This Election and Another Look at the Great Plan of Happiness

Since this piece contains my political views for this Presidential Election, I want the reader to know that the views are mine. The Great Plan of Salvation is taught in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The suggestion to vote for the Presidential candidate whom I see as supportive of principles in that Plan is mine.


I firmly believe in our Father’s Great Plan of Happiness. In our Pre-mortal lives, we lived with our Heavenly Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. When Father presented His Plan for us to come to this earth, gain bodies, have a testing period, learn obedience, and have the chance to become like Him, we all shouted for joy. We were excited to be born into families and gain a body and help our Father in accomplishing His great plan.

We learned that we would all fall short in our abilities and sometimes our desires to do right. We would be lost forever from returning to live in our Father’s presence if it weren’t for the perfect gift of His Son Jesus Christ and His willingness to suffer and die for us, and be resurrected again. Because of the gift of His Atonement, we can all repent, be forgiven, progress, find happiness here through the Spirit that God sends the obedient, and have joy in the eternities forever with Him.

We accepted our Heavenly Father's Plan. We chose life! Whenever there is a viable choice, I believe that we should choose life. When we consider that we accepted God’s Plan while we lived with Him in heaven, we should consider again now what we can do to help further that Plan on earth.

The family has been under attack for years; and the sacred means by which children enter the world has also been under attack. Abortion remains the most barbaric and greatest evil of our day. 

Our Country has become increasingly wicked. The world has become much less safe for everyone; but, in the last while, we have seen that it is becoming increasingly dangerous for believers in Jesus Christ. So we need to assess what we can do to make sure that we are faithful ourselves in keeping the commandments of God, and also that we are seeking leaders, who want to uphold those principles of righteousness, even if they do not have an understanding yet of God’s Plan and our role in it.

Our government has become increasingly corrupt. We see those in power, upholding and defending each other in their wickedness, so that they do not have to bear accountability for their actions. This was also true in The Book of Mormon times. We also see citizens who do not value the freedoms that this Country has had to offer, but seek more and more for government entitlements; which will actually enslave them and rob them of their freedom. The more accountable we are able to be, the more free we become. One measure of our accountability is taking responsibility for our vote. 

We have an election coming up very shortly. Some have felt certain that one Latter-day Saint candidate came into this race with the intent to do good, “because it is never too late to do the right thing,” he said. We know that our Prophet and Apostles do not endorse candidates, but ask us to study the issues and prayerfully consider whom we should vote for. There is not a perfect candidate, and all of them are tainted in some way to some degree. So the erroneous quote that if we vote the lesser of two evils, we are still voting for evil, is just wrong here, for a number of reasons.

First , of all, as stated already, each candidate is flawed. Second to that, I believe that we can all count higher than two. If we were looking at two candidates and didn’t like either of them, then we should not just accept a third one because he is a member of the Church. What is his purpose in running? He obviously, did not make a serious commitment to do so through thoughtful planning and prayer. He did so as a last resort move among the Society of “Never Trump”. He did not give the citizens of the United States a chance to even know who he is; and, he has told his following that they will not win, that he will not be President, but that they will be able to stop Trump.

Now, I am not endorsing any evil that anyone who is running has done. But let’s face the facts: Hillary has a long record of criminal activity for which the government, the media, the FBI, and half the Country is turning a blind eye. McMullin, a rather unknown single man without the experience gained from having a family of his own and without any real leadership experience entered the election solely to stop Trump from winning the Presidency.

Now, this is the principle I am endorsing: Trump has said that he wants to appoint Pro-life Supreme Court Justices and, with that, he seeks to reverse Roe vs. Wade. Do we believe in our Heavenly Father’s Plan? Do we believe that abortion is a great evil? Do we know that there are spirits waiting to come to earth and get a body? Abortion was legalized in my youth. Since then, I have not heard of one politician who has said that he wants to repeal it. Most politicians only seek to make each other happy and keep the status quo, and take us spiraling down with them.

Ask yourself, "When will another President seek to end abortion in our Country?" We may not get the chance to see a leader committed to doing so again.

Not only does Trump want to end abortion, he wants to help families through the creation of more jobs and economic growth, better education, and better insurance. He also wants to support and sustain and build our law enforcement and our military. And he wants to ensure that our Constitutional freedoms, as found in the Constitution and The Bill of Rights, are protected. We should also seek to safeguard those freedoms, including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, and all other freedoms that we hold dear which have been under attack.

Hillary has shown that she is dishonest. McMullin and the “Never Trump”ers have shown that they are Kingmen who do not want the average citizen voting in a way with which they disagree. We as citizens, need to defend our freedoms in every way we can: first, through righteous living, keeping the commandments, being faithful, and serving; but also, we must take the chance when an opportunity presents itself to vote against the establishment which we already know is evil.

I have had so many losses in my life. Sometimes I really am saddened by them. Then I remember my God and His Son Jesus Christ and the promise of those I love being restored to me again. Indeed, it is a Great Plan of Happiness. But, if we think that we can just have faith that God will protect our freedoms without taking thought to do what we can to defend them, we are wrong. Freedom has never, ever been free. Jesus paid a great price; our military has paid a great price over and over; our Forefathers paid a great price; and, if we do not do what we can now to support these principles of freedom, we will also find ourselves paying a great price. If we do not value the cost of freedom, we will have to learn it.

More than anything, I see this election as a chance to give our voice to the desire to support those principles which will aid in furthering our Father’s Plan for our happiness.