So I've joined a book club. I am really excited about this; I'll finally have people outside my family to talk analytically to about books. I haven't been part of a book club since college and have really missed it. Most of my excitement is coming from the chance to read books and have intriguing discussions about them, but a little part of me is just excited to have a little intellectually stimulating adult conversation. Don't get me wrong I love the adults in my day to day life (namely my husband), but I'm really craving some variety. Plus the combination of stay-at-home-mom and firefighter's wife doesn't automatically provide for a lot of time spent with grown-ups.
This book is written by an LDS author for an LDS audience. That being said, although I think anyone would find this book interesting, unless they had a basic knowledge of church history and Mormon doctrine, they would be a bit lost. The hypothesis, in a nutshell, is this: Partway into his presidency and the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln identified the covenant between God and the inhabitants of the United States. He recognized the countries need to repent of its sins (slavery and the violent oppression of minority groups). Once he and the Union saw this and sentiment changed, the tide of the war changed too.
According to The Book of Mormon, the American continent is a "promised land", meaning a place where God can establish his church and see it thrive. LDS people also believe that God influenced the founding of the United States. Within a promised land there is always a "covenant people". These people promise God that they will do his will and keep his commandments, and in return He will bless those people and the land with increased prosperity. Now, I fully believe this and accept it as truth, but did Abraham Lincoln? That's the theory.
The idea that America is an unique and blessed country is not new. Even before it was an independent nation, inhabitants felt like it was meant to be more than just another place to live. They felt like it was going to be a "light upon a hill" or an example to other nations and that God would make it so. When the Civil War broke out, it seemed like that status was would fail, but it didn't. Through the leadership of Abraham Lincoln and assistance from Heaven, the country was saved. It didn't happen though, until Lincoln and the nation changed their feelings about slavery and violent oppression.
While reading this book, which has a lot more detail then I could outline here, my mind kept thinking of the failings of the 13th and 14th amendments. Yes, slaves were freed and all citizens were given federal protection, but how long did it take before that protection was actually enforced. About a hundred years. I wasn't sure why God would grant forgiveness when the repentance was only halfway felt. I'm still thinking about it, but I have come to some conclusions.
I remember hearing somewhere that it doesn't matter how good or bad you are in comparison to other people; what matters is where your heart is and where it is heading, Just because I make mistakes and am often imperfect in my actions doesn't mean that I have no hope of eternal life and salvation. Heavenly Father knows my desires and as long as I am actively striving to be better and continually repenting and trying, it doesn't matter where along the path to perfection I am when I die. I just need to be heading the right direction. Why didn't God sweep the United States from off the earth during the Civil War? Because the change in Lincoln's heart and the heart of most of the North was a step in the right direction. It was far from perfect and not all citizens felt it, but it was still in the right direction. This gives me, at least, a tiny bit of hope for America today. The country might be pretty disgusting in many ways but there are still times when we make steps in the direction God would have us go. In a direction that supports this promised land in a way that allows His gospel to thrive and spread.
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