The Title of Liberty

It was a perilous time. War and dissension was all around the land and the people were in danger of falling into the hands of their enimies and into bondage. Yet many wanted to remain free.

Their leader, being a righteous man, was angry with the leader of those that wished to subject the people to bondage and force them to make him their king and the flattering and cunning words he used to accomplish his designs. He, being so angered, made for his people an ensign, or banner, to look toward as a reminder of the covenant they had made with the Lord to maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them.

Upon this banner, the leader wrote these words:

"In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, ourwives, and our children"1

And he called it The Title of Liberty. Whenever the people would travel from city to city they would look for this banner flying from the rooftops and high places to indicate whether or not the city had fallen into the hands of the enemy or remained faithful, thus remaining a free people, being blessed by the Lord.

Almost 2,000 years later, war was again upon the land with the people fighting to break free, yet again, from the bondage of those that demanded to be their king. The people's good and righteous leader had once again had an ensign, or banner, fashioned for the people to look to as a reminder of thosse freedoms they did not want to lose. They had yet again raised a Title of Liberty.

Yet this night, the battle was extremely perilous and those  who from a distance were watching the rockets'  and bombs bursting over the fortified city could not know which army would prevail and become victorious.They had seen the smaller battle flag displayed in the red glare throughout parts of the night, but now all was silent. Only when the mornng came and the sun revealed the colors of the banner flying in the breeze above the fort would they know if they were to remain in bondage or be allowed their desired freedom.

And so they waited and watched, paying that with the dawn's early light they would see the colors of their banner, that the morning's first beam would disclose, in full glory, their Title of Liberty.

And so it was.

And so it yet shall be if we, now almost 290 years later do not forget "that God that made and preserved us a nation."2 

War is still upon land and there are still those that wish to lead us into bondage by subjecting us to their will. We still have this ensign, this banner, this Title Of Liberty, to remind us of "our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children." 

If we will lways remember Him then "the star spangled banner in triumph shall wave o'er t land of the free and the home of the brave!"

(I have searched for about an hour for a good video with all the verses and not just the first but am having a hard time finding a good quality one. I ran across this in my search and decided to use it instead. I was a little disappointed that he didn't know there were more than 2 verses though.)

 

1. Alma 46: 12, The Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ

2.The Star Spangled Banner, Francs Scott Key

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Indeed.

Happy Birthday America!

The sight of this large flag still flying over Fort McHenry after a long night of battle inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became the U.S. national anthem. The flag we now call the Star-Spangled Banner is the very flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the fall of 1814.

The Star Spangled Banner

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?


On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!


And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.


O thus be it ever when free-men shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

I hate that we usually only sing the first verse of this great anthem. What is the point of that? The first verse is a question. Why don't we sing the answer to the question, because that is the important part of the song. Without the answer, we are left hanging as to what country controls the fort. (of course we know the answer, but that is not the point. The point would be that we just sing words and don't pay attention to what it is that we sing- that really irritates me and is my biggest pet peeve)







The Few, The Proud
My Stripling Warriors

Please remember on this great and wonderful day, that the freedoms that you are celebrating came at a great cost. Take time to get on your knees and thank our Father in Heaven for those men and women that gave of their blood so that you can live in freedom. They paid the ultimate price for you and for me, let us not forget that. The rockets might be a bit more sophisticated, the foes haughty host may not sleep through the night because they have night vision goggles to help them see. The ramparts are no longer in a fixed position, the bombs still burst- day and night. But our soldiers still fight for that Standard- the Star Spangled Banner, Old Glory to wave o're the land of the free and the home of the brave!