“AND WHEN THE CONSITUTION IS ON THE BRINK OF RUIN . . . ”
Dear fellow conservative Latter-day Saints,
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have always revered America as a promised land. And we have been ardent defenders of the United States Constitution, which we believe is inspired.
Several of our church leaders have warned that in the last days, the Constitution would be imperiled. Joseph Smith was recorded as saying: “Even this nation will be on the verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground and when the Constitution is on the brink of ruin this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction.”
There has been much talk recently, both within and without the Church, that we might be approaching this time when our Constitution is on the verge of destruction. If this is true, what or who has brought us to this point? And what must responsible saints and citizens do about it?
The scriptures warn us over and over that there will be those who try to deceive us, who call “evil good, and good evil” and who “put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” We are told that even the “very elect” will be deceived (Matthew 24:24).
With this is mind, I wonder if we could set aside our preconceived notions for a moment, and, with real humility and a genuine desire to discern truth, engage in the experiment of looking at this through a new lens.
Like all of you, I love this country. Like you, I am concerned that our Constitution is endangered. I legitimately worry that the Great American Experiment might be at risk of failing. And like you, I see an unprecedented polarization between parties and ideologies tearing at the fabric of our nation, our Church community, even our own families. But is it possible that what brought us to this point is neither liberalism nor conservatism (both of which our Constitution was designed to accommodate), but a president who, in spite of the sacred oath he took to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, focuses more on preserving, protecting, and defending himself, often at the cost of the Constitution?
This is the possibility I’m asking us to consider with an open heart and mind.
President Trump’s many violations of the Constitution are well-documented. (Please click on the hyperlinks for just one of many credible sources for each one of these allegations.) He flouts the emoluments clauses which prohibit any president from profiting off the office; has repeatedly tried to suppress and discredit the free press, a common ploy of dictators; ignores checks and balances; routinely oversteps his executive authority; and has attempted to suppress freedom of speech and the right to peaceful assembly, two of our fundamental constitutional rights.
These are just a few of the ways in which our current president has demonstrated ignorance of — or deliberate disregard for — the Constitution.
And though President Trump has given lip service to defending religious freedom — a tenet especially cherished by members of our faith — we must ask ourselves, if he truly cared about this, would he have proposed a Muslim ban or advocated shutting down mosques? Religious freedom must extend to all religions. In fact, that’s sort of the whole point.
As Joseph Smith so forcefully declared:
“I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves. It is a love of liberty which inspires my soul — civil and religious liberty to the whole of the human race.”
Why does Trump pretend to be a champion of religious freedom? Because he wants to appeal to a particular demographic— which includes members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We must open our eyes. We must refuse to be played for fools. We must ask ourselves if we have allowed ourselves to be deceived.
We can’t just look the other way or twist ourselves into pretzels to excuse these blatant offenses against the Constitution. These are abuses that should concern all true patriots. Any violation of the Constitution is insupportable, but when the violator is the president of the United States, it is time for genuine alarm.
Recently, a dear friend wrote to me:
“While I did not vote for Trump [in 2016] and I think he personally is not a nice person, I do strongly believe that there is far more danger in embracing the other side at this time.”
This is a legitimate fear for many conservatives. But I see two main problems with my friend’s statement. First, she minimizes Trump’s often grossly indecent and cruel behavior by calling it merely “not nice.” In this, she ignores what God has said about the type of people we should elect as our leaders:
“I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold” (D&C 98:8–10).
As I’ve written elsewhere, “God’s standard is clear. The candidates and leaders we support should be honest, wise, and good.
Here we must resist the temptation to respond with cynicism and insist that no one in politics is honest, wise, or good. There are, in fact, those who, though imperfect, truly try to live and govern with honor, decency, and integrity.
Nor can we buy into the dangerous and fallacious argument that character doesn’t really matter in an elected leader. As evidenced by D&C 98:8–10, God clearly disagrees. So did the Father of our Country, George Washington, who insisted that “a good moral character is the first essential in a man.”
My friend’s second mistake is in assuming that Trump is in fact on her side — that he is a conservative choice. This is an assumption we would do well to examine.
A careful review of Trump’s actions and positions, both before he was elected and now, leads to only one conclusion: Trump represents (and always has), not conservatism, but only his own self-interest. In this alone is he consistent. He started out as a Democrat, was a Republican from 1987–1999, joined the Reform party from 1999–2001, became a Democrat again from 2001–2009, was a Republican from 2009–2011, registered as an Independent from 2011–2012, and then became a Republican again.
Trump has never been a conservative. In fact, it’s arguable that he has done more to discredit the Republican party, threaten our Constitution, and limit our constitutionally-sanctioned liberties than any other president.
Please consider these important points about our current president:
No other president in the history of the United States has suggested that America should have a president for life.
No other president since the ratification of the 22nd amendment has said he deserves an extra (now unconstitutional) third term.
No other president has encouraged his supporters to chant “12 more years! 12 more years!”
No other president has cast doubt on the election results before the people have even voted.
No other president has refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses.
No other president has said: “The president of the United States has the authority to do what the president has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The president of the United States calls the shots.” Or “When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total, and that’s the way it’s going to be.”
These are the words of a would-be authoritarian dictator. These things should not only give us pause, but compel us to act (and vote) decisively in defense of our constitutional democratic republic.
It is true that President Trump has done some good things. Conservatives may be pleased and reassured by his judicial appointments and by his pro-life rhetoric (however hollow it rings, given his real-life behavior). But when weighed against the whole body of his actions and the profound deficits of his character, these things cannot justify a vote to reelect him. Voting for single issues will not preserve the Constitution.
This election, we must vote against the forces that would destroy our nation. Our very form of government is on the line.
For the sake of discussion, let’s imagine that the democratic nominee is elected in November. Perhaps the pendulum may swing a little further to the left than some may prefer. But then, in four years, we have the opportunity to vote again, and the pendulum will most likely swing back — and perhaps even a little further to the right than others prefer. Meanwhile, the legislative and judicial branches will continue to provide those ever-important checks and balances. That’s the way our government is supposed to work. We have to have faith in the system. We can’t panic and vote for a wannabe dictator who lacks character, competence, and constitutional uprightness just because we’re worried that the alternative may take us a little further to the left than we’d like to go. We’ll swing back. We have to take the long view, trusting — and vigorously defending — our inspired Constitution.
And so, my beloved brothers and sisters, if it feels that our nation is “on the verge of crumbling to pieces,” and if what we are witnessing is the long-prophesied “Constitution … on the brink of ruin,” then we must must act with courage, clarity, and boldness. In this upcoming election, we must choose leaders of character, no matter their party; men and women who understand, believe in, and uphold our fundamental democratic values, norms, and institutions. In this way, we may, in very deed, be instrumental in saving our Constitution.
With love,
Your sister in the faith
