2 Ne 1:7 if
it so be that they shall serve him¡¦it shall be a land of liberty unto them
Mark E. Petersen
¡°¡¦We
Americans must learn that [our nation] can continue to exist only as it aligns
itself with the powers of heaven. If we turn our back upon the Almighty, even
by ignoring him, we jeopardize our national future. If we deliberately oppose
his purposes, we place ourselves in danger of destruction. These stern facts
have been taught to Americans from the beginning of our national history,
starting with our first President, George Washington. He realized and he
publicly announced that we obtained our independence through an act of
providence, since we were far too weak to gain it by ourselves. Knowing this, he
warned that if we are to survive as a free and independent nation, we must obey
the Almighty God who brought us into being. Abraham Lincoln, another inspired
President, said virtually the same thing, warning that if we fail to obey the
commandments of God, we shall go down to ruin¡¦.It is no imaginary ruin that
faces our nation if we reject Jesus Christ, as Lincoln pointed out so
dramatically. And it is possible that our greatness can be buried in profound
obscurity if we refuse to turn to God.¡± (Conference Report, Apr. 1968,
pp. 59, 61, 62 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon
compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p.81)