America – Quote Catch

“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men.” (Benjamin Franklin, Miracle at Philadelphia, 126)
“I have had commerce and conversation with knowledgeable people of the clergy and the laity, Latins and Greeks, Jews and Moors, and with many others of different religions. Our Lord has favored my occupation and has given me an intelligent mind. He has endowed me with a great talent for seamanship; sufficient ability in astrology, geometry, and arithmetic; and the mental and physical dexterity required to draw spherical maps…with everything in its proper place. During this time I have studied all kinds of texts: cosmography, histories, chronicles, philosophy, and other disciplines. Through these writings, the hand of Our Lord opened my mind to the possibility of sailing to the Indies and gave me the will to attempt the voyage…Who could doubt that this flash of understanding was the work of the Holy Spirit…? The Holy Spirit illuminated his holy and sacred Scripture, encouraging me in a very strong and clear voice…urging me to proceed. Continually, without ceasing a moment, they insisted that I go on.” Columbus, Book of Prophecies, 67 and 69.
“The situation was incredibly dangerous for these men. They were surrounded by 20,000 troops. Most of their cannons were gone. Having abandoned their trenches and other lines of defense, they huddled on the docks. Those still on the front lines faced an even more precarious situation, for when the sun rose- something that would happen in just a few minutes- the British would see that the lines had been abandoned and mount an attack. Those who manned the garrisons would be the first to die as they defended their positions with only a handful of men. The sky turned pink and the sun started rising on an army that was doomed. It was then that a dense fog settled over the Long Island side of the river. Thick and heavy, it muffled every sound and made it impossible to see. Trees and men were obscured at five feet and disappeared completely at ten. And though the sun grew higher, the fog didn’t burn off. The orderly retreat continues this time under the cloak, not of darkness but the thick shroud of fog. Working frantically beside his men, Washington offered direction and encouragement until the last of the American troops had made their way to safety.” Information on the retreat of the American army comes from Brookhiser, Founding Father, 18-9; Ferling, Almost a Miracle, 135-36; McCullough, 1776, 182-91
“In an address to the New Jersey Senate in February 1861, Lincoln compared America with God’s chosen people of the Old Testament. After describing his feelings about the Founders, he said: “I recollect thinking then, boy even though I was, that there must have been something more than common that those men struggled for. I am exceedingly anxious that that thing which they struggled for; that something even more than National Independence; that something that held out a great promise to all the people of the world to all time to come; I am exceedingly anxious that this Union, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the original idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be most happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument in the hands of the Almighty, and of this, his almost chosen people, for perpetuating the object of that great struggle”” Seven Miracles That Saved America, Page 179
“Amazingly, throughout the battle, Abraham Lincoln remained unexplainable calm. During the entire episode at Gettysburg, while his Union army faced the possibility of a final crushing defeat, he was described as being “in excellent spirits.” Only later did Lincoln confide why he was possessed of such calm…. “When Lee crossed the Potomac and entered Pennsylvania, followed by our army, I felt that the great crisis had come. I knew that defeat in a great battle on northern soil involved the loss of Washington, to be followed perhaps by the intervention of England and France in favor of the Confederacy. I went to my room and got down on my knees in prayer. Never before had I prayed with so much earnestness. I wish I could repeat m prayer. I felt I must put all my trust in Almighty God. He gave our people the best country ever given to man. He alone could save it from destruction. I had tried my best to do my duty and had found myself unequal to the task. The burden was more than I could bear. I asked Him to help us and give us victory now. I was sure my prayer was answered. I had no misgivings about the result at Gettysburg.” Seven Miracles that Saved America, Page 190
