What the Constitution Means to Me

There are some who believe that the Constitution is out-dated. That it does not, and cannot, adequately provide for our times.  That it should be changed at every whim, or at least interpreted loosely.

To me, the Constitution is much more than a piece of paper with fancy words scribbled on it.

To me, the Constitution is scripture.  This belief is, admittedly, based heavily on the fact that I am a Christian, and specifically my upbringing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).


But although this blog post hinges a lot on my LDS beliefs, I think there is something all Christians, all religions, and even atheists can learn from how I view this document.

Let me first clarify what scripture is. Scripture is different from canon.

Scripture is any word, written or spoken, under the direction of the Holy Ghost.  The Lord has said, "And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation." (Doctrine & Covenants 68:4).

Canon, on the other hand, is a collection of books that are approved by a religious body for use in church meetings, and preaching and sharing the word of God.  The Bible is the Christian canon. Councils were held in early Christianity to determine which writings to include in the Bible. The benefit of having a set canon is that one does not have to worry about blasphemous teachers using whatever text they want in a sermon. The downside is that many wonderful and inspired scriptures are left unread by many.
(For more on this, see the upcoming post "Do You Know Your Bible?")

I believe the Constitution to be scripture, because I believe it was divinely inspired.  Leaders of the LDS have taught this for decades (see links below).

Does that mean I think the Constitution is perfect?  Yes, and no.
I DO NOT believe it is perfect as written.  For example, the Constitution protects slavery.

I DO believe it is perfect in that it provides for amendation.  I believe that the structure, form and function of government it provides are ideal.  I believe that although there are (relatively few, considering) flaws in its original writing, we have amending the majority of those out at this point.

So although not perfect in letter, it is perfect in function, because it provides for change in changing times.

Some may ask?  But how can you believe the Constitution to be inspired if it's not perfect?

Well, God created an imperfect world, and populated it with imperfect people.  That goes back to "The Problem of Evil", which philosophers have been debating for centuries: how could a perfect God create an imperfect world?  That's another topic altogether, but suffice it to say that I agree with C.S. Lewis's take on the subject.

I also believe that Gods ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).  Perhaps there is a more perfect form of government, but we, as imperfect beings, were not ready to receive it.

Actually, there is a more perfect form of government.  It is when every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, and He shall reign personally over the Earth.

But for now, we live in an imperfect world, and as the philosopher Machiavelli taught, we are subject to the options available to us within this imperfect world.

As imperfect beings, dealing with imperfect political subjects to "rule", the Founders created a document as perfect as they could muster; with the help and inspiration of the Almighty.  And were inspired by Providence to include a way to amend their divine work, lest they have made any mistakes. "And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God".

To come full circle, I believe it is a mockery of God, and his Hand in establishing this great nation, to disrespect the Constitution.

But what if I'm not religious jRon? Even more, what if I don't believe in God?

First off, if you're not religious, I don't expect you to agree with me.  Even if you are religious, even if you're Christian (even if you're LDS), I don't expect you to agree with me.  But I do expect you to take my opinions into consideration, because that is what open-minded, educated individuals do.

If you're an atheist, there is still good reason to uphold and defend the Constitution.

First off, as I explained in Part 2 of this Constitutional Series, the United States is NOT pure democracy. Democracy is "majority rules". Pure democracy enslaves the minorities. It is the Constitution, specifically the Bill of Rights, which protects the minority.  Jews are clearly in the minority in the United States.  If the US were a pure democracy, Christians could discriminate against Jews to their every whim, because "majority rules" in a pure democracy, and Christians are the majority in the United States.  The Bill of Rights prevents this tyranny of the majority.

Constitutions, in theory, are written to establish the form and function of government.  If the parameters for government within any Constitution in any nation are ignored, it can only lead to anarchy.  What if the Majority Leader in the Senate just decided to ignore the Constitution and become a dictator?  Now, without an Army to support him, this would be difficult; but what if the Senate ignored the Constitution and unconstitutionally gave this majority leader power over the military?

Sounds like the plot of Star Wars, huh?

But Emperor Palpatine wasn't the only one to employ such methods.  It has happened it real life as well.  Julius Caesar unconstitutional took power over Rome, Hitler unconstitutionally took power over Germany; Stalin and Saddam Hussein both did the same.  None of these four dictators stages a formal rebellion; they just tricked their governments into unconstitutionally giving them power.  Once they got power not actually granted to their position in their respective constitutions, their political opponents had no ground to stand on: the very people that put them in office ignored the constitution to put them there; how could they use the constitution to oust them?

The Constitution is "the supreme law of the land" (Article VI, Clause 2).  Lincoln asserted "we must enforce all laws of the United States, lest anarchy ensue".  This is why upholding the Constitution is important, from a sociological, political and philosophical standpoint, if it is not upheld, the country is in peril of collapse.

**THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF A FOUR-PART SERIES**



Sources:

Title Page of the Book of Mormon: ""And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God"

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1992/02/the-divinely-inspired-constitution?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/10/our-divine-constitution?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1987/09/the-constitution-a-glorious-standard?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/friend/1987/09/the-miraculous-constitution?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1989/09/seeing-the-constitution-as-covenant?lang=eng