the Church sets up its own specific program to save the Constitution. This brings us right back to the scripture of those slothful servants who will not do anything until they are “compelled in all things”. Maybe the Lord will never set up a specific Church program for the purpose of saving the Constitution. Perhaps if he set up one at this time it might split the Church asunder, and perhaps he does not want that to happen yet, for not all the wheat and tares are fully ripe. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the Constitution, not the Church..... "We had better take our small pain now than our greater loss later. There were souls who wished afterwards that they had stood and fought with Washington and the founding fathers, but they waited too long - they passed up eternal glory. There has never been a greater time than now to stand up against entrenched evil. And while the gentiles established the Constitution, we have a divine mandate to preserve it! But, unfortunately, today in this freedom struggle, many gentiles are showing greater wisdom in their generation than the children of light. (Pres Ezra Taft Benson)
And in conclusion, these final thoughts;
"The fight for freedom is God’s fight. No matter what the temporary outcome, the Lord has endowed this matter of freedom with such everlasting repercussions that it sifted the spirits of men before this world in the Great War in heaven. And, it seems today, to be the central issue that is sifting those who are left in the world. No one can delegate his duty to preserve his freedom, for the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. You cannot effectively fight for freedom and not be attacked. We also should not expect the Lord to do for us what we can do for ourselves.
The basic purpose of life is to prove ourselves – not to be with the majority when it is wrong. Proving ourselves means showing whether or not we are going to stand up for freedom. Less spiritually advanced people have to be commanded in all things. Those who are spiritually alert look at the objectives, check the guidelines laid down by the Lord, and then prayerfully act without having to be commanded.
This attitude prepares men for godhood. Sometimes the Lord waits on his children to act on their own, and when they do not, they loose the greater prize. The more He has to spell it out, the smaller is our reward....
To be on the wrong side of the freedom issue in heaven meant eternal damnation. How then can Latter-day Saints expect to be on the wrong side in this life and escape eternal consequences? Will they heed the counsel of the prophet and preserve their freedom? Those who want to lead the quiet, retiring life but still expect to do their full duty can’t have it both ways. This fight for freedom might never become popular in our day, and if you wait until everybody agrees in this Church, you will be waiting through the second coming! The Lord will not protect us unless we do our part." (President Ezra T. Benson)
Let us all remember these words, ponder them and then act on them. The first step is to become educated. We must know what principles we are to fight for and against and be able to clearly articulate what our position is. We must be prayerful and have the spirit of discernment with us as we look for others and join with other organizations who are fighting for freedom. The price to pay is worth the reward. Our eternal salvation may be at stake. My prayer is that each of us, as individuals, may have the courage and the wisdom to fulfill our duty in this great battle. Let us unite!
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