(Emphasis Added)
General Conference April 1965
Elder Ezra Taft Benson
Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles
In 1831 the Lord said this to his
Church:
"For behold, it is not meet
that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things,
the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no
reward.
"Verily I say, men should be
anxiously engaged in a good cause and do many things of their own free will,
and bring to pass much righteousness;
"For the power is in them,
wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall
in nowise lose their reward.
"But he that doeth not
anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart
and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned." (D&C 58:26-29.)
The purposes of the Lord-the great
objectives-continue the same: the salvation and exaltation of his children.
Objectives and Guide Lines
Usually the Lord gives us the
overall objectives to be accomplished and some guidelines to follow, but he
expects us to work out most of the details and methods. The methods and
procedures are usually developed through study and prayer and by living so that
we can obtain and follow the promptings of the Spirit. Less spiritually
advanced people, such as those in the days of Moses, had to be commanded in
many things. Today those spiritually alert look at the objectives, check the
guidelines laid down by the Lord and his prophets, and then prayerfully
act-without having to be commanded "in all things." This attitude
prepares men for godhood.
The overall objective to be
accomplished in missionary work, temple work, providing for the needy, and
bringing up our children in righteousness has always been the same; only our
methods to accomplish these objectives have varied. Any faithful member in this
dispensation, no matter when he lived, could have found righteous methods to
have carried out these objectives without having to wait for the latest,
specific church-wide program.
His Children To Act on Their Own
Initiative and Responsibility
Sometimes the Lord hopefully waits
on his children to act on their own, and when they do not, they lose the
greater prize, and the Lord will either drop the entire matter and let them
suffer the consequences or else he will have to spell it out in greater detail.
Usually, I fear, the more he has to spell it out, the smaller is our reward.
Often, because of circumstances,
the Lord, through revelation to his prophets or through inspired programs
designed by faithful members which later become adopted on a church-wide basis,
will give to all the membership a righteous means to help accomplish the
objective; for instance, any member of the Church a century ago who studied
church doctrine would have known that he had the prime responsibility to see that
his children had spiritualized family recreation and were taught in the home
lessons in character building and gospel principles. But some did not do it.
The Home Evening
Then, in 1915 President Joseph F.
Smith introduced, church-wide, the "weekly home evening program" with
promised blessings to all who faithfully adopted it. Many refused and lost the
promised blessings. (At the October conference, 1947, I referred to that
promise in a talk on the Family Home Evening.) Today we have the home evening
manual and other helps. Yet some still refuse to bring up their children in
righteousness.
But there are some today who
complain that the home evening manual should have been issued years ago. If
this is true then the Lord will hold his servants accountable, but no one can
say that from the inception of the Church up to the present day the Lord
through his Spirit to the individual members and through his spokesmen the
prophets, has not given us the objectives and plenty of guidelines and counsel.
The fact that some of us have not done much about it even when it is spelled
out in detail is not the Lord's fault.
For years we have been counseled
to have on hand a year's supply of food. Yet there are some today who will not
start storing until the Church comes out with a detailed monthly home storage
program. Now suppose that never happens. We still cannot say we have not been
told.
Should the Lord decide at this
time to cleanse the Church-and the need for that cleansing seems to be
increasing-a famine in this land of one year's duration could wipe out a large
percentage of slothful members, including some ward and stake officers. Yet we
cannot say we have not been warned.
Another warning: You and I sustain
one man on this earth as God's mouthpiece-President David O. McKay-one of the
greatest seers who has ever walked this earth. We do not need a prophet-we have
one-what we desperately need is a listening ear.
Warnings of Threats to Freedom
Should it be of concern to us when
the mouthpiece of the Lord keeps constantly and consistently raising his voice
of warning about the loss of our freedom as he has over the years? There are
two unrighteous ways to deal with his prophetic words of warning: you can fight
them or you can ignore them. Either course will bring you disaster in the long
run.
Hear
his words: "No greater immediate responsibility rests upon members of the
Church, upon all citizens of this Republic and of neighboring Republics than
to protect the freedom vouchsafed by the Constitution of the United States." (Cited
in Jerreld L. Newquist, Prophets, Principles and National Survival [SLC:
Publishers Press, 1964], p. 157.) As important as are all other principles of
the gospel, it was the freedom issue which determined whether you received a
body. To have been on the wrong side of the freedom issue during the war in
heaven meant eternal damnation. How then can Latter-day Saints expect to be on
the wrong side in this life and escape the eternal consequences? The war in
heaven is raging on earth today. The issues are the same: "Shall men be
compelled to do what others claim is for their best welfare" or will they
heed the counsel of the prophet and preserve their freedom?
