Support Religious Freedom

                The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the fact that we must support religious freedom.  Even though “freedom of religion is a fundamental human right that protects the conscience of all people,” this freedom is eroding throughout the world.  This freedom allows us to “think, express, and act upon what we deeply believe,” and yet there are “increasing restrictions” on how individuals, organizations, and churches can exercise this freedom.

                In an effort to protect and promote religious freedom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently published new resources to help us understand why it is important to protect religious freedom.  One of the new resources is a “unique animated video” that answer the question “What is religious freedom?”  and stresses the importance of supporting, protecting, and preserving freedom of religion.

                Another source put out by the Church is a Support Religious Freedom Facebook page. Still another source is a topic page with an invitation to people of good will everywhere to join in supporting religious freedom.  The site offers three suggestions for us:  1) “Learn about religious freedom – what it is, how it works and the issues that threaten it.”  2) “Practice religious freedom – respect the religious beliefs of others and the beliefs and opinions of those with no religion.  Be civil in your conversations and interactions, both face to face and on the Internet.”  3) Join with others to promote religious freedom – get involved in your community wherever you feel comfortable.  Use the Internet and social media to help others learn about religious freedom.”