The Blessings and Responsibilities of Independence, as Americans and members of the Church

This is the full text of a talk I was asked to give today in my singles ward.  Due to running out of time in the meeting, I was only able to deliver about half of the below at the very end.  I hope you enjoy, and I hope it's something at least a little different.


Hi guys.

When Brother W------ asked me two weeks ago to speak this Sunday, he gave me the choice to choose my own topic or to be assigned.  I asked that one be assigned and told him to challenge me, and I got what I asked for.  In recognition of Independence Day, I've been asked to speak about the blessings of independence, and the responsibilities it brings us, as Americans and as members of the Church, backed up by scripture.  I've wrestled with this topic a lot since then, trying to find a way to present it in a way that's interesting and feels relevant to us as young adults of voting age, as well as young adults in the Gospel, so I hope you come away from this feeling like you've learned something, or been newly reminded of something you already knew.

We live in a time not only of unrest, upheaval and change, but a time when our generation, the Millennials, are the ones effected a lot of that change around the world.  Recent revolutions in the Middle East and Africa have often been fueled and coordinated by social media and other technologies that previous generations could only wish they had.  People across the globe can hear about, research, and support or reject movements almost concurrent with their occurrence via Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Digg, YouTube, Wikipedia, and others.  We blog and micro-blog from our computers, phones, and tablets, throwing our voice into the chorus at the drop of a hat.  Age-old standards of communication like newspapers, magazines, and books are struggling to keep up, to stay relevant, and our ideas our evolving almost too fast for we ourselves to keep up with.  These times are revolutionary, and we as young adults are largely the driving force behind it.

We enjoy an unprecedented access to information and the ability to share that information, and we are free to do so.  I think most of us today are savvy enough to be very familiar with most of the basic rights and freedoms the impact us the most often--freedom of speech, freedom of the press, of religion, and assembly, the right to vote for all citizens over the age of eighteen.  We have several other rights, ones that don't get talked about as often for the most part, unless you're in a tangle with the law.

We are so familiar with these other right I've named, however, I think we take them for granted.  It's hard to relate to the idea that in many places in the world, you can and will be imprisoned or executed for speaking your mind.  It's hard to relate that in some countries, we would not be allowed a generously sized building, dedicated to the sole purpose of worshiping God.  Look at how spaced out we are, how far apart we sit.  We don't come close to filling this room.  We have dozens of electric lights, and a motorized podium that goes up and down.  We're located in plain view of a fairly major thoroughfare and we get a minimum amount of harassment.  We have the luxury to get upset if someone graffitis the wall.  We are deeply, deeply blessed as a people.  We can be open about who we are, what we believe, and where we stand.  Are there pressures?  Yes.  But is there bodily danger?  Very rarely, and we have the right to petition for restitution in the even of wrong-doing.  We are blessed.

I would like to take a moment to trace back very quickly into our history as a people; not as Americans, but as children of Abraham and Sarah.  Having made covenants with the Lord through baptism, we have spiritually entered into the House of Israel.  This makes us heirs to a long, rich tradition of freedom seekers and revolutionaries.  We find dozens of examples in the scriptures: Abraham's departure from the land of Ur; Moses leading the exodus, and Joshua's leadership into the promised land; Esther's bravery and faith--bolstered by the collective fasting of the Jews--before King Ahaseurus of Persia that saved her people from extermination; Daniel's unwavering dedication to serving God in the face of mortal persecution; The separations of the Jaredites and the family of Lehi in order to preserve righteous peoples in times of impending disaster, and many more.  Hundreds of men and women have set their stamps on history to give us examples of the importance of freedom, of maintaining a knowledge of our God in even the darkest and most dangerous times.

The Book of Mormon narrative begins with one of these instances.  We learn in the first chapter of 1st Nephi that Lehi has been prophesying of destruction in Jerusalem and of the coming of the Messiah after numerous dreams and visions to that effect.  The Lord commands Lehi to leave and he takes his family and departs into the wilderness.  It takes them approximately ten or eleven years and seventeen chapters of Nephi's record for them to arrive in the Americas, a land that has been prepared for them apart from outside influence, harassment, or meddling.  Here they were at liberty to begin new societies and new cultures.

