Thursday, October 15, 2009

Great statement on religous freedom from Elder Dallin H. Oaks...

You can find the transcript of his remarks here.

My favorite line --

"[A]s advocates of the obvious truth that persons with religious positions or motivations have the right to express their religious views in public, we must nevertheless be wise in our political participation. Preachers have been prime movers in the civil rights movement from the earliest advocates of abolition, but even the civil rights of religionists must be exercised legally and wisely.

As Latter-day Saints, we should never be reticent to declare and act upon the sure foundations of our faith. The call of conscience - whether religious or otherwise - requires no secular justification. At the same time, religious persons will often be most persuasive in political discourse by framing arguments and positions in ways that are respectful of those who do not share their religious beliefs and that contribute to the reasoned discussion and compromise that is essential in a pluralistic society." (emphasis added)

Aside from my own religious testimony of this man and his mission as a special witness of Christ, he is a brilliant attorney who worked for the University of Chicago Law School as a dean before becoming a Utah Supreme Court justice. The word on the street was he could have made it to the Supreme Court had he not been selected for higher church service. I just hope that wherever future debate about religion, freedom, abortion, gay rights, etc, take us as American people that we can learn to be respectful about beliefs and argue with reason, rather than rage.