Never before has America been as vulnerable as at present. Economical, fiscally, politically and militarily, America teeters on the cliff’s edge. This vulnerability is directly attributable to our loss of faith in the God of this land, who has decreed that we must worship him or be swept off. "For behold, this is a land (America) which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off." (Ether 2:10)

Too many Americans have lost sight of the truth that God is our source of freedom and blessings, the lawgiver, and that personal righteousness is the most important element to preserving our freedom.

In a modern revelation, the Savior declared, "I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose." (Doctrine and Covenants 101:80)

The Constitutional Convention delegates understood human nature. They understood man’s petty jealousies and competition for power. They realized the political importance of wealth, that poor men seek power to get rich, and that rich men seek power for power’s sake. Above all, they knew that a system of government that permitted any man or group of men to rise to unchecked political dominance would invite a tyranny. They fought the American Revolution to throw out one such government.

According to James Madison, often referred to as the father of the Constitution: "We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of the government "" far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." (Russ Walton, "Biblical Principles of Importance to Godly Christians," Plymouth Foundation, 1984.)

The Constitution can only work with a moral and righteous people. "Our constitution," said John Adams (first vice president and second president of the United States), "was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." ("The Works of John Adams," ed. C. F. Adams, Little, Brown Co., 1851).

The Founding Fathers drew upon eternal and unchanging values. The principles that made America great are the commandments of God. They provide the foundation upon which the American republic was built. And if American democracy seems shaky today, it’s only because that foundation has been eroded and weakened by our inability to heed God’s commandments and our inability to follow the God-given principles contained in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

God’s will for mankind is that man has been given his agency of freedom of choice. Rights are God-given as part of the divine plan and not granted by government as part of a political plan.

People are superior to the governments they form and not the other way around. A principle that is basic to an understanding of the Constitution is that governments should have only limited powers.

The laws of human liberty and the exercise of agency are inseparably related to the eternal law of love. This idea was expressed by Gov. Christian Herter of Massachusetts, who in 1955 declared:

"Liberty is not any one man’s possession. When a man asks freedom for himself alone, both he and his neighbor lose what he thinks he has gained. The spirit of liberty is more than jealousy for your own rights. It is a decent respect for the rights and opinions of others. We are free, not because we have freedom, but because we serve freedom. The love of liberty cannot be separated from loving your neighbor as yourself." (Proclamation of Civil Rights Week, December 1955.)

If we would maintain the independence and freedom the Founding Fathers intended, we must work to preserve and protect the moral foundation upon which they built the U.S. government. We must stand for righteousness and truth, and must defend the cause of honor, decency and personal freedom espoused by Washington, Madison, Adams, Lincoln and other leaders who acknowledged and loved God.

The freedom we give thanks for is at stake for ourselves and for our posterity. No nation or people that rejects God or his commandments can prosper or find happiness. History and the Scriptures are filled with examples of nations that rejected God. Let us be wise and remember the source of our blessings.

Wilfred R. Bruneau is president of the Oneonta Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder-day Saints.