We know from the Book of Alma that they had freedom of religion, and at their most prosperous times they had open trade between Nephites and Lamanites.  We see numerous times that the Nephites were an educated and literate people, capable not only of constructing large cities and trade routes, but also spreading ideas and beliefs.  I think it's reasonable to infer that they also maintained some kind of freedom of speech and of the press, though perhaps not in the way that we know it, considering how often it's noted that "lawyers" jumped into various sermons or discussions in order to get someone to cross their words and thus possibly give grounds for someone to be judged by the law.

So what exactly are the blessings of independence?  I would list first and foremost personal autonomy: the right to freely think, speak, and act for oneself, to choose as much as possible what will or will not happen to you.  Other blessings include access to education, information, and communication, the exchange of ideas, values, art, and technology.  Opportunity: the possibility of effecting change (and hopefully prosperity) not only yourself but the world around you, whether by learning, labor, creative endeavor, or a combination of the three.  Personal and communal growth and improvement.  Open discourse.  Art, religion, science, literature, music... in short, the ability to be human, to experience mortality and to fulfill our purpose in life, is a blessing of independence.

I will acknowledge that I say this from the highly privileged standpoint of a white, upper middle class, American woman living in a very affluent part of California, because that's the circumstance that has informed my life.  I know very well through various friends and family that there are many among and around us who do not have the same level of privilege, the same opportunities.  Many of us--myself included--have difficulty continuing our college education, or completing it because of finances or scheduling.  Some of us don't even have the chance to begin it at this stage in life, and we have to find a different path.  It can be deathly frustrating.  I'm self-employed, and I'm faced daily with the reality that all our independence does not guarantee that I will have the number of clients on my table every month in order to make ends meet without borrowing.  Some months are better than others, and neither the Declaration nor the Constitution says "Because of these principles, everything will be great."  Nevertheless, we are blessed with the foundation and the framework, and hopefully we can make it work anyway and fulfill our purpose in life, and find that purpose fulfilling in return.

As I wrap up here, I'd like to touch on our responsibilities.  We know that "where much is given, much will be required," so what is required of us because of our privileges and rights?  As a people, it is our responsibility to maintain those rights by exercising them.  The right to vote, the "right to be secure in [our] persons, houses, papers, and effects from unreasonable searches and seizures", the right to keep and bear arms, the right to speak, to worship, to assemble, and to share our ideas... we must maintain them by wise usage.  It is also our responsibility to know what our rights and privileges are, and what they mean.  I bought a copy of the text of the Declaration and the Constitution for five dollars at Copperfield's.  It's small and thin enough for a pocket.  The words can be found for free online.  I would suggest we make ourselves reasonably familiar with these foundational documents so that we're informed and knowledgeable about what they really say when those around us make various claims on them.  We are a free people, and it behooves us to think and behave as one.

To conclude on a spiritual note, I would add to this list of responsibilities our need to be righteous.  Read the words the Lord has set forth for us through scripture, prophets, and wise people; familiarize yourself with your Patriarchal Blessing if you have it, and prepare yourself to receive it if you have not.  Familiarize yourself with the way that the Spirit speaks to you through prayer, quiet contemplation, and service.  Learn to give in to the instinct to act in a God-like manner.  Be kind, show love, serve your fellow beings, be truthful, behave with integrity, express gratitude.  Stay in communication with God, through prayer and meditation.  Find the way that scripture study works for you and the way that the words become meaningful for you.  We are flooded with information and that which seems irrelevant is often left behind.  We lose some four out of five young adults in the Church between the ages of 18 and 30, many of whom never return.  Statistically, that will include some of us in this room.  Thank you for being here so far.  I challenge you to find the way that the Gospel feels relevant to you, the way that helps you understand how to and want to obey the Lord's commands, to exercise your freedom and agency in favor of forwarding the work of the Lord.  This I say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.