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Religious Freedom Toolkit

Part IV | Select Quotes from Church Leaders

Category G | Extrinsic Benefits

Topic 35 | The good religious freedom does

While it is true that religion can be a source of, or contribute to, conflict and other problems, religious freedom is usually the solution to the ills created by religion.

Note: Many of the quotes in Part IV of Topic 34 and Topic 35 address both the good religion does and the good religious freedom does.

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Elder Gerrit W. Gong: Historical and empirical analysis dispels the “myth of religious violence.”

“Defending Freedom of Religion or Belief and Freedom of Expression, as noted earlier, are key to protecting the basic human dignity of all individuals. In addition, these freedoms extend to and protect religious institutions in carrying out their respective missions, according to their self-determined doctrine. These missions are, to a large extent, not only compatible with most societal and governmental objectives, but often crucial to their accomplishment. . . .
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In today’s world, some argue religious belief inherently leads to violence. However, historical and empirical analysis dispels the ‘myth of religious violence’—the notion that religion ipso facto is somehow responsible for violence. While some professing religious belief are responsible for problems, the more typical causes of violence seem to emanate from the assertion of centralized power attendant to the rise of the modern state (with its general monopoly over the means of violence), the sustaining of contemporary political power, and the influence of nationalism on interstate and international violence.

We promote peace when all voices seeking the greater good can participate, where none is disparaged or denied, even if the inevitable disagreements of healthy pluralism persist.”

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Elder Ulisses Soares: Religious freedom is the architecture of a healthy society.  

“Religious freedom is the architecture of a healthy society. It keeps the diverse parts in place, makes room for the expression of conscience, and allows differences to contend without violence. Without this infrastructure, society breaks down into bickering blocs of resentments, grievances, truth claims, and power struggles. Left to our own devices, people devolve down to their ancient protective instincts. But human wisdom has evolved enough to give us better tools for cooperation.”

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Elder Neil L. Andersen: Religious freedom safeguards multiple rights.  

“Religious freedom is a fundamental human right that protects the conscience of all people. It allows us to think, express and act upon what we deeply believe. Religious freedom safeguards the right of all people to hold their own religious beliefs and express them openly without fear of persecution or being denied equal rights of citizenship. It ensures that people can freely choose or change their religion, teach their faith to their children, receive and disseminate religious information, gather with others to worship and participate in the ceremonies and practices of their faith. It protects individuals from discrimination in employment, housing and other basic services, and prevents people from being denied the right to have a business, occupation or professional license based on their religion.”

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Elder Lance B. Wickman: Religious liberty helps preserve the benefits of the Atonement.  

“Stated concisely, religious liberty helps preserve the benefits of the Atonement to each soul because it protects moral agency in matters of faith. It is this agency that is the crucible—the fiery furnace of adversity and decision—in which we determine our eternal destiny. It is the crossroads, and sometimes the “cross,” where each of us decides whether or not to choose Christ and His commandments. Exercising that agency is the very purpose of mortal life. Protecting that crucible, therefore, is vital to salvation and the great plan of happiness. If the exercise of that agency is compromised, the conditions of our repentance and forgiveness likewise risk compromise. . . .
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It protects our agency, our divine right to choose to follow Jesus Christ. It secures our right to exercise faith, repent, make and keep sacred covenants, raise our children in the faith, worship together, and preach the gospel. But our fundamental freedoms also protect the right of others to make a different choice. Moral agency—that right to choose Christ or not—is the great crucible of this mortal experience. Law—religious liberty—exists to preserve and protect it, for us and for all.”

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Professor W. Cole Durham, Jr. (quoting Elder Bruce R. McConkie): The atoning sacrifice of Christ would be meaningless without freely chosen acts of faith, repentance, and covenanting.  

"That religious freedom is a core doctrine has been reemphasized to my mind by the following remarkable statement from Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

'Freedom of worship is one of the basic doctrines of the gospel. Indeed, in one manner of speaking it is the most basic of all doctrines, even taking precedence over the nature and kind of being that God is, or the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God, or the vesting of priesthood and keys and saving power in the one true church. By this we mean that if there were no freedom of worship, there would be no God, no redemption, and no salvation in the kingdom of God.'

Note two things about this statement. First, Elder McConkie does not say this is the most important doctrine. He said that ‘it is the most basic of all doctrines.’ It is the most basic because none of the other doctrines could become operative or have any meaning or authenticity if we did not have the option to choose them freely. The exercise of this right is in fact an attribute of divinity. The atoning sacrifice of Christ would be meaningless if we could not avail ourselves of its power to save and exalt through freely chosen acts of faith, repentance, and covenanting. Part of the reason the Messiah is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ is that at the key moment in the premortal existence, He recommended the Father’s plan of freedom, knowing its cost. He knew the price that He personally would pay to atone for all our abuses of freedom. He also knew that despite His payment of that price, countless numbers of His beloved brothers and sisters—individuals He loves with a depth and intensity that passes our understanding—would be lost forever because of their own decision ‘to choose captivity and death.’

