Religious Freedom

 

I was raised to respect the beliefs of others even if they did not believe as I did. My dad was raised Methodist, and we went to my grandparent's church when we visited them. When I lived in Indiana, there were very few of us at school that belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Even after moving to Colorado, I didn't ever feel that religion determined rather someone was a "good person." 

Many things changed with I became an adult. I have worked with people of all faiths without a thought of it affected how I felt about them until one day I was told by someone that I worked with told me she could no longer speak to me because of my religion. A few years later, I was challenged on my personal beliefs because they were shaped by my status as a Christian. I have also had someone tell me that they disowned parts of their family because they refused to bend on their beliefs. I have also been attacked on social media due to my beliefs. 

Over the past few years, Christianity has been heavily scrutinized. We are mocked and heavily scrutinized. Are all Christians "good people?' Of course not. Does that make all Christians "bad?" Also, no. Assuming you know someone because of the God they choose to worship is wrong. We should love others regardless of who or what they worship. 

In his General Conference talk in April 2022, Elder Ronald A. Rasband said religious freedom is the "freedom to worship in all its configurations: freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom to act on personal beliefs, and freedom for others to do the same. Religious freedom allows each of us to decide for ourselves what we believe, how we live and act according to our faith, and what God expects of us." He goes on to summarize the persecutions the early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints experienced. They were ran out of many areas, had extermination orders against them, and more. However, they didn't give up. They kept moving on hoping to one day have the freedom to worship as they felt was right. 

Religious freedom does not mean we need to eradicate religion. It means we should accept all points of view and allow each other to worship "how, where, or what they may."