This document discusses the importance of defending religious liberty and outlines potential risks if religious freedom is lost. It encourages readers to get involved in protecting religious freedom through various means, such as studying issues, speaking up respectfully, voting, volunteering, and praying. The document argues that people of all faiths and none benefit from protecting religious liberty.

1. Defending Religious Liberty
Why and How
“It is in the best interest of
anyone concerned with
human rights, even
atheists and non-believers,
to protect religious liberty.”

2. “A robust freedom is not
merely what political
philosophers have
referred to as the
‘negative’ freedom to be
left alone, however
important that may be.
Rather, it is a much richer
‘positive’ freedom—the
freedom to live one’s
religion or belief in a
legal, political, and social
environment that is
tolerant, respectful, and
accommodating of
diverse beliefs.”

3. The Bill of Rights
1st Amendment:
Congress shall
make NO law
respecting an
establishment of
religion, or
prohibiting the free
exercise thereof. . .

4. What’s the Risk?
In addition to
maintaining
religious freedom
as an eternal
principle (even God
will not remove the
agency of any of
His children), there
are some
potentially severe
consequences if
we lose the
freedom to
worship, speak,
and live according
to our beliefs.

5. What’s the Risk? Lds.org/religious-
freedom
You could
lose your job
or leadership
positions for
expressing
religious
beliefs—even
outside of
work.
For instance, CEOs,
newscasters, judges,
teachers, doctors,
professors, firefighters,
Olympians, graduate
students, and many others
have been fired,
pressured to resign, or
intimidated for donating
money or simply saying
that they support the
traditional view of
marriage.

6. What’s the Risk?
You might be
required to
hide your
religion or
perform
tasks at work
that go
against your
beliefs.
Does it seem fair, for
example, that a doctor
who opposes abortion
on a religious or moral
basis be required to
perform one even
though numerous other
doctors nearby are
willing? Should you be
forced to wear an
immodest uniform when
it’s not necessary for
your job function?

7. What’s the Risk?
You may be
required to work
on the Sabbath
or religious
holidays
Even when others are
willing to take your shift
and your employer
accommodates other
nonreligious interests.

8. What’s the Risk?
Your children in
public schools
may be required
to learn about
sexual and
gender theories
that contradict
basic Church
teachings.
Many public schools
already teach sex
education in a way that’s
fundamentally contrary
to Church teachings, and
some have required
reading lists with explicit
content.

9. What’s the Risk?
You may not be
able to adopt
children or
become a foster
parent
because of your
religious beliefs or
views on the family.

10. What’s the Risk?
As a business
owner or
professional, you
might lose your
license or be
fined if you
refuse to perform
services that are
contrary to your
religious beliefs.
You might even
lose professional
credentials if you
don’t participate in
certain activities,
even if other
coworkers are
willing to perform
them in your
place.

11. What’s the Risk?
You might
not be able
to create
faith-based
clubs on
college
campuses
without being
required to let
people become
club members—or
even officers—who
oppose the club’s
religious beliefs.

12. What’s the Risk?
Churches
may be
forced to
employ
people who
disagree with
or refuse to
live core
values of
their faith,
threatening their
ability to carry out
their religious
missions.

13. What’s the Risk?
Churches
could lose
their tax-
exempt
status
by maintaining doctrines,
policies, and standards that
conflict with secular beliefs
regarding marriage, family,
gender, and sexuality,
resulting in a huge increase
in costs to build houses of
worship or to purchase and
provide goods for
humanitarian aid.

14. What’s the Risk?
You might
lose tax
exemption
s for
charitable
donations
like tithes
and
offerings
if the Church loses its
status as a tax-exempt,
nonprofit organization.

15. What’s the Risk?
Churches
may not be
able to
access
government
lands for
camps on
equal terms
with other
groups
limiting youth conferences
and camps.

16. What’s the Risk?
Housing units,
such as dorms,
at religious
colleges could
be forced to
abandon moral
standards that
protect privacy,
modesty, and
morality,
denying people the right
to room with those who
uphold the same
standards.

17. What’s the Risk?
Religious
schools that
maintain honor
codes may lose
their
accreditation and
be denied
research funds
and even federal
student loans
and grants,
diminishing the value
of their degrees,
undermining the
quality of their
education, and
making it financially
impossible for many
students to attend.

18. How often have we remembered why that
banner was raised?
What did Captain Moroni want to protect? It wasn’t just the
physical safety of his people and their families.
Amalickiah, the leader of the opposing people, sought “to
destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation
of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which
blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for the
righteous’ sake”
Captain Moroni was defending religious liberty. Just as he
“rallied the people to defend their religion”, today we also
have prophets rallying us to defend religious freedom. And

19. for the same principle which would trample upon
the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample
upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any
other denomination who may be unpopular and too
weak to defend themselves.
“It is a love of liberty which inspires my soul—civil
and religious liberty to the whole of the human
race.”
Joseph Smith: “I am bold to
declare before Heaven that I
am just as ready to die in
defending the rights of a
Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a
good man of any other
denomination [as for a
Mormon];

20. We can make a difference
If we don’t raise our voice now for the
protection of religion, vital religious
freedoms will be lost.
When we join the cause together, we
can make a difference that will protect
religious freedom not just for Latter-day
Saints but also for followers of all
religions.

