Lessons of 2025
Lesson No. Thirty-Five

Our Responsibility to Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States

This is an article originally published in the Meridian Magazine. You can read the original article here.

The Constitution of the United States was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention. My purpose in writing this message is to celebrate this singular event. 

President Ezra Taft Benson spoke of our individual responsibility to support and defend the Constitution: “In compliance with Article 6 of the Constitution, the very first act passed by Congress and signed by President Washington on June 1, 1789, was the actual oath to support the Constitution that was to be administered to various government officers.

“The dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, as dictated by the Lord and found in the Doctrine and Covenants, contains these words: ‘May those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever (D&C 109:54)’” (Our Divine Constitution, Ensign, November 1987).

The recent assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University and the motives for it are a serious threat to our Constitutional freedoms of religion and speech. Regardless of individual political persuasion, this assassination shows, among many other things, the great need for each of us, even where the Church is strongest, to actively support and defend the Constitution. It is also my purpose to give good reasons why we should do this.

The Constitution of the United States was established and is to be maintained on the just and holy principles of moral agency and accountability. In D&C 101, the Lord said that he “established” the Constitution and that it “should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh (mankind) according to just and holy principles” (vs 77). Those just and holy principles are moral agency and accountability (vs 78). Agency and accountability go together. Agency makes us accountable for our choices. 

“Therefore, it is not right any man should be in bondage one to another. And for this purpose I have established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (vs 79-80). Bondage of any kind reduces our agency and, therefore, our opportunity to grow. The Lord established the Constitution, and he will help us maintain it in order to preserve agency and to be free from bondage.

It is important to understand what the Lord means when He uses the phrase “moral agency”. Moral agency is the freedom to choose between good and evil. God given commandments form the basis of right and wrong. We can choose to keep or break commandments, but we cannot choose the consequences of our choices. Keeping commandments brings happiness; breaking them will bring unhappiness. Today, when the leaders of our Church use the word “agency,” they mean it in the same way the Lord used the phrase “moral agency”. It is the choice between good and evil, right and wrong.

The Lord’s test of constitutionality. In April 1966 General Conference, at the request of the First Presidency, Elder Marion G. Romney spoke about the Constitution and agency. He explained D&C 101:77-80 and concluded: “So when the Lord said: I the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law [that is, constitutional law] also maketh you free’ (D&C 98:8) he is saying laws that are constitutional make us free….The test of constitutionality in the words of the Lord is whether [the law in question] preserves man’s agency.” 

This is a profound insight. The question we should ask ourselves when considering public policy, candidates, or legislation is whether our agency will be preserved.

The doctrine of agency and accountability is taught by the First Presidency in the For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet, 2001: “Your Heavenly Father has given you agency, the ability to choose right from wrong and to act for yourself. You have been given the Holy Ghost to help you know good from evil. While you are here on earth, you are being proven to see if you will use your agency to show your love for God by keeping His commandments.

“While you are free to choose for yourself, you are not free to choose the consequences of your actions. When you make a choice, you will receive the consequences of that choice. The consequences may not be immediate, but they will always follow, for good or bad. Wrong choices delay your progression and lead to heartache and misery. Right choices lead to happiness and eternal life. That is why it is so important for you to choose what is right throughout your life.

“You are responsible for the choices you make. You should not blame your circumstances, your family, or your friends if you choose to disobey God’s commandments. You are a child of God with great strength. You have the ability to choose righteousness and happiness, no matter what your circumstances.

“You are also responsible for developing the abilities and talents Heavenly Father has given you. You are accountable to Him for what you do with your abilities and how you spend your time. Do not idle away your time. Be willing to work hard. Choose to do many good things of your own free will.” This message was addressed to the youth of the Church, but the doctrine it teaches applies to all of us.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke of “moral absolutes”. “The founders who established this nation believed in God and in the existence of moral absolutes – right and wrong – established by this Ultimate Law-giver. The Constitution they established assumed and relied on morality in the actions of its citizens” (Preserving Religious Freedom, February 4, 2011, Chapman University School of Law). 

Moral relativism threatens our freedom. Moral relativism denies the existence of divine standards of right and wrong and believes that there is no sin. Korihor in the Book of Mormon was a moral relativist. Korihor taught: 

“Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so. 

“And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but 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 30:16-17). 

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, in the address referred to previously, spoke of moral relativism: “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 ascendency 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. Each person is free to decide for himself or herself what is right and wrong. Our children face the challenge of living in an increasingly godless and amoral society.”