Satan argued that men given their
freedom would not choose correctly therefore he would compel them to do right
and save us all. Today Satan argues that men given their freedom do not choose
wisely; therefore a so-called brilliant, benevolent few must establish the
welfare government and force us into a greater socialistic society. We are
assured of being led into the promised land as long as we let them put a golden
ring in our nose. In the end we lose our freedom and the promised land also. No
matter what you call it-communism, socialism, or the welfare state-our freedom
is sacrificed. We believe the gospel is the greatest thing in the world; why
then do we not force people to join the Church if they are not smart enough to
see it on their own? Because this is Satan's way not the Lord's plan. The Lord
uses persuasion and love.
Hear again the words of God's
mouthpiece: "Today two mighty forces are battling for the supremacy of the
world. The destiny of mankind is in the balance. It is a question of God and
liberty, or atheism and slavery. . . .
"Those forces are known and
have been designated by Satan on the one hand, and Christ on the other.
"In Joshua's time they were
called `gods of the Amorites,' for one, and `the Lord' on the other. . . . In
these days, they are called `domination by the state,' on one hand, `personal
liberty,' on the other; communism on one, free agency on the other." (Ibid.,
pp. 215-216.)
Now, the Lord knew that before the
gospel could flourish there must first be an atmosphere of freedom. This is why
he first established the Constitution of this land through gentiles whom he raised
up before he restored the gospel. In how many communist countries today are we
doing missionary work, building chapels, etc.? And yet practically every one of
those countries have been pushed into communism and kept under communism with
the great assistance of evil forces which have and are operating within our own
country and neighboring lands.
Yes, were it not for the tragic
policies of governments-including our own-tens of millions of people murdered
and hundreds of millions enslaved since World War II would be alive and free
today to receive the restored gospel.
President J. Reuben Clark, Jr.,
put it clearly and courageously when he said:
"Reduced to its lowest terms,
the great struggle which now rocks the whole earth more and more takes on the
character of a struggle of the individual versus the state. . . .
"This gigantic world-wide
struggle, more and more takes on the form of a war to the death. We shall do
well and wisely so to face and so to enter it. And we must all take part.
Indeed, we all are taking part in that struggle. whether we will or not. Upon
its final issue, liberty lives or dies. . . . The plain and simple issue now
facing us in America is freedom or slavery. . . . We have largely lost the
conflict so far waged. But there is time to win the final victory, if we sense
our danger and fight." (Ibid., pp. 318, 327-328.)
Now where do we stand in this
struggle, and what are we doing about it?
The devil knows
that if the elders of Israel should ever wake up, they could step forth and
help preserve freedom and extend the gospel. Therefore the devil
has concentrated, and to a large extent successfully, in neutralizing much of
the priesthood. He has reduced them to sleeping giants. His arguments are clever.
Here are a few samples:
First: "We really haven't
received much instruction about freedom," the devil says. This is a lie,
for we have been warned time and again. No prophet of the Lord has ever issued
more solemn warning than President David O. McKay. Last conference I spoke of a
book embodying much of the prophets' warnings on freedom from Joseph Smith to
David O. McKay which I commend to you. It is entitled Prophets, Principles, and
National Survival.
Second:
"You're too involved in other church work," says the devil. But
freedom is a weighty matter of the law; the lesser principles of the gospel you
should keep but not leave this one undone. We may have to balance and manage
our time better. Your other church work will be limited once you lose your
freedom as our Saints have found out in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and many other
nations.
Third: "You want to be loved
by everyone," says the devil, "and this freedom battle is so
controversial you might be accused of engaging in politics." Of course the
government has penetrated so much of our lives that one can hardly speak for
freedom without being accused of being political. Some might even call the war
in heaven a political struggle-certainly it was controversial. Yet the valiant
entered it with Michael. Those who support only the popular principles of the
gospel have their reward. And those who want to lead the quiet, retiring life
but still expect to do their full duty can't have it both ways.
Said Elder John A. Widtsoe:
"The troubles of the world
may largely be laid at the doors of those who are neither hot nor cold; who
always follow the line of least resistance; whose timid hearts flutter at
taking sides for truth. As in the great Council in the heavens, so in the
Church of Christ on earth, there can be no neutrality." (Ibid, p. 440.)
Fourth: "Wait until it
becomes popular to do," says the devil, "or, at least until everybody
in the Church agrees on what should be done." But this fight for freedom
might never become popular in our day. And if you wait until everybody agrees
in this Church, you will be waiting through the second coming of the Lord.
