Defending the People

 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.