President Dallin Oaks Tells Students in Rome Why Religious Freedom Matters
He says people of faith must combine to “succor, act as a sanctuary and promulgate religious freedom across the world.”
Other goods religious freedom yields, President Oaks said, are pluralism, peace and a proper separation of church and state. Quoting an October 2021 address from Elder D. Todd Christofferson, President Oaks said, “The history of religious freedom demonstrates that respect begets respect. Governments that protect religious freedom have fewer social conflicts and greater levels of social cohesion.”
President Oaks spoke at length on another benefit: the charitable work that people of faith do. Reading from Elder Quentin L. Cook’s June 2021 address at the University of Notre Dame, he said “religious accountability benefits secular society” because there are a “multitude of good works that religion inspires people of faith to perform on behalf of others.” President Oaks shared several examples from the Latter-day Saint world in 2021:
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Speaking at Sapienza University in Rome on Tuesday, President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said religious freedom is an invaluable global good worth protecting.