The confluence of two trains of thought have brought me to this writing. Recently, we celebrated Memorial Day which is intended to direct our thoughts toward our dead. In my youth, we often referred to this holiday as Decoration Day for a portion of our time was spent caring for and decorating the graves of our relatives in the city cemetery. As a nation, we use Memorial Day as an opportunity to remember and give thanks for the sacrifice of those who have served in the armed services in the defense of our country thus reaffirming thereby the importance of the liberties and safety that we enjoy daily as a result of our continuing history.
My other thoughts are a product of having recently read Brother Hugh Nibley’s work entitled Lehi in the Desert and The World of the Jaredites. Among other things, I was reminded again of just how clearly both the followers of Lehi and the Jaredites were informed by the Lord as to the exceptional status of the land to which they were being led and of the conditions that would apply there. This is a promised land, and the Lord will not tolerate indefinitely abuse of His will by those He has permitted to live here. When the cup of the Lord’s forbearance is full, the unrighteous are swept from this land. The descendants of both of these migrations experienced in due time the devastating full measure of this warning. It is interesting to consider in this context, that not all who are allowed to live here are of Israel. Certainly, Lehi’s followers were, but the Jaredites were not given that their story as reported by the Prophet Ether began with the confusion of languages following the tower of Babel debacle.
One of the many paradigms used to interpret particularly the history of the United States is known as “American Exceptionalism.” It may be worth noting that while American Exceptionalism applies specifically to the United States, the term “America” does not. There are those in the United States who experience some personal discomfort at the thought that say Canadians, Mexicans, and Brazilians, for example, rightfully may also refer to themselves as “Americans.” True is it not, this entire hemisphere is America? If so, then all who are citizens of the various nations which comprise this hemisphere are Americans.
From which source did the notion of American Exceptionalism spring? While the answer to this question is debatable, a popular and defensible answer is Alexis Charles Henri Clerel de Tocqueville. De Tocqueville, a young French aristocrat, and his traveling companion were sent by France to the United States in the early 1830s to report on our penal institutions as the French were considering reforms in their houses of correction. In addition to making the report the purpose of which had brought him here in the first place, de Tocqueville wrote a two-volume work entitled, Democracy in America, which provides all future generations a window into this dynamic period of early United State history. His understanding of republican government, democracy, equality, and liberty and what he believed their long-term effects would be on our nation’s history are a fertile seedbed for important elements of American Exceptionalism.
In general terms, this paradigm of United States history assumes that the fundamental institutions of our society and government are different from those of every other nation in the world in at least small but identifiable ways. These institutions and their underlying value system have produced a nation that is not only destined to be an example to others but is expected by a majority of its citizens and countless others living abroad to be a world leader. This was not always the case. It took time for this nation’s institutions and citizens to mature through the processes of trial and error. However, it may be argued that for about a century, the United States government has shouldered well its domestic and international responsibilities in spite of expected missteps.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we know what the vast majority of the world’s citizens does not namely, that God has declared the land of America to be a promised land, and He expects that those who live here will serve Him. If they do not, in due time their offenses will be the cause of their destruction. As for the United States specifically, we know that our Constitution was written under circumstances determined by God. “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; see also verses 76 to 80).
It is not my purpose here to become embroiled in a contest of philosophies or opinions. However, it does seem apparent to me that more and more forces are at work without and within this nation seeking to challenge its unique role in the modern world and to cause both its leaders and its citizens to question ever more critically the propriety of continuing on our historic course. For me, our challengers fall into at least two major categories. First, there are those who sincerely desire to rid our societies both domestic and international of notions or philosophies they deem to be inherently divisive. Notions such as “political correctness” and “I’m okay, your okay” are general approaches whereby many of this group attempt to accomplished their desired ends. The other major group of challengers appears to have less than honorable ends in mind as they seek to dissuade policy makers and their supporters from continuing on a course whereby the United States plays a leadership role.
For those of us who have an understanding of God’s assumptions pertaining to America, both of these groups are problematic. Whether the rejection of American Exceptionalism is rooted in ignorance or in evil intent, the results may eventually be the same. When a people rejects God’s ways long enough, their lives are made more difficult through external means. An example of this concerns the inhabitants of Western Missouri in the 1830s who rejected the coming of the Latter-day Saints to that area. The Lord said, “I, the Lord, am angry with the wicked; I am holding my Spirit from the inhabitants of the earth. I have sworn in my wrath, and decreed wars upon the face of the earth, and the wicked shall slay the wicked, and fear shall come upon every man;” (D&C 63:32-33).
Given God’s expectations for both His Kingdom as well as the United States in America, the inherent responsibilities for those of us who are citizens of both would seemingly deny us the right to believe we are no more enlightened than those who have not been so blessed. By what right do we seek to opt out of setting an overt example to others of God’s children of those values, behaviors, and truths that are most consistent with gospel goals? In other words, by what right do we seek to hide our light under a bushel?
In addition to our regular study of the Book of Mormon and latter-day published revelations, a thoughtful reading of our history for the past century should serve as a timely reaffirmation of our various opportunities, blessings, and commitments relative to this subject. In these last days, maintaining clarity of purpose and direction will become more and more difficult as the noise with which we are bombarded becomes more intense and its effects more confusing.
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