Since an article we did about Steven Lloyd Neal was the best-read article on Meridian in 2020, many of you have heard about his more than 25 years of effort to create a massive sculpture park dedicated to the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ, and the covenant on the Americas. It will especially focus on the importance of liberty and is called the Monument of the Americas.
This sculpture park will be on 10 acres of land, beginning with more than 50 bronze sculptures and featuring multiple figures, along with a series of expansive bas-relief panels that tell the story of the Book of Mormon. This will all be funded by donation. It will be free to the public. The surprise location will be disclosed tomorrow.
At the center of that park is a magnificent sculpture called The Title of Liberty. We have asked Steven Neal if Meridian readers could fund that statue, to bear our testimony that we have known, we have seen, and we are full of faith in the Book of Mormon. It is our way to stand up in a sagging world and say in bronze, “This I believe in. This I know.” It is another way of saying, “I will stand for freedom”.
In a world where people are tearing down statues, won’t you join us in erecting a breath-taking one that celebrates freedom, our values and our Savior?
Be one of the early contributors to the Title of Liberty from Meridian. We have a generous Meridian reader who will match up to $250,000 in donations from Meridian Magazine. Let’s do this. Click here.
Here is a video of Neal working on the Title of Liberty.
Dr. Neal describes the Title of Liberty this way: “The first thing an observer notices is usually the juxtaposition of George Washington and Moroni. I did this because of the many similarities. One specific parallel: Washington had his own Moroni moment. It occurred on the eve of December 31, 1776. What soldiers remained in the Continental Army were scheduled for discharge the very next day. Most of them had a two-year enlistment period and had ample reason to return home. It had been hell.
“On that day Washington was mounted on his large white stallion named Blueskin. The command sounded, ‘As the drums roll, those desiring to re-enlist will step forward!’
The drums rolled but no one stepped forward. Washington turned on his horse and slowly walked away. But he stopped and came back. He then said, ‘My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do. And more than could be reasonably expected, but your country is at stake, your wives, your house, and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigue and hardships, but we know not how to spare you.’
“He rallied the men with his words and one at first, then another, then the better part stepped forward and re-enlisted. The War for Independence came very close to dying that day but revived again because of the words of one inspired man! There will be bronze plaques that bear Moroni’s words and Washington’s words.
Will you step forward and generously contribute to the Title of Liberty Statue? Your donation will be matched by a generous Meridian reader. This will be a monument to the faith of Meridian readers. CLICK HERE to donate now.
“Other soldiers of other eras are sculpted into the piece representing the thousands and hundreds of thousands of men and women willing to sacrifice and die to protect our freedom. Besides the Revolutionary War, represented by Washington, the other major wars are there too. A black soldier from the Civil War is seen dressed in both the South and the North uniforms.
“I took a figure pushing up the flag photographed on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, and inserted him into the sculpture pushing up the Title of Liberty.
“The fourth figure is kneeling at the base of the banner steadying the pole. The model for that figure is Andrina Taylor, a patient of mine who fought in Desert Storm. I had her pose in her uniform for this piece.
“Continuing around this 360-degree Title of Liberty, one sees Columbia or Lady Liberty as found on top of the capitol dome in Washington DC. She is delivering into Washington’s hands, the infant Republic of America. That infant has his/her right fist, grasping the Title of Liberty, which also has the vestiges of America’s flag of the Revolution—Old Glory. Nobody seems to pick up on it until I point it out that the slain dragon of tyranny is also present. Moroni‘s foot is on its throat. The whole dragon is there right down to its tail. And what is stuck in its tail? The Title of Liberty!
“This massive sculpture will sit on a four-foot pedestal making it 25 feet from the tip of Moroni’s sword to the ground. Washington is 12 feet tall and the other figures accordingly. This plaza will be rimmed by what I call, “The Circle of Heroes “, or “The Court of Remembrance”. Any person with a loved one who has done something for liberty or can be remembered as one who believes in and sustains liberty may obtain permission to put a bust or a bronze plaque or remembrance that memorializes them in the Park.
“This is also where a bronze or stone wall is placed bearing the names of “We Stand for Freedom”. It is a place where I will inscribe my own name and all others who care enough about freedom to leave this shrine to our children and our children’s children. Thus, we will continue to grow the legacy of freedom in America.”
Your name could be on this wall if you make a $250 donation. As Meridian readers, together we can do something significant. Yet, what matters most is the feeling in your heart that you have done something for the cause of liberty and Christ’s covenant upon this land. You can give generations a place to contemplate. You can give generations a sense of freedom.
You can give the money that will make this statue possible and this generation and those that follow can come to a sacred place and remember the Title of Liberty and all that it stands for.
I want to stand for freedom and liberty and the Title of Liberty. Click here to donate.
