To let you know a little about the one behind the creation of this site I share with you a brief introduction of how this all came about...

How learning about Freedom made me Free

Ezra Taft Benson said it well when he said:

“From knowledge comes strength, and from strength comes the power to preserve freedom both at home and abroad…knowledge is strength to a free people.”

Before I had an understanding of the principles of freedom and the constitution I was a slave. I was not a slave compelled by force, but enslaved by my own lack of knowledge; my own ignorance. I was working a dead-end job at the time answering phone calls for a technology company. I often wondered if my life would get any better, if I would ever actually enjoy what I did for a living.

I continued on like this until I was freed by freedom

Early in 2004 I began to take notice of the Presidential race between George W. Bush and John Kerry. This was going to be the first time I had ever voted. At the time I was leaning towards Bush because I knew I didn’t like the ideas of the Democrats, but I still wasn’t even sure if I supported the actions of the Republicans either.

As I was reading online a friend pointed me to a campaign website of a guy he knew that was running for office in Utah. It said that he was running as a 3rd party candidate with the Constitution Party. I had no idea what the Constitution Party was and at that time still had little understanding of the US Constitution.

This Constitution Party candidate’s site then led me to constitutionparty.com for more information about the party and their platform. As I read through the site I found various messages about freedom and a statement that said the Constitution Party (CP) is “what the GOP used to be.”

Everyone loves freedom, right? I think so, but I don’t think we all understand freedom

Here’s where my big “aha moment” came; the moment of realizing that I was living a lie, that I didn’t really know what freedom was, and I didn’t understand the proper role of government. It was also a very spiritual moment for me. I read a story on the CP website titled “Not Yours to Give.”

“Not Yours to Give” is the story of Congressman Davy Crocket and a constituent of his, Horatio Bunce. Mr. Bunce brought to Crocket’s attention that he (and the other representatives) had usurped power and violated the Constitution by giving of the public money in charity (socialistic welfare). Crocket asked for this mans forgiveness and strived to adhere to the Constitution from that point on.

This example was only the beginning. It was a powerful moment for me. I realized that there was so much I didn’t understand about the God's intended role for government in our lives. I was beginning to realize the truth in Moroni’s words in Ether Chapter 8 of the Book of Mormon:

“Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you…For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies…Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved.”

I was awakening to our awful situation…

I began to see the things that Moroni had warned us about. That our freedoms are being destroyed, that the Constitution is hanging by a thread, that Secret Combinations are among us.

I now had a desire to read and to learn more. My dad gave me a copy of a book by Ezra Taft Benson, “The Constitution – A Heavenly Banner”. I then discovered “The Proper Role of Government” also by Ezra Taft Benson. From there I learned that all of the LDS prophets had at least a little to say about freedom, America and the Constitution, and some had a lot to say.

Filling the Void…

I began to form my political philosophy based on the words of the Lords prophets, from Joseph Smith to Gordon B. Hinckley (and now Thomas S. Monson). At that time I was developing my web design skills and decided to create a website based on this newfound knowledge. There were some websites with a little bit of this information but I found nothing comprehensive. As I began to create what is now LatterdayConservative.com, I was searching for anything valuable that I could find online, in books and other sources, bringing them all together into one place. I wanted to share his knowledge because of the freedom I began to feel from knowing it.

Freedom via Truth

How is it that freedom can make a person free? For me, this newfound knowledge of freedom caused me to look at the world differently. I was now living in a completely different paradigm, realizing that truth is not exactly as I thought it was. This opened up my mind to a wealth of new possibilities.

W. Cleon Skousen

My in-laws have known about many of the things I had begun learning, for many years. They told me about W. Cleon Skousen, a relative of theirs. Brother Skousen is a modern-day founding father, and has written many books on the principles of freedom, the Founding Fathers and the Constitution. One day (May, 2005), I was discussing the Iraq war, Bush and other issues with my father-in-law. We started to wonder what Brother Skousen thought about these issues, because of his great expertise, and decided to give him a call. He invited us to come over to his house that Sunday for an opportunity to sit with him and discuss various freedom topics, as well as religion. He allowed me to record the conversation and make it available online. Brother Skousen invited us to come back to his home each Thursday evening to participate in a constitution class he was teaching in his basement. It was such an honor to have that learning experience at the feet of such a great patriot and leader.

From May 2005 up until October 2005 I was dedicated to being at Brother Skousen’s home every Thursday evening. I learned a lot and was able to ask a lot of questions. I also took notes at the meetings and have posted those online for others to read. We were studying in Brother Skousen’s books The Five Thousand Year Leap and The Making of America, so many of my notes were of the things that Brother Skousen said which were not in the books. I didn’t want this experience to end but unfortunately Brother Skousen was already very old (92) and one day in October he fell from a step stool and injured himself. This caused him to become very week and he passed away in January 2006. He is missed, but his legacy lives on.

This was not to be the end of my journey

Brother Skousen had told me about a man named Rick Koerber, who was doing some great things. I discovered that Rick Koerber had a radio show and while I did not agree with everything he said politically, I learned a lot from him regarding economics and the principles of prosperity.

From the principles of Freedom to the principles of Prosperity

My journey began with newfound knowledge of the principles of freedom and led me to path in learning of the principles of prosperity and the free-market. I began to learn a lot from Rick Koerber and others involved in the FreeCapitalist Project and the Producer Revolution. More treasures of knowledge were opening up. This is what finally led me to quitting my dead-end job and doing what I enjoy doing. I created a web design business and have been growing it over the past few years. I’ve also come to realize even more that I am in control of my life, that there is abundance in the world, and that I can be who I want to be; I can accomplish anything I want.

My journey continues

In every aspect of life there are truths waiting to be found. Some things are true whether we believe them or not; it’s up to us to find them, and live them. Along with principles of freedom and prosperity, there are principles of health and principles that govern other aspects of our life, such as social and spiritual.

In the scripture we find promises that pertain to this very thing:

“And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures…” [D&C 89]

“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” [D&C 130]

“And if thou wilt inquire, thou shalt know mysteries which are great and marvelous; therefore thou shalt exercise thy gift, that thou mayest find out mysteries, that thou mayest bring many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, convince them of the error of their ways.” [D&C 6]

I know I am not perfect but with this knowledge I am free, and with this freedom I strive to become better each day.