Religious Freedom Day

It takes a leap of faith
To create a nation strong
Good morals are needed to frame
A foundation of right and wrong

I give my thanks today
For the freedom of religion
That I have the choice to pray
And choose a church I believe in

To those who paid the price
And against tyranny did fight
I give thanks they'd sacrifice
For each inalienable right

With the Bill of Rights declared
Our country could expand
Through each suffrage shared
Liberty's now established to each hand

In each instance it took faith
Through God given convictions
To stand up and face
Limitations and restrictions

Without Martin Luther King
How could all men unite?
Without women following
How could each enjoy freedom's light?

Without Charlie Kirk's words

That opened space for dialogue

How can differences be heard

To debate and right what's wrong

For, in the image of God each has worth
No matter our age, sex, size, or race
From conception these rights give birth
Divinely given to embrace

True religion and good morals
are the only solid foundations
of public liberty's happiness
Continental Congress 1778

This song is dedicated to Martin Luther, also, Who made the scriptures available.  I chose the waldzither- a Renaissance-era musical instrument to carry the song.  Many called it a Lutherzither because Martin Luther was also a musician.

The Case of Religious Freedom

 “The Case of Religious Freedom”

Religious freedom
Is an universal right
All being of God's kingdom
We are in need of His light

Hope, purpose, compassion
Aspirations, and motives
Bloom beautifully with passion
When we're in the light that God gives

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/case-religious-freedom

Earlier this month in Rome, Harvard professor Mary Ann Glendon made a bold case for religious freedom, saying it “goes to the very heart of what it means to be human.”

Professor Glendon was speaking at an international conference titled “Universal Rights in a World of Diversity: The Case for Religious Freedom.” It is a “universal right” precisely because religious freedom is so central to being human and to sustaining free and just societies.

[Verse 1] Religious freedom Is an universal right All being of God's kingdom We are in need of His light Hope, purpose, compassion In the morning of our souls You meet us in the silence And You make the broken whole [Pre-Chorus] When the shadows start to gather When our hands are tired and small You are calling us together You are Lord above it all [Chorus] Religious freedom Let it rise, let it rise Religious freedom In the light of God Religious freedom We stand side by side When we're in the light That God gives [Verse 2] Aspirations, and motives Bloom beautifully with passion When mercy meets our footsteps We move with holy action Teach us how to listen Teach us how to stay and see Every heart is precious Every soul can be made free [Pre-Chorus] When the shadows start to gather When our hands are tired and small You are calling us together You are Lord above it all [Chorus] Religious freedom Let it rise, let it rise Religious freedom In the light of God Religious freedom We stand side by side When we're in the light That God gives [Bridge] Bring Your peace to every table Bring Your justice to the land Let the weary find a home here Let the hurting understand One house, one hope, one Savior One flame we cannot hide We belong to one another In the light that God provides [Chorus] Religious freedom Let it rise, let it rise Religious freedom In the light of God Religious freedom We stand side by side When we're in the light That God gives [Outro] When we're in the light That God gives

Countries With Religious Freedom

Countries with religious freedom
Have an increase of peace.
As more seek for that wisdom
That, through faith, does increase

While still remains contention
There's a striving to be fair
And through love's extension
We listen because we care

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/international-religious-freedom-partner-cause-peace 

"When we think of peace we generally have in mind a region without war, a nation without strife, or a city without violence. But peace is more than the absence of conflict. Peace is the habit of engaging differences, the practice of negotiating disagreements between foes. It’s a culture of fairmindedness. Even the most peaceful societies have contention, but they don’t let it tear them apart."

"Peace has many factors — the history of a people, the structure of government, the economic environment and the level of political inclusion. Freedom of religion is also crucial. Countries that protect the diversity of religious experience tend to have fewer armed conflicts, greater civil and political liberties, greater press and economic freedoms, better health outcomes, higher levels of income, better education and higher overall human development.[3]"

Peace is more than the absence of conflicts
It is the practice of listening and sharing from the heart
It is respecting the words of pastors and prophets
And not letting contention tear you apart

Let religious freedom flow freely its course
So extremists won't win hearts and minds by default
Open the flood channels of public discourse
And look for the goodness in faiths, not the faults

"In the end, religious freedom is not about eliminating rivals and intimidating people into agreeing with the majority. Rather, religious freedom is about achieving peace among differences and reducing fear so everyone can have confidence in their lawful place in society."