“The discussion (between Abraham Lincoln and General Daniel Sickles) was observed by General James Rusling, who gave the following account of the conversation: In reply to a question from General Sickles whether or not the President was anxious about the battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln gravely said, “No, I was not; some of my Cabinet and many others in Washington were, but I had no fears.” General Sickles inquired how this was, and seemed curious about it. Mr. Lincoln hesitated but finally replied: “Well, I will tell you how it was. In the pinch of the campaign up there, when everybody seemed panic-stricken, and nobody could tell what was going to happen, oppressed by the gravity of our affairs, I went to my room one day, and I locked the door, and got down on my knees before Almighty God, and prayed to Him mightily for victory at Gettysburg. I told Him that this was His war, and our cause His cause, but we couldn’t stand another Fredericksburg or Chancellorsville. And I then and there made a solemn vow to Almighty God, that if He would stand by our boys at Gettysburg, I would stand by Him. And he did stand by your boys, and I will stand by Him. And after that (I don’t know how it was, and I can’t explain it), soon a sweet comfort crept into my soul that God Almighty had taken the whole business into His own hands and that things would go all right at Gettysburg. And that is why I had no fears about you.” Seven Miracles that Saved America, Page 191
“In November 1863, Lincoln was asked to speak at the dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery….”It is for us the living, rather, to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Seven Miracles that Saved America, Page 195-196
“October 1970 had found Ronald Reagan approaching reelection as governor of California. On a Sunday afternoon in Sacramento, he was visited by his longtime friend Pat Boone and a handful of prominent religious leaders. As the men were leaving, someone suggested the group share a prayer together. As they joined hands, a Christian businessman named George Otis began to speak. Feeling inspired by the Holy Spirit, Otis pronounced a prayer within which he referred to the governor as “My son” and declared, “If you walk uprightly before me, you will reside at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.” When Otis finished speaking, the group was silent for a long moment. The stillness was finally broken when Ronald Reagan simply uttered, “Well!” Ten years later, after his defeat of Jimmy Carter, Boone called Reagan and asked him if he remembered the event. Reagan answered, “Of Course I do.” After his brush with death in March 1981, he wrote in his diary, “Whatever happens now I owe my life to God and will try to serve him in every way I can.” In the early 1990s, Ronald Reagan and his friend Bill Clark were together when an admirer congratulated the former president for his success in ending the Cold War. Mr. Reagan smiled and replied, “No, not my success but a team effort by Divine Providence.” Seven Miracles that Saved America, Page 279
“…seven episodes in our nation’s history in which miraculous fortunes preserved our nation from despair or saved us from destruction, including evidence that a Divine Hand: 1. Protected this nation from colonization by other kingdoms, holding it in reserve so that it might be settled by a Christian people. This in turn helped to free Europe from the doldrums of the Dark Ages while birthing a nation built upon the infant concepts of human rights and liberty 2. Provided miracles in the creation and preservation of Jamestown, the last of which- the sighting of the resupply ships at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay- took place just a few hours before it would have proven altogether too late. This assured the success of English colonization in North America. 3. Sent an August morning fog to protect a desperate and certain-to-be-defeated American army, allowing them to slip away to Valley Forge, then regroup with enough strength to defeat the greatest army on the earth. 4. Inspired men and circumstance in order to create the US constitution, the most important secular document ever written. 5. Prepared Abraham Lincoln for the incredible burdens he would carry throughout the Civil War, and then when it appeared the fledgling democracy was actually going to fail, answered his desperate prayer to assure him a victory at Gettysburg. 6. Provided for a series of incredibly unlikely events at Midway, a battle that proved to be one of the turning points in World War II. 7. By a fraction of an inch preserved Ronald Reagan’s life, allowing him the time he needed to help “tear down this wall,” a feat that has had long-ranging and untold positive repercussions around the world.” Seven Miracles that Saved America, Page 282
“But God did reveal His hand in His own due time- sometimes waiting until the final hour. And if this is true, why did He do it? What is it about this nation that would justify His intervention in the ways that have been presented in this book? Could it be that America represents something important to God? Though it’s daunting to attempt to answer such questions, may we suggest two plausible explanations: First, America is the wellspring of liberty and freedom on this earth. Second, it has been the repository of- and an example of- certain virtues that, if emulated, would bring more happiness, prosperity, and well-being to all.” Seven Miracles that Saved America, Page 283-284
