“The Saints must be concerned with the maintenance of personal freedom, which the Lord has indicated is essential to individual salvation and exaltation.
“We must not assume that since the Constitution embodies a ‘divinely inspired’ political system the machinery of checks and balances, separation of powers, and other constitutional limitations will automatically preserve political and moral freedom for the individual. The prophets have made clear that no constitution or set of laws, written or unwritten, can by themselves protect a nation from corrupt leaders. Brigham Young remarked, ‘No matter how good a government is, unless it is administered by righteous men, an evil government will be made of it’” (May, “Beyond Voting,” 48).