21. Get Involved and Make a
Difference
 Elder D. Todd Christofferson shares
what we can do to protect religious
freedoms
 https://lds.org/religious-freedom/get-
involved/10-ways-to-protect-religious-
freedom

22. 1. Study Up on the Issues
Study the words of the
living Apostles on religious
freedom and moral issues.
Read responsible
websites, newspapers,
magazines, and blogs that
explore current events
from a variety of
perspectives, asking God
to let the Spirit help you
discern truth. Let your
beliefs and the facts inform
your views. Be ready to
act. Know your rights
established by the First
Amendment:
“Congress shall make
no law respecting
an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise
thereof; or abridging
the freedom of speech,
or of the press; or
the right of the people
peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the
government for a
redress of grievances”
(italics added).

23. 2. Speak Up with Courage and
Civility
Don’t be intimidated into silence by intolerant voices.
Speak up! State your views with true civility and
kindness
 Speak or write calmly.
 Seek true understanding.
 Acknowledge legitimate points.
 And explain why the freedoms you defend are so
important to you, your loved ones, and the Church—
make it personal.
 Keep in mind that one-on-one conversations are
usually more meaningful and respectful than group
discussions, especially if they’re online.
 Stand firmly for principle while understanding that in
some areas we will have to seek compromise to
protect our most vital freedoms.

24. Protect Individuals
“Individual believers should be
able to worship and express
faith openly without fear of
retaliation or ostracism; live
openly according to religious
beliefs; be free from
discrimination in a particular
occupation or profession
because of religious beliefs,
and to be free from religious
discrimination in employment,
housing, or traditional places
of public accommodation such
as hotels, restaurants and
public transportation.”

25. 3. Get involved in the political
process.
 Vote in your local, state, and national
elections.
 Support candidates who understand
the proper role of religion in society and
the need to protect it for everyone.
 Learn about how laws are made. You
could also attend city council meetings,
join a political party, write your
representatives, and combine your
efforts with others who support religious
freedom.

26. The Federal
Government
The Several
States
Thousands of Counties
Millions of Communities
Tens of Millions Families
Hundreds of Millions Individuals
The Bill of Rights is
a list of prohibitions
against the Federal
Government
Standards of
decency,
morality, and
safety are
best
determined at
a local level

27. 4. Get to know people of other
faiths.
 Talk with them about matters of
shared concern.
 Participate in an interfaith service
project.
 Support their religious freedom.

28. “My plea is that all religions
join together to defend faith
and religious freedom in a
manner that protects people of
diverse faith as well as those
of no faith. We must not only
protect our ability to profess
our own religion, but also
protect the right of each
religion to administer its own
doctrines and laws.”

29. 5. Volunteer for a charity.
Help solve problems in your community
by giving of your time to a local
charitable or service organization.
When people of faith do good, they
increase their ability to convince others
that religious freedom should be
respected and protected.

30. 6. Get involved in
education.
 Participate in your local PTA.
 Run for the school board.
 Lend your voice and resources to solving
problems in your school.
 Help preserve reasonable space for
religious values in educational settings.
 Support the right of parents to guide their
children’s education.
 Support values-based extracurricular
activities like religious clubs or Bible-
study classes.

31. 7. Be part of a club, business
group, or professional
association.
 Build relationships and gain perspectives by
joining with community members in a book club,
a debate team, a college alumni group, a
conservation effort, a Scout troop, a speech
forum, or a sports team.
 Be where the conversations are happening. That
will give you opportunities to educate others
about the importance of religious freedom and
challenges to it.
 Likewise, business groups and professional
associations exert great influence on policy
makers and on other business people and
professionals. They need your voice in support of
faith, family, and religious freedom.

32. 8. Extend the reach of your
faith.
 Connect ward service activities with the
needs of the community where possible.
Cooperation between church groups and
community organizations helps build
mutual trust and focuses resources on
helping those in need.
 Be careful not to commit the Church to
any outside agenda. Again, when
people of faith do good works, others will
be more likely to respect their need for
religious freedom.

33. 9. Make it a family matter and a
matter of prayer.
 Take your children to a speech or conference on
religious freedom. Watch a movie or documentary on
the role and history of religious freedom in society.
Conduct a lesson or activity about the United States
Constitution, and other foundational documents.
 Invite a family of another faith into your home.
 Pray that our freedoms will be preserved.
 Pray and exercise faith that governments at home and
abroad will be opened—or remain open—to the Church.
As the Lord long ago “stirred” Cyrus, the King of Persia,
to issue a decree allowing the Jews to rebuild a temple
in Jerusalem (see Ezra 1:1), so can He stir other
leaders with influence to help preserve religious
freedom.
 Pray as you study about religious freedom that you can
understand what you need to know and do.
 Pray for the Spirit to help direct you in conversations.

34. 10. Enlarge your voice through
social media.
 Be persuasive by being civil in online
conversations; the person who gets angry
loses.
 Share appropriate links, stories, photos,
articles, and personal experiences on social
media. Start a blog, write an op-ed, or submit
a letter to the editor.
 Learn from those who might disagree with
you as you defend gospel standards and
religious freedom. Sometimes even
just sharing goodness you see in the world
can help people recognize that your beliefs
are about bringing peace, not contention, to
the world.See Religious Freedom Picture Quotes for ideas to
share

35. “All who feel accountable to God have a
responsibility to live upright lives of
service to God and to be good, law-
abiding citizens. As we do so, ordinary
citizens and government officials alike
will be more inclined to see the value of
religion and to respect the basic
principles that allow us to freely live our
beliefs. There is no better
demonstration of the great benefit
associated with religious liberty than for
devoted members of various faiths who
feel accountable to God to model
principles of integrity, morality, service,
and love.”

36. Speak up
“Silence allows the
rhythm of negativity
to continue
uninterrupted and
unchallenged. This
erodes the
confidence of
people of faith.”