U.S. Constitution

·         What about the U.S. Constitution was inspired?

·         How is it that the U.S. Constitution was inspired?

(I combined my answers together explaining the “what” and “how” the U.S. Constitution was inspired. For example I tell you what was inspired and then explain how it was inspired.)

            There are many ideas in the constitution that were inspired. Separation of Powers was one inspired idea of the Constitution. This means that each branch is independent and balanced. The idea of the separation of powers was inspired because the founding fathers decided to hold conventions. These conventions were a way to deliberate among the men how they should come to govern the people of the United States. Conventions were also a way to council with everyone. Holding councils are a great way to receive revelation from God. In the convention they counseled and received revelation which guided them to just the right combination to ensure the integrity of each individual branch. The founding fathers were guided in their thoughts to hold conventions so that they could council one with another to bring about this resolution. Dallin H. Oaks quoted President Clark in his talk “The Divinely Inspired Constitution” saying: “It is this union of independence and dependence of these branches- legislative, executive, and judicial- and of the governmental functions possessed by each of them that constitutes the marvelous genius of this unrivalled document…” The separation of powers makes certain that no one part of the government holds too much power over the other.

            A written Bill of Rights is another inspired idea of the Constitution. The inspiration for the Bill of Rights came from pre-existing principles. These pre-existing principles such as the Magna Carta and the English Bill of rights helped set the stage for the United States Bill of Rights. These previous principles had the idea that man had certain rights given to them by their creator and the government was to protect those rights. Dallin H. Oaks says in his talk “The Divinely Inspired Constitution:” “The Declaration of Independence had posited these truths to be “self-evident,” that all men “are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights,” and that governments are instituted “to secure these rights.” This inspired Constitution was established to provide a practical guarantee of these God-given rights.” The founding fathers knew that they needed to secure the rights of man that were given to them by God. They were inspired to create a Bill of Rights to secure man’s inalienable rights.

            Another inspired part of the Constitution was the design of Popular Sovereignty. This means that the people are the source of the governmental power. The power of sovereignty lied with the people. Religious people affirm that God gave them their rights, and that he gave the power to the people. They were then able to decide how much power to give to their government. Along with that it implies popular responsibility. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. The colonies were no longer governed by a king so they could not blame him or parliament for their struggles with their government. The people were now responsible for electing their leaders. In turn they share the responsibility of their leaders’ choices and actions because they had the opportunity and responsibility to elect their leaders.

            The Constitution also inspired the idea of the Rule of Law. This means that leaders and rulers were not above man. The people realized that God gives man his rights. God is the supreme ruler over the people. If a nation is to be ruled in peace, then the leaders must subject themselves to God and act under his direction. The governed people must in turn sustain and uphold their leaders whom they chose to lead and guide them. The idea that God is the supreme ruler was the original idea of the founding fathers. They based their ideas of liberty off of this principle in hopes that America would be ruled by both justice and mercy. The Rule of Law was inspired because the colonists knew that no ruler was to be put above any other person. They knew that God had his hand in establishing the Constitution of the United States.

            The Constitution had many inspired ideas and the way it was inspired is truly incredible. The founding fathers worked hard to ponder and commune with God to create a document worthy to govern the United States. It was inspired by God. The founding fathers held conventions to council with others and they received revelation. Pre-existing principles were also a part of creating the constitution. There is no doubt that the Constitution was created by worthy men who were inspired by the hand of God.