Wounds and differences can be resolved and even healed when we honor God, the Father of us all, and Jesus Christ, His Son.
"This is not a call for doctrinal compromises but rather a plea for unity and cooperation on strategy and advocacy toward our common goal of religious liberty for all."
Message delivered to the Senate of the Republic of Mexico while participating in the Second Inter-American Forum for Interreligious Dialogue and Collaboration on Religious Freedom
While Church commitment to religious liberty understandably includes current, American, and political elements, a purpose of my remarks today is to place Latter-day Saint championing of religious liberty in a broader historical and global perspective.
"[The] restoration of the fulness of Christian doctrine teaches us that God created and put His children on Earth to grow spiritually by making right choices between good and evil consistent with His commandments. Freedom of choice is, therefore, fundamental to God’s plan.”
“We should accept the reality that we are fellow citizens who need each other."
The practice of religious freedom — by governments, societies and individuals — is a tutorial in how to respect, protect and even love others despite our differences.
Joseph supported the participation in the democratic process of those who might vote contrary to what even he would have wanted. He took a principled stand, anyone who qualifies, under law, to participate should be encouraged to do so, especially minorities, religious or other.
Then, as now, Latter-day Saints wanted American democratic rights promised in the Constitution to be more than a myth. As a leading evangelical theologian recently stated, the Latter-day Saints in the United States “just want a place at the American table.
Our belief in divine inspiration gives Latter-day Saints a unique responsibility to uphold and defend the United States Constitution and principles of constitutionalism.
We discover our dignity in relating with others. Only upon this foundation of human dignity can mutual trust exist.
… how secular officials understand religion and religious people deeply influences how they treat religious institutions and believers in a time of crisis. The deeper and more respectful the understanding, the more legitimate and effective public policy responses can be.
The COVID-19 crisis has presented us with a unique opportunity to reaffirm and shore up religious freedom.
There is no better demonstration of the great benefits associated with religious liberty than for devoted members of various faiths who feel accountable to God to model principles of integrity, morality, service, and love. As others see the goodness of individuals and families—goodness that is founded in strong faith and character—they will be much more likely to speak up in defense of the religious freedoms that allow us to be who we are.