Joseph Smith, the founding President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, valued religious freedom so deeply that he included it among the faith’s 13 core beliefs, known today as the Articles of Faith.
The Church’s 11th article of faith states, “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”
The Prophet spoke about religious liberty on several occasions. In a discourse on July 9, 1843, in Nauvoo, Illinois, he said, “I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist or a good man of any other denomination; 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.”
In another discourse on April 7, 1844, Joseph said, “Meddle not with any man for his religion; every government ought to permit every man to enjoy his religion.”
In more recent decades, Church leaders have continued to champion the fundamental human right to religious freedom. They have spoken at international, national and academic conferences on religious liberty and developed interfaith relationships with faith leaders worldwide in an effort to advance and defend religious freedom.
Latter-day Saints appreciate religious freedom because early pioneers moved across America’s plains to escape persecution, enduring many hardships, to find a place to worship freely.
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, speaking at BYU–Idaho commencement in December 2011, said religious freedom all over the world is under attack.
“It is important for us to become well educated on this issue and assume responsibility for ensuring that the religious freedom we have inherited is passed on to future generations,” he said. “We must work together to both protect religious freedom and restore morality.”
Here are 17 occasions when Church leaders have spoken on religious freedom and why it matters:
President Dallin H. Oaks
In 2011, then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke at Chapman University’s law school in Orange, California, and encouraged religious groups to unite in an effort to protect religious freedom. He called religious freedom one of the Constitution’s supremely important founding principles.
“We must never see the day when the public square is not open to religious ideas and religious persons,” he said. “The religious community must be united to be sure we are not coerced or deterred into silence by the kinds of intimidation or threatening rhetoric that are being experienced. ... There should be room for all good-faith views in the public square, be they secular, religious or a mixture of the two.”
In 2021, President Oaks, now first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke on “Going Forward With Religious Freedom and Nondiscrimination” at the University of Virginia.
“We have always had to work through serious political conflicts, but today too many approach that task as if their preferred outcome must entirely prevail over all others, even in our pluralistic society,” he said. “We need to work for a better way — a way to resolve differences without compromising core values. We need to live together in peace and mutual respect, within our defined constitutional rights.”
As a guest on the Church News podcast in July 2023, President Oaks spoke about the most effective representation of religious liberty.
“The most effective representation of religious liberty is a representation that stands up for people of faith or no faith, because even people of no faith have a great interest in what can be done by religions and believing people who speak up for freedom generally, which we try to encourage,” he said.
“The members of our Church are members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And fundamental to that doctrine is the right and the obligation of individuals to choose to do what keeps the commandments of God and what furthers the purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ as He taught it. Without religious freedom, we are not free to do that.”
In 2022, President Oaks gave a keynote address at the 2022 Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit, held in Rome, Italy. A Church News video titled “Understanding Religious Freedom” features President Oaks’ plea to find the middle ground on this important issue.
“We need to treat religious freedom in the context of the laws of the country, because God established the governments of men as well as the governments of God,” he said. “It is shortsighted of religions and religious believers to believe that their particular values, as important and God given as they are, should be dominant over every other concern of other children of God.”
President Henry B. Eyring
Freedom of religion and conscience and the right to public worship “are essential elements of our faith,” said President Henry B. Eyring during the BYU law school’s 27th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium in October 2020, a time when rights and responsibilities regarding freedom of religion were being questioned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We encourage government leaders not to unnecessarily restrict the rights of believers to engage in public worship,” said President Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency.
President Jeffrey R. Holland
In a talk titled “Faith, Family and Religious Freedom,” delivered at Chapman University on Feb. 26, 2015, then-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said it’s important to give faith the freedom to flourish, because humans have “both the ability and the responsibility to make choices with the hope — indeed, the confidence — that we will ultimately choose that which benefits the individual and the larger society in which those individuals live.”
Now serving as acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, President Holland went on to say in 2015: “Faith. Family. Freedom. Big issues with great complexities. Big issues inextricably linked with the hope and promise of democracy. Big issues that are intertwined, interlinked and interlocked so tightly that when one of them is struck, the other two are damaged; so that when one of them is cut, the other two will bleed.”
Elder Quentin L. Cook
In a December 2023 address at Parliament in London, England, while commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Elder Cook expressed appreciation for Great Britain’s historical lead on religious freedom and human rights.
Elder Cook said religious freedom and accountability to God benefit individuals and countries.
“Accountability to God for our relationships with each other is a powerful force for good and strongly supports democracy,” he said. “Those who feel accountable to God also feel a responsibility to improve the lives of the less fortunate and to follow the laws of the land.”
Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Speaking to an audience that included religious, community and political leaders from multiple South American countries, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke on Oct. 29, 2021, about the diminishing protections worldwide of religious freedoms.
“Religious liberty protects not just believers but everyone,” he said. “It is the taproot that sustains and nourishes many other fundamental freedoms, values and social goods.”
Elder Ronald A. Rasband
In a social media post recognizing National Religious Freedom Day on Jan. 16, 2022, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote about loving one’s neighbor, the second great commandment, and the inspiring idea of many religions worldwide demonstrating a commitment to God and charity.
