Civic
Standards for the Faithful Saints
Elder Ezra Taft Benson
Of the Council of the Twelve
Ezra Taft Benson, “Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints,”
Ensign, July 1972, 59
My beloved brothers and sisters, seen and unseen—and we are all
brothers and sisters, children of the same Father in the spirit—humbly
and gratefully I stand before you on this anniversary date of the organization
of the restored church of Jesus Christ, 142 years ago. I love a general
conference of the Church, except this particular part, and yet I rejoice
in the opportunity to bear testimony to this, the greatest work in all
the world.
Last fall I was invited by Baron von Blomberg, president of the United
Religions Organization, to represent the Church as a guest of the king
of Persia at the twenty-five hundredth anniversary of the founding of
the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great. Advised by the First Presidency
to accept the invitation, I left immediately following the October conference
to join with representatives of twenty-seven world religions, some fifty
monarchs, and other notables at this historic celebration in Iran.
King Cyrus lived more than five hundred years before Christ and figured
in prophecies of the Old Testament mentioned in 2 Chronicles and the
book of Ezra, and by the prophets Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Daniel. The Bible
states how “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia.”
(2 Chr. 36:22.) Cyrus restored certain political and social rights to
the captive Hebrews, gave them permission to return to Jerusalem, and
directed that Jehovah’s temple should be rebuilt.
Parley P. Pratt, in describing the Prophet Joseph Smith, said that
he had “the boldness, courage, temperance, perseverance and generosity
of a Cyrus.” (Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt [Deseret Book
Company, 1938], p. 46.)
President Wilford Woodruff said:
“Now I have thought many times that some of those ancient kings
that were raised up, had in some respects more regard for the carrying
out of some of these principles and laws, than even the Latter-day Saints
have in our day. I will take as an ensample Cyrus. … To trace
the life of Cyrus from his birth to his death, whether he knew it or
not, it looked as though he lived by inspiration in all his movements.
He began with that temperance and virtue which would sustain any Christian
country or any Christian king. … Many of these principles followed
him, and I have thought many of them were worthy, in many respects,
the attention of men who have the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Journal
of Discourses, vol. 22, p. 207.)
God, the Father of us all, uses the men of the earth, especially good
men, to accomplish his purposes. It has been true in the past, it is
true today, it will be true in the future.
“Perhaps the Lord needs such men on the outside of His Church
to help it along,” said the late Elder Orson F. Whitney of the
Quorum of the Twelve. “They are among its auxiliaries, and can
do more good for the cause where the Lord has placed them, than anywhere
else. … Hence, some are drawn into the fold and receive a testimony
of the truth; while others remain unconverted … the beauties and
glories of the gospel being veiled temporarily from their view, for
a wise purpose. The Lord will open their eyes in His own due time. God
is using more than one people for the accomplishment of His great and
marvelous work. The Latter-day Saints cannot do it all. It is too vast,
too arduous for any one people. … We have no quarrel with the
Gentiles. They are our partners in a certain sense.” (Conference
Report, April 1928, p. 59.)
This would certainly have been true of Colonel Thomas L. Kane, a true
friend of the Saints in their dire need. It was true of General Doniphan,
who, when ordered by his superior to shoot Joseph Smith, said: “It
is cold blooded murder. I will not obey your order. … and if you
execute these men, I will hold you responsible before an earthly tribunal,
so help me God.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Essentials in Church
History, p. 241.)
We honor these partners because their devotion to correct principles
overshadowed their devotion to popularity, party, or personalities.
We honor our founding fathers of this republic for the same reason.
God raised up these patriotic partners to perform their mission, and
he called them “wise men.” (See D&C 101:80.) The First
Presidency acknowledged that wisdom when they gave us the guideline
a few years ago of supporting political candidates “who are truly
dedicated to the Constitution in the tradition of our Founding Fathers.”
(Deseret News, November 2, 1964.) That tradition has been summarized
in the book The American Tradition by Clarence Carson.
The Lord said that “the children of this world are in their generation
wiser than the children of light.” (Luke 16:8.) Our wise founders
seemed to understand, better than most of us, our own scripture, which
states that “it is the nature and disposition of almost all men,
as soon as they get a little authority … they will immediately
begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” (D&C 121:39.)
