Continuing our discussion on liberty, as disciples of Jesus Christ we must become liberty keepers. Our God expects us to live righteously and fight for our rights to keep our country free from bondage. It is unfortunate that those who stand for “equality and rights” do not stand for those who want freedom and our God-given rights.
We see great examples of how we can keep our liberty from slipping away from those I call “liberty keepers” in the Book of Mormon.
Example One: Captain Moroni
Captain Moroni hoisting the title of liberty
Captain Moroni rallied his fellow true believers in Christ to defend themselves against Amalickiah, who wanted to be king instead of keeping the judgeship. Captain Moroni wrote the title of liberty to help them remember. Unbeknownst to those Christians, Amalickiah was a cunning speaker and was leading them away from liberty to their demise. I love this:
“And now it came to pass that when Moroni, who was the chief commander of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah.
And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.
And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—
. . . And it came to pass also, that he caused the title of liberty to be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the land, which was possessed by the Nephites; and thus Moroni planted the standard of liberty among the Nephites.
And they began to have peace again in the land; and thus they did maintain peace in the land until nearly the end of the nineteenth year of the reign of the judges.”
(Alma 46: 11-13, 36-37, emphasis added)
What a great example for the people living in those times. We each need to be a Captain Moroni: keepers of liberty rallying our fellow Christians to the cause of freedom.
Mormon, abridging the scriptural plates left in his possession, so admired Captain Moroni that he named his own son after him. He wrote this:
“Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been and were and ever would be like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.” (Alma 48:17)
That is just amazing.
Example Two: Helaman and the Two Thousand Stripling Warriors
Helaman, who was the leader of two thousand young men in the army of the Nephites, told Moroni in a letter how these “sons,” as he affectionally called them, fought with miraculous power against the Lamanites who were trying to take away their liberty. None of them was killed.
“Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.
And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.” (Alma 56:47-48)
Every mother wants to hear those words! “I did not doubt; my mother knew it.” A great example of Liberty Keepers.
There are modern Liberty Keepers who have given us great words of encouragement to help us remember our purpose as citizens of the United States. From Joseph Smith to Gordon B. Hinckley, their words ring true to all of us.
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There is much work for us to do. It may feel overwhelming at times, but we can do it. We were born at this time to help with the gathering of Israel. We were born with the responsibility to keep a watch on what our government is doing. We need to make sure we keep our liberty, so Israel can be gathered. Self-government without scrutiny fails us!
We are so blessed to live in a free land. We need to be watchful and support the cause of liberty like Captain Moroni and those two thousand stripling warriors did back in their time.
Our future depends on it.
Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie's work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.