The Founders believed in moral absolutes as taught in the Bible. When the Constitutional Convention was deadlocked and trying to find a way forward, Benjamin Franklin asked, “How has it happened that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights (James 1:14) to illuminate our understandings?” His motion for prayer referred to the Bible four times:

“I have lived, sir, a longtime, and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And, if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice (Matthew 10:29) is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.’ (Psalms 127:1)

“I firmly believe this; and I also believe, that, without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel” (Gen. 11:1-9).

“I therefore beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers, imploring the assistance of heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business; and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service” (Jared Sparks, The Works of Benjamin Franklin, 1837, pp. 155-156). (Franklin’s motion to begin with prayer did not pass because there was no money to pay a minister to give these prayers.)

The Constitution of the United States reversed the long history of religious oppression. For centuries, the church and state were one and the same. Ratification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights changed this. Elder Dallin Oaks observed, “The United States Constitution was the first written constitution in the world. Frequently copied, it has become this nation’s most important export in that every nation in the world but six has adopted a written constitution, and ours was the model for all of them” (The Divinely Inspired Constitution, Ensign, February 1992).

The first freedom set forth in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights is the freedom of religion. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” These first sixteen words of the Bill of Rights are the foundation of our religious freedom. There are two parts – the Establishment Clause, which prohibits favoring one religion over another, and the Free Exercise Clause, which is to preserve individual freedom of conscience and worship. Both parts were required for the gospel to be restored, and they are necessary so the gospel can be taken to other nations. This is a primary reason our Constitution is America’s most important export to the world.

The first front in the battle for freedom was the War of Independence, which brought political and economic freedom from England. The second front was the war for individual freedom of conscience and worship and against state sponsored religion. The ratification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights was a victory, but the battle continues. In speaking to the rising generation on October 13, 2009, at BYU-Idaho, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: “There is a battle over the meaning of [religious] freedom. The contest is of eternal importance, and it is your generation that must understand the issues and make the efforts to prevail.”

In a personal conversation, Elder Dallin Oaks told me that the greatest challenge to the Church in fulfilling its mission to take the gospel to the world is the increasing effort in many nations to limit religious freedom. Agency, accountability, and religious freedom are a necessary part of the plan of salvation. 

We were “set up as a free people by the power of the Father” (3 Nephi 21:4). And as God raised up founding patriots to establish the Constitution, He will raise up other patriots, like Abraham Lincoln, by whom He will maintain the Constitution. (See D&C 101:80) Each of us has the individual responsibility to be numbered among those patriots who work hard to maintain the Constitution.

President Benson gave four principles of how we can best support and “befriend” (this is the Lord’s word, see D&C 98:6) the Constitution of the United States. 

“First and foremost, we must be righteous. John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (The Works of John Adams, ed. C. F. Adams, Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1851, 4:31). If the Constitution is to have continuance, this American nation, and especially the Latter-day Saints, must be virtuous.”

George Washington was known by the people of his time to be a virtuous man. “Washington has been described as America’s ‘indispensable man’ not only during the War of Independence but also in the creation of our constitutional order” (Carson Holloway, George Washington’s Constitutional Legacy, Deseret News, September 12, 2025, p. B 7).

“Second, we must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers. Have we read The Federalist Papers? Are we reading the Constitution and pondering it? Are we aware of its principles? Are we abiding by these principles and teaching them to others? Could we defend the Constitution? Can we recognize when a law is constitutionally unsound? Do we know what the prophets have said about the Constitution and the threats to it?”

“Third, we must become involved in civic affairs to see that we are properly represented. The Lord said that ‘he holds men accountable for their acts in relation’ to governments ‘both in making laws and administering them’ (D&C 134:1). We must follow this counsel from the Lord: ‘Honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil’ (D&C 98:10).

Note the qualities that the Lord demands of those who are to represent us. They must be good, wise, and honest.

“Fourth, we must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, our teaching, and our advice. We must become accurately informed and then let others know how we feel. The Prophet Joseph Smith said: ‘It is our duty to concentrate all our influence to make popular that which is sound and good, and unpopular that which is unsound. ‘Tis right, politically, for a man who has influence to use it. … From henceforth I will maintain all the influence I can get’ (History of the Church, 5:286).”

I believe what Abraham Lincoln wrote when he said: “Let [the Constitution] be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in primers, spelling-books, and in almanacs; let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation” (Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln, ed. John G. Nicolay and John Hay, vol. 1, 1905, p.43).

I agree with what President Benson said: “I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me, its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed his stamp of approval on the Constitution of this land. I testify that the God of heaven sent some of his choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and he has sent other choice spirits—even you who hear my words this day—to preserve it” (General Conference, October 1987)

Released on September 18th. 2025