Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Fall of Adam?

Article of Faith 2

   We believe that men will be punished for their own sins,

                    and not for Adam’s transgression.

 This essay will begin a discussion about the Fall of Adam and Eve and the second article in my series on the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, before discussing the Fall, we should lay a proper foundation for the conditions under which Adam made his decision.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches as doctrine that Heavenly Father bestowed upon His spirit children certain inalienable rights while in the spirit world. Moral agency, or freedom to choose, is one of those rights. Elder James E. Talmage explained this doctrine as follows (Articles of Faith [1890], 52-55).

The Church teaches as a strictly scriptural doctrine, that man has inherited among the inalienable rights conferred upon him by his divine Father, freedom to choose the good or the evil in life, to obey or disobey the Lord’s commands, as he may elect. This right cannot be guarded with more jealous care than is bestowed upon it by God Himself; for in all His dealings with man He has left the mortal creature free to choose and to act, without compulsion or restraint beyond the influences of paternal counsel and direction. True, He has given commandments and has established statutes, with promises of blessings for compliance and penalties for infraction; but in the choice of these, men are untrammeled. In this respect, man is no less free than are the angels except as he fettered himself with the bonds of sin and forfeited his power of will and force of soul. The individual has as full a measure of capability to violate the laws of health, the requirements of nature, and the commandments of God in matters both temporal and spiritual, as he has to obey all such; in the one case he brings upon himself the penalties that belong to the broken law; as in the other he inherits the specific blessings and the added freedom that attend a law-abiding life. Obedience to law is the habit of the free man; the transgressor fears the law, for he brings upon himself deprivation and restraint, not because of the law, which would have protected him in his freedom, but because of his antagonism to law. [Emphasis added.]

The predominant attribute of justice, recognized as part of the divine nature, forbids the thought that man should receive promises of reward for righteousness, and threats of punishment for evil deeds, if he possessed no power of independent action. It is no more a part of God’s plan to compel men to work righteousness than it is His purpose to permit evil powers to force His childr4en into sin…. [Emphasis added.]

A knowledge of good and evil is essential to the advancement that God has made possible for His children to achieve; and this knowledge can be best gained by actual experience, with the contrasts of good and its opposite plainly discernible. Therefore has man been placed upon earth subject to the influence of good and wicked powers, with a knowledge of the conditions surrounding him, and the heaven-born right to choose for himself….

Samuel, a converted Lamanite [taught:] “for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death” (Helaman 14:30).

When the plans for creating and peopling the earth were under discussion in heaven, Lucifer [Satan; the devil] sought to destroy the free [moral] agency of man by obtaining power to force the human family to do his will, promising the Father that by such means he would redeem all mankind so that no one of them should be lost. This proposition was rejected, while the original purpose of the Father – to use persuasive influence of wholesome precept and sacrificing example with the inhabitants of the earth, then to leave them free to choose for themselves – was agreed upon; and the one to be known as the Only Begotten Son was chosen as the chief instrument in carrying that purpose into effect.

Heavenly Father gave each son and daughter an important and power gift when He bestowed moral agency upon everyone. However, the gift came with responsibility. Elder Talmage explained as follows (Articles of Faith [1890], 55-57.

Man’s Accountability for his individual acts is as complete as is his agency to elect for himself. The ultimate result of good deeds is happiness, the consequence of evil is misery; these follow in every man’s life by inviolable laws. There is a plan of judgment divinely foreordained, by which every man will be called to answer for his deeds; and not for deeds alone but for his words also and even for the thoughts of his heart…. John the Revelator was permitted to learn in vision something of the scenes connected with the last judgment; he wrote: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works….”

The execution of judgment is not always made to follow the acts of men immediately; good deeds may not be at once rewarded, nor evil be peremptorily punished; and this is according to divine wisdom, for were it otherwise the test of individual character and the trial of human faith, for which purposes this mortal probation was primarily ordained, would be greatly lessened: as the certainty of immediate pleasure or pain would largely determine human acts to secure the one and avoid the other. Judgment, therefore, is postponed, that every one may prove himself, the good man increasing in righteousness, and the evil-doer having opportunity for repentance and reparation….

