Bloggernacle Back Bench: Patriotic posts

Hopefully your are still reveling in the Fourth of July fervor, because I have some amazing patriotic posts to highlight today.

Did you know that Parley P. Pratt may have written his own version of the Declaration of Independence in 1845?

“When in the course of the divine economy it becomes necessary for one people to seperate themselves from the religious and political fellowship which has once bound them with another … We hold these truths to be self-evident, that the 'Mormons,' in common with all others, are possessed of certain inaleniable rights; among which, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, including the right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences; and in short, to believe and teach that which in their judgment appears to be true and reasonable.”

The editorial is called “American Independence Declared Over Again, with Amendments to suit the times.” Click in to read the entire fascinating document, originally published in "The Prophet."

And how does one reconcile the ideas of “A Patriotic Chosen People” with the ever-widening worldwide church? I loved this explanation: “My best attempt at reconciling my various patriotic feelings and understanding scriptural and prophetic claims about the U.S., the Americas, Portugal, etc., is to look at them like I look on callings. For whatever reason the Lord calls or allows to be called individuals to fill positions in the church. Those called serve for a time, fulfill (we hope) their role, and are released and asked to fill another role. If we look at those callings as some indication of who one person being better than another, or more worthy than another (beyond the temple recommend minimums), I suspect we are doing wrong. Just as the release of a bishop and calling of another doesn’t necessarily mean that the second is now better than the first, so too the Lord calling one group as his chosen people doesn’t mean that group is better than others, or that the Lord loves the others less. It just means that the group has a role to play — a calling to fulfill. Nations, to the extent that any nation can be exceptional, are only so because of their actions and the role that they can play in the world. The Lord doesn’t love their people any less.” Wow.