To help prevent this, the founders knew that our elected leaders should
be bound by certain fixed principles. Said Thomas Jefferson: “In
questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man but
bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”
These wise founders, our patriotic partners, seemed to appreciate more
than most of us the blessings of the boundaries that the Lord set within
the Constitution, for he said, “And as pertaining to law of man,
whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.” (D&C
98:7.)
In God the founders trusted, and in his Constitution—not in the
arm of flesh. “O Lord,” said Nephi, “I have trusted
in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in
the arm of flesh; … cursed is he that putteth his trust in man
or maketh flesh his arm.” (2 Ne. 4:34.)
President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., put it well when he said:
“God provided that in this land of liberty, our political allegiance
shall run not to individuals, that is, to government officials, no matter
how great or how small they may be. Under His plan our allegiance and
the only allegiance we owe as citizens or denizens of the United States,
runs to our inspired Constitution which God himself set up. So runs
the oath of office of those who participate in government. A certain
loyalty we do owe to the office which a man holds, but even here we
owe just by reason of our citizenship, no loyalty to the man himself.
In other countries it is to the individual that allegiance runs. This
principle of allegiance to the Constitution is basic to our freedom.
It is one of the great principles that distinguishes this ‘land
of liberty’ from other countries.” (Improvement Era, July
1940, p. 444.)
“Patriotism,” said Theodore Roosevelt, “means to
stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President or
any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself
stands by the country. …
“Every man,” said President Roosevelt, “who parrots
the cry of ‘stand by the President’ without adding the proviso
‘so far as he serves the Republic’ takes an attitude as
essentially unmanly as that of any Stuart royalist who championed the
doctrine that the King could do no wrong. No self-respecting and intelligent
free man could take such an attitude.” (Theodore Roosevelt, Works,
vol. 21, pp. 316, 321.) And yet as Latter-day Saints we should pray
for our civic leaders and encourage them in righteousness.
“… to vote for wicked men, it would be sin,” said
Hyrum Smith. (Documentary History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 323.)
And the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “… let the people of
the whole Union, like the inflexible Romans, whenever they find a promise
made by a candidate that is not practiced as an officer, hurl the miserable
sycophant from his exaltation. …” (DHC, vol. 6, p. 207.)
Joseph and Hyrum’s trust did not run to the arm of flesh, but
to God and correct eternal principles. “I am the greatest advocate
of the Constitution of the United States there is on the earth,”
said the Prophet Joseph Smith. (DHC, vol. 6, p. 56.)
The warning of President Joseph Fielding Smith is most timely: “Now
I tell you it is time the people of the United States were waking up
with the understanding that if they don’t save the Constitution
from the dangers that threaten it, we will have a change of government.”
(Conference Report, April 1950, p. 159.)
Another guideline given by the First Presidency was “to support
good and conscientious candidates, of either party, who are aware of
the great dangers” facing the free world. (Deseret News, November
2, 1964.)
Fortunately we have materials to help us face these threatening dangers
in the writings of President David O. McKay and other church leaders.
Some other fine sources by LDS authors attempting to awaken and inform
us of our duty are: Prophets, Principles, and National Survival (Jerreld
L. Newquist), Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen (H. Verlan Andersen),
and The Elders of Israel and the Constitution (Jerome Horowitz).
But the greatest handbook for freedom in this fight against evil is
the Book of Mormon.
This leads me to the second great civic standard for the Saints. For
in addition to our inspired Constitution, we have the scriptures.
Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was the “keystone of
our religion” and the “most correct” book on earth.
(DHC, vol. 6, p. 56.) This most correct book on earth states that the
downfall of two great American civilizations came as a result of secret
conspiracies whose desire was to overthrow the freedom of the people.
“And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I
am now speaking,” says Moroni, “and also the destruction
of the people of Nephi.” (Ether 8:21.)
Now undoubtedly Moroni could have pointed out many factors that led
to the destruction of the people, but notice how he singled out the
secret combinations, just as the Church today could point out many threats
to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God’s work, but it has
singled out the greatest threat as the godless conspiracy. There is
no conspiracy theory in the Book of Mormon —it is a conspiracy
fact.
