Lessons of 2026
Lesson No. Thirty

Constitutional Patriotism and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

The many voices of patriotism. Most people consider themselves to be patriots, but in our day, considering the many voices that advocate patriotism, it is important to understand what true patriotism is and what it is not. The Book of Mormon contains examples of true and false patriots.

Captain Moroni is a Book of Mormon example of a true patriot – “Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God. Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites….And thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians” (Alma 48:7-10).

Today, a true patriot desires truth and acknowledges the hand of God in the affairs of men and the destiny of nations. They look to God as the source of security. A patriot is committed to correct social and economic principles based on agency and accountability, right and wrong. To a patriot liberty is not license to do as one chooses, but true liberty requires that our actions must be consistent with a divine standard to which men are accountable. A true patriot is more concerned about being morally correct than politically correct.

Amalickiah is a Book of Mormon example of a counterfeit patriot – As recorded in Alma 46:4-5, Amalickiah desired power and promised his supporters positions in his government if he became the ruler. There are similar examples today. Amalickiah used “cunning device and…many flattering words [to lead] away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them” (Alma 46:10).

Today, counterfeit patriots rely on their own strength and take God out of public life. They espouse harmful social and economic theories based on the philosophies of men. They espouse moral relativism. Moral relativism teaches there is no right or wrong, no divine law or absolute standard of conduct and therefore there is no sin. The philosophy of moral relativism was well stated by Korihor who taught that “every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime” (Alma 30:17).

The ascendancy of moral relativism. Moral relativism denies the existence of divine standards of right and wrong and concludes there is no sin. President Dallin H. Oaks previously spoke of moral relativism as it applies to religious freedom guaranteed by the US Constitution: "What has caused the current public and legal climate of mounting threats to religious freedom? I believe the cause is not legal but cultural and religious. I believe the diminished value being attached to religious freedom stems from the ascendancy of moral relativism. More and more of our citizens support the idea that all authority and all rules of behavior are man-made and can be accepted or rejected as one chooses…. Our children face the challenge of living in an increasingly godless and amoral society” (Preserving Religious Freedom, February 4, 2011, Chapman University School of Law).

There are moral absolutes, some things are right, and some things are wrong. Moral relativism is the opposite of moral absolutes, and moral relativism threatens our freedom. "The founders who established this nation believed in God and in the existence of moral absolutes – right and wrong – established by this Ultimate Lawgiver. The Constitution they established assumed and relied on morality in the actions of its citizens" (Ibid). John Adams, our second president, said: We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion...Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.”

President Dallin H. Oaks for the last 42 years, from the time he was ordained an Apostle to now as President of the Restored Church, has had the responsibility among the Apostles “to study the meaning of the divinely inspired United States Constitution to the work of His restored Church” (Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution, General Conference April 2021). For this reason, he has spoken often about the Constitution.

The key to being a true patriot is constitutional patriotism which is part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. President Oaks explained: “The United States is uniquely equipped to unite a diverse and divided society…Its citizens don’t have to choose between a national identity and multiculturalism. Americans can have both. But the key is constitutional patriotism. We have to remain united by and through the Constitution, regardless of our ideological disagreements” (Love Your Enemies, October 2020 General Conference).

Constitutional patriots strive to love their enemies (President Oaks uses “enemies” and “adversaries interchangeably). He continued: “Many years ago, a British foreign secretary gave this great counsel in a debate in the House of Commons: ‘We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and these interests it is our duty to follow.’ That is good secular reason for following “eternal and perpetual” interests in political matters. In addition, the doctrine of the Lord’s Church teaches us another eternal interest to guide us: the teachings of our Savior, who inspired the Constitution of the United States and the basic laws of many of our countries. Loyalty to established law instead of temporary “allies” is the best way to love our adversaries and our enemies as we seek unity in diversity.

“Knowing that we are all children of God gives us a divine vision of the worth of all others and the will and ability to rise above prejudice and racism. As I have lived for many years in different places in this nation, the Lord has taught me that it is possible to obey and seek to improve our nation’s laws and also to love our adversaries and our enemies. While not easy, it is possible with the help of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He gave this command to love, and He promises His help as we seek to obey it” (Ibid).

Testimony. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we should desire to be constitutional patriots, and we should strive to love our adversaries. We will find that it is not easy, but if we pray for grace, the enabling power of God, this will enable us to do all things that are expedient in the sight of the Lord. This certainly will include being able to love our adversaries.

Released on August 16th. 2026.