Remember Those Who Stood for Freedom. We can do the Same
Neal wrote this about freedom, “Nearly all depictions of Moroni with the Title of Liberty are set in his own era, usually with his fellow citizens rushing and throwing their own garments at his feet. My rendition is a whole new take on the story. Moroni’s story may have stirred the spirits of the people in his own time, but it continues on to this very day. And as far as I can tell, it will do so indefinitely because the drive for freedom in humans is very strong.
“Curiously, we live in a day and age when patriotism is perhaps at an all-time low in our country. With ease and wealth comes apathy. It seems freedom is taken for granted. We don’t remember the days our fathers were in captivity so there is no threat. Or so it seems. But daily the forces of tyranny take away our freedom an inch at a time. President Ronald Reagan said, ‘Freedom is only one generation away from extinction.’
I will not let freedom go extinct. I want to help raise the money (to be matched by a generous Meridian reader donor) to make the Title of Liberty become a reality. CLICK HERE to donate now.
“Quoting Lincoln from an address he gave early in his career in Springfield, Illinois:
‘This task of gratitude to our fathers, justice to ourselves, duty to posterity, and love for our species in general, all imperatively require us faithfully to perform.
‘How then shall we perform it?–At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it?– Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never!–All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.
‘At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reaches us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.’ “ (The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions: Lincoln’s Address Before the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois January 27, 1838)
I want to help keep freedom and liberty alive by contributing to the Title of Liberty fund. I understand my donation will be matched by a generous donor up to $250,000. Click here to donate now.
Steven Lloyd Neal asserts, “As members of the Church and believers in the Book of Mormon, we have great fervor for freedom, and for the founding of this country which we know was divine. The scripture for America is the Book of Mormon. The voice of Deity there proclaims our heritage. That is where the prophecies and promises about its founding are very specific. Prophets in our own dispensation have likewise echoed the words in 1 Nephi 13, speaking of our founding fathers were “noble spirits raised up by God for this very purpose.” (See Doctrine and Covenants 101:77-80) As members of the Church and citizens of this blessed nation, we have a responsibility to uphold and defend our freedom. God’s great plan of happiness requires freedom to choose!
“The Title of Liberty will be the most massive sculpture in the park and the largest bronze sculpture in Utah. It has to be large. It is bigger than all of us and requires all of us to nurture it, protect it and pass it on to the next generation!”
The Statue in the Park
Neal continued. “Imagine yourself, stepping down from the back stairs of the visitor center and looking up the gradual slope of the manicured garden and sculptures of the Monument Park. To the left and above the visitor’s center will be “The Title of Liberty” facing west and shining in the afternoon sun. It is the principal figure reigning over the American Covenant Garden, one of two gardens comprising the Monument of the Americas. The purpose of that garden is to illustrate and reveal the seemingly ignored deep religious convictions and intentions of our Founding Fathers and colonizing first Americans, which are greatly maligned today.
Please count me in to help fund the Title of Liberty Statue and its landscaping and setting. I want to stand for liberty in these darkening times. CLICK HERE to donate.
“The Mayflower Pact was a religious covenant made between God and colonizing believers who saw themselves similar to a branch of Israel founding a new society in a new land on Christian principles.
“These traditions became a government which ultimately became the United States through similar principles enshrined in the Declaration and the Constitution. This is a far cry from the 1619 tradition of less godly people who introduced slavery in parts of America, which system is at odds with the prevailing Puritan roots of democracy under God. These founding heroes will be sculpted in bronze with accompanying historical quotes and explanations in bronze to help us remember their words and their sacrifice. It will be a perfect place for school and church excursions.
“Many others who made sacrifices for freedom will be in this garden, and Steve Neal believes, “Taken altogether, I foresee that this endeavor will result in a more complete presentation of the inspired and prophesied founding of the United States and of freedom in America. We artists and builders of this Monument desire it to present a more inspired and thus accurate explanation than one can get by going to the Monuments of Washington DC where much of the religious content and background has been expunged or ignored. We feel it restores a Divine view of the role of America and its destiny—and refutes the notion that our Founding was flawed.”
As Meridian readers, we can fund the casting of the Title of Liberty. It is an expensive project, but if, together, we could donate $250,000 toward this work, we will have done something significant. And remember, your money, up to $250,000 will be matched by a very generous Meridian reader.
To donate now, please CLICK HERE. All of your donations are completely tax deductible. Checks can be sent to 1092 Skyline Drive, Pendleton, OR, 97801. Make a check to Monument of the Americas.
Tell your friends about it. We’ll be tracking to see how well we can do.
I believe we can donate and stand for our values in a lasting legacy to freedom and the covenant the Lord placed upon this nation.
Paul HOctober 23, 2023
Where is this statuary park located? (The article asking for donations doesn't say.)
Scot ProctorOctober 23, 2023
The links have now been updated to the correct campaign. Thank you!