“We (Americans) also remain an extraordinarily generous people. For example, charitable donations in the United States were estimated to be $307.65 billion in 2008, exceeding $300 billion for the second time in history. Almost $107 billion was given to religious organizations, $40.94 billion to educational institutions. And it wasn’t just the rich who gave; 65 percent of all households with incomes less than $100,000 gave to charity as well, with more than 75 percent of the total charitable donations coming from individuals. The evidence clearly demonstrates that Americans are the most generous people on earth, giving more than twice as much to charities as the next most charitable country, Britain. In addition to this charitable giving, more than 61.8 million Americans regularly volunteer their time to serve in charitable communities or religious organizations, providing more than 3 billion man-hours of service annually. The total value of this service is at least the equivalent of an additional $60 billion given to charity.” Seven Miracles That Saved America, Page 290
“The United States is also one of the most religious nations on earth. Sixty percent of adults in the United States attend church monthly. Almost half (44 percent) attend church at least once a week. A few nations- Nigeria, Ireland, and the Philippines, for example- exceed our church attendance, but most of the developed world shows little interest now in participating in religious services. For example, only 27 percent of the adult citizens in the United Kingdom attend church services regularly, along with 16 percent of Australians, 14 percent of South Koreans, 4 percent of Swedes, 3 percent of Japanese, and only 2 percent of Russians. The simple truth is, we are a nation still deeply rooted in a faith in God. Only 9 percent of the adults in the United States identify themselves as atheists, agnostics, or nonbelievers. Meanwhile, Europe has clearly become a post-Christian culture: 49 percent of the adults in Germany, 54 percent of the French, and 80 percent of the adults in Denmark identify themselves as atheist or agnostic, claiming no belief in God.” Seven Miracles That Saved America, Page 290
“No other nation is as willing as the United States to sacrifice blood ad treasure in order to defend the peace and liberty of others. In World War I, 117,000 American soldiers were killed defending the democracies of Europe; 416,800 in World War II; and 55,200 on the Korean Peninsula. Untold billions were spent on the Cold War defeating communist oppression throughout the world. In addition, over the past fifty years, the United States has been the primary force in peacekeeping and defensive operations throughout the Baltics, Kosovo, Eastern Europe, eastern and central Africa, Vietnam, Laos, South America….the list goes on and on.” Seven Miracles that Saved America, Page 291
“The eighteenth chapter of Genesis tells the story of God appearing to Abraham and sharing His intentions to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Hearing this intent, Abrahams asks God a rather pointed question. “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” (v. 23) Then he starts to bargain with the Lord. “Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt though also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?” (v24) And God answers, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes” (v. 26) Think about that. “I will spare all the place.” The entire city. And why? For their sakes. For the sake of the good. Then Abraham, apparently knowing that the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were really pretty bad, rethinks his proposition. Realizing there might not actually be fifty righteous within the cities, he makes a counteroffer, asking if God wouldn’t spare the city for forty-five righteous (v. 28) And so they go, Abraham bargaining with God, essentially pleading on behalf of the righteous until they get down to ten. And God says, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake” (v. 32).” Seven Miracles that Saved America, Page 293
“There will be two great political parties in this country. One will be called the Republican, and the other the Democrat party. These two parties will go to war and out of these two parties will spring another party which will be the Independent American Party. The United States will spend her strength and means warring in foreign lands until other nations will say, ‘Let’s divide up the lands of the United States.’ Then the people of the U.S. will unite and swear by the blood of their forefathers that the land shall not be divided. Then the country will go to war. They will fight until one-half of the U.S. army will give up, and the rest will continue to struggle. They will keep on until they are very ragged and discouraged, and almost ready to give up—when the boys from the mountains will rush forth in time to save the American Army from defeat and ruin. And they will say, ‘Brethren, we are glad you have come; give us men, henceforth, who can talk with God.’ Then you will have friends; but you will save the country when its liberty hangs by a hair, as it were.” Joseph Smith, Jr.