Because There Is One

Find the Creator, in your own way
Because there is one
Ask Him to speak to you. Pray
Through faith, this is done

The founding fathers acknowledged that there was one creator who granted all man inalienable rights. All of them had discovered this truth, individually, and acted on this truth as the foundation of the unity that brought to us this inspired document.

The phrase, "separation of church and state" does not appear in the Constitution. It is a phrase extracted by liberal academics to justify and further their own agenda to eliminate religion and is based on the Constitutional directive that there shall be no state religion establishment, thus guaranteeing religious freedom.

The American Founding: Revolutionary or Conservative

The benefits of this land

Are civil and religious freedom

For the two went hand in hand

To foster a people in wisdom

fos·ter (v)

1. 1.

   encourage or promote the development of (something, typically something regarded as good).

   "the teacher's task is to foster learning"

   synonyms:

   encourage, promote, further, stimulate, advance, forward, cultivate,nurture, strengthen, enrich; More
2. 2.

   bring up (a child that is not one's own by birth).

   synonyms:

   bring up, rear, raise, care for, take care of, look after, nurture, provide for; More

Religious Freedom

 You go your way
And I'll go mine
Allow me to pray
My path to find

Clay Christensen on Religious Freedom

The America of old
Prayed with a heart of gold
They knew to obey the law
Because they believed in God

Listening to some children talk to each other today, I was shocked that they were comparing who in their family was arrested and why.  Sigh.

Religious Freedom and Nondiscrimination News Conference

In all fairness
We each must guard
Our freedoms which
Cause no one harm

Prosperous Freedom

The Book of Mormon
Tells of peace and war
Religious freedom
Is worth fighting for

Wars are really about the pride cycle.
God prospers righteous nations. Blessings come from doing what is right.
When we have abundance it is easy to take things for granted. We get worldly and turn from God and humility. We are resented. Sin and war destroys our peace and happiness. We surrender to God, turn to Him in need and repent, and we are once more a blessed people.

The Irrevocable Human Right

The Irrevocable Human Right

Of our freedom of religion

Is ingrained within every heart

Thus, to reason each decision

"Freedom of religion is not an American invention. It’s a universal value. And it’s enshrined in our Constitution and ingrained in every human heart. The freedom to profess and practice one’s faith, to believe or not to believe, or to change one’s beliefs, that is a birthright of every human being. And that’s what we believe. These rights are rightly recognized under international law." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, May 20, 2013
https://www.facebook.com/SupportReligiousFreedom

Les Miserables: Do you hear the people sing: Sung by 17 Valjeans from ar...

There is strength and power
In letting your voice be heard
There is a need. This is the hour
To be out spreading God's word

Religious Freedom Defined

Religious freedom is

The human right to express,

Think, and act upon belief

What, from God, may impress

Through faith, prayer, and thought

The path of personal faith is found

As life's answers are sought

Freedom of conscience is sound

This is important to us all

Our founding fathers knew it too

The flag of freedom waves to call

Be free to dream, think, choose, and do

Let there be a moral compass

In the choices that we make

Let us unite for this, thus

And for freedom, re awake

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/celebrating-freedom-around-the-world
The introduction says that “religious freedom is the human right to think, act upon and express what one deeply believes, according to the dictates of his or her moral conscience. The breadth of religious freedom and its relationship with freedom of conscience helps explain why religious freedom is important for everyone, not just for people of faith.”

Test of Fire: Election 2012

In the fire of affliction
One's purpose burns more bright
Stay true to your conviction
For, you know it is right

America, in the fire of affliction, religious freedom

The Mormon Moment - Newsweek

The Mormon Moment - Newsweek

The churches of America
Share a common creed
As a nation under God
They help moral convictions lead

In late 2007 Romney traveled to Texas A&M to soothe evangelicals with a speech that downplayed the distinctiveness of Mormonism. “It’s important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America,” he said, “we share a common creed of moral convictions.”