It is the prerogative of Jesus Christ to judge mankind, and He will do it as His own purposes, which are the purposes of His Father, may be best served….

All the above information can be summarized as follows: Heavenly Father desires all His children to return to His presence to live with Him for eternity. However, He will not force any of His children to do so. In other words, He desires us to want to be with Him because we love Him –not out of duty or out of fear, but out of love. Wanting to be with Him is different than simple obedience to His commandments. If we genuinely love Him with all our heart, mind, might, and strength, we will live our lives in such a way that we will be worthy of returning to His presence. The choice is ours, but He stands ready to help us in repenting of our sins and overcoming our weaknesses.

 

  

Is America in a Revolution or a Counterrevolution?

Americans hear of revolutions and counterrevolutions in foreign lands but never consider they are happening inside the United States. Victor David Hanson says that America has “been in aggressive revolutionary cycle for about 50 years.” He explained that “most of the Democratic Party, and now the radical elements” have been striving for revolution. 

Hanson says that they are now accelerating their efforts “to accelerate that efforts as emblemized by the democratic socialists to take control of government, expand it, redistribute income so that many people in blue states especially are paying over 10% of their income, in addition to 38% of their federal tax or two or three percent in Obamacare tax and other add-ons.” Hanson continued as follows.

… And the welfare state, which has distributed over twenty trillion dollars since this started under the Great Society, is getting bigger and bigger, at least until Donald Trump.

And this progressive revolution doesn’t believe in borders. It has let in – we have now 53 million people that were not born in the United States, and in California, it’s over a quarter of the population. It’s all-time high percentage-wise, 16% foreign-born….

And so, the progressive project has given us a real revolution. We never imagined that there were going to be more than two genders or sexes. We never imagined that they would try to normalize biological men taking over women’s sports or dressing among young teenage girls. We never imagined that.

We never imagined that prosecutors would let out career felons who had committed violent acts the same day they were arrested. We didn’t know we were gonna empty the prisons because we felt that punishment, penal punishment was too mean.

We never really felt that our only real democratic country and ally in the Middle East, Israel, we would try to disassociate ourselves, and we would try to romanticize terrorists like Hamas.

But what I’m getting at, this was the progressive project. It was anti-American, it was anti-Western, and it glorified other modes of civilization, so to speak: socialism, communism, anarchism. And it was very critical of the very society who had enriched most Americans.

I say most – the middle class of America is the largest middle class in the world and the most affluent, and our poor are better off than most middle class and upper middle class in other places.

It’s important to remember that there has not been a counter-revolution. Ronald Reagan was the first and really last Republican president that had an economic counterrevolution. It was quite successful. He lowered the tax rate. He deregulated the economy, and by 1983-84, he was growing the economy at 7% GDP growth.

And then, of course, that was watered down in subsequent years. But the two Bushes, candidates like John McCain, Bob Dole, Mitt Romney, their agenda was to slow down the revolution, but not to try to overturn it….

And then came Donald Trump.

He was not – he’s surely not a revolutionary. We were in the middle of a revolution, but he was not a trimmer either. He was a true counterrevolutionary.

The first term, he was not familiar with Washington. He made appointments with people who did not agree with him – not just they did not agree with his methodology, but they didn’t agree with his counter-revolutionary agenda.

But it was still in places working. And what was the result? The result was COVID-19 and the COVID-19 lockdown, and it was aborted.

The second time he came around, he tried to finish the counterrevolution. So he pretty much demolished the subsidies for green energy and re-emphasized oil and gas production, and we became the greatest producer of oil and gas in the history of civilization.

[Trump] sort of said, “We’re not going to regulate AI and robotics, cryptocurrency, genetic engineering, drone. We’re not gonna legislate them out of business. We’re not gonna have antitrust and complete investigations of all these people. We’re gonna promote it. We’re going to promote these new innovations and new technologies.”

And lo and behold, we’re ahead of the Chinese in almost all of them now….

[Trump] did away with DEI [in the military] …. All of a sudden, we have met all of our recruitment figures….

