Alma 48:13 Yea, and he was a
man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his
people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his
blood.
The word “people” occurs over 1400 times in the Book of
Mormon. By contrast, “friend” appears 23 times and “family” 31 times. It's not
too much to say that Nephite prophets were obsessed with “people.” (See e.g., 1
Ne. 4:6; 15:5; 2 Ne. 1:5-12; 33:1; Jacob 1:4-8; 4:3-4; Enos 1:9-19; Jarom 1:3;
Alma 45:13-16; Morm. 7; and many more.)
Who are the people?
A people is a gathering of individuals who are united by
blood ties, shared values and traditions, and often shared geographic location.
In Christian theology, all human beings are spirit children
of one Heavenly Father, and physical descendants of one earthly father, Adam. The
first recorded division among men occurred when Cain and his wicked followers
split from the followers of Adam. A still greater division occurred when the
Lord confounded the languages of the people at the tower of Babel, resulting in
many nations scattering to different parts of the earth.
In all times, God established covenants with those who were
willing to serve Him. Because these covenants were taught and passed down with
other family traditions, we sometimes substitute “family” for “people” in the
phrase, covenant people. But it is worth noting that making and keeping covenants,
and not lineage, is ultimately the defining characteristic of a covenant people (See 2 Ne. 30:1-2; 1 Ne. 14:1-2; 15:14-18; 2 Ne. 10:18-19). In like manner, all
peoples share core values, often rooted in historical events that the founders
of the nation participated in.
What do the people need to be defended against?
This question is much too broad for a single blog post, but
I will address what I consider some of the greatest threats to my people.
Internal threats
As noted previously, people are defined in large part by
their shared values. (This is easily seen in the extreme case: a people who no
longer share any values will cease to be a nation.) I accordingly consider some
of the deadliest threats to our continued status as a united people to be
attacks on the values that Americans share.
By unanimous declaration of the American representatives in
1776, the people of America share a belief that God endows all men with the
right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and that governments are
created to protect all men in those rights. In addition, we believe government
should be limited to the rule of law, equally applied to all people. When we
sacrifice the right of others weaker than ourselves to their life and their
freedom, we strike against the core of our shared values. As Martin Luther King
has it, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Yet, in our
supposedly civilized nation, the threats to innocent life and liberty are
greater than ever before.
In 2008, approximately 1.21 million lives were ended by abortion in the U.S. The Supreme Court decisions which “legalized” abortion in the seventies clearly overstepped the boundaries of constitutional
law and judicial authority, yet the federal government refuses to return power
over this issue to the states, where it belongs.
In general, the federal government has followed a policy of stealing power from
the states almost at every opportunity, either directly (as in the case of abortion)
or indirectly (by taxing Americans and returning the money only to those states
who comply with federal regulations: e.g., public education). Historically a
pillar of capitalism, the United States has fallen steadily in its economic freedom ranking as the size
and power of the federal government have bloated.
Beyond the threats to life and liberty, our shared respect
for and trust in God have been publicly called into question and legally
challenged, especially by activist judges. We cannot continue to exist as a
united people if we are not equally protected in our religious liberties. I
applaud the work of institutions like the Becket Fund who are working tirelessly
to defend these liberties, but I am appalled by how many of the lawsuits they
face are backed by our own government.
External threats
In closing, I will say a brief word on the subject of
foreign enemies. No great nation is ever conquered solely from outside; and
America will be no exception to this rule. The Jaredites, the Canaanites,
the Nephites, the peoples of Israel, Babylon, Carthage, Greece, Rome, and countless other
nations have fallen prey to invading armies, but in every case that outcome was
preceded and facilitated by a cankering and rotting of the principles on which
great nations are built (2 Ne. 25:9; 1 Ne. 17:35; 2 Ne. 1:9-11; Alma 46:18). All the bombs in the world cannot save a nation that has lost its core values,
and that is the greatest threat to America today. My personal suspicion is that
many (if not most) of our foreign entanglements abroad, which Washington so presciently advised us to avoid,
have created heightened levels of conflict and discontent and weakened our
national security far more than strengthened it.
Conclusion
Defending one’s people is a serious and sacred obligation. It
is not easy to fathom, and it is not easy to fulfill. It is my hope and prayer
that Americans of this day will find the flame of patriotism that burned so
brightly in previous generations has not died in our own hearts; and that once
found, we never cease to kindle it till we have fulfilled our responsibilities
to our families and our nation or our hearts beat no more.