Then Moroni speaks to us in this day and says, “Wherefore, the
Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that
ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret
combination which shall be among you” (Ether 8:14.)
The Book of Mormon further warns that “whatsoever nation shall
uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall
spread over the nation, behold they shall be destroyed. …”
(Ether 8:22.)
This scripture should alert us to what is ahead unless we repent, because
there is no question but that as people of the free world, we are increasingly
upholding many of the evils of the adversary today. By court edict godless
conspirators can run for government office, teach in our schools, hold
office in labor unions, work in our defense plants, serve in our merchant
marines, etc. As a nation, we are helping to underwrite many evil revolutionaries
in our country.
Now we are assured that the Church will remain on the earth until the
Lord comes again—but at what price? The Saints in the early days
were assured that Zion would be established in Jackson County, but look
at what their unfaithfulness cost them in bloodshed and delay.
President Clark warned us that “we stand in danger of losing
our liberties, and that once lost, only blood will bring them back;
and once lost, we of this church will, in order to keep the Church going
forward, have more sacrifices to make and more persecutions to endure
than we have yet known. …” (CR, April 1944, p. 116.) And
he stated that if the conspiracy “comes here it will probably
come in its full vigor and there will be a lot of vacant places among
those who guide and direct, not only this government, but also this
Church of ours.” (CR, April 1952.)
Now the third great civic standard for the Saints is the inspired word
of the prophets—particularly the living president, God’s
mouthpiece on the earth today. Keep your eye on the captain and judge
the words of all lesser authority by his inspired counsel.
The story is told how Brigham Young, driving through a community, saw
a man building a house and simply told him to double the thickness of
his walls. Accepting President Young as a prophet, the man changed his
plans and doubled the walls. Shortly afterward a flood came through
that town, resulting in much destruction, but this man’s walls
stood. While putting the roof on his house, he was heard singing, “We
thank thee, O God, for a prophet!”
Joseph Smith taught “that a prophet was a prophet only when he
was acting as such.” (DHC, vol. 5, p. 265.)
Suppose a leader of the Church were to tell you that you were supporting
the wrong side of a particular issue. Some might immediately resist
this leader and his counsel or ignore it, but I would suggest that you
first apply the fourth great civic standard for the faithful Saints.
That standard is to live for, to get, and then to follow the promptings
of the Holy Spirit.
Said Brigham Young: “I am more afraid that this people have so
much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves
of God whether they are led by Him. … Let every man and woman
know, by the whisperings of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether
their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not.”
(JD, vol. 9, p. 150.)
A number of years ago, because of a statement that appeared to represent
the policy of the Church, a faithful member feared he was supporting
the wrong candidate for public office. Humbly he took the matter up
with the Lord. Through the Spirit of the Lord he gained the conviction
of the course he should follow, and he dropped his support of this particular
candidate.
This good brother, by fervent prayer, got the answer that in time proved
to be the right course.
We urge all men to read the Book of Mormon and then ask God if it is
true. And the promise is sure that they may know of its truthfulness
through the Holy Ghost, “and by the power of the Holy Ghost [men]
may know the truth of all things.” (Moro. 10:5.)
We need the constant guidance of that Spirit. We live in an age of
deceit. “O my people,” said Isaiah in the Book of Mormon,
“they who lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy
paths.” (2 Ne. 13:12.) Even within the Church we have been warned
that “the ravening wolves are amongst us, from our own membership,
and they, more than any others, are clothed in sheep’s clothing,
because they wear the habiliments of the priesthood.” (J. Reuben
Clark, Jr., CR, April 1949, p. 163.)
The Lord holds us accountable if we are not wise and are deceived.
“For they that are wise,” he said, “and have received
the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have
not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn
down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.” (D&C
45:57.)
And so four great civic standards for the faithful Saints are, first,
the Constitution ordained by God through wise men; second, the scriptures,
particularly the Book of Mormon; third, the inspired counsel of the
prophets, especially the living president, and fourth, the guidance
of the Holy Spirit.
God bless us all that we may use these standards and by so doing bless
ourselves, our families, our community, our nation, and the world, I
humbly pray, as I bear my witness to the truth of this great latter-day
work, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
