The Threatened Demise of Religion in the Public Square - Talk Given by Elder Lance B. Wickman at J. Reuben Clark Law Society - LDS Newsroom

The Threatened Demise of Religion in the Public Square - Talk Given by Elder Lance B. Wickman at J. Reuben Clark Law Society - LDS Newsroom


Just before a bill was lodged
Fully in the eleventh hour
The social rights bullet was barely dodged
In the UK by convincing voting power

For, in the name of equality
It would mandate rules of hire
Ridding our church of the ability
To prescreen, with recommends required

We, with a coalition of churches
Banded to preserve religious freedom
Standing up to discrimination charges
But, these assaults are coming in all kingdoms!

From the plaza to the postage stamp
The demise of religion threatens
Nearly forbidding one to morally stand
By using social rights as weapons

George Washington once said of his time and season
"We have abundant reason to rejoice
That in this Land the light of truth and reason
Has triumphed..." and these words, today, are still choice

The following is part of a talk given by Elder Lance B. Wickman, a member of the Seventy, at J. Reuben Clark Law Society on 11 February 2010.

"As I travel about in my current capacity as a General Authority of the Church and as the general counsel of the Church, I often hear this question: What is the greatest challenge faced by the Church? I suppose there are a number of candidates for an answer—a continuing rapid growth that makes retaining new converts a top priority or perhaps finding and training local leaders. But from where I sit, the greatest challenge faced by the Church is the challenge to religious liberty that is growing worldwide. "