“True religion prompts us to help those in need, which is one reason why protecting all faiths is critical,” he wrote. “When religion is given the freedom to flourish, the good of religion, the reach of religion, and the heroic acts of love — which religion inspires — only multiply.”
Elder Dale G. Renlund
Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Ruth Renlund, gave a joint keynote address at the Brigham Young University Law School’s 2021 Religious Freedom Annual Review.
Elder Renlund said Joseph Smith was an advocate and champion of religious freedom.
“Time after time, when Joseph Smith called on government officials to enforce enumerated constitutional rights for him and his fellow Saints, he was turned away,” he said.
“His interest in religious freedom was not theoretical; it was a repeatedly lived experience.
“He had been directed by heaven to restore the Church of Christ. Without the rights to freely exercise their religion, to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for redress, Church members were prevented from physically gathering and establishing roots in a geographical location of their choosing due to repeated forced evacuations.”
Elder Gerrit W. Gong
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a keynote address at the 2022 Church History Symposium in Salt Lake City on the topic of “Latter-day Saints and Religious Liberty: Historical and Global Perspectives.”
“We find inspiration in our history and believe that because of our own experiences, Latter-day Saints have a special duty to speak on behalf of religious liberty for all groups,” he said.
“Religious liberty is a natural global desire as Latter-day Saint members seek to honor, obey and sustain the law and contribute to our societies and communities in nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples across the world.”
Elder Ulisses Soares
In February of this year, Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke on the importance of religious freedom in building peaceful societies at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C.
Elder Soares said peace requires dialogue and action to protect it and spread it throughout society.
“Protecting human rights is crucial for preserving peace,” he said, adding, “As religious, government and community leaders, it is our responsibility to strongly support the protection of human rights worldwide.”
He said: “The fight for religious freedom is much more than protecting the right to worship; it is about preserving the dignity, compassion and respect that all people deserve.”
Elder Patrick Kearon
Speaking at the 2024 International Forum on Law and Religion in Taguig City, Philippines, Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that religion, when protected by law, is “a key source of peace,” reported Philippine news organization The Rappler.
“Religious power for good is diminished where religious freedom is weak. It is enhanced where freedom of religion or belief is strong,” he said, adding, “Freedom of religion and belief enhances protection of other freedoms which have been shown to promote the common good and social welfare. … Religious freedom erects an effective shield for other freedoms.”
Elder Alexander Dushku
Elder Alexander Dushku, a General Authority Seventy and general counsel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke on “Religious Liberty in a Polarized Age” during the 2024 Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit in Notre Dame, Indiana, on July 11, 2024.
“If religious freedom is to be the means of human flourishing, … then it must be conducive to a just and livable peace among contending factions so that all may flourish," he said.
President Camille N. Johnson
President Camille N. Johnson, the Church’s Relief Society general president, spoke about religious freedom with the European Union Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, on March 4, 2024.
President Johnson said the religious freedom of women is a key component to global peace.
“Friends, we can achieve what no government can: a sisterhood — a global sisterhood of peacemakers," she said.
“Our implicit sisterhood creates an ability to build on common ground, which forms the basis of peace — a peace that is more than mere coexistence in the absence of war — but something much more beautiful and powerful, bringing individuality into a unified whole."
In April 2022, President Johnson spoke on “Freedom To Serve Our Neighbor: The Role of Religious Charities and Volunteers” during the Freedom To Serve Symposium at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, in conjunction with Iowa Religious Freedom Day.
“Religious groups and individuals play an indispensable role in our communities and are uniquely positioned to alleviate suffering and help those on the margins of society. … It will take all of us serving, contributing whatever we have available in time, talents and money to address the suffering we see around us.”
Elder Clark G. Gilbert
After discussing the historic context of religious liberty in his keynote address at the 10th Religious Freedom Annual Review at BYU on June 15, 2023, Elder Clark G. Gilbert, a General Authority Seventy, reflected on recent religious freedom victories in the Supreme Court, including cases vindicating religious freedom in religious education. He said these triumphs are “a testament to the devoted work of modern champions of religious liberty, whose efforts extend the work of our early founders.”
“Now the question for tonight is ‘How will we use these hard-fought victories?’ Religious freedom, despite what our legal colleagues like to think, is not an end unto itself,” Elder Gilbert said. “Our first freedoms come as a stewardship for which we are accountable both to society and to God.”
He expressed gratitude to the Founding Fathers and modern-day defenders of religious freedom.
“Our defense of religious freedom is always compelling when it preserves our rights of conscience,” Elder Gilbert said. “But it is most inspiring when it moves us to articulate and act on our call to serve others, lift those who struggle and shine a light to the world.”
Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt
Earlier this year, Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt, a General Authority Seventy, gave a keynote address at the inaugural South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference. He emphasized the importance of upholding the United States Constitution, being optimistic about the nation’s future and the need for all to “be peacemakers.”
“Focus on our commonalities as people of faith, and unite around the Constitution,” Elder Corbitt said. “In this spirit, we increasingly see the U.S. Constitution as encouraging, even requiring, communication and compromise.”
More to see
Read and learn more about religious freedom at ReligiousFreedomLibrary.org, an online collection of talks and statements about religious freedom by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others.
