PROVO, Utah — Elder Ronald A. Rasband remembers attending flag ceremonies as a young Boy Scout. “We took the challenge seriously and trained to accomplish the appropriate challenge,” he said. His mother, as a guard, standard bearer, or color guard commander, “I washed and ironed his uniform, playing that role and learning the role of a patriot.”
Elder Rasband, now a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, recalled saluting the flag and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic it represents, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
“‘One nation, under God,'” he repeated on Sunday, June 28, at the Marriott Center on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. “Those words have remained in my heart and soul for many years.” Elder Rasband was the keynote speaker at the 2026 Patriotic Service of America Freedom Festival.
Quoting 2 Chronicles 13:12, which says, “God himself is with us as our captain,” Elder Rasband said, “Jesus Christ is our captain. , we trust Him to love and uphold our Father’s plan, which includes preserving this promised land, ‘a choice above all other lands’ (Ether 2:10) for the great unfolding of the gospel in the last days.”
“This Promised Land is a stepping stone to eternal life and the presence of God the Father and Jesus Christ if we live faithfully. That’s why it’s called the Promised Land. That’s why we love our country. That’s why we love our Lord and Savior.”
The Promised Land “Preserved for a Righteous People”
“In the Garden of Eden, which we today consider the heartland of America, God the Father and his beloved Son visited Adam and Eve and taught them the gospel,” Elder Rasband said.
Their descendants eventually became so wicked that the Lord cleansed the earth with water. The earth’s surface was “divided into great continents separated by seas, all to protect what was destined to be the Promised Land, which the Lord God kept for a righteous people” (Ether 2:7).
After some time, the Lord brought the Jaredites to this holy land and declared, “They that possess this promised land must serve God, the only true God, from now on and forevermore, or they shall be wiped out when the wrath of God comes upon them” (Ether 2:8).
The Jaredites started out righteous, but eventually they became so wicked that they destroyed the nation. This pattern is seen throughout the Book of Mormon. After Lehi and his family were taken to the Promised Land, their descendants cycled between right and wrong for 1,000 years, culminating in the destruction of the people due to evil.
“The families of Adam and Eve, the Jaredites, and the Nephites were incapable of voluntarily maintaining “goodwill toward others,” Elder Rasband said, citing St. Thomas Aquinas’ definition of “love.” “God did put them in the Promised Land, in a perfect environment, but the evil one crept in and took over.”
God governs the affairs of His children
On June 28, 1787, coincidentally “239 years ago today,” the Continental Congress convened on another day to draft the Constitution. The agreement was suspended several weeks ago due to disagreements, with little progress being made.
Founding Father Benjamin Franklin “rose from his seat during a contentious debate and called on Congress to pray for divine guidance. He reminded those gathered that when the movement began to break with England, it began with prayer, a practice that is still part of Congress today,” Elder Rasband said.
Franklin told Congress, “The longer we live, the more convincing evidence we see of the truth that God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without God’s notice, how could an empire rise without God’s help?”
George Washington, in his first speech as the first president of the United States, expressed gratitude to the Almighty and said, “No people can be more obligated to recognize and worship the invisible hand that governs human affairs than the people of the United States.”
Love “your country and its values”
In a 1775 letter, Washington wrote, “A certain fate…has brought me to this service, and I hope that it will serve some good purpose.”
That “good purpose,” Elder Rasband said, is the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1820, “the Restoration began” after God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in a vision and spoke to him.
Regarding the United States, Elder Rasband said, “Here our Lord intended freedom to be established so that agency would flourish. Here the gospel would take root and then branch out with truth to bless millions. It has always been so in God’s design.”
He quoted Church President Dallin H. Oaks, who wrote in 2022: “Teachings based on faith in God, however defined, have always contributed to moral behavior that benefits the nation as a whole. Religious people will continue to love and serve their neighbors as an expression of their love for God.”
Elder Rasband said religious freedom is under attack as everyone faces resistance, resentment, hostility and cynicism.
“If religion can’t help us develop character or alleviate difficult situations, who can?” he asked. “Who will teach honesty, gratitude, forgiveness, and patience? Who will show charity, compassion, and kindness to the forgotten and downtrodden?”
Elder Rasband concluded by testifying of Jesus Christ and “His amazing love” shown through His Atonement. “I bless you with a sincere and abiding love for all others, for your country and its values, and above all for Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Reflections on American Freedom
Celeste Galbraith of Orem, Utah, told Church News that she felt the love of her Heavenly Father as she recognized the freedom He had given her. “America remains special because God is in charge of our affairs,” said Mr. Galbraith, who was born in the Philippines. “We must trust God. He will guide us.”
She added: “We are very happy to be here, where we have religious freedom and are free to worship.”
Tony Nisse of Provo, Utah, appreciated Elder Rasband’s declaration that the freedoms available in the United States come from the Lord.
“Even before I joined the church as a teenager, I always felt that America was special,” Nisse said. “Now I feel a responsibility to teach my children the special importance of what America represents.”