This brings me to the second point about Elder McConkie’s statement. Note that he did not say that it made no difference how we exercise this freedom; to the contrary, everything depends on learning to follow the divine pattern set by the Master of worship in every thought and deed and with all our ‘heart, . . . might, mind, and strength.’”

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President Dallin H. Oaks: Religious liberty allows diverse religious traditions to live together in peace and friendship.  

“Religious liberty has allowed people of diverse religious traditions to live together in peace and friendship despite profound disagreements. . . . Governments that protect religious freedom have fewer social conflicts and greater levels of social cohesion. . . .
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If the foundation of religious liberty is weakening, it is likely in part because the benefits conferred on society by religious organizations and religiously motivated people are not sufficiently known and acknowledged. We need to address that deficiency on a wider front than preaching, lobbying, and litigating. Religious institutions and believers must teach and act to make the beneficial public effects of religious teachings and practices more visible to nonbelievers. And we need more believers to practice their religious faith more visibly by serving others. . . .
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The religiously motivated practices of one denomination can benefit society generally. As they do, the value and strength of the religious freedom that makes them possible is more evident and easier to support generally.”

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Elder Ulisses Soares: The best way for societies to combat religious tension is to allow more religious freedom.  

“In his study of extremism around the world, Professor Nilay Saiya discovered that the best way for governments and societies to combat religious tension is to allow more religious freedom. This might seem counterintuitive. Wouldn’t religious freedom cause more tension by allowing more beliefs? The data say no. According to Saiya:

'Religious freedom encourages peaceful religious forms of activity by creating space for religious groups to practice their faith freely, bring their religiously- informed ideas to the public square, make positive contributions to society, and engage in debate through open channels of discourse, thus allowing diverse perspectives to be heard and depriving extremists the ability to win the battle for hearts and minds by default.'

A major study published by the University of Cambridge Press supports this same claim: countries that promote freedom of religion or belief enjoy greater civil and political liberties, greater press and economic freedoms, fewer armed conflicts, better health outcomes, higher levels of income, better education for women and higher overall human development.

Freedoms feed off each other. Brian Grim and Roger Finke, the authors of the study, wrote: ‘The denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms.’”

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Elder D. Todd Christofferson: Religious liberty promotes pluralism and peace.  

“Religious liberty promotes pluralism and peace. For centuries, people fought over religious differences, often with government suppressing one religion in the name of another. Religious liberty has allowed people of diverse religious traditions to live together in peace and friendship despite profound disagreements. . . . 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.”

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Elder D. Todd Christofferson: Religious liberty often acts as a catalyst in protecting many other rights.  

“Religious liberty often acts as a catalyst in protecting many other rights. Partly that is so because each fundamental right touches on some aspect of religious freedom. But it is likewise true that protections for religious freedom coincide with protections for other rights. Courts have implicitly recognized that rights must protect both religious believers and nonbelievers. The freedom of speech, for instance, embraces the right to speak about God but also to speak about one’s personal opinions on matters of politics, art, literature, history, morality, or virtually any other topic. . . .
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Protecting religious freedom is fundamental to protecting other personal rights because conflicts over religious freedom are the focal point where the state either safeguards or invades the space necessary for liberty. If the state can be convinced (or compelled) to leave space for religious dissent, it will almost surely leave space for other forms of dissent. If the state does not respect religious freedom, it is unlikely that it will respect other freedoms.”

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Elder D. Todd Christofferson: Religious freedom and the practice of religion strengthen society.  

“Strong reasons undergird the progress made and should motivate us to do even more. As Dr. Brian Grim will tell us shortly, religious freedom strongly correlates with a host of positive economic, public health, and civic benefits. In general, religious individuals have better family lives, stronger marriages, less substance abuse and crime, higher educational levels, a greater willingness to volunteer and donate to charities, better work habits, longer lives, better health, greater income, and higher levels of well-being and happiness. Clearly, religious freedom and the practice of religion strengthen society.”

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Elder Robert D. Hales: Four cornerstones of religious freedom  

“There are four cornerstones of religious freedom that we as Latter-day Saints must rely upon and protect. The first is freedom to believe. No one should be criticized, persecuted, or attacked by individuals, or governments either, for what he or she believes about God. . . .
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The second cornerstone of religious liberty is the freedom to share our faith and our beliefs with others. . . .

The third cornerstone of religious liberty is the freedom to form a religious organization, a church, to worship peacefully with others. . . .

The fourth cornerstone of religious liberty is the freedom to live our faith—free exercise of faith not just in the home and chapel but also in public places.”

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See also Religious Freedom Library
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