[Trump] said, “I’m going to finish the wall [on the border]. I’m not gonna let anybody stop me. This time there’s going to be a wall, and we are going to deport people. We’re gonna deport a million people in my first year, and we’re gonna make sure a million others self-deport, and we’re gonna go after 500,000 with criminal records.” …

[Trump] went down and basically threatened Panama that we would take over the canal unless they honored our Panama Canal treaty and expelled the Chinese from trying to control the entry and exists of the canal.

[Trump] said to [Nicolas] Maduro, “You better stop because you’re exporting terror and communism and bullying your neighbors.”

[Maduro] didn’t, and Trump extradited him and ended that threat.

And now as we look at Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, I could go on, they’re mostly center right.

So, [Trump] staged a strong counterrevolution by reinforcing the Monroe Doctrine that had been rejected by the Left, and he made South America and Central America now a free market and, for the most part, a society that’s pro-American, with some notable exceptions.

For example, in Nicaragua, a beleaguered Daniel Ortega and a beleaguered Castroite government in Cuba that are both now for the first time in years isolated.

In addition to that, [Trump] made our allies stronger. He used unorthodox methods….

But nonetheless, he said to our allies, “We’re not gonna be in NATO unless you’re real NATO members. You’re not NATO members. You’re not arming yourself. You’re not abiding by your commitments.”

Same held true to Canada. And lo and behold, now we have much stronger allies, and the alliance is stronger than ever.

What am I getting at? Donald Trump is not a revolutionary. He’s a counterrevolutionary. And what is he trying to do? He’s trying to undo the entire half-century progressive project within four years. That’s an impossible task. And yet he’s trying to do it.

[Trump is] the first authentic counterrevolutionary since Andrew Jackson.

Who Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders?

My VIP for this week is Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. According to Star Parker Sanders “really care[s] about children and families, put[s] learning as their priority, and let[s] th4e marketplace work to give parents freedom to choose what they see as best for their kids.” 

Under the leadership of Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas set up its Education Freedom Accounts program, establishing a platform through which parents have available scholarship funding to use to choose where to send their children to school.

Data is now coming in for the program, now in its second year.

Per a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, students participating in the Education Freedom Account program “outperformed nearly 60% of students nationwide in math and English on standardized assessments.”

Further, per the report, there are almost 50,000 students now using these accounts and 81% of K-12 parents support the program – up 20 points from 2023.

The Education Freedom Accounts provided $6,684-$7,627 to each student for educational expenses.

Blue New York state has not opted in to the Education Freedom Tax Credit.

Investor Jeff Yass noted in the Wall Street Journal that, despite New York City spending $42,000 per student in its public schools, scores in math and reading are dismal.

Yass suggests to New York City socialist mayor Mamdani that the $42,000 be split in half, giving a scholarship voucher worth $21,000 for each child and the other $21,000 into a savings account in the child’s name. After 13 years, when the child graduates [from] high school, there would be $300,000 accumulated – assuming a paltry 2% annual interest rate – for college.

We celebrate America’s 250^th birthday with joy, even though a lot is not what it should or could be.

Freedom is precious and magnificent because it leaves the door perpetually open for renewal.

One party, Democrats, thinks that freedom is the problem.

Republicans know that freedom is the answer.

Young new Republican leaders such as Sanders are shining examples of the great potential ahead.

What Is the SAVE Database?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns election integrity and clean voter rolls. According to an article written by Fred Lucas and published at The Daily Signal, the federal government – the Department of Homeland Security—has a database to help identify dead people and noncitizens who are registered to vote. The program is the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. 

Using the SAVE database, twenty-five states have “identified hundreds of thousands of dead people and noncitizens registered to vote.” However, only ten states “have fully processed the voter data through the … SAVE database.”

SAVE is primarily used by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to verify eligibility for government benefits. The Trump administration made it available to states to cross-reference voter registration data.

So far, 25 states have cross-checked more than 68 million voter registration records through SAVE and found 28,000 noncitizens and 400,000 dead people registered to vote. As more states finalize the process, the number will likely grow.

Among just those 10 states that completely process their voter data through the SAVE system, they found more than 10,000 noncitizens and more than 360,000 dead people on the voter rolls, according to DHS.

