Being Black in America: Chosen People and the God of Freedom

When the waters of the global flood receded off of the Americas, they became a land of holiness to the Lord. Only those led by the Holy Spirit to the Americas settled these lands. Speaking to an ancient American prophet, Nephi, in 2 Nephi 10:19 in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, God told him:

Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; for it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands. Wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God.

God stipulated that the people living in the Americas should worship Him. He promised the land to the Nephites, who later lost favor with Him for failing to worship properly. Generations later, God led Europeans to the Americas through the ambition of Christopher Columbus. Not a model of perfection, Columbus nevertheless felt the urge to explore, and God used him to bring the attention of the Americas to Europe.

Moroni, the last writer in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, counseled the Europeans and all who would one day settle in the Americas:

For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. (Ether 2:10, 12)

Worship the God of America, and no other nation shall have the power to bring bondage. The only way to destroy America is from internal strife and an irreligious society. This applies to all people who settle here—including those who became slaves.

Charlie Kirk once reminded audiences that “America’s future depended on a generation rooted in Christ, unshakable and unwilling to surrender.” That future is the same covenant Moroni testified of: freedom secured only in Jesus Christ.

This perspective in no way suggests that people of other nations, heritages, or ethnicities cannot be or are not chosen. But it does use scripture to point out the special relationship of the Americas with God—particularly the United States.

Selected: set apart, distinguished, special, or peculiar. (Author’s Definition)

God promised that if the people of the lands of America worship Him, they would not be in bondage. Does that mean that the Americans of African heritage stopped worshiping the God of the Americas in the 1600s?

When Africans first arrived in the Americas, they were not slaves. They were servants, like many others who came under contract, and who later received their freedom after a set period. Over time, however, God allowed Europeans to enact colonial laws that stripped away the rights of Black people born in the United States.

The Whites themselves were in bondage as long as slavery existed, because society could not forget that Black people were human despite laws that placed them in chains.

Many White people had their minds darkened to the whole truth, but God placed it in the hearts of wise men to write inspired documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. With these documents staring back into the soul of America, it was not long before men of conscience stood up for their Black brethren, demanding they be treated equitably.

God promises that if the people of this nation serve Jesus Christ, the nation will be free of bondage, captivity, and dependence on every other nation. If Black Americans serve Jesus Christ, they will be free from bondage (racist disenfranchisement), captivity (unjust imprisonment), and all other nations under heaven (America will again be blessed and admired for her freedom).

Martyred political activist Charlie Kirk once declared, “I’m nothing without Jesus… everything I do incorporates Jesus Christ.” That truth rings beyond politics. It is the covenant Moroni testified of and the promise that freedom in America—whether for White or Black—remains secure only in Christ.

African Blacks have been a hiss and a byword among the Gentile—or non-Jewish—nations of the world in recent generations, especially in Europe. Americans of African descent as a group know what it is to be despised and rejected, to be men and women of sorrow and acquainted with grief. For reasons only God knows, He saw fit to bruise this people. He allowed such treatment. Why?

God tries or tests all of His people. One among many, as this group is, Black Americans are a chosen people—a marked people. Every group that came to the Americas is marked, led here by the Lord—whether by choice or compulsion. Father Lehi said:

I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord. (2 Nephi 1:6)

The land bridge where people are said to have crossed into Alaska? — Led by God.

The Vikings and other groups alleged to have visited the Americas? — Led by God.

The Pilgrims, the Conquistadors, the French, and the slaves of African origin all entered the Americas according to the will of God.

Unfortunately, the Africans who went to the Americas overwhelmingly went by force. They must have loved Africa too much to listen to the promptings of the Spirit to explore, so God used the flawed thinking of others to accomplish His purpose in bringing millions of Africans to the American continents. It may sound frivolous to write, but there is no levity in this estimation.

God requires the mixture of peoples in the Americas that presently exists to fulfill His purpose for humanity. Love God and love each other are directives Jesus extends to all people. Leading diverse nations to the Americas helps in some way to fulfill those two great commands.

America’s future depended on a citizenry rooted in Jesus Christ, unshakable and unwilling to surrender. That future is impossible without the contributions and faith of all Americans, including American Blacks, who remain part of God’s chosen people.

Exile, Suffering, and Deliverance Through Christ

The first generations of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as pioneers heading west, suffered exile and extermination orders before the Lord prospered them. He led them to Utah, where they could foster a culture that enabled them to thrive. Today, members of the Church influence the most august councils in the world.

The Jews suffered exile, slavery, extermination, and much more before the Lord prospered them. Now there exists a powerful nation of Israel. The Gentile nations carved out an inheritance for them in the Middle East.

Black Americans suffered in the United States exile, slavery, and extermination. Alleged secret plots to destroy Black communities in some locations abound—of which I have no proof, though I tend to think them true. The Blacks’ suffering will be rewarded, has been rewarded, and is being rewarded in many ways. Americans of African heritage prosper if they heed the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Slavery beat the hell out of them. The Civil Rights Movement tried to provide remuneration for them. But only Jesus Christ can save them. All of them. Black lives matter to Jesus.

Serving God by Serving Each Other

Blacks of America are not meant to be a separate people when it comes to their blessings in America. They will not receive a country of Black American heritage to govern. That was tried with Liberia. It did not work out well.

Blacks are meant to stay in America and build a nation of promise with the other races of America—all worshipping the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ. The binding document of the United States of America is the Constitution. God provided it for all races and for people of all religions, no matter their heritage, before they became Americans. Serving the God of the land, in this case, means safeguarding the right of each person to worship as they please with full protection under the law. Whatever faith they may hold, we serve the God of this land by serving each other.

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17)

One day, in the due time of the Lord, all faithful people will enjoy one faith. Until that time, we serve the God of the land by being of service to each other.

Charlie Kirk frequently reminded audiences that America’s strength is tied to liberty under God: “Our rights do not come from government, they come from God.” That conviction echoes the Constitution itself and affirms the covenant responsibility of every American.