Lessons from the Doctrine and Covenants 2021
Lesson No. Forty-Six

Winning the Battle for Religious Freedom

The First Vision brought a marvelous flood of freedom and light which is dawning worldwide – The First Vision ushered in the restoration of the gospel and it also brought a great increase in economic, political, and religious freedom.  The Wall Street Journal on November 1, 1999 in an article entitled The Millennium-Poor Until 1820 observed that the last millennium can be broken into three periods – from 1000 to 1500, from 1500 to 1820, and from 1820 to today.  There was practically no economic or population growth during the first two periods.  However, beginning in 1820 both economic and population growth multiplied many times over.  The fruit of economic and population growth produced by the First Vision gave great strength to the roots of freedom worldwide.  Predictably, Satan is now making a worldwide attempt to limit or destroy freedom, especially religious freedom.

The worldwide effort to limit religious freedom is the greatest challenge to the Church in fulfilling its mission to take the gospel to the world – In speaking to the rising generation on October 13, 2009 at BYU-Idaho Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:  "There is a battle over the meaning of [religious] freedom.  The contest is of eternal importance, and it is your generation that must understand the issues and make the efforts to prevail."   In a private conversation Elder Dallin Oaks told me that the that the greatest challenge to the Church in fulfilling its mission to take the gospel to the world is the increasing effort in many nations, including the United States, to limit religious freedom.  The Church continues to put great emphasis on the importance of religious freedom, and it works hard to educate its members and others of this fact.

“Freedom of religion is a basic principle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a fundamental human right.  Moral agency, the ability to choose right from wrong and to act for ourselves, is essential to God’s plan of salvation.  Religious freedom ensures that people can exercise their agency in matter of faith….Religious freedom embraces not only the right to freely worship but also to speak and act based on one’s religious beliefs” (Gospel Topics, Religious Freedom).

D&C 134 and the Eleventh Article of faith are doctrinal statements on religious freedom – Doctrine and Covenants 134 “is a declaration of belief regarding governments and laws in general” (Headnote to D&C 134).  It teaches that governments cannot “exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience” (D&C 134:2).  Thus, governments are bound “to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief” (D&C 134:7).  The Church’s eleventh 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.”

Religious freedom is America’s most important export – Our Constitution reversed the long history of religious oppression – For centuries the church and state were one and the same.  Ratification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights changed this. Elder Dallin Oakes observed:  “The United States Constitution was the first written constitution in the world.  Frequently copied it has become this nation’s most important export in that every nation in the world but six have adopted a written constitution and ours was the model for all of them” (Ensign, February 1992).

Freedom of religion is the first freedom set forth in the Bill of Rights – The first front in the battle for freedom was the War of Independence which brought political and economic freedom from England. The second front was the war for individual freedom of conscience and worship and against state sponsored religion.  The ratification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights was a great victory for religious freedom.  The first Amendment of the Bill of Rights states:  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."  These first sixteen words of the Bill of Rights are the foundation of our religious freedom.  There are two parts - the establishment clause which requires the separation of church and state, and the free exercise clause which is to preserve individual freedom of conscience and worship.  Both parts were required for the gospel to be restored, and they are necessary so the gospel can be taken to other nations.  This is an important reason why religious freedom is America’s most important contribution to the world.

The Lord and His people will win the battle for religious freedom – Religious freedom is a necessary part of the plan of salvation. The Lord intends that basic principles upon which our Constitution was established to become the pattern for entire world so the gospel can be taken to all the nations of the earth. The United States was “set up as a free people by the power of the Father” (3 Nephi 21:4). God raised up founding patriots to establish the Constitution, and He has and will raise up other patriots by whom he will maintain the Constitution. (See D&C 101:80) This is in great part being done by missionaries and covenant keeping members who, by word and example, spread the gospel to the people of the earth. It is my hope and desire that we will all be among those patriots who the Lord will use to establish religious freedom throughout the earth in preparation for His Second Coming.