A DHS memo says, “These states are serious about ensuring that only US citizens vote in US elections.”

Georgia, in using the SAVE system, found that 2,540 noncitizens had at some point registered to vote. It also found 42,776 deceased people on the rolls….

Several other of the 10 states that completed the process corroborated the numbers referenced in the DHS memo.

Ohio identified only 769 noncitizens on the voter rolls, but 59,774 dead people were listed….

North Carolina’s review determined 34,622 deceased people and 1,599 noncitizens were on the voter rolls….

In Texas, the nation’s second-most populous state, there are 111,573 dead people and 2,296 noncitizens on the voter rolls, according to DHS.

Louisiana had 15,231 dead people on the voter rolls, and 419 noncitizens, according to DHS….

Alabama, using the SAVE system, found 33,165 dead people on the rolls, and 465 noncitizens, according to DHS.

Missouri had 10,660 dead people registered to vote, and 1,112 noncitizens. Kansas has 10,197 dead registered voters and 449 noncitizens on the voter lists, according to DHS.

Idaho had 4,328 dead people on the voter rolls and 49 noncitizens.

Why Does God Require Humility and Obedience?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to 2 Chronicles 14-20; 26; 30 in a lesson titled “Our Eyes Are upon Thee.” The following information introduced the lesson. 

The Kingdom of Judah was surrounded. Armies from three powerful enemy nations were all advancing at once, prepared for battle. In this desperate moment of need, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, turned to the King of heaven and earth. Jehoshaphat gathered his people at the temple and prayed. He acknowledged their human weakness and pleaded for deliverance. In response, the Lord promised His protection: “Fear not, nor be dismayed” (2 Chronicles 20:17).

We might not have an invading army at our doorstep threatening to destroy us, but sometimes we do feel surrounded by adversity and evil. Our path to deliverance is the same one Jehoshaphat sought, and our prayer can be like his too: “O our God, … we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

In 2 Chronicles 14-30, you will read about Jehoshaphat and other kings in Judah. Consider how their faith-driven reforms, victories, and challenges can apply to your own life.

The scripture block contains the following principles: (1) Trusting in God will bring me peace             

(2 Chronicles 14-16); (2) I can defend the truth, even when it’s unpopular; (3) In difficult times, I can turn to God and his prophets (2 Chronicles 20:1-25); (4) Pride leads to destruction

(2 Chronicles 26:3-21); (5) I can be a peacemaker (2 Chronicles 30).

Study help with this lesson is to identify simple statements of truth. Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught: “The scriptures offer us so many doctrinal diamonds. And when the light of the Spirit plays upon their several facets, they sparkle with celestial sense and illuminate the path we are to follow” (“According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 21). As you study the scriptures, consider taking time to identify, mark, and ponder short yet power messages. Here are some examples found in 2 Chronicles 14:11; 15:7; 18:13; 20:15; 26:5. Look for other “doctrinal diamonds” in your scripture study.

This essay will discuss principle #4 Pride leads to destruction (2 Chronicles 26:3-21). One of the suggested “doctrinal diamonds” is found in 2 Chronicles 26:5:

5 And [Uzziah] sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.

As with numerous other kings of Judah, Uzziah’s reign began with great accomplishments but ended with tragedy. Uzziah was only sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem.

As long as Uzziah stayed humble and obedient to God, he prospered, and he became powerful. He built cities and towers. He had large herds of animals. He had a large and power army at his command that conquered their enemies near and far. His name and fame spread to foreign nations. However, he did not stay humble but became prideful. The story of Uzziah shows how “pride goeth before a fall.”

16 ¶ But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men:

18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertained not  unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God.

19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar.

20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him.

21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land. (2 Chronicles 26:16-21)

Uzziah was powerful and famous, and his life had purpose and meaning as long as he stayed humble and obedient. However, he became prideful and went into the temple to burn incense, a task that only priests – the sons of Aaron or Levites – were allowed to do.

Even though he was King of Judah, he did not have proper authority to burn incense. The result of his pride and disobedience – even as he was in the act – he got leprosy. He was a leper for the rest of his life, and his son Jotham became King of Judah.

