Elder Ezra T. Benson, Part Four: Echoes of Today - The American Tradition by Clarence Carson

For Part One, Part Two, or Part Three, select your link and go. 

For our last quote in this series, from Elder Ezra T. Benson's talk, "Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints," we get something unusual - a recommendation of an entire book!

 

The Quote

"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." 

 

 Does Time Even Go By?

It's an interesting book, "The American Tradition", which can be found online here.

Just reading the Table of Contents, it's a book with very familiar, current-sounding point to make. It's certainly from a certain point of view - a more conservative point of view - but if we added updated references, it's not that different from other more modern books, except that its viewpoint is more historical. It was published in 1964 - over 61 years ago.

It made me think to myself a little - How much actually changes from year to year? 

Sometimes, I like to look back at my own journals - say, the same date of entry, four years ago - which I did recently.

The problems I was wrestling with back then were largely the same problems I am wrestling with today. No real progress.

And now I feel old.

But never mind - throwing this one on my TBR pile, happily. Because we in our church do believe that the Lord raised up these men - very human, yes, but very special men - to create this experiment in government and freedom that all of us in the United States have been living out since then.

Freedom to choose our life path. Freedom to worship however we choose. Freedom to be happy, or to be miserable. Freedom to speak, and to defend ourselves. Lots of freedoms, for which I myself am very grateful, and probably should be more grateful for what we still retain in future.

Because freedom can certainly be lost, if we forget ...

Elder Ezra T. Benson, Part Three: Theodore Roosevelt Defining Patriotism

 For Part One, Part Two, or Part Four, select your link and go. 

 I should be posting this during an election cycle, but maybe it's safer to do it when things are more quiet.

Today's quote, still from Elder Ezra T. Benson's talk, "Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints", brings up a very interesting point - one that's probably not often considered today - principles over personalities.

And he quotes President Theodore Roosevelt when he says:

 

The Quote

“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.) 

Simply by looking at the reference, I despair of every finding these specific quotes in their original source material - Roosevelt wrote a lot and the websites that house his work are a little bit difficult to navigate.

Still, taken at face value, the thought is worth considering.

Are we loyal to a party? A person? Or the principles underlying our government for 200 years? 

Not asking anyone those questions myself - these are a self-edit, for sure. 

And I suppose what 'serves the Republic' and what doesn't could also be up for individual interpretation.

Still, my allegiance is to my Father in Heaven, and He says to be a good citizen and do my civic duty in the country I belong to, so I do, for that reason alone.  

 

My country, under God...

 

Nations carry imperfect banners - all nations - but the basic principles of goodness and morality unite us all - whether we believe in this or in this or in something else entirely. 

In order to survive as a globe of God's children, we need to at least learn to stand by something noble and good together.