Ezra Taft Benson
"We as a people have never known bondage. Liberty has always been our blessed lot. Few of us have ever seen people who have lost their freedom-- their liberty. And when reminded of the danger of losing our liberty and independence our attitude has usually been: It cannot happen here.
"We must never forget that nations may, and usually do, sow the seeds of their own destruction while enjoying unprecedented prosperity…
"In that sacred volume of scripture, the Book of Mormon, we note the great and prolonged struggle for liberty. We also note the complacency of the people and their frequent willingness to give up their liberty for the promises of a would-be provider.
"The record reveals that a man ’of cunning device … and … many flattering words,’ … sought … ’to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, …’ (Alma 46: 10.)
"…This great general, Moroni…’caused the title of liberty to be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the land.... and thus Moroni planted the standard of liberty among the Nephites.’ (Ibid., 46:36.)
"This is our need today -- to plant the standard of liberty among our people throughout the Americas.
“While this incident occurred some seventy years BC, the struggle went on through one thousand years covered by this sacred Book of Mormon record. In fact, the struggle for liberty is a continuing one -- it is with us in a very real sense today right here on this choice land of the Americas.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1962, pp. 14-15)
Ezra Taft Benson
"Of course, the war in heaven over free agency is now being waged here on earth, and there are those today who are saying ’Look, don’t get involved in the fight for freedom. Just live the gospel.’ That counsel is dangerous, self-contradictory, unsound…Now, part of the reason we may not have sufficient priesthood bearers to save the Constitution let alone to shake the powers of hell, is because unlike Moroni, I fear, our souls do not joy in keeping our country free, and we are not firm in the faith of Christ nor have we sworn with an oath to defend our rights and the liberty of our country.
"Moroni raised a title of liberty and wrote upon it these words: ’In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.‘ Why didn’t he write upon it: ’Just live your religion; there’s no need to concern yourselves about your freedom, your peace, your wives, or your children’? The reason he didn’t do this was because all these things were a part of his religion, as they are of our religion today.
“Should we counsel people, ’Just live your religion. There‘s no need to get involved in the fight for freedom’? No, we should not, because our stand for freedom is a most basic part of our religion; this stand helped get us to this earth, and our reaction to freedom in this life will have eternal consequences. Man has many duties, but he has no excuse that can compensate for his loss of liberty.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1966, p. 122 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 351)