God requires His servants to be humble and obedient. He blesses those people who rely on God for their blessings and prospers them. On the other hand, His Spirit withdraws from anyone who is prideful and disobedient, and the blessings stop flowing toward that person – just as it did with Uzziah.

What Is the Amazonian Trap?

Strong families include marriage and children, and strong families strengthen communities, states, and nations. However, young women are turning away from love and marriage, according to an article by Maria Baer and Brad Wilcox in the Deseret News.

Maria is a journalist and co-host of the “Breakpoint This Week” podcast with The Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Brad Wilcox is director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and senior fellow of the Institute for Family Studies.

Legend has it that the Amazons, the warrior women of Greek mythology, built a civilization on a single premise: Women could build a world of their own without men.

The Amazons kept no husbands. They raised only daughters, sending their sons away, and they even cauterized their breasts so nothing would get in the way of their ability to fight. The legend reflects a fantasy that has appealed to different times, places and people: that a woman becomes strongest not by pairing with a man but by providing for and protecting herself — often with the support of some strong sisters.

Millennia later, many young American women are embracing this Amazonian strategy of detachment from men, minus the sword and the horse. They’re doing it by deleting dating apps, posting “boy sober” TikToks, enjoying Sunday brunches spent with just female friends, and hardening their conviction that men are more trouble than they’re worth.

Young women say they are put off by men who toy with their bodies and emotions, and those who seem stuck in “limbo between adolescence and adulthood,” dubbed child-men. They are discouraged by mainstream media depictions of men as emotionally and socially stunted, as well as those presented by influencers who get clicks by painting men and marriage in the worst possible light.

In short, growing numbers of young women are being tempted by heteropessimism.

This pessimism is reflected in young women’s declining faith in love and marriage. Only 24% of women 18–29 believe “married mothers are ultimately happier than other women,” far lower than any other group. High school girls’ hopes for marriage are also retreating: In 2010, more than 80% expected to marry; now it’s just 67%.

Dating tells the same story: We’re in a “dating recession.” Pew found 39% of single women under 40 aren’t even looking for a relationship at all, and our own research at the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institute shows more than 80% of eligible women in their 20s and 30s aren’t dating anyone seriously. A growing number of young women seem content — or resigned to — going through life without a man.

We understand the appeal of the Amazonian strategy. But the apostles of women going their own way — like the Hollywood actress feted in The New York Times for declaring herself “choicefully single, happily, gloriously single” — miss something crucial: For all too many, this path leads not to liberation, but to a more anxious, lonely and unhappy life. Unmarried, childless women in their 20s and 30s are nearly three times more likely to be unhappy with their lives compared to married mothers the same age (25-39), according to the General Social Survey. Heteropessimism really is a trap.

Perhaps that explains why so many hurting women in their 30s are showing up for help at the office of Suzanne Venker, an author and life coach who recently discussed the pattern with Chris Williamson on his “Modern Wisdom” podcast. These 30-something women are coming to Venker desperate to start or sustain a good family life but with no idea how to do so. Most spent their 20s building the scaffolding of independence — careers, savings, status — exactly as second-wave feminism had scripted, while dating and family sat on the back burner.

By the time they feel “ready” in their 30s, the switch doesn’t flip on command. Many found it hard to find a good man given that the pool in their immediate circles had shrunk; others found unanticipated difficulty in pivoting from a life focused on career and travel to marriage and young kids; still others found getting pregnant difficult or impossible, especially if they were in their late 30s. The Amazonian detachment they leaned into in their 20s, it turns out, does not reverse itself just because a woman decides she’s finally ready for a family.

Venker now has a project “to help younger women avoid the pitfalls” that she sees in her older clients. She offers three guideposts:

First, if you find a good guy, be open to marrying “youngish” (mid to late 20s, broadly defined). The husband hunt gets harder after 30, and today’s dating market isn’t doing anyone any favors. Women looking to make a smarter choice should be open to playing the odds early, starting with the biggest poll some of them will ever encounter: college. This also widens the window for building a family….

Second, she recommends dating with intention. “There’s just so much pretending going on” in modern dating, Venker say, and her fix is blunt: “Just get it out on the table in the first three dates” in terms of what you’re looking for in life and love – in terms of family, career and whether or not you and your partner are aiming for something more casual or committed.

