• SEPTEMBER 2016
• FAITH, FAIRNESS, AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

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Faith, Fairness, and Religious Freedom

By Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

From a devotional address, “Religious Freedom and Fairness for All,” delivered at Brigham Young University on September 15, 2015. For the full address, go to speeches.byu.edu.

Protecting conscience is about safeguarding the way someone thinks and feels and safeguarding that person’s right to act on those beliefs. I am talking about someone telling you that the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs you have are not allowed, valued, or acceptable because your views are not popular. A war in heaven was fought for agency, and it is a gross violation of that agency to force you to betray your conscience because your views do not align with the crowd....

First, try to view others through a lens of fairness. To do this requires you to first acknowledge that Heavenly Father loves all of His children equally. He has said, “Love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). There is no choice, sin, or mistake that you or anyone else can make that will change His love for you or for them. That does not mean He excuses or condones sinful conduct; nor do we—in ourselves or in others. But that does mean we reach out in love to persuade, help, and rescue....

Remember how the Savior handled tough questions and challenging viewpoints. He remained calm, He showed respect, and He taught truth, but He never forced anyone to live the way He taught.

Second, let fairness guide your treatment of others. Jesus Christ looked past people’s ethnicity, rank, and circumstances in order to teach them simple truth....

Do not judge people or treat them unfairly because they sin differently than you, or we, do....

Third, stand up for fairness if you see another’s rights being impeded....

Most important, we need you to engage in dialogue regarding the complexities of this issue and find solutions for how to best extend fairness to everyone, including people of faith. These conversations need to be occurring in our schools, in our homes, and in our relationships with friends and co-workers.