Peace on earth, goodwill toward men

Perhaps at no other time than Christmas are the horrors of war and man's inhumanity to man more disturbing. At the time when Christians celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace, the presence of war and violence on this Earth is starkly out of place.

Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children;

Doctrine and Covenants 98:16

One of the messages of the Gospel of Peace is...peace, not war. Of course there is room for a defensive war, to defend country, family, religion, but the great majority of bloodshed over the 20th and young 21st centuries does not meet this standard.

Instead of calling for more violence, expanded surges, new wars, larger detainment camps and a greater military, this Christmas season let us pray for real peace on earth.

Constitution an Inspired Document

And for this purpose have I 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.

Doctrine and Covenants 101:80

The scriptures make clear the the Lord had a hand, a large one, in the establishment of America and the foundation of its law. Though the constitution was not perfect, and was still a political compromise (slavery being one of its chief flaws), nevertheless the type of government set up was such that not many years later his church could be established in New York.

J. Reuben Clark said:

The statement of the Lord, "I have established the Constitution" puts it in the position in which it would be if it were written in this D&C itself. This makes the constitution the WORD OF THE LORD to us.

Conference Report, April 1935

I agree with this view, especially as applies to how Mormons must think about political things. Obviously, the Constitution has a mechanism for amendment and change, which puts it in a little bit different realm than scripture, but for the foundation principles of government the constitution lays out, we should take more of our guidance from the constitution.

Have you recently read what the constitution actually says, not what lawyers or reporters or politicians say about it? We shouldn't need courts and lawyers to filter the meaning to us. It is written plainly, so that all may understand.

Lesson #1 in the school of Liberty:

Read the Constitution

LDS, Liberty and Free Agency

I decided a number of weeks ago that I needed to join the conversation of LDS folk who are supporting Ron Paul for president.

Right now, because it is 12 midnight in the eastern time zone, the next Ron Paul money bomb has begun. I realize that it is most likely that others of my faith are supporting Mitt Romney, because he is LDS and is "mainstream"

I submit that Mitt Romney does not, however, reflect the political ideas and philosophies that are represented in Mormon scripture, specifically the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. For example, it is very clear that God specifically approves of and claims a hand in the creation of the US Constitution. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate that takes that inspired document seriously. It is not just a piece of paper, it should be the guiding document of our country, and today it is not.

Much more remains to be said, but suffice it to say for now, that a great war was fought in Heaven over the principle of liberty, we commonly refer to it as agency when talking of theology, but both refer to the ability of being to act for themselves, and be free of coercion. That is what Ron Paul stands for in the political arena: agency.