“Only virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt they have more need of masters.” Benjamin Franklin
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams
“Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.” Samuel Adams
“In “The Greatest Century That Ever Was,” Stephen Moore and Julian L. Simon wrote: More financial wealth has been generated in the United States over the past fifty years than was created in all the rest of the world in all the centuries before 1950. Fifty years ago, real financial wealth was about five trillion in 1998 dollars. By 1970, that financial wealth had doubled to roughly ten trillion dollars. Since then the value of Americans’ financial wealth has tripled to over thirty trillion. When we combine this burst in financial assets with the sevenfold real increase in housing equity owned by Americans, we discover that the nation’s assets have risen from about six trillion to more than forty trillion dollars in real terms in the past half-century” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 36
“By Victor Davis Hanson Until the millennium arrives and countries cease trying to enslave others, it will be necessary to accept one’s responsibilities and to be willing to make sacrifices for one’s country—as my comrades did. As the troops used to say, “If the country is good enough to live in, it’s good enough to fight for.” With privilege goes responsibility.” With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa (E.B. Sledge)- Page 1
“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men.” (Benjamin Franklin, Miracle at Philadelphia, 126)
“It is my conviction…that when the Lord comes, the Stars and Stripes will be floating on the breeze over this people.” (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, Sep. 1987, 11)
“Stand firm ye boys from Maine. For not once in a century are men permitted to bear such responsibilities for freedom and justice; for God and humanity is now placed upon you.” (Joshua Lawrence Chamberlaine, Witness to Gettysburg [1987], 195)
“Our future can be imperiled by freedom left uncontrolled.” (Gerald E. Melchin, Ensign, May 1994, 82)
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”– Thomas Jefferson
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property – until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”” Thomas Jefferson said in 1802
“We live in a world of both incredible wealth and startling poverty. There are more wealthy Americans than wealthy individuals from any other industrialized country. Thus, the moral, social, and economic responsibility of this country’s private sector to give of its excessive wealth to those in great need continues to intensify. While foundations and corporations get much of the visibility and recognition for their charitable giving benevolence, the vast majority, over 80%, of giving comes from individuals.” Remarks to The 2008 Annual Membership Meeting Society of Financial Service Professionals, Bethesda Country Club. Bill Walace, CLU®, ChFC® JUNE 13, 2008
“Americans, by choice, tradition, and the workings of a tax system organized to promote citizen development and responsibility, give more money to favorite causes than any other people on earth. The encouragement of giving through public policy, the very size of the nonprofit sector, the sheer scale of giving, and the sophistication of their grant-making processes continue to set American family philanthropy apart.” NCFP, “The Value of Family in Philanthropy“
“Staggering amounts of financial wealth have been produced in America since World War II, and especially in the last two decades. The result is a vast personal opportunity, huge inheritances, stunning philanthropy, and a crisis of meaning. The wealthy are, in many cases, searching for a dimension beyond wealth. Increasingly, they are asking themselves penetrating questions about the purpose of financial wealth. How much is enough? How do I make sure my financial wealth creates independence rather than dependency? Can I use my wealth to make a difference to society?” Wealth in Families Third Edition. Charles W. Collier, Page 6
“No country has shed more of its own blood for the freedom of other people than America.” Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown (Blehm, Eric) page 234
“Adam was a protector and a defender, and his individual actions reflect the same purpose that is at the core of the actions of this country; a country that Adam loved dearly. No country has shed more of its own blood for the freedom of other people than America. One need only takes a glance at recent history to see the proof of this. America turned the tide in World War II and defeated the murderous regimes of Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan. America stood to watch up on the walls of the Western World for the long years of the Cold War, and ultimately defeated communism, whose menace was responsible for the deaths of untold millions. And who is doing the heavy lifting now, in civilization’s current struggle with fundamentalist Islamic jihad? America. “This fight is every bit as significant as the struggles against the fascism of the Third Reich and the murderous communism of the Soviet Union. All of these ideologies share a common thread: an utter lack of respect for the dignity of individual human life. And it is precisely that respect for individual human dignity that characterizes our Constitution and our willingness to help those who cannot defend themselves. “Ultimately this is more than just a fight between America and the Taliban or al Qaeda, just as World War II was more than just the Allies versus the Axis. This is a struggle between the forces that would protect and nourish human dignity and freedom and those that would destroy it. Adam Brown was a part of that struggle. It is a struggle that is of eternal significance, and Adam’s contribution to it is of eternal significance.” Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown (Blehm, Eric) page 234
“Quincy speculated that Smith’s influence would reach further still: It is by no means improbable that some future textbook, for the use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to the interrogatory may be thus written: Joseph Smith the Mormon prophet.” Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. (Bushman, Richard Lyman) Kindle Location 349-353.
