by Elizabeth Nielson
On Saturday, September 8, the Church held a fireside concerning religious freedom. The fireside took place in Columbus and was broadcast live to all stakes in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.
The speakers included Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Lance B. Wickman, Sister Hannah Smith, and Brother Alexander Dushku. They discussed current threats to religious freedom and ways that members of the Church can work together collectively to protect that freedom for all people.
From the church’s website we learn the definition of religious freedom:
“Freedom of religion is a basic principle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a fundamental human right. Moral agency, the ability to choose right from wrong and to act for ourselves, is essential to God’s plan of salvation. Religious freedom ensures that people can exercise their agency in matters of faith.”
Elder Wickman emphasized that we must learn some specific truths in relation to that definition:
1. Religious freedom embraces not only the right to freely worship but also to speak and act based on one’s religious beliefs.
2. Freedom of religion protects not only individuals but also the religious organizations that make faith communities possible.
3. Religious freedom is not absolute
4. Latter-day saints believe in defending the religious freedom of others just as readily as their own.
“The work of the Lord is growing,” said Elder Wickman. “The Lord is hastening His work in His time, and defending and protecting religious freedom is an important part of that latter-day work.”
After a presentation and discussion led by Sister Smith and Brother Dushku, Elder Stevenson spoke. He said, “Religious freedom is vital because it protects our agency to exercise faith in Jesus Christ and to follow him.”
“We need to understand that we stand up for everyone’s rights. Extremes on both sides are counterproductive. We can’t let anyone think that freedom of religion is a free pass to discriminate.”
Elder Stevenson finished his remarks with a Call to Action.
1. Get informed. (“Learn about the issues and be wise.”)
2. Get involved. (“Lift where you stand. Be a good neighbor to others. Don’t be dramatic or join extreme organizations. Vote. Volunteer. Seek the spirit about where to start on a local level.”)
3. Be civil and advocate for fairness for all. (“We must be Christlike. There is not a qualification in the Lord’s kingdom for race or color or ethnicity or wealth or gender or sexuality or religion. The Lord is no respecter of persons. All are alike unto him.”)
4. Live the gospel. (“The gospel brings us joy and as we live the gospel, people will be drawn to us. We should be ‘an example of the believers’ and when we live the gospel, other people of faith will want to help us as we want to help them.”)
President Talley attended the broadcast and later shared his thoughts on religious freedom for the benefit of this newsletter. “Freedom of religion is an essential tenet of our own beliefs as Latter-day Saints, found in the Articles of Faith: ‘We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.’ One of the ways we best promote religious freedom is not only to respect the wide diversity of faiths in this country, but to interact with and understand the religious views of others. I am gratified that Latter-day Saints in our stake have been quite active in this endeavor, particularly through our membership in the Akron Area Interfaith Council.”
Learn more about religious freedom: https://www.lds.org/religious-freedom
Get more specifics on becoming involved: https://www.lds.org/religious-freedom/get-involved/10-ways-to-protect-religious-freedom
Akron Ohio Stake News 