Our Founding Fathers

Our founding fathers
Never would have thought
Their sons and their daughters
Would turn their backs on God

How else did they win
This land that we love
But by enduring the grim
With faith in God above

What else could principle
A constitution of light
That could unite all the people
And define inalienable rights

“The Case of Religious Freedom”

“The Case of Religious Freedom”

Religious freedom is
An unalienable right
A moral basis to live
And flourish with insight

Where else can we turn
And find out who we are
Securely, to learn
God is never far

“The Case of Religious Freedom”

“The Case of Religious Freedom”

Religious freedom
Is an universal right
All being of God's kingdom
We are in need of His light

Hope, purpose, compassion
Aspirations, and motives
Bloom beautifully with passion
When we're in the light that God gives

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/case-religious-freedom

Earlier this month in Rome, Harvard professor Mary Ann Glendon made a bold case for religious freedom, saying it “goes to the very heart of what it means to be human.”

Professor Glendon was speaking at an international conference titled “Universal Rights in a World of Diversity: The Case for Religious Freedom.” It is a “universal right” precisely because religious freedom is so central to being human and to sustaining free and just societies.

[Verse 1] Religious freedom Is an universal right All being of God's kingdom We are in need of His light Hope, purpose, compassion In the morning of our souls You meet us in the silence And You make the broken whole [Pre-Chorus] When the shadows start to gather When our hands are tired and small You are calling us together You are Lord above it all [Chorus] Religious freedom Let it rise, let it rise Religious freedom In the light of God Religious freedom We stand side by side When we're in the light That God gives [Verse 2] Aspirations, and motives Bloom beautifully with passion When mercy meets our footsteps We move with holy action Teach us how to listen Teach us how to stay and see Every heart is precious Every soul can be made free [Pre-Chorus] When the shadows start to gather When our hands are tired and small You are calling us together You are Lord above it all [Chorus] Religious freedom Let it rise, let it rise Religious freedom In the light of God Religious freedom We stand side by side When we're in the light That God gives [Bridge] Bring Your peace to every table Bring Your justice to the land Let the weary find a home here Let the hurting understand One house, one hope, one Savior One flame we cannot hide We belong to one another In the light that God provides [Chorus] Religious freedom Let it rise, let it rise Religious freedom In the light of God Religious freedom We stand side by side When we're in the light That God gives [Outro] When we're in the light That God gives

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. "

Just Before a Bill was Lodged

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

Religious Freedom - LDS Newsroom

Religious Freedom - LDS Newsroom
13 October 2009 Transcript of Elder Dallin H. Oaks speech given at BYU-Idaho on 13 October 2009






The sound of battle
Is underway
We will not settle
But join in the fray

Religious freedom
Is under attack
And our founder's wisdom
Must be brought back

Those who understand
What's happening today
Must unite this land,
Educate, and pray

Our constitution
Divinely designed
Is a light to all nations
For freedoms defined

The rights of all flesh
Must needs be preserved
We've thoughts to express
And consideration's deserved

We've opportunities to act
As each man deems moral
Thus accountability's intact
With sovereignty for all

The inspired Founding Fathers
Wrote the Bill of Rights deliberately
With religion above all others
The source of their beliefs

This country's authored under God
And we sorely need His aid
If we do our part and give our all
Wise choices will be made

Summary of his five points of counsel:

First, we must speak with love, always showing patience, understanding and compassion toward our adversaries.

Second, we must not be deterred or coerced into silence by... intimidation. We must insist on our constitutional right and duty to exercise our religion, to vote our consciences on public issues and to participate in elections and debates in the public square and the halls of justice...
We must also insist on this companion condition of democratic government: when churches and their members or any other group act or speak out on public issues, win or lose, they have a right to expect freedom from retaliation.

Third, we must insist on our freedom to preach the doctrines of our faith. (Such as:)
“We follow Jesus Christ by adhering to God’s law of marriage, which is marriage between one man and one woman. This commandment has been in place from the very beginning.”[xvi]


Fourth, as 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.[xvii]

Fifth, ...the religion of a candidate should not be an issue in a political campaign.