If family matters to you, figure out if the man you’re sitting across from on a dinner date is marriage material. This includes sizing up a man’s character and his professional possibilities – not his wealth, but his reliability as a provider….

She points to a telling gap in public opinion: 71% of Americans believe a man should be able to provide for his family while only 32% say the same of women….

Third, Venker says women who are particularly family-minded should choose a career that complements their future family dreams rather than competes with them. In college, for instance, this means picking a major “that works well with the kind of life you want to have down the line,” flexible enough to be “done part-time or from home,” rather than choosing an expensive degree that locks in a decade or more of debt just as her priorities start to shift….

This strategy isn’t for every woman, but her point is that those who want to prioritize family would be wise to aim for careers with built-in flexibility – nursing and teaching are classic examples, financial advising and consulting are newer ones – that allow for part-time or freelance work and make it easier to combine work and motherhood.

In essence, Venker is asking young women to do what might seem unthinkable: plan for a future they’re not sure they’ll want, because they’re immersed in a culture that prizes Amazonian detachment. In this culture, to date with marriage in mind, and to choose a career with a future family in mind, is to swim upstream….

However regressive some commentators find it, most women end up being ambitious for family life, even as many are also ambitious for rich intellectual and professional ones too. And the women who build families with men in marriage are among the happiest in the country….

 

Why Does Pioneer Day Mark a Low Point in Religious Freedom in America?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is that religious freedom applies to all religions and even those people who have no religion. However, it has not always been applied equally.

On September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed, and nine states ratified it by June 21, 1788, making it the law of the land. All thirteen states ratified the Constitution by May 29, 1790.

The Bill of Rights – meaning the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution – was written and proposed in 1789; it was ratified on December 15, 1791. The Bill of Rights was created to protect the individual rights of each American as well as to limit the power of the federal government.

Yet, the Mormon Pioneers were not protected when their religious freedom was threatened.

In fact, the Mormon Pioneers chose to leave the United States because they were persecuted for their religion.

Pioneer Day – July 24^th – is an annual commemoration of the day when the first pioneer wagons entered the Salt Lake Valley (Utah) on July 24, 1847. “Days of ‘47” is a huge celebration held in Utah annually.

Latter-day Saints are not the only people who have been persecuted for their religious beliefs, but early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints endured their persecution righteously. The persecution began with Joseph Smith and increased as the Church of Jesus Christ grew. The Latter-day Saints were threatened, raped, murdered, suffered property damage, and more – first in Kirtland, Ohio (1831-1838) and in Missouri (1831-1839) and then in the Nauvoo, Illinois, area (1839-1847).

Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum Smith were assassinated at Carthage, Illinois, on June 27, 1844, and the main body of the Church fled to the Great Basin in 1846-1847. They understood that they had no religious freedom in the United States, so they went to the unsettled western area of North America searching for religious freedom and safety.

However, their safety was short lived.  After the Mexican-American War, the Great Basin area became part of the United States. Federal laws soon threatened religious beliefs as laws against the practice of plural marriage infringed on religious freedom.

Polygamous husbands and fathers were fined and imprisoned. To escape the law, many families went into hiding or again left the United States. Those who left created settlements in Mexico and Canada where they could continue to practice plural marriage.

The members who stayed in the Great Basin continued to be persecuted. Antipolygamy laws disincorporated the Church, allowing Church property to be confiscated.

With the temples being threatened and the work of eternity being stopped, President Wilford Woodruff took the matter to the Lord. Under inspiration from God, President Woodruff wrote and signed the 1890 manifesto that ended plural marriage. Anti-Mormon persecution declined but did not end. Persecution continues to this day by individuals and other religious organizations. However, the United States government has finally recognized that Latter-day Saints have religious freedom.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from the days of Joseph Smith to the present day, fights for religious freedom for all people. Earlier this year, the First Presidency called for a Church-wide fast for religious freedom to be held on July 6, 2026. I was one of millions of members of the Church of Jesus Christ who fasted and prayed to thank God for religious liberty and to plead with God to protect religious freedom for all people.