“Our
leaders have consistently counseled us ‘to live with respect and appreciation
for those not of our faith. There is so great a need for civility and mutual
respect among those of differing beliefs and philosophies’ (Gordon B. Hinckley,
“This Is the Work of the Master,” Ensign, May 1995, 71).
-Elder Quentin L. Cook
“It
is equally important that we be loving and kind to members of our own faith,
regardless of their level of commitment or activity.”
-Elder Quentin L. Cook
“In
other words, one should not expect perfection—one certainly should not expect
all of his personal preferences—in a document that must represent a consensus.
One should not sulk over a representative body’s failure to attain perfection.
Americans are well advised to support the best that can be obtained in the
circumstances that prevail. That is sound advice not only for the drafting of a
constitution but also for the adoption and administration of laws under it.”
–Elder
Dallin H. Oaks
“I
have always felt that the United States Constitution’s closest approach to
scriptural stature is in the phrasing of our Bill of Rights. Without the free
exercise of religion, America could not have served as the host nation for the
restoration of the gospel, which began just three decades after the Bill of
Rights was ratified.”
–Elder Dallin H. Oaks
“…the
most desirable condition for the effective exercise of God-given moral agency
is a condition of maximum freedom and responsibility. In this condition men are
accountable for their own sins and cannot blame their political conditions on
their bondage to a king or a tyrant. This condition is achieved when the people
are sovereign, as they are under the Constitution God established in the United
States.”
–Elder Dallin H. Oaks
“I
see divine inspiration in these four great fundamentals of the U.S.
Constitution: the separation of powers in the three branches of government; the
Bill of Rights; the division of powers between the states and the federal
government; and the application of popular sovereignty.”
–Elder Dallin H. Oaks
“U.S.
citizens should follow the First Presidency’s counsel to study the
Constitution. They should be familiar with its great
fundamentals: the separation of powers, the individual guarantees in the Bill
of Rights, the structure of federalism, the sovereignty of the people, and the
principles of the rule of the law. They should oppose any infringement of these
inspired fundamentals.” –
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
“The
single word that best describes a fulfillment of the duties of civic virtue is
patriotism. Citizens should be patriotic.”
–Elder Dalling H. Oaks
“Citizens
should also be practitioners of civic virtue in their conduct toward
government. They should be ever willing to fulfill the duties of citizenship.
This includes compulsory duties like military service and the numerous
voluntary actions they must take if they are to preserve the principle of
limited government through citizen self-reliance.”
–Elder Dallin H. Oaks
“The
Church is neutral in political contests and does not support candidates or
parties. We do expect, however, that our members will be fully engaged in
supporting the candidates and parties of their choice based on principles that
will protect good government. Our doctrine is clear: those who are “honest …
and wise … should be sought for diligently” (D&C
98:10). “When the wicked rule the people mourn” (D&C
98:9). This means that everyone should feel obligated to vote.”
–Elder Quentin
L. Cook
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