1 Nephi 12:6…Nephi saw Christ’s coming to America
Alma 16: 20…Prophets of America told the people that Christ would appear to them after His resurrection
Alma 22: 27-34…Geography of America between 90 and 77 B.C.
2 Nephi 1:9…If people brought out of Jerusalem keep commandments, prosper and safe
1 Nephi 13:10-19…Columbus, Pilgrims, killing of Indians, beat England
2 Nephi 1:10-12…When they reject Christ >destruction
3 Nephi 15:14-24…Why people in America weren’t known of in Jerusalem
2 Nephi 1:5…A. is a land covenanted unto Lehi’s seed
Alma 22:32…Description of Geography
Ether 13:2-3…Men who live in A. need to serve God. Also, New Jerusalem in A.
2 Nephi 1:8…Why A. was hidden so long
3 Nephi 20-26…Why Christ visited Americas (Turn away from sins); Christ when to group in Americas first
Ether 9:19…Elephants in the Americas.
2 Nephi 1:6… No one comes to A. unless led by the Lord
2 Nephi 10:19…America is the promised land
2 Nephi 26:1…Nephi prophesies of Christ and visit to A.
Helaman 6:10…Lehi arrived in the Southern land of A.
Omni 1:22…Bones scattered all over North America (proof)
Jarom 1:8…Constitution of Buildings, tools, weapons, etc. (proof)
Omni 1:15 -16 …15 Behold, it came to pass that Mosiah discovered that the people of Zarahemla came out from Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah, king of Judah, was carried away captive into Babylon. 16 And they journeyed in the wilderness, and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth.
Jacob 3: 3…But, wo, wo, unto you that are not pure in heart, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye repent the land is cursed for your sakes; and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction.
Alma 19: 6-7…6 For the Lord would not suffer, after he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem and kept and preserved them from falling into the hands of their enemies, yea, he would not suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land. 7 Wherefore, the Lord did visit them in great judgment; nevertheless, he did spare the righteous that they should not perish but did deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.
Omni 1: 20-22…20 And it came to pass in the days of Mosiah, there was a large stone brought unto him with engravings on it; and he did interpret the engravings by the gift and power of God. 21 And they gave an account of one Coriantumr, and the slain of his people. And Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla, and he dwelt with them for the space of nine moons. 22 It also spake a few words concerning his fathers. And his first parents came out from the tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people; and the severity of the Lord fell upon them according to his judgments, which are just; and their bones lay scattered in the land northward.
“The risen Lord spoke to Mary, and she replied. He was not an apparition. This was not imagination. He was real, as real as He had been in mortal life. He did not permit her to touch Him. He had not yet ascended to His Father in Heaven. That would happen shortly. What a reunion it must have been, to be embraced by the Father, who loved Him and who also must have wept for Him during His hours of agony. He would appear to two men on the road to Emmaus. He would converse with them and eat with them. He would meet with His Apostles behind closed doors and teach them. Thomas was not present on the first occasion. On the second occasion, the Lord invited him to feel of His hands and His side. In utter wonder he exclaimed: My Lord and my God (John 20:28). He spoke with 500 at [another] time. And there is another witness. This biblical companion, the Book of Mormon, testifies that He appeared not only to those of the Old World but also to those of the New. For had He not at one time declared, Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd? (John 10:16).” Manual, Teachings of the President of the Church: Gordon B Hinkley, Chapter 8, We Look to Christ