Saturday, June 28, 2008

Civic Standards for Faithful Saints

I was looking for the talk when Ezra Taft Benson suggested reading None Dare Call it Conspiracy. I didn't find it yet, but I found this one Civic Standards for Faithful Saints.

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.)

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.)

Here is a list of all the books he mentioned in his talk.
The American Tradition by Clarence Carson.
Prophets, Principles, and National Survival (Jerreld L. Newquist)
Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen (H. Verlan Andersen)*
The Elders of Israel and the Constitution (Jerome Horowitz)
The Book of Mormon*