I was first introduced the idea of studying political science in high school. I signed up for AP Government not because I had any intention of taking the exam, but because I wanted to learn more about politics and stretch my mind a little bit. Getting into that class was a challenge, but I knew what I wanted to learn and where I needed to be. Mr. Sherwin opened each class with a funny story about some politician or some ridiculous law and showed that political science was not all about memorizing dates and court cases. I began to learn to think critically about my rights and the rights of others. I began to look into the different political parties.
In college I first majored in sociology, because I liked learning about groups of people, but I didn't know the specifics. I changed the political science after I narrowed down my interests. Now I'm happy with my major. I feel challenged every day. I get motivated to pursue a life in the political sphere because so many of the students in my classes do not understand the purpose of our Constitution.
I truly believe this document is inspired of our Heavenly Father. I know that the writers were directed by the Holy Ghost and that the signers were also influenced by the Spirit. Every word was carefully chosen. I once heard from a friend that the Constitution was outdated and that it needed to be changed to fit our day. What she didn't realize is that the Constitution can never be outdated because it is not a list of laws that can change over time, but an outlining of human rights. She failed to see the difference between rights and legislation. Rights are given to everyone and given from Heavenly Father. Legislation comes from man, and is not everlasting and is only created to benefit a person or group.
I've noticed that our Heavenly Father gives us the agency to do a lot of things, even things he has forbidden. The gospel is perfect, but we still have our agency. My belief is that our Constitution is perfect as written, and that our founding fathers gave us the option of amending it because we would not be free if they did not give us that liberty, or agency. Just as we would not be free if our Heavenly Father did not allow us to choose to follow His gospel. So while we have the choice to change the Constitution, should we? My opinion is no, we should not change it, because any attempt to change the Constitution would limit our agency one way or another. It is best to leave this document, this scripture, as Heavenly Father intended it to be.
My goal is studying political science is to better understand our Constitution, and it's relation to gospel principles. I know that by sticking to this document, everyone can experience the utmost agency and liberty possible. We are better able to be self-sufficient and care for our family. We can experience joy and freedoms we otherwise would not have if Heavenly Father had not raised these men up for the purpose of writing our Constitution (D&C 101:80).
Awesome conference talk by Pres. Ezra Taft Benson:
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