Introductory Info - for latecomers

Like me many of you have probably wondered, while listening to discussions on the economic "crisis," what principles our leaders are using to make their decisions. Determining what is right for America is complicated, but unlike many in our country, we do have some eternal guiding principles to turn to.
Doctrine &Covenants 98:4 - 10 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them. And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil. I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.
Also see the entire D&C section 134 (the declaration of belief regarding governments and laws), Alma 43:9 and 46:9-16 (the title of liberty), Ephesians 6:12 (spiritual wickedness in high places), 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (pray for our leaders, that we may live a quiet and peaceable life).

Several of us have been talking about having a book club focusing on books about government, economics, and American history. The format of the club could be a once-a-month meeting at someone’s home or we can post this blog our thoughts and debate and ask questions.
Most of the books that we could read on these subjects are online – no need to even go to the library. For the longer works we would just do a few selected chapters.

DISCLAIMER: The church’s policy is to avoid officially backing any party or candidate. This book club should do that as well. The point is to search for PRINCIPLES to base our decisions on. But just to be on the safe side, this will not be an official Relief Society Enrichment activity group.

LATER: Regarding the group format, it seems that most people would like to meet monthly or every-other month, and some are also interested in the blog. So I vote that we do both, meeting every-other month and having the blog for the in-between month -- there would also be a designated blog date so that we all have a "due date" for putting in our two-cents about the readings.
No one had any votes on where we begin, except to say that they were interested in the LDS authors. So how about this: let's begin at the top, with the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. Jen Wall said she is looking into a book or a class syllabus that could help us through the tough and dry parts, but it doesn't hurt to jump in. And let's do Ezra Taft Benson's essay "The Proper Role of Government." This is about 20 to 30 pages of reading all together, so that doesn't seem like too much does it?
I'd like to make the recommendation that we write down thoughts and questions that we have on what we read, and share them at our meetings. This will make the meetings more profitable than just coming and saying, "Ummm, what did you think of it -- I can't remember much."
Reading, discussing, and writing are at the core of an education. I have read two great books (both available at the library) on how to do this, which I highly recommend: The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, by Susan Wise-Bauer (published 2003), and How to Read a Book, by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren (published 1940). Susan Wise-Bauer is absolutely brilliant - I've met her - and her book is intelligent and entertaining. Here is are some of her thoughts on reading difficult books:
"Sustained, serious reading is at the center of the self-educational project.... Reading alone allows us to reach out beyond the restrictions of time and space, to take part in what Mortimer Adler has called the "Great Conversation" of ideas that began in ancient times and has continued unbroken to the present.... But sustained and serious reading has always been a difficult project -- even before the advent of television.... Because we can read the newspaper or Time or Stephen King without difficulty, we tend to think that we should be able to go directly into Homer or Henry James without any further preparation. And when we stumble, grow confused or weary, we take this as proof of our mental inadequacy: We'll never be able to read the Great Books....
(What's missing in the education that most of us received) is training in the art of reading. The methods of classical education are at your disposal.
'Some books are to be tasted,' wrote sixteenth-century philosopher Francis Bacon, 'others are to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.' In the classical school, learning is a three-part process. First, taste: Gain basic knowledge of your subject. Second, swallow: Take the knowledge into your own understanding by evaluating it. Is it valid? Is it true? Why? Third, digest: Fold the subject into your own understanding. Let it change the way you think -- or reject it as unworthy. Taste, swallow, digest; find out the facts, evaluate them, form your own opinion."
She then goes on to give detailed suggestions on how to tackle great books in all the genres, along with her thoughts and evaluations of a large list of books.
How to Read a Book is also excellent -- here is a list of some of the chapters just to give you an idea: The First Level of Reading: Elementary Reading, The Second Level of Reading: Inspectional Reading (How to be a Demanding Reader), The Third Level of Reading: Analytical Reading (Pigeonholing a Book, X-raying a Book, Determining an Author's Message), The Fourth Level of Reading: Syntopical Reading -- along with chapters on how to read social science, philosophy, science and mathematics, history, stories and plays, imaginative literature, and practical books.
BACK TO THE POINT... You may want to read the essay or book, writing down ideas, questions, and new thoughts that come to you. Then you can share these with everyone at the meeting or post them on the blog. But don’t let that intimidate you. But even if you don’t do the reading or writing, partaking of others’ thoughts will be beneficial.

Descriptions of some of the suggested books

All of these books are fabulous, but feel free to add to the list.
Anything That's Peaceful will change how you view society, at least that's what it did for me and everyone I know who has read it (my teenagers, other family members, and friends). Leonard Read, past president of the Foundation for Economic Education, was a profound thinker who devoted himself to the cause of liberty. He reasons from a premise that sounds very LDS: that the reason we are here on earth is to BECOME, to realize our creative powers and put ourselves "into as near a harmony with Infinite Consciousness as is within the power of each." He then shows how the more the government involves itself in the affairs of society, the less people are able to control their own destinies and fulfill their creative drives. ONLINE
The Law is a little book written by Frederic Bastiat. He was a French philosopher, politician, and economist in the early 1800s, who spoke and wrote vehemently against the rise of socialism. His arguments are amazingly logical; impossible to argue with. He was quoted a lot by Ezra Taft Benson in his writings and speeches. ONLINE
The Five Thousand Year Leap - A Miracle that Changed the World, is by W. Cleon Skousen (a great LDS scholar.) This book explains the 28 principles of American government that took civilization from horses and plows to the moon in less than 200 years. We are currently reading the book and watching a video series that accompanies it in our homeschool, and really enjoying it. I see that on the web site they are offering the book, which is normally $19.95, for $5 if you buy ten or more. I am interested in doing this, and if you want a copy, let me know. This book is not available at the library (though they do have some of his son Mark's books on economics.)
I love Albert Marrin's history books. They are vividly written (sometimes a bit too vivid for me) and really move along. There are 29 different titles in the Fairfax County library system, and 24 copies of The War for Independence : the Story of the American Revolution

Welcome to our blog!

This is a place where we can all check on the current reading, suggest what book to do next, post our thoughts, ask questions, and find out where and when the next get-together will be. I hope we will be able to have fun getting to know new people and enjoying their society, and also learning new things -- holding up our old ideas and scrutinizing them to see if they are true and valid. I'm sure we'll have to agree to disagree at times, but we're all adults and we'll still be friends. It's a crucial time to be studying these topics, and I'm pleased that there is a lot of interest in them.