Would you have hesitated to follow the inspired counsel of the Prophet Joseph
Smith simply because some weak men disagreed with him? God's living mouthpiece
has spoken to us-are we for him or against him? In spite of the Prophet's
opposition to increased federal aid and compulsory unionism, some church
members still champion these freedom destroying programs. Where do you stand?
Fifth: "It might hurt your
business or your family," says the devil, "and besides why not let
the gentiles save the country? They aren't as busy as you are." Well,
there were many businessmen who went along with Hitler because it supposedly
helped their business. They lost everything. Many of us are here today because
our forefathers loved truth enough that they fought at Valley Forge or crossed
the plains in spite of the price it cost them or their families. We had better
take our small pain now than our greater loss later. There were souls who
wished afterwards that they had stood and fought with Washington and the
founding fathers, but they waited too long-they passed up eternal glory. There
has never been a greater time than now to stand up against entrenched evil. And
while the gentiles established the Constitution, we have a divine mandate to
preserve it. But unfortunately today in this freedom struggle, many gentiles
are showing greater wisdom in their generation than the children of light.
Sixth: "Don't worry,"
says the devil "the Lord will protect you, and besides the world is so
corrupt and heading toward destruction at such a pace that you can't stop it,
so why try." Well to begin with, the Lord will not protect us unless we do
our part. This devilish tactic of persuading people not to get concerned
because the Lord will protect them no matter what they do is exposed by the
Book of Mormon. Referring to the devil, it says, "And others will he
pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, and they will say: All is well
in Zion, yea, Zion prospereth, all is well-and thus the devil cheateth their
souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell." (2 Nephi 28:21.)
I like
that word "carefully." In other words, don't shake them, you might
awake them. But the Book of Mormon warns us that when we should see these
murderous conspiracies in our midst that we should awake to our awful
situation. Now why should we awake if the Lord is going to take care of us
anyway? Now let us suppose that it is too late to save freedom. It is still
accounted unto us for righteousness' sake to stand up and fight. Some Book of
Mormon prophets knew of the final desolate end of their nations, but they still
fought on, and they saved some souls including their own by so doing. For,
after all, the purpose of life is to prove ourselves, and the final victory
will be for freedom.
But many of the prophecies
referring to America's preservation are conditional. That is, if we do our duty
we can be preserved, and if not then we shall be destroyed. This means that a
good deal of the responsibility lies with the priesthood of this Church as to
what happens to America and as to how much tragedy can be avoided if we do act
now.
And now as to the last neutralizer
that the devil uses most effectively-it is simply this: "Don't do anything
in the fight for freedom until the Church sets up its own specific program to
save the Constitution." This brings us right back to the scripture I
opened with today-to those slothful servants who will not do anything until
they are "compelled in all things." Maybe the Lord will never set up
a specific church program for the purpose of saving the Constitution. Perhaps
if he set one up at this time it might split the Church asunder, and perhaps
he
does not want that to happen yet for not all the wheat and tares are fully
ripe.
The Prophet Joseph Smith declared
it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the
Constitution, not the Church. And have we elders been warned? Yes, we have. And
have we elders been given the guide lines? Yes indeed, we have. And besides, if
the Church should ever inaugurate a program, who do you think would be in the
forefront to get it moving? It would not be those who were sitting on the
sidelines prior to that time or those who were appeasing the enemy. It would be
those choice spirits who, not waiting to be "commanded in all
things," used their own free will, the counsel of the prophets and the
Spirit of the Lord as guidelines and who entered the battle "in a good
cause" and brought to pass much righteousness in freedom's cause.
Years ago Elder Joseph F. Merrill
of the Council of the Twelve encouraged the members of the Church to join
right-to-work leagues and President Heber J. Grant concurred. For our day
President David O. McKay has called communism the greatest threat to the Church,
and it is certainly the greatest mortal threat this country has ever faced.
What are you doing to fight.
"The War in Heaven" Is
Raging on Earth Today
Brethren, if we had done our
homework and were faithful, we could step forward at this time and help save this
country. The fact that most of us are unprepared to do it is an indictment we
will have to bear. The longer we wait, the heavier the chains, the deeper the
blood, the more the persecution and the less we can carry out our God-given
mandate and world-wide mission. The war in heaven is raging on earth today. Are
you being neutralized in the battle?
"Verily I say, men should be
anxiously engaged in a good cause and do many things of their own free will,
and bring to pass much righteousness;
"For the power is in them,
wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . ." (D&C 58:27-28.)
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.