William O.
Nelson, at time of writing, the administrative assistant to the Council of the
Twelve Apostles wrote the following about the nature of the inspiration of the
US Constitution (i.e., a “lower” form of inspiration in comparison to
Scripture):
Latter-day Saint
doctrine clearly supports the view of an inspired constitution. By inspired, we mean that God miraculously
impressed on the minds of the Founding Fathers the "just and holy
principles" contained in the Constitution that would preserve the basic
rights of the people. Also inspired were their efforts in producing a final
document that represented the will of the majority of the Convention of 1787. A
compelling motivation of Latter-day Saints to support the Constitution is the
Lord's admonition by revelation to befriend "that law which is the
constitutional law of the land." (D&C 98:6.) (William O. Nelson, The Charter of Liberty: The Inspired Origin
and Prophetic Destiny of the Constitution [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1987], 1, emphasis added)
In an endnote to the above, Nelson notes that, notwithstanding some LDS
leaders using the term “scripture” to describe the Constitution, it was not
free from serious error at the time of its original reception, again showing
that the inspiration behind it is a lesser form in comparison to (God-breathed/θεόπνευστος [2 Tim 3:16])
Scripture:
Do these statements
mean that every provision in the Constitution is the inerrant word of the Lord?
Obviously not, for the original document sanctioned slavery, whereas a
revelation of the Lord said that “it is not right that any man should be in
bondage one to another.” (D&C 101:79.) The sacredness and inspiration of
the document is in the God-inspired principles that secure the liberty of all
mankind. (Ibid., 145 n. 1)
