Lessons on the Book of Mormon 2020
Lesson No. Twenty-Five
An Inspired Call to Action to Defend Religious Freedom
Prolog – The Book of Mormon teaches religious freedom is a gift from God and is necessary to enjoy the blessings of the gospel – The Book of Mormon teaches that after king Lamoni was converted he “declared unto [his people] that they might have the liberty of worshiping the Lord their God according to their desires, in whatsoever place they were in…And Ammon did preach unto the people” and “he did teach them all things concerning things pertaining to righteousness…and they gave heed unto his word, and they were zealous for keeping the commandments of God” (Alma 21:22-23).
Aaron then taught Lamoni’s father, the king of all the Lamanites, the plan of salvation, and all his household were converted. (See Alma 22:1-26) The king wanted his people to enjoy the blessings of the gospel so he granted religious freedom so that the missionaries “should have free access throughout the land that the word of God might have no obstruction, but that it might go forth throughout all the land….And thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord….and as many of the Lamanites as believed…and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away” (Alma 23:2-6, emphasis added).
Satan and his agents seek to destroy religious freedom – There are good examples of this in the Book of Mormon. An angel told Alma that the people of Ammonihah “do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus saith the Lord) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which he has given unto his people” (Alma 8:17).
Amalickiah, an anti-Christ, used “cunning devices” and “flattering words…to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God has granted” (Alma 45:10).
Just prior to the birth of Christ unbelievers “did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful….Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed [in the coming of Christ] should be put to death except the sign should come to pass…” (3 Nephi 1:7-9). That night the sign was given, and believers were spared.
An Inspired Call to Action to Defend Religious Freedom – For many years leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have warned about threats to religious freedom. On June 17, 2020 at the BYU Law School Annual Review of Religious Liberty in an address entitled And When He Came to Himself (Luke 15:17) Elder David A. Bednar made an inspired call to action to defend religious freedom. He focused on government response to COVID-19 and how it threatened religious freedom. He discussed how precious and fragile religious freedom is. The following quotes are from this inspired sermon:
“COVID-19 and Unprecedented Restrictions on Religious Exercise – I believe it is vital for us to recognize that the sweeping governmental restrictions that were placed on religious gatherings at the outset of the COVID-19 crisis truly were extraordinary. In what seemed like an instant, most Western governments and many others simply banned communal worship. These restrictions eliminated public celebrations of Easter, Passover, Ramadan, and other holy days around the world. No other event in our lifetime—and perhaps no other event since the founding of this nation—has caused quite this kind of widespread disruption of religious gatherings and worship.”
“Clearly, governments have an affirmative duty to protect public health and safety. And I believe public officials have most often sought to do the right things to protect the public from the virus. Drawing proper lines to protect both public health and religious exercise in a pandemic is very challenging. But we cannot deny and we should not forget the speed and intensity with which government power was used to shut down fundamental aspects of religious exercise. These decisions and regulations were unprecedented. For nearly two months, Americans and many others throughout the free world learned firsthand what it means for government to directly prohibit the free exercise of religion.”
“Reflections on the Nature of Government and the Importance and Fragility of Religious Freedom
First reflection: Government power can never be unlimited….But whatever else government officials may be called upon to do, we the people must never allow them to forget that their offices and powers exist to secure our fundamental freedoms and the conditions for exercising those freedoms. Thus, despite the obvious need for a proper response to COVID-19, we must not become accustomed to sweeping assertions of governmental power. Invoking emergency powers, government executives summarily imposed numerous orders and directives that in many ways are analogous to martial law. These executive orders are unlike laws enacted through the ordinary give-and-take of the democratic process. No doubt an emergency on the scale of COVID-19 justifies strong measures to protect the public, but we cannot lose sight of the fact that many of these measures are extraordinary assertions of governmental power that can dramatically constrain our basic freedoms. The power of government must have limits.”
“Second reflection: Religious freedom is paramount among our fundamental rights. This time of restriction and confinement has confirmed for me that no freedom is more important than religious freedom. The freedom of religion properly has been called our first freedom….Living even for a brief few weeks under the restrictions imposed on religious activity by COVID19 is a stark reminder that nothing is more precious to people of faith than the freedom to ‘worship Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience’ (Articles of Faith1:11) and to openly and freely live according to our convictions. Religious liberty is one of the “just and holy principles’ (D&C 101:77) underlying the Constitution of the United States. That liberty draws from and in turn reinforces the other rights protected by the First Amendment…Freedom of religion stands as a bulwark against unlimited government power. It safeguards the right to think for oneself, to believe what one feels to be true, and to exercise moral agency accordingly. It secures the space necessary to live with faith, integrity, and devotion. It nurtures strong families. It protects communities of faith and the rich and sacred relationships they make possible. Nothing government does is more important than fostering the conditions wherein religion can flourish.”
“Third reflection: Religious freedom is fragile. As we have just experienced, religious freedom can quickly be swept aside in the name of protecting other societal interests. Despite COVID-19 risks, North American jurisdictions declared as “essential” numerous services related to alcohol, animals, marijuana, and other concerns. But often religious organizations and their services were simply deemed “nonessential,” even when their activities could be conducted safely. In the name of protecting physical health and security or advancing other social values, government often acted without regard to the importance of protecting spiritual health and security. It often seemed to forget that securing religious freedom is as vital as physical health.”
“Fourth reflection: In a time of crisis, sensitive tools are necessary to balance the demands of religious liberty with the just interests of society…What I am saying is that we can no more disregard the valid claims of religious freedom in a time of crisis than we can disregard the valid claims of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, or freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Nor should we prioritize secular interests above religious ones. A health crisis should not become an excuse for a religious freedom crisis. I believe we must always remember a key principle; specifically, religion should not be treated less favorably than analogous secular activities”.
“The Opportunity Before Us: The COVID-19 crisis has presented us with a unique opportunity to reaffirm and shore up religious freedom. We have witnessed the government’s swift, well intentioned, but often dangerous breaching of the boundaries that protect the free exercise of religion. Do we hear the buzzer on the alarm clock? This is a wakeup call for all of us. Those fundamental boundaries and protections must be healed, renewed, and fortified. While believers and their religious organizations must be good citizens in a time of crisis, never again can we allow government officials to treat the exercise of religion as simply “nonessential.” Never again must the fundamental right to worship God be trivialized below the ability to buy gasoline.”
Our response to Elder Bednar’s call to action – We have a responsibility to do at least the following, because if we don’t those who would limit and even destroy religious freedom will take over:
Educate ourselves on the importance of religious freedom
Stay tuned in to current events especially when threats to religious freedom arise
Be willing to stand up and speak up, in responsible ways, with family and friends and in the public square
Teach these principles to our children and grandchildren. This is our most important responsibility in the defense of religious freedom. I am reminded of a truth spoken by President Ronald Reagan: “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again” (Inaugural Address as Govenor of California, January 1967).