Post No. 2   Read Time: 6 minutes.

Moses leads the Israelites, Lehi leaves Jerusalem, Pioneers arrive in the top of the mountains.

America’s Grand Design

There are places I’ll remember all my life, though some have changed.
All these places had their moments, I’ll often stop and think about them. I know I’ll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. In my life I’ve loved them all. –Lennon and McCartney 

Places gain meaning from our experiences—homes, parks, hillsides, and neighborhoods become special over time. As Shakespeare said, “a place is honored by the actions that occur there.”

Sacred locations are those valued for their spiritual or lasting significance, such as hospitals, homes, chapels, temples, cemeteries, or lands important to freedom and religion. Social media often highlights moving moments, like an artist returning home or to the setting of a choir, where a love of music began. These special places inspire feelings about faith and identity, reflecting humanity’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage.

Lorraine American Cemetery

The Garden of Eden was the original home of Adam and Eve. After their expulsion from the Garden, they settled at Adam-ondi-Ahman in present-day Daviess County, Missouri. This area has been designated as the future site of Zion or the New Jerusalem.

In this sacred place, Adam was told that many nations would come from him, and he would be a leader over them. Despite his age, he gathered his descendants and spoke about their future generations. Never before had one spot of earth been favored with such a meeting.

Adam-ondi-Ahman, Daviess County, Missouri

However, Cain killed Abel, and according to the narrative, unrighteousness increased throughout the world. Generations later, the Lord sent a flood to cleanse the earth.

Scripture records that “after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all others.” Such a place needed to be protected. In response to God’s decree, the great continents separated and the ocean rushed in to surround them; the promised place was set apart. 

Shortly after the events of the Tower of Babel, a nation known as the Jaredites traveled to the promised land on the condition that only those who served God would be allowed to remain. Over time, their society experienced wickedness and conflict to such a degree that it was eventually destroyed.

The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ

Also recorded in the Book of Mormon, after the Jaredite civilization ended, two families, led by a prophet named Lehi, left Jerusalem around 600 BC and sailed to the New World. Their story, along with the account of their descendants, lasted over one thousand years. It recounts cycles of conflict and righteousness, wars and peace, while also including vivid details of Christ’s visit to America. Following nearly three hundred years of peace, they rebelled against the gospel, fractured into tribes, and became the principal ancestors of the American Indians. Through it all, as prophesied, they faced war, disease, and near destruction.

A thousand years later, an Italian explorer sailing for Spain said divine inspiration drove his journey despite ridicule from others. Similarly, again from the Book of Mormon account, a prophet named Nephi saw the future discovery, colonization, and emergence of a mighty nation.

The cultural and religious freedoms that sprang from the Renaissance and Reformation helped inspire the focus on personal liberty during the Age of Enlightenment, creating a foundation for America as a “first new nation.” Before becoming president, George Washington noted that America’s origins were shaped by intellectual progress and a growing awareness of human rights, making it an opportune time to establish a government.

Also recognizing this unique moment in history, Thomas Paine noted that America represented a fresh start for government, where people could observe its creation firsthand rather than relying on ancient history or guesswork. He wrote, “We are brought at once to the point of seeing government begin, as if we had lived in the beginning of time.”

Washington and Paine could not have anticipated the enduring influence of their contributions. Building upon the legacy of predecessors such as pilgrims, Puritans, patriots, and statesmen, they and their contemporaries played a pivotal role in shaping a foundation for the future. Washington referred to the “singular interpositions of Providence,” which, over millennia, helped establish a political framework ultimately facilitating the “restitution of all things.” Shortly after the Constitutional Convention of 1787 secured fundamental freedoms through the Bill of Rights, Joseph Smith, later known for founding the Restoration movement, was born in Vermont.

Following centuries of meticulous preparation, God was ready to restore his priesthood, his church, its central leadership, and the fullness of the everlasting gospel. The purpose of America was to provide the platform of freedom, the setting wherein all of this was possible. All else takes its power from that one great, central purpose. Noted by Lafayette, and as those who gain knowledge and a testimony of this work will attest, “The welfare of America is closely bound up with the welfare of all mankind.”

In summary, the formation of Western Civilization, the founding of America, and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ can be attributed to two primary factors. Originally, Jesus’ words emerged purely from the Jewish tradition. However, through the machinations of men, many parts of the initial gospel, which included key teachings and covenants, were removed or altered. Secondly, because of what has been lost, many are misled by deception and false traditions. The Book of Mormon plays a central role in the Restoration by reintroducing previously lost teachings intended to benefit people universally.

The Book of Mormon describes America as a land which is choice above all other lands. It is a land reserved for a people who will have Jesus Christ (Jehovah) to be their God. Emphasizing the importance of laws for political and moral order, the book also recounts how two civilizations were destroyed after failing to uphold these standards, highlighting the serious responsibilities that rest upon those living in this promised land.

SUMMARY

Big Idea

The narrative explores the deep significance of sacred places in shaping spiritual, cultural, and national identity, emphasizing how divine guidance and human actions across history set the stage for freedom, faith, and the eventual restoration of the gospel in America.

Key Points

The welfare and destiny of America are intimately linked to the broader spiritual welfare of humanity, supported by the testimonies of influential historical figures.

Places acquire meaning through the experiences and actions that unfold there, becoming sacred due to their spiritual, historical, or personal significance.

Scriptural and historical locations—such as the Garden of Eden, Adam-ondi-Ahman, and sites from the Book of Mormon—are portrayed as pivotal in humanity’s spiritual journey.

Western Civilization and America’s founding were influenced by the ages of Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment, under the direction of Divine Providence.

America’s foundation was uniquely prepared as a place where personal liberty, intellectual progress, pluralism, and religious restoration could flourish, thus facilitating the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the spread of liberty across the globe, and the individual and collective efforts of good people everywhere on behalf of mankind’s general welfare.

The decrees of God warn that whatsoever nation shall possess the promised land shall serve Jesus Christ, or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath comes upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.

Please see: Book of Mormon, 1 Ne. Chapter 13 (pages 23-27).