{"id":52538,"date":"2025-09-17T06:40:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/?p=52538"},"modified":"2025-09-17T10:40:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T16:40:25","slug":"constitution-day-why-matters-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/dialogue\/history\/constitution-day-why-matters-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"The Constitution Was Built on Human Weakness, Not Idealism"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/picture> Download Print-Friendly Version<\/a><\/p>\n

In a Latter-day Saint meeting I attended two\u00a0 years ago on September 17, we sang patriotic hymns and marked Constitution Day. To my surprise, many young single adults didn\u2019t realize the significance of the date.<\/span><\/p>\n

In comparison to Independence Day, Constitution Day isn\u2019t celebrated at all. Especially for Latter-day Saints, this is unfortunate. Many doctrines from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are directly connected to the Constitution. President Dallin H. Oaks has <\/span>taught<\/span><\/a>, \u201cThe United States Constitution is unique because God revealed that He \u2018established\u2019 it \u2018for the rights and protection of all flesh\u2019 (<\/span>Doctrine and Covenants 101:77<\/span><\/a>; see also<\/span> verse 80<\/span><\/a>).\u201d Why is the Constitution so important?

Many doctrines are directly connected to the constitution.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div><\/span>First, God declares in the Doctrine and Covenants that He <\/i>established the constitution of the land, \u201cby the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose\u201d (D&C 101:80). The Book of Mormon often refers to America as the land of promise, with prophecies of people being wrought upon by the spirit of God to come to this land (1 Nephi 13-14). The religious freedom created by the Constitution allowed for the restoration of the gospel in a way that would not be possible elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Second, the constitution presupposes a clear-eyed view of human nature, one we find illustrated and explained in scripture. The Old Testament is replete with examples of peoples, kings, and nations repeatedly falling into sin and pride. In the Doctrine and Covenants, we read: \u201cWe have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion\u201d (D&C 121:39).<\/p>\n

Because humans are fallen and have a tendency to misuse power, government should be structured so that bad actors have a hard time oppressing others. The checks-and-balances system among the three branches of government outlined in the Constitution allows human nature to be used against itself. Instead of relying on the goodwill of leaders, the three-branch government relies on the fact that each branch of government will become jealous of the other\u2019s power, and \u201ccheck\u201d the other. In a way, the problem becomes the solution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAmbition is one of the more ungovernable passions of the human heart,\u201d John Adams wrote. \u201cThe love of power is insatiable and uncontrollable. There is danger from all men. The only maxim of the free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When humans ignore or deny this tendency, tyrants have an opening. Many revolutions result in another tyrant. The perpetrators of the French Revolution were upset by the aristocracy’s abuse of power, but they themselves became abusers of power.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of fallen human nature, it\u2019s remarkable that our system of government has lasted as long as it has. Our ingenious system has stayed in operation <\/span>longer<\/span><\/a> than any other government in the world with a written charter. This is because the Constitution relies on the realities of human nature demonstrated through scripture and historical reflection.

The three branches of government outlined in the constitution allows human nature to be used against itself.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div><\/span>Third, the constitution thwarts Satan\u2019s plan to destroy the principle of agency. President Oaks has taught<\/a>: \u201cGod has given His children moral agency\u2014the power to decide and to act. The most desirable condition for the exercise of that agency is maximum freedom for men and women to act according to their individual choices. Then, the revelation explains, \u2018every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment\u2019 (Doctrine and Covenants 101:78<\/a>).\u201d<\/p>\n

Latter-day Saints believe in a war in heaven, where Satan rebelled because he wanted to destroy the agency of man (Moses 4:3<\/a>). \u201cThe warfare is continued in mortality in the conflict between right and wrong,\u201d the Bible Dictionary entry under War in Heaven<\/a> reads, \u201cbetween the gospel and false principles, etc. The same contestants and the same issues are doing battle, and the same salvation is at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n

We came to earth under God\u2019s plan of agency, where Jesus Christ\u2019s atonement enables us to make choices for ourselves, instead of being forced or excused by the lack of law or consequence. \u201cChoosing\u201d to follow God wouldn\u2019t matter much if we were forced to do it by Satan or an earthly tyrant. As Princeton\u2019s Robert P. George <\/span>argues<\/span><\/a>, authentic religious belief \u201ccannot, by its very nature, be established by coercion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

God cares about government and how we are governed. He cares about whether government leaders or voters desire to seek to exercise unrighteous dominion over others, even under the guise of noble political pursuits. The Book of Mormon teaches, \u201cBecause all men are not just, it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you\u201d (Mosiah 29:16). The Book of Mormon also outlines the tendencies governments have toward collapsing because of corruption.

For people of faith, politics isn\u2019t just a hobby\u2014it\u2019s connected to the ongoing battle between good and evil.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div><\/span>For people of faith, politics isn\u2019t just a hobby\u2014it\u2019s connected to the ongoing battle between good and evil. Each voter can be diligent in ensuring no leader abuses their power, and we can constantly check that same tendency in ourselves when it comes to relationships at work, school, and in the home.<\/span><\/p>\n

The signing of the Constitution was a great victory for moral agency. God established the constitution so that no man \u201cshould be in bondage one to another\u201d (D&C 101:79). Under its principles, no one political leader can gain control of a whole nation. While there have been varieties of corruption from the founding of the nation to today, our system still operates with those same three branches of government.<\/p>\n

If you have the capacity to eat a cookie on National Cookie Day, you likely have the capacity to pick up a pocket constitution this September 17 and give it a read. It\u2019s striking to see how the checks and balances were designed to work, and how carefully the founders limited federal power. At the very least, say a prayer to God thanking Him for the wise men He raised up and continues to raise up. The Constitution remains one of the great blessings of our time.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What sustains the Constitution? Founders distrusted power, built checks on ambition, and trusted agency as divine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":306,"featured_media":52539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[502],"tags":[1308,198,633,163,73,779,1307,1085,509,304,318,109,540,324,180],"coauthors":[1892],"class_list":["post-52538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","tag-accountability","tag-agency","tag-america","tag-american-history","tag-constitutional-rights","tag-democracy","tag-fallibility","tag-family-proclamation","tag-founding-fathers","tag-government","tag-human-nature","tag-national-politics","tag-politics","tag-satan","tag-us-constitution"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nConstitution Day: Why It Still Matters for Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Constitution Day reveals 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