Time to set up the next monthly meeting. How does the third Thursday (June 25) sound? Summers are going to be hard, but I'd like to keep it going as best we can.
We set this group up more as a book club of sorts. We read a chapter and then discuss it later. At our last meeting someone commented that it was a little odd that we don't actually study the constitution itself. So we're going to give that a shot this time along with our next reading.
We decided of all places to start with the preamble. Seemed logical. Here it is:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
It is a very powerful statement that gives the mission statement of the federal government. All of the articles and amendments that follow are summed up in that single sentence. With as much difficulty as I'm having conjuring up a good mission statement for our group, I find it remarkable that the purpose of an entire nation could be so simply and beautifully stated.
As a companion study, I propose that we read Ezra Taft Benson's speech entitled "The Proper Role of Government". It has been published several times as a pamphlet and there are some copies online. I read it recently and I wonder if this is where we should have started before moving on to "The 5000 Year Leap".
As many of you probably know, President Benson served a number of years as Secretary of Agriculture during the Eisenhower administration. After his service in that position, he became very outspoken on his interpretation of the proper role of government. When he was called as a general authority, he focused more on spiritual matters and the gospel as his responsibility required.
So here's a link: http://www.zionsbest.com/proper_role.html
Enjoy and be sure to comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment