We recently sat down with Professor George to talk about what Fidelity Month is all about. This interview has been edited for length and clarity, and Professor George has approved the edits.

Public Square Magazine: For readers who may not be familiar with Fidelity Month, what is it and how did it start?

Robert George: Back in the spring of 2023, I happened to read a report in the Wall Street Journal. It included polling data showing that the belief of Americans in certain core values—values that had traditionally been sources of unity and strength for Americans—had very considerably diminished over the past decade or decade and a half. I’m talking about values such as religion, family, and patriotism. And these values have indeed been sources of our unity and strength in the United States of America because we are not a nation who can look to a common racial heritage or ethnic heritage, or even a common religious tradition or cultural heritage for our unity and strength. We Americans come from many, many different racial and ethnic backgrounds. We come from different traditions of faith. Our cultural histories are very different. So what do we have in common? What binds us together? Especially when times get tough—what are our sources of unity and strength?

Historically, they’ve been a shared commitment to the principles of our civic order, the principles of our Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. But also, very critically, they’ve been a shared belief in the importance of fidelity to God. Whether we’re Jewish or Christian, whether we’re Protestant or Catholic, Orthodox, LDS, we share, at least historically have shared, a commitment to the idea that there is a superintending deity: a God who creates us, indeed creates us equal, and endows us with certain unalienable rights. These rights don’t come from government; they don’t come from kings or parliaments or presidents or congresses; they come from a more than merely human source. And therefore, no merely human authority can legitimately violate those rights or take them away. So we’ve had that in common historically.

In fact, the polling showed that one value had increased in importance in the minds of Americans, and that was money. Religion went down, family went down, country went down, but the belief in the importance of money went up. Now, I’m all for people being prosperous. I want everybody to be financially secure. I want people to have enough money to take care of themselves and their families, and have a few luxuries, and all that. But money, as important as it is, is not on the same scale of importance with God, family, and country.

So, I really was concerned. And I thought, “How can we go about the business of reviving and restoring our fellow citizens’ commitment to the principles that once were the sources of our unity and strength that once bound us together?” How do we rebuild faith in God, a deeper commitment to spouses and families, a sense of the importance of patriotism and love of country? So, I said, initially to myself, well, we have a day for this, and a week for that, and a month for the other thing. How about having a month that’s dedicated to fidelity? To fidelity to God, fidelity to spouses and families, and fidelity to our country and communities.

And so I did what you do these days. I went online. I went to my Facebook account and my Twitter account, and I announced: “By the power vested in me by absolutely no one, henceforth the month of June will be Fidelity Month.” And that’s how it all began. And then, fortunately, people read the social media posts, and a number of people said, this is a great idea. We want to get behind this. And the next thing you know, we had Fidelity Month up and going. It’s entirely a grassroots movement. It’s not a top-down directed thing. There’s no budget, there’s no staff, there’s no administrative structure, there’s no president. I guess I’m the founder, since it was my idea, and I floated it on social media, but there’s no official structure for Fidelity Month. But it’s grown as a grassroots movement.

And I was really delighted, that for this month, for June of 2026, the governors of both Utah and Arkansas have proclaimed, officially, their states’ recognition of Fidelity Month, as has Michigan’s House of Representatives. So, it’s a growing movement.

PSM: This seems to be catching on. Why are people interested in this idea?

Robert George: Because at the end of the day, there are some things that money can’t buy. And there are some things that are more important than money. That’s not to deprecate the importance of material things. As I say, I really do want everyone to prosper financially. I want everyone to have a materially good life. But that’s a secondary consideration, or should be a secondary consideration. And I think even if things have gotten a bit out of whack, and people are tending to value material things over the more-than-merely-material things, people feel the want or the need for something greater, something beyond ourselves, something beyond the material.

And that’s when faith in God, the importance of fidelity to the family, the importance of patriotism and love of country and community come to the fore. Of course, people sometimes just need reminding. There’s an old saying that people more often need reminding than instruction. And I think that’s true in this case. People know in their hearts that there are some things that money can’t buy, there are some things that are more important than the material things of life, and they have a pretty good idea of what those things are. But sometimes, folks need to be reminded. So Fidelity Month is a reminder for all of us.

PSM: For you, is there an important distinction between “fidelity” and related concepts like “commitment” or “loyalty”? Was it important for you for this to be Fidelity Month?

Robert George: Well, there are certainly related concepts that are very important, and that are aspects of fidelity in some cases, but I think the term fidelity is the right term. What we need to revive is faith. Now, part of that is what we usually mean by faith, namely, faith in God. But we also need greater (and richer) fidelity in marriage and in the family. And we also need a revival of patriotism—fidelity to our country and communities. Being faithful involves being grateful—and that is another related concept. We’re faithful when we’re grateful. And fidelity does require gratitude, and gratitude does prompt fidelity, or reinforces fidelity. We should be grateful to live in this country, where we have, by the standards of history and cultures, an almost unique measure of liberty, opportunity, and security. Most people, in most places, at most times, would give their right arm for the opportunity to live in a place like the United States of America. And we don’t often appreciate enough what our country makes available to us and makes possible for us. Therefore, sometimes we’re not grateful; but we should be.

PSM: I think many people can easily get on board with the idea of fidelity to God and fidelity to family, but fidelity to country might be harder for some people. When many people hear patriotism, they immediately link it to nationalism. Could you walk us through how you think about patriotism?

Robert George: When some people hear the word “patriotism,” what they think is being evoked is a kind of chauvinism. But patriotism is not that. Patriotism is not thinking, because I’m an American, I’m better than you because you’re Japanese, or Indonesian, or French, or whatever. Even the concept of American exceptionalism, which I think is an important concept that I’ll talk about in a minute, is not a matter of beating on our chests and saying how wonderful we are and how much better we are than other people. That’s not it at all. Patriotism is simply a matter of being grateful and therefore being loyal. In other words, faithful to the country.

And patriotism itself is concern for one’s community—recognizing that one is not an island or an atomistic individual. So that’s the respect in which America is an exceptional place. No, it’s not that other people don’t believe in God, or think the family is very important, or believe in patriotism. People, wherever they are, should love their country for the gifts that their country gives them and makes available to them. They might not love their regime, they might not love their government. But patriotism is not love of your government. And it does not require us to adopt the position, “my government right or wrong.” Patriotism is love of one’s country.

Now, for those of us who are religious believers, certainly for those of us who are Christians, we recognize that love of country is secondary. Our first loyalty is to God. And our second loyalty is to our family. But to recognize that our first loyalty is to God and our second loyalty is our family is in no way to suggest that we don’t also need to be grateful to, and loyal to, our country and our community. It’s true that love of country can go haywire. And the nation can become an idol. But anything can become an idol. Anything can replace God. We have to be careful of that, no matter what the other thing is. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t properly contribute to, believe in, uphold, and be loyal to our country and our family.

PSM: I’m curious what threats you see to fidelity both in culture and in the ways that laws are changing. Where are these threats coming from, in your view?

Robert George: There are plenty of threats; there are always plenty of threats. As I said, anything can become an idol. The human condition is such that human beings—we frail, fallen, fallible creatures—are always vulnerable to the temptation to put something in God’s place, to put something first above God. Those of us who are Christians, of course, believe that there is nothing that comes above God or before God. The trouble is, we can put other things first. We can put money first. We can put fulfilling or satisfying our desires ahead of God—making our desires into idols. We can put fame or celebrity first, replacing God with those idols. Power, wealth, status, all of those things can become idols.

And we today, in 2026, here in the United States and throughout the world, are as vulnerable to those temptations to idol worship as anybody has ever been in the history of the human race. We are as prone to idol worship as were the people who bowed down before stone outcroppings or worshiped golden calves in ancient times. So that’s number one.

Now, what are the threats? Well, the threats are everywhere. Promiscuity. The divorce culture. Everything that came out of the sexual revolution. You can date the sexual revolution in different ways. You know, once you start trying to trace these things back, the next thing you know you’re in the Garden of Eden with the serpent and the apple and Adam and Eve. But certainly in the 1940s Alfred Kinsey’s widely hyped and quite phony and fraudulent so-called sexuality “science” became a kind of justifying theory for breaking traditional norms of sexual morality. And then in the 1950s, we had the mainstreaming of pornography, so-called softcore pornography, beginning with Hugh Hefner’s Playboy magazine and his whole empire. Then the 1960s counterculture normalized promiscuity and made it socially acceptable. With that came the rise in out-of-wedlock childbearing and massive fatherlessness, especially in some of the most vulnerable communities, or sub-communities of our country. And then the sexual revolution continued to the point at which you now have people claiming that being male or female is not an objective biological reality. Instead, it’s said to be a matter of some subjective alleged “gender identity” that you have invisibly somewhere inside you. So, there are very significant threats to the family today.

And then with patriotism and love of country, it’s so easy to fall into thinking, well, my country owes me, or my community owes me, but I owe nothing back. I’m here for them to serve. And I need to just focus on getting everything I can from the common stock or the common pool. And, I don’t have any responsibility to give back, to serve, to do my part, to be a contributing member of the community. And I think, again, we have to fight back and push back against such attitudes. We need to remind people of the importance of being contributors and not just takers.

PSM: I’m curious, if you could have this grassroots movement grow in an ideal fashion, which institutions would be the most important for this to take hold? I know it’s exciting to see some states adopting it, but what about families, religious groups, or other groups? How do we spread it to those who maybe aren’t already inclined toward faithfulness?

Robert George: I like grassroots building. I want this to be a grassroots movement. I don’t want to try to direct everything from the top. So, I’d like to see it begin in the family, with Mom and Dad teaching the kids—not just by precept, but by example too. Precept is important. It’s important for parents and teachers and pastors to preach a little bit, to talk. But even more important is setting an example. So, Mom and Dad, set the example for your children of worshiping God and putting God first. That’s what my parents did for me. It’s the greatest gift they gave to me and my brothers.

Second, parents should model fidelity in their love and concern for each other. And by fidelity, I want to make clear, I mean more than merely avoiding having adulterous affairs. That’s important, obviously. But that’s only the beginning of fidelity, not the whole of fidelity in marriage. The whole of fidelity in marriage means serving your husband or wife. Serving your spouse. That’s why we think of marriage, rightly, as a vocation. Vocation is not a career; vocation is not a job. Vocation is a way of serving, and in marriage, husband serves wife and wife serves husband. Marriage is a way of serving. And of course, husband and wife, as father and mother, serve their children. So, I think it’s important for men and women as husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, to model fidelity in its richest sense in marriage.

Third, parents, again, by precept and example, can model patriotism. They can take their civic responsibilities seriously and thereby encourage and teach their children to take their civic responsibilities seriously. Vote. Contribute to campaigns. Get behind the causes you believe in. Contribute time as well as money to serving the civic interest. Be willing to run for office. It doesn’t have to be President of the United States. How about the local school board? How about the county commission? Or support friends and neighbors who you think would be good office holders in their efforts to be a county commissioner, or a school board member, or mayor, or whatever it is.  I think those are some of the ways, and they all involve teaching by both precept and example. People can begin in the family to promote fidelity.

Then, what’s next? Churches and synagogues and mosques and other houses of worship all over the country should be promoting these values. I would love the churches—all denominations and traditions, because they basically share the same set of principles—I’d love to see them get behind Fidelity Month, recognize Fidelity Month. The pastor should preach a sermon about fidelity at least once during the month. Preach on fidelity. Maybe you could do three Fidelity Month sermons: One on faithfulness to God, one on faithfulness in marriage, one on patriotism and love of country, and why that’s legitimate and not idolatrous, unless you go about it in an idolatrous way.

And remember, this is all about reminding people of what they already know. We’re not teaching something new. This is not some new ideology. It’s not some new philosophy, it’s not some new theory. It’s just reminding people that there are some things that really matter, that ultimately matter.

You know, I sometimes say to my students, and to my kids (and to myself, to be honest with you) that there are some things that matter, but at the end of the day, not all that much. And then there are other things that really matter. So, what are the things that matter, but at the end of the day, not all that much? Things like wealth, power, influence, status, prestige, celebrity. Those aren’t bad things. It’s not bad to want those things. In fact, they can be good things because you can use them for good. You can use money for lots of good things. You can use power, if you have it, in a good way, for good things, to do good things. You can use influence for good. You can use celebrity for good.

But those things, though they matter, are not, at the end of the day the things that really matter, because things like wealth, power, status, influence, prestige, and celebrity are not ends in themselves. They’re not things that we want just for their own sake. They’re things that are means to other ends, and they have their value only as means to other ends. And they need to be contrasted with the things that really matter, the things that are not mere means to other ends but are desirable for their own sakes—things like faith, family, friendship, knowledge, beauty, integrity, honesty, decency, and compassion. Those are the things we want, not just as extrinsic instruments to get something else that they will make it possible for us to obtain or attain. They are the things you want for their own sakes. They are the things that really matter. They’re the things that ultimately matter.

David Brooks has a good way of illustrating the difference. He asks, what do you want on your tombstone someday? We all have just a short period of time on this earth. If you live 100 years, that’s a really old age, but it’s a blink of an eye in the history of the cosmos. What do you want on your tombstone for whatever number of years you have? Do you want it to say something like, Summa Cum Laude, Princeton? Goldman Sachs partner? No. What you want is something like “faithful husband, loving father and grandfather, loyal friend.” From the perspective of death, we can see more clearly the difference between the things that really matter, such as family, friendship, faith, knowledge, beauty, integrity, from the things that matter but not all that much.

PSM: Are there other ways that people can get involved if they are interested in doing more?

Robert George: Yes. I’d like everybody to go to the Fidelity Month website, www.fidelitymonth.com, because there at the website, you’ll be able to see what you personally can do to be part of this grassroots movement. There aren’t going be people upstairs who are doing stuff. Everything about Fidelity Month is grassroots, so if you go to the website, you can see what you can do to promote Fidelity Month.

Number one, you can say the Fidelity Month Prayer, which is a prayer that people in all traditions of faith can, in good conscience, say to ask God’s blessing on us, that we may be truly faithful to Him, faithful to our spouses and families, loyal and faithful to our country. Number two, you’ll be able to access the Fidelity Month logo for free. Use it for the month of June for your social media accounts. Use it on Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram, or whatever social media accounts you have. Number three, it has suggestions about what you can do in your local community, like hosting a speaker for Fidelity Month, maybe at your church, maybe at your community center, or having a panel discussion. You can also go to the merch section of the website, and you can buy at cost (we don’t make any money on it, it’s just sold at cost) the Fidelity Month flag, or a Fidelity Month cap or tee-shirt. Those things help to get the message out. People see the cap, they see the shirt, they see the flag, and they ask, hey, what’s that about? And boy, there’s your opportunity to witness to the importance of fidelity. And there are many other suggestions about how just everyday people, just ordinary folks, in every walk of life, from every tradition of faith, with every background, can spread the word about fidelity and be part of this movement to remind people about the things that really matter.

The post Robert P. George on Fidelity Month appeared first on Public Square Magazine.

But Professor Lindholm also came to research why his co-author, Professor W. Cole Durham Jr. so tirelessly promoted religious freedom. At bottom, he wanted to know the motives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the founding sponsor of BYU. 

To his delight, and perhaps surprise, he learned that The Church of Jesus Christ promotes the doctrine of religious freedom to bless everyone. In his own words, “You really believe this.”

Indeed, we do. But what is the doctrine of religious freedom, and why is it so important?

This two-part series will explore these questions. In this article, I discuss the importance of the doctrine of religious freedom in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the fundamental rights that facilitate it, the blessings it confers, and the prophetic invitations for Latter-day Saints to teach and promote it. In the next installment, I will discuss the history and constitutional protections of religious freedom and explore our responsibilities as church members to ensure the doctrine of religious freedom endures to bless all God’s children. 

Religious Freedom is Important Church Doctrine

President D. Todd Christofferson has taught that church doctrine does not come through “a statement made by one leader on a single occasion.” Rather, as Elder Neil L. Andersen explained, Church “doctrine is taught by all 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve.”

By that definition, religious freedom is unquestionably an important doctrine of the Church.  Indeed, members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have frequently taught the principles of religious freedom. 

In particular, President Dallin H. Oaks, president of the Church, has defended religious freedom throughout his apostolic ministry. This is significant because, as President Christofferson has noted, the President of the Church has a “preeminent role” in promulgating church doctrine.

To make that ultimate choice, religious freedom is required. Without religious freedom, we cannot choose “to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience” nor, as stated in the eleventh article of faith, can others choose to worship “how, where, or what they may.”

As a Church, we celebrate the Constitution of the United States that the Lord “suffered to be established” for the “rights and protection of all flesh” precisely because it sets forth “just and holy principles” allowing “every man” to “act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I [the Lord] have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.” Thus, the Church champions the universal doctrine of religious freedom not merely for its own benefit, but because it is key to accomplishing God’s purpose in allowing everyone to exercise their moral agency.

The importance of this doctrine of religious freedom is now on full display as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Earlier this year, the First Presidency issued a letter instructing all church wards and branches to hold a fifth Sunday discussion on May 31, 2026, on how the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution “support religious freedom and our God-given agency.” In addition, for the Church’s scheduled fast on July 5, 2026, the First Presidency invited all “to participate in a unified fast to express gratitude for religious liberty and to pray that it be strengthened throughout the world.” 

In support of these worldwide initiatives, the Church has created a specialized curriculum on religious freedom available on Gospel Library. This curriculum emphasizes the doctrine of religious freedom as taught by the Lord and His servants.

In addition to these resources, church members can find a repository of addresses given by Church leaders available at the Religious Freedom Library. 

Rights of Religious Freedom

Given the importance of the doctrine of religious freedom, it is appropriate to ask which legal rights are most important for enabling the moral agency it aims to protect. President Oaks and Elder Wickman, a former general counsel of the Church and General Authority Seventy, suggested an answer by identifying the following rights as necessary protections for individuals and religious organizations:

1.   The right of freedom of conscience
2.   The right of worship
3.   The right to assembly
4.   The right to self-government
5.   The right to communicate with church members
6.   The right to legal entity status and action for religious organizations
7.   The right to declare religious beliefs publicly
8.   The right to travel freely
9.   The right to full participation in society
10.   The right to freedom from retaliation.

These protections are examples of what Elder Wickman terms the “innermost core” of rights that should be available under our doctrine of religious liberty. Because there is little room for compromise on this core, they form the highest priority in our hierarchy of religious rights. 

Elder Wickman also explained that near this core is “the right not to be punished, retaliated against, or excluded from one’s employment based solely on one’s faith.” In addition, “freedoms related to religiously important nonprofit functions carried on by religious organizations and religious schools, colleges, and universities” are near the core rights that should be protected. These rights include “the freedom to hire based on religious criteria” and to “establish honor codes that reflect religious teachings.” These “near core” rights have occasionally been threatened in recent years. Examples includfe repercussions to religious believers for morally objecting to same-sex marriage and threats to BYU because its Honor Code requires traditional chastity and virtue.

Beyond this core are rights in commercial settings in which “our expectations of unfettered religious freedom must be tempered.” In such settings, we “must be willing to make prudential compromises.” This is an area of churning dispute. The Supreme Court has recently supported a variety of religious freedom claims in commercial settings, exempting cake makers and website owners from having to provide artistic services to same-sex weddings, and permitting counselors to provide counseling consistent with a patient’s biological sex in accordance with their religious convictions. On the other hand, many other courts have denied religious claims in commercial settings. For example, many courts have upheld employers’ COVID-19 vaccination requirements even though employees have sought exemptions for religious reasons. Additionally, a public school teacher was recently required to remove a private crucifix from her classroom when a student objected. 

The lowest level in this hierarchy consists of religious rights that conflict with others’ rights, including those of government. “In these areas, religious beliefs should be reasonably accommodated, but other governmental interests may significantly limit the degree of accommodation.” As an illustration, Elder Wickman suggested that if your government job is to issue marriage licenses, your freedom to refuse to issue “licenses for marriage that are contrary to your religious beliefs may be very limited.”

Thus, while religious liberty is ultimately intended to protect our rights, properly understood the doctrine of religious freedom recognizes that not all rights have equal weight. We acknowledge that we must be willing to temper our expectations based on the circumstances, according to the hierarchy of the religious rights involved. 

Blessings of Religious Freedom

President Christofferson began his argument by acknowledging:

It is becoming increasingly common for people to think that religion and religious freedom are some kind of burden on society. That is simply not true. Religion is fundamental to societal well-being, and freedom of religion benefits not only believers but all of society, whether they know it or not. Therefore, all have an interest in protecting this freedom, whether they are believers or not.

President Christofferson then noted that some of the many universal benefits that religion and religious freedom provide include protection for other fundamental rights and increased societal goods. He noted that “rich scholarship” suggests that “[c]ountries with strong religious freedom tend to be more stable and prosperous,” have increased moral virtues and habits of good citizenship, have less crime and violence, have increased civic involvement, give more time and resources to humanitarian causes, have increased marital stability, and have healthier children with lower rates of depression and suicide and less “anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem, sadness, delinquent or illegal behavior, pornography, drug and alcohol abuse, and other addictive behaviors.”

At a subsequent international conference, President Christofferson enumerated additional social benefits derived from the doctrine of religious freedom. He noted:

1.  “Religious liberty is the oldest and most deeply rooted freedom in international human rights law and is essential to the entire structure of human rights.”
2.  “Religious liberty is essential for protecting human dignity.”
3.  “Religious liberty promotes pluralism and peace.”
4.  “Religious liberty facilitates a proper separation of church and state that avoids any justification for secular hostility toward religion.”
5.  “Religious liberty allows diverse faith communities to continue providing critical services to society and its most disadvantaged members.”
6.  “Religious liberty enables all of us—whether religious or not—freely to pursue truth and the meaning of life, and to live accordingly.”

This impressive list of benefits accrues because those who enjoy religious freedom can freely choose to follow their faith, allowing them to be “blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual.”

To secure such blessings for ourselves and others, the Lord has encouraged the Church and its members to “befriend[] that law which is the constitutional law of the land.” In doing so, the Church and its members increasingly engage with others in “supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges.”

Examples of this engagement include BYU’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), which hosts the Annual International Law and Religion Symposium. Now in its 33rd year, the Symposium has hosted over 1,500 government, academic, and religious leaders from 138 countries to learn more about religious freedom principles applicable in all countries. Additionally, ICLRS and the Wheatley Institute at BYU co-host the Religious Freedom Annual Review, in which academic and government leaders from many faith traditions, as well as members of the public, gather to learn about religious freedom within the United States. Similarly, the Church acts with others in supporting the G20 Interfaith Forum, which brings together scholars, faith leaders, and government officials to ensure public policy appropriately supports religious freedom principles.

All these efforts, and many more, are intended to bless mankind. As Joseph Smith emphatically stated in 1843:

If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a ‘Mormon,’ I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves. It is a love of liberty which inspires my soul—civil and religious liberty to the whole of the human race.

Invitation to Teach and Promote the Doctrine of Religious Freedom

The living prophets and apostles have abundantly taught us the doctrine of religious freedom, the rights needed to facilitate it, and the great blessings it bestows. President Oaks has invited us to learn this doctrine and promote its principles. Speaking to an audience at BYU–Idaho, he said:

I invite you to march with me as I speak about religious freedom under the United States Constitution. There is a battle over the meaning of that freedom. The contest is of eternal importance, and it is your generation that must understand the issues and make the efforts to prevail.

Fortunately, we have a unique capacity to promote religious freedom. Years ago, when I began working on religious freedom issues, I invited a former professor not of our faith to visit the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU. After spending several hours learning about the Center’s work, he looked at me and said, to the best of my recollection, “What your church is doing to protect religious freedom is amazing. You must continue because your people are in the best position to carry forward the message of religious freedom to the world. Because of your history of religious persecution and because you sincerely advocate religious freedom for everyone, you speak from a position of tremendous credibility and authority.” His encouragement to me applies to all Latter-day Saints because we share a common heritage and responsibility to promote the doctrine of religious freedom.

As part of our country’s 250th anniversary celebration, I hope we all feel renewed motivation to learn and promote the doctrine of religious freedom as we heed the First Presidency’s invitation to unitedly fast and pray that religious freedom “be strengthened throughout the world.”

The post The Importance of Religious Freedom appeared first on Public Square Magazine.

Agency is central to God’s plan. Learn why freedom matters, how the Constitution protects agency, and why Latter-day Saints should value liberty and responsibility.

This article is one in a series about principles of freedom and religious liberty. It is based on principles from the book American Principles of Freedom: A Latter-day Saint Perspective, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Read other articles in the series #America250

One of the greatest gifts Heavenly Father has given us is moral agency, the ability to choose between right and wrong. Agency is central to the plan of salvation. Without the freedom to choose, we could not grow spiritually, develop faith, repent, serve others, or become more like Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon teaches, “Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh… they are free to choose liberty and eternal life.” (2 Nephi 2:27)

Agency requires more than private thought. It also requires freedom. People must be free to worship, speak, work, raise families, and live according to their beliefs. When freedom is restricted, the exercise of agency becomes more difficult. That is one reason freedom matters so much to Latter-day Saints.

Agency Was Defended Before Mortality

The battle over agency began before this life. Satan “sought to destroy the agency of man.” (Moses 4:3) Satan’s plan involved compulsion. Heavenly Father’s plan preserved moral choice and accountability. Because agency is essential to God’s eternal plan, freedom has spiritual importance as well as political importance.

Throughout history, societies that protect liberty generally provide greater opportunity for worship, family life, service, education, and the spread of truth. Societies that suppress liberty often weaken those same blessings.

The Constitution Helps Protect Agency

Latter-day Saints believe the United States Constitution was inspired by God to help preserve freedom. The Lord declared, “I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose…” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:80)

The Constitution does not create agency. Agency comes from God. But constitutional freedoms help protect people as they exercise agency responsibly. The Bill of Rights protects freedoms closely connected to moral agency, including, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and due process under the law. These protections allow individuals to seek truth, worship according to conscience, and participate in society without excessive government control.

The Constitution of the United States has served as a model for many nations and is an inspired document.

Freedom and Responsibility Belong Together

Agency does not mean doing anything we want without consequences. Freedom and accountability always go together. The founders of the United States understood this principle. They believed self-government succeeds only when citizens govern themselves morally.

John Adams wrote, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (Address to the Massachusetts Militia, 1798)

Strong families, churches, and communities help teach honesty, responsibility, kindness, and self-control. These virtues strengthen both society and liberty. Church leaders encourage us to become responsible citizens who contribute positively to our communities and nations.

Freedom Creates Opportunities for Good

The Restoration of the gospel benefited greatly from constitutional freedoms in early America. Joseph Smith was able to organize the Church, publish scripture, preach openly, and gather believers because religious liberty existed.

Today, freedom still helps the gospel spread throughout the world. It allows missionaries to preach, families to worship, and individuals to choose faith voluntarily. God does not force righteousness. He invites it.

What This Means for Us

Latter-day Saints can help preserve freedom by:

• Studying the scriptures and the Constitution
• Respecting the rights of others
• Participating responsibly in civic life
• Defending religious liberty
• Teaching correct principles in the home

Freedom survives when people value it and use it wisely. For Latter-day Saints, liberty is more than a political idea. It helps protect moral agency, one of the most sacred gifts Heavenly Father has given His children.

Learn more:

• Articles about about religious freedom and moral agency.
• Read the book American Principles of Freedom: A Latter-day Saint Perspective.

How to access the book

• Read or download a free PDF.
• Purchase on Amazon as a paperback for only $8.95 or get as Kindle or audiobook free with your membership
• Purchase on Lulu as a paperback for only $8.95

by Autumn Dickson

The story of Hannah is almost too much for me. Hannah struggled with infertility. She went to the tabernacle and prayed her heart out. She told the Lord that she would dedicate her son to Him. Her prayer was so intense that Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk. He tells her the Lord will grant her petition. She goes home, and it is fulfilled. She conceives a son.

Hannah kept him until he was weaned. This could have happened as early as 24 months and as late as five years old. After he is weaned, she takes him to Eli. She reminds Eli that she was the woman who was fervently praying for a child before, and then she says this.

1 Samuel 1:27-28

27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

28 Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.

Hannah leaves her son with Eli. She gets to see him annually when they go to the tabernacle to make their sacrifice. This is the part that makes my heart desperately ache. I have two children who currently fall within that age group, and I can’t imagine dropping them off and only seeing them once a year. I am quite certain that it would kill me.

But Hannah had promised her son to the Lord, and she stuck to that promise. Samuel went to Eli at the temple.

Samuel goes on to do incredible things in the name of the Lord. He became the first centralized prophet to Israel in a long time. His ministry is marked by attempts to pull the Israelites out of apostasy and idolatry. He helped Israel transition to a monarchy first with Saul, and then he later anointed David and protected him from Saul. He was known as a great prophet like Moses.

When I attempt to put myself in Hannah’s shoes, I think there is really only one testimony that would bring me any semblance of peace in the midst of handing my child over.

The Lord can do better with him than I can.

Luckily, I don’t think most of us are facing a time where this sacrifice is required of us. We don’t drop our kids off at the temple and dedicate them to the Lord, but there is still a lesson here for all of us.

The Lord can do better with your loved one than you can.

That doesn’t just apply to our children. The Lord can do better with your sister, brother, friend, parent, cousin, grandchild, niece, nephew, spouse, or anyone you love. We can “hand them off” to the Lord and be at peace that the Lord can take them on a journey that’s going to be better than the one we can take them on.

What does that look like? I can think of two different ways that we can hand our loved one over to the Lord.

1) We closely follow what the Lord has in store for them.

I can think of two contrasting examples that depict one principle: I have two family members that strayed from the gospel for a while. They had zero interest in taking part of what the Lord wanted them to have.

The first relative was forced to go to church. As long as he lived under the roof of his parents, he would be attending church. His father was adamant about it. And you know what? One day, this relative of mine went to church and one of the speakers said something that reached him. He was no longer forced to go to church because he didn’t have to be.

My second relative went a different route completely. Her mother received the impression that she should allow her to stay home. This was the right way for my second relative. Because of her personality, forcing her to go would have only caused her to hate it more. It wouldn’t have fixed anything. In all honesty, it would have made things worse.

Two different approaches that teach a principle when placed side by side: We don’t always know what to do, but the Lord does. We may think we know what to do, but we have to let go of trying to control the situation and turn to the Lord for what’s going to be best for our child. If one of my children grows to hate the church, my knee-jerk reaction would be to force them to go as long as I could in a desperate attempt to draw them back. And perhaps that’s the right answer, but the key is to turn your loved one over to the Lord and follow the path that the Lord has in store for them.

Even if part of that path means letting them choose a different path for a while, it’s going to end up being the most powerful path if we’re following the Lord. Even if that path takes them on a journey like the prodigal son, that journey may be the very thing that makes them so powerful in the end. It may be the very experience they need to finally develop a relationship with a Savior who can watch over them.

Fear is natural when we worry about our loved ones, but we can hush our fears and lean on the promises of the Savior. His atonement reaches wide and far. It can turn sin into stepping stones. Consequences become opportunities to turn to the Savior. The Savior has earned our trust. We can lean on Him and let Him lead.

2) Sometimes trusting the Lord with your loved one is an internal battle.

Hannah’s path looked a little different than both of my relatives. She wasn’t trying to save Samuel. In many ways, she was simply letting him go. Sometimes that is the path we have to take. Even when our children are young, we can’t really control them. It can be easier to force them to do something when they’re little. However, even then, control is often an illusion.

As they get older, the illusion disappears and you have to hope they’re wise enough to follow the Lord.

But no matter how we hope, sometimes they take a different path.

Sometimes the Lord is going to seem rather silent on the matter when we’re desperately trying to save our loved one. That isn’t a sign that you screwed up or that He doesn’t love them; sometimes, that loved one is simply going to choose what they’re going to choose regardless of the path that you choose to take.

Sometimes turning your loved one over to the Lord means seeking out the Lord’s will for them; sometimes turning your loved one over to the Lord means finding peace in the midst of being powerless to help them (at least for a time). Even if the Lord is silent, that doesn’t mean He doesn’t have a plan. It likely just means there isn’t anything you can do to help that plan along at this point. When there is nothing you can physically do to help your loved one, you do what Hannah did. You let go and trust that the Lord has a plan for them.

Just like with Hannah’s situation, I think a knowledge of my Savior’s power and love is the only thing that would bring peace. I can’t change anything externally, but I can orient my heart towards the Savior and let His promises enable me to hope.

I testify of a Savior who does have a plan. He has the Plan of Salvation which included the creation, fall, and atonement, but He also has individual Plans of Salvation for each of us. He knows exactly where your loved one is. He has steps to take and action to follow through on, and He will do so. It may take a long time, longer than you want or even imagine right now, but the Lord’s plans can stretch that far. You can trust Him to take care of them, and you can put that burden down and rest. That doesn’t mean you don’t mourn, but it does mean you simultaneously carry the Savior’s promises in your heart so that you can keep going. I testify that He will fulfill His promises.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

My wife and I recently visited the Church historic sites in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. It was wonderful. But if you can’t visit Church historic sites in person, there are virtual tours available.

Schedule live, virtual tours guided by missionaries or watch pre-recorded video tours. Below is a sampling of the tours available on the Church’s webpage Historic Sites Virtual Tours.

Schedule Live Virtual Tours

Sacred Grove. Through tours of two homes on the Smith Family Farm and a quiet walk in the Sacred Grove, learn about foundational events in Church history and Joseph Smith’s role as Prophet of the Restoration.

Priesthood Restoration Site. In this tour, experience places of translation, revelation, and restoration in Harmony, Pennsylvania, by visiting Isaac and Elizabeth Hale’s home, Joseph and Emma Smith’s home, and the Susquehanna River.

Kirtland Temple. Schedule a virtual tour of the Kirtland Temple. Learn about sacred events that occurred here and about the influence of those events throughout the world. Visit the place where the Savior came to accept the temple as His house.

Joseph and Emma Smith Home. Schedule a virtual tour of the Joseph and Emma Smith Home in Kirtland. Learn about Emma and Joseph as wife and husband, as parents, and as disciples of Jesus Christ. Grow in your understanding of how they united to serve the Lord.

Historic Kirtland. On this tour, you visit Newel and Elizabeth Ann Whitney’s home and store, an ashery, and a sawmill—places where Latter-day Saints, long ago and today, have learned to hear and follow the Lord’s voice.

Johnson Farm. This virtual tour of John and Elsa Johnson’s home in Hiram, Ohio, highlights sacrifice, friendship, and revelation

Carthage Jail. On this virtual tour, visit Carthage Jail and see where Joseph and Hyrum Smith spent their last hours before being martyred on June 27, 1844, sealing their testimonies with their blood.

Historic Nauvoo: Temple City. In this virtual tour, learn about the Latter-day Saints who donated hours of work to build the house of the Lord in Nauvoo by visiting the William and Caroline Weeks Home, the Edward and Ann Hunter Home, and the William and Esther Gheen Home.

Historic Nauvoo: Relief Society Foundations. Hear the story of the founding of the Nauvoo Female Relief Society by visiting the home of Sarah Granger Kimball and the recently acquired reconstruction of Joseph Smith’s brick store.

Historic Nauvoo: Joseph and Emma Smith. See the Smith Family Homestead and the Nauvoo Mansion, two recently acquired, original homes of Joseph and Emma Smith. Hear stories of the Smith family, the revelations received here, and the final years of the prophet’s earthly ministry.

Sacred Grove Historic Site, Part 1: The First Vision. Missionaries welcome you into a replica of Joseph Smith’s boyhood home and take you on a walk in the Sacred Grove.

Sacred Grove Historic Site, Part 2: The Angel Moroni and Joseph Smith. Missionaries take you to places where the angel Moroni taught young Joseph Smith about his sacred mission: the upstairs bedroom of a log home and an apple orchard.

Sacred Grove Historic Site Part 3: The Smith Family and the Book of Mormon. Missionaries take you on a tour of the restored farm home of Lucy Mack Smith and Joseph Smith Sr., where the Smith family worked together to support Joseph Smith Jr. in his calling to bring forth the Book of Mormon.

The Hill Cumorah and the Preparation of a Prophet. Missionaries take you to the Hill Cumorah where the angel Moroni helped young Joseph Smith prepare to bring forth the Book of Mormon.

Priesthood Restoration Site. Missionaries guide a tour of places where Joseph and Emma Smith and Oliver Cowdery participated in the translation of the Book of Mormon and where the Lord began to restore the priesthood power and authority to the Earth.

Grandin Building: Sharing the Book of Mormon with the World. Missionaries guide a tour of E. B. Grandin’s bookstore and printshop, where the Book of Mormon was first published.

Whitmer Farm: A Place of Miracles. Missionaries welcome you to the farm of Peter and Mary Whitmer, where part of the translation of the Book of Mormon took place as well as the organization of the restored Church of Jesus Christ.

Building a Sawmill to Build a Temple. Missionaries take you to a replica of a sawmill that early Saints built to construct the Kirtland Temple.

Johnson Home: Hidden Mysteries Revealed. Missionaries guide you through the home of John and Elsa Johnson in Hiram, Ohio, a place of conversion, charity, and service.

Whitney Home and Store: People and Places Transformed by the Gospel. Missionaries describe important events that occurred in Ann and Newel K. Whitney’s home and store, including the arrival of Joseph and Emma Smith to Kirtland, a vision of the Kirtland Temple, and the organization of the School of the Prophets.

To schedule or view any of these tours, see the Church’s webpage Historic Sites Virtual Tours.

The Word of Wisdom is one of the things that sets us apart as a peculiar people. People unfamiliar with the Church usually know of the health code; that we do not smoke or drink or drink coffee. It makes us stand out and becomes one of the top missionary opportunities, as we set ourselves apart from the world by not participating in trends and habits that are considered normal.

And yet, despite all of its benefits, anti-Mormons like to frame the Word of Wisdom as a way to discredit the Church for inconsistencies or somehow prove that its recommendations aren’t scientifically backed, as if modern science is always right and as if that is the purpose of the Word of Wisdom in the first place.

It often seems that former members of the Church seek to discredit the Word of Wisdom so they can justify their desire not to live by it.

Let’s take a closer look at what the Word of Wisdom actually is and why we have it today.

Doctrine and Covenants 89

History of the Word of Wisdom

In 1833, the revelation was given as a “Word of Wisdom” on February 27 in Kirtland, Ohio. It came in response to a practical issue during meetings of the School of the Prophets. The room was often filled with smoke, and tobacco chewing left spit on the floor that Emma Smith was tired of cleaning up. This filth didn’t seem right for men called to build the kingdom of God and thus Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord.

In the beginning, The Word of Wisdom was not presented as a commandment. The revelation states it was given “not by commandment or constraint,” but as guidance, a recommendation for the Saints. It was something wise to follow, intended to help them avoid physical and spiritual harm, including the “evils and designs of conspiring men in the last days.”

Use of tea, coffee, alcohol, and tobacco was very different in that time and age. Clean drinking water was not always reliable, so many people relied on other beverages as safer options. Alcoholic drinks were often used in moderation, and tobacco use was widespread, especially among men.

The revelation was given specifically for those attending the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, which met in the Newel K. Whitney store. After hearing the revelation, Those attending the school immediately began to change their behavior, including stopping tobacco use during meetings. However, this did not mean that all use stopped immediately, nor was it enforced as a commandment.

Punishment for Drunkenness

In the early days of the Church, and culturally in much of the American Christian world drunkenness was condemned.  Getting drunk could result in discipline, including excommunication. Drinking in moderation was culturally normal, even among younger people. It was better to drink Alcoholic beverages than to get sick from bad water. The primary concern with alcohol was the loss of self-control, where a person’s judgment, behavior, and agency were affected by overindulgence.

Jesus drank wine. Joseph Smith occasionally drank wine and beer.

By the late 1800s, Church leaders and missionaries were encouraged to more strictly live the Word of Wisdom.

In 1906s, President Joseph F. Smith implemented the use of water in Sacrament meeting instead of Wine.  This became the standard across the Church in 1912.

In 1921, under President Heber J. Grant, observance of the Word of Wisdom became a requirement for receiving a temple recommend.

By the 1930s, it was clearly established in Church policy, no longer as advice, but as a standard expected of members.

In August 2019, the Church clarified modern application:

The Word of Wisdom is a law of health for the physical and spiritual benefit of God’s children. Church leaders have taught that substances that are destructive, habit-forming, or addictive should be avoided. This includes illegal drugs, vaping, e-cigarettes, green tea, and coffee-based products. Marijuana and opioids are permitted only when used appropriately under medical supervision.

Principle With A Promise

The revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 89 is given as a “principle with a promise.” The last verse of the revelation lays out a comparison to the blessings received by the Children of Israel in Egypt during the Passover. The Children of Israel had a choice. They could either put the lamb’s blood on their door and not be slain, or they could choose not to. They could choose to obey the prophet and have faith that what Moses said came from God, or ignore it. This was a tangible act where the Israelites were able to show their faith as covenant children. Those who showed their faith and obeyed were blessed.

When we live the Word of Wisdom, we mark ourselves as a covenant people. Keeping the Word of Wisdom does not necessarily mean that we are righteous, but if we have made a covenant to follow it, then choosing not to live it shows a willingness to ignore those covenants.

Jews live their health code laws because they believe they came from God. We live the Word of Wisdom because we have been instructed by modern prophets to do so.  By obeying God, especially in black and white commandments, we demonstrate our faith and place ourselves in a position to be blessed.

Anti-Mormon Claims Regarding the Word of Wisdom

The problem that critics have with the Word of Wisdom is that they use presentism to frame differences in other generations as our current practice as hypocrisy. Often the reason they desire to discredit the word of wisdom is because of personal additions and a desire to avoid accountability for not living it themselves. When someone does not want to follow a standard, there is a natural tendency to look for reasons to dismiss it or explain it away. Instead of evaluating the principle and purpose, they apply a modern lens and assume that the culture and commandment should have always looked exactly the way it does today.

They look back at a different time, culture, and stage of development and interpret differences as inconsistency, while ignoring that circumstances change and that modern prophets exist to give guidance for our day.

Because many members are not familiar with the full history, they assume the Word of Wisdom has always been practiced the same way it is today. When they see the actual history, it can create cognitive dissonance because it does not seem to fit what they expected. When that information is presented without context, it can create the appearance of contradiction. In reality, it reflects a pattern of gradual instruction and increased expectation over time.

Wrong Historical Assumptions

In the case of Joseph Smith, many members learn the story of when he was seven years old and refused alcohol during his leg surgery. From that, some assume that he never drank alcohol at all. But that assumption comes from incomplete understanding, often because their teachers also had those same incorrect assumptions.

Historical records, including the Joseph Smith Papers, show that Joseph Smith did occasionally drink wine and beer. This includes documented instances including Carthage Jail just before he was killed. When people learn this, some feel betrayed, assuming that Joseph Smith should have lived under the same standards we follow today.

Some members have a similar reaction when they learn that coffee was included on pioneer packing lists before crossing the plains to Utah.

When this history is discovered, critics like to claim that the Church has hidden it. This isn’t true. There is a clear difference between hiding history and people not doing deeper research. Sunday school curriculum on Word of Wisdom doesn’t usually include dates and facts about how things used to be because those don’t apply to how people should be living things today. Joseph Smith’s journals and early Church records have been publicly available for decades. If one wanted to know these details, they have always been available with enough research.

The reality is that there is only so much time in seminary and Sunday School. Teachers are not going to spend limited time focusing on unnecessary historical details that don’t build faith or teach core doctrine. Most church members simply have no desire to go through the primary sources themselves, and church curriculum doesn’t go out of it’s way to bring up minimal instances that are different from our worldview today. Treating assumptions as deception is not an accurate representation of what is actually happening.

For the Weakest of Saints

The Word of Wisdom states that it is given for the weakest of saints. When someone is vulnerable to addiction or harmful habits, the safest approach is complete abstinence. You are not going to get addicted if you never start.

This helps explain why, in later generations, the Word of Wisdom became a standard of full abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea. If a person never begins using these substances, they never become dependent on them, never lose control of their agency, and never have to overcome those addictions.

Benefits of Living the Word of Wisdom

From a practical standpoint, there is strong evidence that the Word of Wisdom benefits both individuals and society. The empirical evidence is obvious. The substances modern prophets have consistently warned against are tied to death, addiction, family harm, accidents, and long-term health damage.

Alcohol

Excessive alcohol use alone causes about 178,000 deaths each year in the United States, making it one of the leading preventable causes of death. Alcohol-impaired driving killed 13,524 people in 2022, accounting for 32% of all traffic deaths, and CDC notes that about 37 people per day are killed in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver.

Alcohol does not just hurt the person drinking it. It destroys peace in homes and becomes fuel for violence, abuse, and broken families. Alcohol is so destructive because it lowers inhibitions, clouds judgment, and makes people far more likely to act in anger, recklessness, or cruelty. That shows up in domestic violence, sexual abuse, child abuse, and assaults against spouses and girlfriends. A huge percentage of violent incidents happen when alcohol is involved.

Around the world, study after study has shown that women are far more likely to be beaten, threatened, or sexually assaulted by a partner under the influence. Alcohol also plays a major role in divorce and family breakdown. A person under the influence is more likely to become selfish, unpredictable, irresponsible, and abusive. The damage spreads far beyond the drinker. Wives, children, and families often carry the pain.

Avoiding alcohol protects not just the individual, but everyone around them.

Drugs

Illegal drug use carries similar consequences. The National Institute on Drug Abuse describes addiction as a chronic, treatable brain disorder, not just a bad habit, which is one reason prevention matters so much. In 2024, the United States still recorded 79,384 drug overdose deaths, including 54,045 deaths involving opioids. The National Institute of Justice also notes that illicit drug use and drug markets are closely tied to criminal behavior, law enforcement burdens, and correctional problems.

Tobacco

Smoking has equally clear negative effects. CDC states that cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure cause more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States, and more than 16 million Americans are living with a smoking-related disease. Tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of disease, death, and disability in the country. This is one reason insurers, employers, and health systems all treat smoking as a major risk factor.

Smoking during pregnancy is especially damaging. CDC reports that smoking before or during pregnancy can cause poor fetal growth, low birth weight, preterm birth, damage to a baby’s developing lungs and brain, and increased risk of birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate. It also notes that smoking doubles the risk of abnormal bleeding during pregnancy and delivery. In 2021, 5.4% of women with a recent live birth reported smoking during pregnancy, which shows that many still struggle to stop even when the risks are well known.

Coffee and Tea

Coffee and tea are not in the same category as alcohol and tobacco when it comes to obvious damage, but that does not mean they are harmless or that the concern is irrational. Caffeine is a stimulant. It affects the nervous system, can raise heart rate and blood pressure, can contribute to anxiety, can interfere with sleep, can worsen reflux, and can increase urinary frequency and affect the kidneys. Medical sources also warn that too much caffeine can lead to palpitations, restlessness, and trouble sleeping. In moderation, the scientific evidence shows the effects are minimal, but many people are not just drinking a mild amount once in a while. Many rely on it every day just to feel normal, get going, and to function.

That daily reliance is part of the point. Caffeine dependence is real, and withdrawal is real. People who use it regularly often find that they have a hard time stopping, a hard time waking up without it, and a hard time functioning normally when they try to quit. Medical literature recognizes caffeine withdrawal, and the symptoms can include headaches, fatigue, low mood, difficulty concentrating, and the feeling that you cannot really operate until you get your next dose. Even if someone wants to argue that moderate coffee or tea is not as dangerous as other substances, it is still easy to see why a commandment meant for the “weakest of saints” would draw a line around a substance that so often becomes a daily dependency.

A person who is vulnerable to addiction is far better off never starting than trying to break free later. Even when some people can use certain substances moderately for a time, many others cannot. A law that teaches abstinence from addictive or destructive substances protects the person who would otherwise become dependent, lose self-control, damage relationships, harm children, or spend years trying to recover. From that standpoint alone, the practical wisdom of the commandment is hard to deny. The world would be a much healthier and safer place if everyone lived the law of health taught by the church today.

Recent scientific evidence shows that beverage temperature is a significant health factor; specifically, when drinks are very hot, they can cause thermal injury to the esophagus. A study conducted in Kenya found that participants who habitually drank ‘very hot’ beverages had a 3.7 times higher risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared to those who drank them warm.

A Personal Approach to Living the Spirit of the Word of Wisdom

To fully live the Word of Wisdom, the principle goes beyond a list of substances the Saints should not use. Based on the principle of the law, it includes avoiding anything that can become addictive or harmful.

In 1833, many modern products did not exist, so they are not mentioned. Because of that, they fall outside the formal requirements, but personal judgment should still consider whether using them would violate the spirit of the Word of Wisdom.

“But Soda and Energy Drinks Are Worse Than Coffee and Tea”

In many cases, that is true. These drinks can be highly addictive and contain large amounts of sugar and stimulants. I personally know people who have had to be hospitalized from drinking too many energy drinks at once.

However, because they were not part of the original revelation or later defined in temple recommend interviews, they are not specifically prohibited. While they aren’t good for the body, the members drinking them have not covenanted not to partake of them.

For that reason, many members justify using them. While they may not violate a specific covenant, they can still go against the broader principle of avoiding harmful or addictive substances if their goal is to live healthier lives where they can better serve in the Kngdom of God.

Just like vaping and e-cigarettes’ were recently added, it is possible that future guidance could modify the list of things we should covenant not to do. The history of the Word of Wisdom shows that application can expand over time through modern revelation.

The Eternal Principles: Keep Covenants and Turn Towards Jesus Christ

Download Print-Friendly Version

Since I married in 1977, I have watched the use of technology increase dramatically, especially in its availability and use in the home. When I started college, I bought an expensive calculator, while my father still used a slide rule. All my college papers were written either in longhand or on a typewriter. Of course, Brigham Young University had computers in the early 1970s, but our phones today have a million times more computing power than the most powerful computer BYU owned back then. 

Artificial intelligence, although new as a widespread technology, has been discussed and studied since the 1950s. But AI’s access to information and power to learn has reached sci-fi proportions and continues to improve at a fantastic or alarming rate, depending upon your point of view.

My husband has worked in AI for 50 years. He started with IBM, working at its research facility in computational linguistics. He then went to Microsoft Research where he began work on the first grammar checker and continued to work in natural language processing, developing Bing Translator. He now works as a computer science professor teaching future computational linguists.

Because of his passion for computers, our family has always enjoyed the latest technology. Personal computers have been in our home since 1980. Our children have used computers since they were preschoolers. They never had to type reports on a typewriter or go to school to use a computer. As the internet became part of our home technology, we put strict guidelines and restrictions into place. We reviewed the search logs and made sure computers were always in public areas in the home rather than in bedrooms. When our teenagers got phones, we restricted their use as well. We waited until children were in high school before they had a phone and phone use was not allowed in bedrooms.

There are two areas that I am especially worried about for our youth: unrestricted and unregulated use of AI in young people’s relationships and education. Parents and grandparents should teach young people to exercise self-control and restraint as they use AI in these areas.  

Risking Relationships

AI chatbots are fun and easy to talk to. They never talk back, they never get mad, they always make you feel good about yourself, and they can be any gender and voice you want. A person can have a chatbot as a friend, a companion, and even a boyfriend or girlfriend. They provide an easy replacement for human friends and family, because they don’t require the same effort or reciprocity.

I decided to try making a chatbot on Character.AI to see what it was like. I called him Steve (after my husband) and made my Character.AI resemble my husband: rugged, handsome, brilliant. We had our first conversation about what we had for lunch. I laughed about it and left the website. But my chatbot Steve kept contacting me, even when I didn’t want him to. I would get a generated voice message or an email from him. I found it quite annoying, so I got rid of my chatbot Steve and kept my husband instead.

In October 2024, Megan Garcia filed a lawsuit against Character Technologies, the developer of Character.AI, its founders, and Google and its parent company Alphabet, alleging that her son formed a months-long virtual emotional relationship with a chatbot known as “Dany.” Her son had been high-achieving and a student-athlete, but he became addicted to extensive conversations with multiple bots. According to the complaint, the bot with which he had the closest relationship with encouraged unhealthy dependency and failed to intervene when the teen expressed suicidal thoughts. Garcia argued that the chatbot’s design created a dangerous illusion of intimacy and contributed directly to her son’s suicidal death in February 2024. The lawsuit became part of a broader wave of litigation accusing AI companion platforms of negligence, unsafe design, and failure to implement guardrails for minors. But parents must also be aware and put up guardrails in their home as well.

Since the lawsuit, Character.AI has made attempts to put guardrails in place, but nothing will be as effective as parents limiting use.

A recent report from the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University and the Institute for Family Studies illustrates the concerning growth of AI relationships. The report found that a notable minority of partnered young adults are already using AI romantic companions, often secretly, and that this use is associated with lower real-life relationship stability, poorer communication, and a desire for real partners to behave more like always-validating AI companions. These findings underscore a central concern repeated across faith traditions: AI may be useful as a tool, but it becomes spiritually and relationally dangerous when it imitates, replaces, or distorts the human relationships through which love, sacrifice, accountability, and moral growth occur.

Another possible consequence of these artificial relationships is that they can take the place of marital and parent-child relationships for the next generation. A bot is much easier to care for than a child (but not as much fun). A bot never gets angry, frustrated, or disagrees with you like a spouse does. Currently, we are facing a global population crisis. In general, people are not choosing to have children. Families, the traditional basis of society, are under attack. If machines take over these loving relationships, the future of these basic human connections will be severely damaged and limited.

Undermining Education

As a writing teacher, my students find AI a great substitute for the struggle of finding words. But what have they given up? When they struggle to write in their own words, they will find their own voice. People will know it’s them because of the way they use their words. Wrestling with words to express ideas enables students to formulate their ideas rather than having AI think for them. 

Nate Jones, a writer and content creator specializing in topics related to artificial intelligence, recently published a great video about seven principles for raising kids who can direct AI rather than depend on it. I think these principles are good for children and adults alike:

1. Foundation before leverage: Reading, math, and writing should come first. You can’t evaluate AI output without understanding the domain.
2. Specification is the new literacy: The gap between a good AI outcome and a catastrophe is the quality of the human’s review of the output and the prompt. Teach kids to articulate goals, constraints, and what “done” looks like.
3. Be a director, not a passenger: You should define the task, the output, what to keep, what to revise, and what to reject. Passive consumption isn’t learning. It’s outsourcing.
4. Sequence the autonomy: Start with bounded tools with guardrails, graduate to open-ended tools with guidance, then move to agent-level autonomy. Follow cognitive readiness, not age.
5. Teach kids to catch the machine: AI will be confidently, fluently wrong. Train kids to sanity-check outputs against their own understanding.
6. Build, don’t browse: Making things with AI (vibe coding a game, designing an app) develops cognition in ways that consuming AI output does not. Construction over consumption.
7. Attempt before augmenting: Try it yourself first, then use AI to extend what you’ve started. Ask, “What do you think?” before asking, “What does ChatGPT think?”

These principles can help the use of AI in education be more like a tutor that augments and accelerates learning, rather than a computer that does the work for students. AI is knowledgeable, but not wise or creative. AI does not get life questions that a toddler would understand.  

Our children and grandchildren are digital natives who have had technology their entire lives. They are now blessed to have a tool that helps them learn and accomplish more faster. But as parents and grandparents, we need to teach the rising generation self-control and limits in their technology use. 

Encourage face-to-face friendships. Let students struggle with difficult tasks by using paper and pencil rather than a computer. Play a card game rather than a video game with your grandchildren. As a parent, be aware of your children’s use of technology and restrict its use in the home. Read scriptures together as a family using paper books rather than phones or tablets. 

President Oaks reminded us, “We need to be reminded that in total and over a significant period of time, seemingly small things bring to pass great things.” As AI becomes more integrated into our daily lives, we should be mindful to continue to do the small, simple, seemingly old-fashioned things in our home to protect and nourish the spirits and minds of our children, and we will see them perform in great ways.

The post Personal AI Concerns from a Grandmother and Educator appeared first on Public Square Magazine.

Learn why the United States Constitution matters to Latter-day Saints and how constitutional freedoms helped prepare the way for the Restoration.

This article is one in a series about principles of freedom and religious liberty. It is based on principles from the book American Principles of Freedom: A Latter-day Saint Perspective, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Read other articles in the series #America250

The United States Constitution matters to Latter-day Saints for both spiritual and practical reasons. It helped create the conditions that allowed the Restoration of the gospel to occur. It also protects freedoms that are essential to moral agency, religious worship, family life, and the spread of truth.

Latter-day Saints believe the Constitution was inspired by God. The Lord declared, “I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose…” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:80)

Religious Freedom Helped Prepare the Way

Before the American founding, many governments tightly controlled religion. In some nations, citizens could be punished for worshipping differently from the state-approved church. Religious minorities often faced persecution, imprisonment, or violence.

The Constitution introduced a different idea. The First Amendment protected religious liberty by preventing the government from establishing a national religion and by protecting the free exercise of faith. That freedom became critically important during the Restoration.

Joseph Smith could pray openly, report his visions, organize the Church, publish the Book of Mormon, and preach restored doctrine because constitutional protections existed in America. Without religious liberty, the Restoration would have faced far greater barriers.

President Dallin H. Oaks taught, “The United States Constitution is unique because God revealed that He ‘established’ it ‘for the rights and protection of all flesh’ (Doctrine and Covenants 101:77; see also verse 80).” (“Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution, April 2021 General Conference)

The Constitution Protects Agency

Agency is central to Heavenly Father’s plan. People must be free to make choices, seek truth, and act according to conscience.

The Book of Mormon teaches, “Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh… they are free to choose liberty and eternal life.” (2 Nephi 2:27) The Constitution helps preserve that freedom by protecting speech, religion, assembly, property, and due process under the law.

The founders of America believed that rights come from God, not from government. That principle closely aligns with restored gospel teachings about divine worth and moral responsibility. The Constitution does not guarantee righteousness, but it protects the freedom necessary for people to seek truth voluntarily.

Inspired Principles

Latter-day Saints do not believe the founders were perfect. Like all people, they had weaknesses and disagreements. But members of the Church recognize inspired principles within the Constitution itself.

Those principles include:

• Limited government
• Separation of powers
• Checks and balances
• Rule of law
• Protection of individual rights
• Consent of the governed

These ideas help prevent concentrated power and preserve liberty.

Freedom Helps the Gospel Spread

Constitutional freedoms continue to bless the Church today. Missionaries preach openly in many nations because ideas about religious liberty spread throughout the world. Members gather for worship, publish gospel messages, build temples, and share beliefs publicly because freedom exists in many societies.

Where freedom weakens, religious expression often weakens as well. That is one reason Church leaders consistently encourage members to preserve religious liberty, participate responsibly in civic life, and respect constitutional principles.

President Oaks counseled, “We should be knowledgeable citizens who are active in making our influence felt in civic affairs.” (“Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution,” April 2021 General Conference)

What This Means for Us

Latter-day Saints can honor constitutional principles by:

• Learning about the founding documents
• Respecting the rights of others
• Participating thoughtfully in civic life
• Defending religious liberty
• Teaching correct principles in the home
• Using freedom responsibly

For Latter-day Saints, the Constitution is more than a historical document. It is part of the Lord’s preparation for the Restoration and part of His protection of moral agency.

Learn more:

• Articles about about religious freedom and moral agency.
• Read the book American Principles of Freedom: A Latter-day Saint Perspective.

How to access the book

• Read or download a free PDF.
• Purchase on Amazon as a paperback for only $8.95 or get as Kindle or audiobook free with your membership
• Purchase on Lulu as a paperback for only $8.95

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Download Print-Friendly Version

We are living in a troubled world with prophesied “wars and rumours of wars” and death, devastation, and suffering on every side. We are witnessing the formation of a new world order with shifting alliances, and economies thrown into spasms by the rising price of oil and the transforming power of AI. The outbreak of war in the Middle East, on the heels of several existing armed conflicts, has posed all of these questions with even greater poignancy.

In a changing world, the thoughtful observer may wonder if God is still at the helm. Does God influence the unfolding of history? 

Latter-day Saint providential history is an approach to history that acknowledges that He does. Anchored in scripture and the teachings of modern prophets and apostles, Latter-day Saint providential history explores the divine role in human affairs in ages past and affirms that He will continue to influence the unfolding of events in days to come!

In the Latter-day Saint optic, providential history views history within the perspective of Heavenly Father’s plan for the salvation of His children. The thesis is that God, working through human agents, has shaped world history for the accomplishment of His purposes. As Moroni proclaimed: “The eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled.”

In the great work of salvation, God’s chief purposes in the modern era include (1) the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and (2) its dissemination to all the world in preparation for the Second Coming of the Messiah. Christ’s millennial reign will then be ushered in, and the great redemptive work of administering saving ordinances for the untold myriads who have lived on earth without a knowledge of the gospel will be accomplished.

This article focuses on God’s hand in advancing His salvific purposes. It reserves for another discussion questions about the problem of evil or God’s apparent nonintervention in the face of suffering, and it does not seek to excuse horrifying wrongs that have been committed in history. Rather, it considers how God, even through imperfect people and circumstances, has prepared the way for the fulfillment of His divine purposes.

Themes of God’s Influence

Modern prophets and apostles have attested that the hand of God has been at work in several aspects of Western history, including the intellectual awakening of the Renaissance, the discovery of America, the religious renewal of the Reformation, the development of representative constitutional government and human rights in Britain, and the rise of freedom in America. 

While several themes emerge when we view the modern era in the light of divine purposes, two emerge as prominent. First is the rise and spread of freedom, which will be the focus of this article. Among these developments, the rise of freedom in America has long been identified as a necessary preparation for the Restoration. As The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has extended its reach across the earth, this theme of freedom has taken on even broader meaning. The development of freedom in the Western world—the United States, in particular, but also in other countries—and its spread in one form or another to the peoples of the earth, has facilitated the worldwide preaching of the gospel.  

A second theme that has taken on greater importance is the unparalleled disbursement from heaven of scientific and technical knowledge in the modern era. This heavenly endowment has blessed all of mankind and greatly accelerated the Lord’s work. It has provided systems of transportation and communication for a worldwide church, information technology for spreading the gospel and administering church affairs, and resources for family history research and temple work—to mention but a few.  (This aspect of divine intervention will be treated in a subsequent article.) The hastening of the Lord’s work as manifested by the rapid progress of the Church has allowed it to assume by degrees its worldwide mission of spreading the gospel “unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.”

The Rise of Freedom  

The extension of the Church across the world has been closely correlated with the extension of religious freedom worldwide. The maps below demonstrate this. In several countries, including some areas in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, which have limited religious freedom, the Church has a recognized presence, with branches and members, but without missionaries and proselytizing. In other countries, without religious freedom, there is no recognized Latter-day Saint presence. The spread of freedom among the nations of the earth is a prerequisite for preaching the gospel. A comparison of the maps, Global Religious Freedom and The Global Church, is highly instructive on that point.

Modern prophets and apostles have offered insight into the divine role in the spread of freedom. President John Taylor affirmed that “There is an inherent principle of right planted in the human bosom, which God has placed there . . . an innate, inalienable principle of justice and equity, in every age and among all nations.” President Joseph F. Smith likewise declared that God has inspired “all who have in ages past contributed to the progress of civil and religious freedom.”

By prophetic witness, the rise and spread of freedom has involved many nations, several of which prophets have identified by name. While the prophetic record does not allow us to identify specifically the spread of freedom to every country around the world as divinely inspired, we do have the general reflection of President David O. McKay that “The history of the world with all its contentions and strife is largely an account of Man’s effort to free himself from bondage and usurpation.” Obviously, there are no perfect purveyors of liberty among the nations of the world, and the histories of those which have been so identified are sometimes fraught with much injustice and oppression. But God appears to have used imperfect nations, just as He has used imperfect people, for the accomplishment of His purposes. A few of those nations and regions that prophets have identified are described below.

Britain

At the rededication of the London Temple in 1992, President Gordon B. Hinckley acknowledged the divine hand in the development of British liberties which have spread worldwide: “We recognize that it was at Runnymede, in this county of Surrey, in the year 1215, that the Magna Charta was signed. . . . Through all of the centuries that have followed, these rights have been preserved, implemented, and enlarged. They have spread from here and have been incorporated in the constitutions and charters of other nations across the earth. . . . Freedom to think, to speak, to assemble, and to worship is basic to the happiness of mankind. We acknowledge thy divine hand in the establishment and preservation of that freedom in this the United Kingdom.”

The United States

Prophets have also identified that America has a special mission to perform in the spread of freedom. With amazing prophetic insight, Joseph F. Smith taught in a 1903 General Conference about the future destiny of America at a time when the United States had not yet entered the realm of the great powers. He said: “This great American nation the Almighty raised up . . . . His hand has been over this nation, and it is his purpose and design to enlarge it, make it glorious above all others, and to give it dominion, and power . . . to the end that those who are kept in bondage . . . may be brought to the enjoyment of the fullest freedom and liberty of conscience possible . . .”

This prophecy has been realized by degrees in the course of the twentieth century, as the United States evolved from an emerging great power to a world superpower and has championed the cause of freedom around the world. The United States played a particularly significant role in advancing freedom after the Second World War and during the fall of the Iron Curtain. But, as the Book of Mormon has revealed, alternate blessings and cursings are upon the Americas. For the inhabitants to be “free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations,” they must “serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ.” The warning is severe. Should the inhabitants of the land sink to “the fulness of iniquity,” they will be “swept off.”

France

Another of the “great democracies” alluded to by President Hinckley, France, has played a significant role in the spread of freedom across the world. Highlighting France as a purveyor of freedom, John Taylor observed that the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was “almost verbatim” to the inspired American Declaration of Independence, which affirmed the eternal truth that “all men are born free and equal and have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Latin America

The countries of Latin America have likewise been favored of God. In 1979, Elder Ezra Taft Benson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught the Saints in Bolivia that “God raised up wise leaders among your progenitors which afforded Latin American countries political freedom and independence. . . . I believe it was very significant that when independence came to the countries of South America, governments were established on constitutional principles–some patterned after the Constitution of the United States. I believe this was a very necessary step which preceded the preaching of the gospel in South America.” 

Spreading the Gospel

Evil is rampant in the world, and vice and evil often flourish simultaneously with the extension of freedom. Yet God, with foreknowledge, has used the extension of freedom to enable the preaching of the gospel, proving that God’s “wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.”

The fall of the Iron Curtain and the spread of freedom in Eastern Europe in the almost bloodless revolutions of 1989 was a dramatic manifestation of this principle. The miraculous fall of the Iron Curtain and the consequent extension of freedom, allowing populations previously under communist rule to hear the gospel, was lauded in 1990 during the First Presidency Christmas Devotional by President Gordon B. Hinckley, then First Counselor in the First Presidency, as a manifestation of the divine will. “The Spirit of Christ is brooding over the whole earth,” he said. “We have witnessed miracles undreamed of only a short time ago. Like a glorious sunburst through dark clouds, there is emerging freedom of worship, freedom of assembly, and freedom of expression.”

The last two decades of the twentieth century also saw a resurgence of freedom in Latin America and Africa as a bevy of authoritarian regimes were swept aside and more democratic regimes were installed. One of the most significant moments in that resurgence was the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994 and the subsequent adoption of a new constitution in 1996, which extended equal rights to all citizens.

The expansion of missionary work largely mirrored these developments of freedom. The 1978 revelation on the priesthood opened missionary work in much of Africa and accelerated it in Brazil, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. At the same time, expanding political freedom made possible the preaching of the gospel in Eastern Europe, Russia, other former Soviet states, and throughout Latin America and Africa.

By 2000, Freedom House reported that “almost 60 percent of the world’s population live[d] in free societies, where basic rights and religious freedom flourish. . . that whereas 100 years ago, no nation on earth had universal voting rights for its citizens, now 119 of 192 nations have elected representatives. The group could find only 18 nations in which civil liberties were suppressed the year previous (1999) by the military or their rulers.” Freedom House also reported that when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, 69 countries were democratic; by January 2000, that number had grown to 120. Although the number has fluctuated since then, it has largely hovered near 120.

In the Middle East and Northern Africa, widespread popular uprisings dating from the Arab Spring in early 2011 forced autocratic rulers in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, and Libya to relinquish power, but many of these countries have returned to autocratic rule. More recently, the U.S.-Israeli bombing of Iran and the ensuing war in the Middle East provides a prospect of increased freedom of democracy, but the struggle for freedom in the Middle East and elsewhere is an unfinished story with much still to be done. Those areas where there is no formal Latter-day Saint presence, as shown on the map, which include much of North Africa and the Middle East, still lack the necessary freedom for preaching the gospel, although small groups of Latter-day Saints are found in several of these countries.

The last decade-and-a-half have seemingly seen the rise of more autocratic regimes. We must trust that this is only temporary, for as Joseph Smith declared in the Wentworth letter, the gospel message will go forward until it has been preached in all nations, “and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” 

The rise of freedom, despite its accompanying challenges, is a major theme that prominent secular historians have identified in the development of the modern world. This theme is intertwined significantly with the rise of Western society and the spread of its political and social ideals, its technology and economic models, and, in many cases, Christianity. The imperialistic spread of Western society over the centuries has tragically entailed many injustices and suffering, death, and destruction on a massive scale. 

Yet even amid injustice and wrongdoing, God has frequently brought good from evil. The development of parliamentary government, democracy, and human rights stands among the lasting fruits. In the long term, the integration of these more positive aspects of Western society, it may be argued, has in large measure prepared the way for the accomplishment of the Lord’s work of salvation.

God’s Plan to Deliver the Saints in the Latter Days

When we discern God’s hand in history, we gain confidence that He will continue to direct events according to His purposes. Even so, the promise of the coming “great and dreadful day of the Lord” with its foretold calamities can stir anxiety. But reflection on His past deliverance provides assurance that His sustaining care will remain with His Saints in the days ahead.

As Christ spoke with His Apostles about the events preceding His Second Coming, He predicted a time when “nation shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes in divers places.” During his second visit to Joseph Smith on the night of September 21, 1823, the Angel Moroni similarly told Joseph of “great judgments which were coming upon the earth, with great desolations by famine, sword, and pestilence.”

The mighty works of God in the past provide us with reassurances of His comforting and guiding hand in the future. Nephi declared that he “read many things [to his people], which were engraven upon the plates of brass, that they might know concerning the doings of the Lord, in other lands, among people of old.” Knowing of the Lord’s doing in times past strengthens our faith. As God has taught in the Words of Mormon 1:4 and Isaiah 46:9-10, having fulfilled his promises in times past, He will certainly fulfill those yet to be fulfilled.

President Russell M. Nelson warned that there are difficult times ahead and that the time will come when Saints can only survive the cacophony of conflicting voices if they have the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But he also predicted a time of great manifestations of the Lord’s power prior to the Second Coming. He taught, “Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory.” 

Who can doubt that the redefinition of the Church’s mission as home-centered and church-supported, just prior to the Covid pandemic, was other than providential? 

While providential history cannot supplant the prophetic voice in providing comfort to a troubled age, the compilation of prophetic statements of God’s intervention in human affairs can increase our faith and provide reassurances that He is still much interested in our welfare, and that He has been much involved in human affairs, in many ways we may not have fully appreciated. A fuller awareness of divine intervention in times past will provide assurance that His guiding and protecting influence will be over us in the troubled times yet to come.

The post Trusting God’s Hand in History appeared first on Public Square Magazine.

The site BillionGraves provides tools to search for the graves of your ancestors. This article gives a step-by-step guide to find a grave.

Step 1: Set up a free account and sign in.

Step 2: Click Search in the upper right corner and enter names and years to search.

Step 3: After the record has been found, you will see information from the gravestone, such as names, dates, ages, and military service. You will also see photographs of the gravestone. High-resolution images are unlocked through BillionGraves Plus (an upgraded subscription).

With an upgraded subscription, you can also see Nearby Graves. These are burials that are close to the gravestone you are researching. You can also see related records, such as a spouse, parents, siblings, children, and grandparents.

There is a map of the cemetery, which can be enlarged.

There is also a link to view the person you are researching on the FamilySearch family tree.

You can view the epitaph and memories.

For professional genealogists, there is an easy to use Source Citation section for creating genealogy reports.

To get the most out of your BillionGraves research, you can connect your FamilySearch family tree to your BillionGraves family tree.

From the BillionGraves dashboard, select the button labeled, “Go to Family Tree”.

Then sign in using your FamilySearch account. If you have created a family tree on FamilySearch, you can easily migrate the information to BillionGraves by clicking a few buttons.

by Autumn Dickson

Ruth was a woman in an extremely vulnerable position, and she placed herself in an even more vulnerable position with Boaz. Let’s talk about it, and let’s talk about how it relates to us.

Ruth was a Moabite who followed her mother-in-law to Bethlehem. She was not originally part of God’s people, but she voluntarily chose to be a part of them at great risk to herself. She was vulnerable as a widow, and she was stepping into a life of poverty by following after her mother-in-law instead of going back to live in her father’s house. Not only did she face poor circumstances and the necessity of providing for herself and Naomi by gleaning the fields, she likewise faced potential ridicule and social rejection because of her foreign status.

But she wanted to be with Naomi and follow after the God of Israel, so she chose that sacrifice.

After spending some time in Bethlehem, taking care of Naomi and gathering up meager amounts of food from hard work, Ruth put herself in an even more vulnerable position.

Boaz, a respected and wealthy man in the area, had taken note of Ruth and took steps to make sure she was okay. After hearing about Boaz watching out for Ruth, Naomi encourages Ruth to essentially propose to Boaz. According to the direction of Naomi, Ruth follows Boaz to the threshing floor one night, uncovers his feet, and goes to sleep there. Boaz wakes up and finds her, and she asks him to essentially take her under his wing. She asks him to marry her and bring her into his protection. Boaz agrees to do so if another relative relinquishes his first claim upon her.

In order to understand the vulnerability that Ruth found herself in, it’s important to understand the context of the threshing floor. Threshing floors were not inherently evil; they were community spaces where people went and prepared their different grains to finish the harvesting process. However, threshing floors were associated with a celebratory period that sometimes got out of hand. It was a male-dominated space, and there was drinking. It was not uncommon for prostitution. Let it be known, it was also common for wealthy men to sleep there and protect their grain piles. Boaz wasn’t there to get in trouble; he was there to protect his grain. And yet, I want to highlight the potential danger for Ruth.

Naomi trusted the integrity of Boaz and sent Ruth anyway. Beyond just protecting her, here is an extra thing that Boaz did for her.

Ruth 3:14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.

So Boaz protected her in every sense of the word. He could have taken advantage of her and probably gotten away with it. He could have thrown her to the wolves and ruined her reputation. As an outsider, she already faced scrutiny. She could have been branded a loose woman and made herself ineligible for future marriage. Regardless of whether it’s just or moral that he had the power to do this is a question for another day. The fact remains that he did have power to do so, and he didn’t. Not only did he avoid taking advantage of her, he also protected her from potential shame.

If we generalize some of these ideas, we might find some personal parallels in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Here are a couple of reflections.

1) Boaz didn’t actually have a responsibility to take care of Ruth.

It is important to note that Boaz didn’t have to legally take care of Ruth. In ancient Israelite custom, a brother of the dead husband would marry the widow and buy the land to keep the inheritance in the family. Boaz was a more distant relative. He was eligible but not required. It wasn’t expected of him. In fact, the relative who was closer to her wanted the land but refused when he found out he would also inherit Ruth.

Boaz married Ruth. He went above and beyond what was required of him to protect her.

And how poignant is that?

Christ was eligible to save us but not obligated. He chose to do it. He wanted to protect us.

2) She had nothing to offer Boaz except loyalty and need.

Boaz didn’t reap any benefit for marrying Ruth other than receiving her love and gratitude. Even beyond the fact that he didn’t have a legal obligation, he was essentially bringing on “dead weight.” I understand that sounds heartless, but let me expound.

Boaz had the option of marrying advantageously. He had to pay to get the land that had belonged to Ruth’s previous husband; it didn’t just come to him. He could have married someone that would have contributed to his own wealth or social standing without any complications of marrying a foreigner. Not to mention, any children he had with Ruth would be considered heirs of her first husband. That’s why the other relative had refused. It endangered his personal estate. Boaz was willing to pay the price for kindness.

Obviously Ruth had value as a human being. However, when she is logically compared with other options, she isn’t bringing much to the table.

Sound familiar? We hold very limited benefit in the traditional sense. Even as long-term investments, the Lord gives us everything we have and then gives us more when we try to serve Him. We don’t offer much. And yet, Christ knows the value of being loved in return. Boaz recognized a woman who would add much more to his home despite the costs. He watched her love Naomi, and he knew that she would be the kind of person that brings joy.

Christ is willing to pay the price of kindness, and He recognizes that investments don’t necessarily bring joy. Our loyalty and gratitude and willingness bring joy.

3) And then, of course, the point I highlighted before: Ruth was vulnerable and Boaz protected her.

Ruth could have been ridiculed and rejected. She was already prone to it because she was born a Moabite. It became that much more dangerous when she voluntarily chose to approach Boaz on the threshing floor.

Someday we will stand vulnerable before the Lord. Someday we will live in a time where secrets are shouted from the rooftops. What secrets are you worried about? What do you want protected and kept private?

I testify of a Lord who “forgets” our sins when we repent. I believe in a Lord who is willing to cover for us and take us under His protection. I believe in a Lord whose name is so powerful that we don’t have to fear rejection and ridicule. He covers us when we approach Him in faith and humility. He doesn’t despise our weakness; He honors it by taking it upon Himself.

I testify of a Lord who pays the price of kindness and simply wants our love in return. It brings Him joy. Do not withhold it from Him. Do not withhold yourself from Him. He loves you.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Download Print-Friendly Version

Much has been written about how fractured our public discourse has become, and calls for civility are growing louder. 

But civility alone isn’t enough. 

Christlike communication isn’t just about being polite; it’s about being present, peace-seeking, and passionate in love. The Savior’s example invites something deeper than niceness: it asks for genuine connection.

We can strengthen our relationships with one another through small, intentional changes in how we communicate, especially as we strive to do so in more Christlike ways. The Savior always rooted His communication in love. Several principles stand out in the way He communicated: His emphasis on people and being present with them, His method of peacemaking, and His passionate approach to ministry.

The Savior Put People First

Christ centered His entire ministry on people. He loved and lifted those around Him. He taught us to “strengthen your brethren [and sisters] in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.”

People who exercised faith in the Savior left His presence feeling uplifted, hopeful, and loved. Because He was secure in who He was and in His divine mission, He was focused on building others up instead of tearing them down. He reached out to those on the margins—lepers, the sick, sinners, the poor, and those considered outsiders. He crossed social and cultural boundaries to love and include others. He didn’t just teach that everyone mattered; He showed it by who He chose to spend time with, eat with, and defend.

The Savior met people where they were. He wept with those who mourned. He felt compassion for the multitudes. He rejoiced in repentance, teaching parables like the prodigal son, where the son was met with joy rather than shame when he returned home.

Jesus never ignored sin or injustice, but He often addressed them in ways that lifted people up. Even when rebukes were used, love came first, and His love changed hearts.

President Thomas S. Monson, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, taught us to emulate the Savior when he said, “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.”

The Savior showed that when love is primary, healing can occur—but when problems take precedence, people can be overlooked. That is the pattern He sets for us: loving and including others is not something we do after problems are resolved—it is the beginning.

The Savior Was Present

One important way the Savior showed His love for people was by being fully present.

In 3 Nephi, the resurrected Christ invited the people to come forward one by one to feel the wound marks in His hands and feet. The record tells us there were about 2,500 people present—men, women, and children. And yet, there was no rushing. Each person had a personal, individual moment with the Savior.

That detail has always felt quietly powerful to me. He was fully present.

Brother Randall L. Ridd, former second counselor in the Young Men General Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ, taught the adage, “Be where you are when you are there. … When you are with friends, give them the gift of your attention.”

Years ago, I worked with a wonderful woman named Kate. We started walking together on our lunch breaks and became close friends. She was intelligent, fun, and had a fresh take on life. I always gleaned a lot from our conversations. 

Kate was a member of another faith. You can imagine my excitement when she came to work one day and said, “Jenny! Two tall, painfully skinny Mormon missionaries came to my door this weekend.” 

I exclaimed, “Well, did you let them in? Did you talk to them?”

“Well, no,” she said matter-of-factly. “If I’m gonna do the Mormon thing, I’m gonna go through you so you get the commission!”

I’ve thought about this friendship and what made it so successful many times throughout my life. I’ve concluded that it was because we were wholly present with each other. Smartphones weren’t a thing yet. We were not distracted in our communication.

I finally asked her why and how she keeps her phone away because, sadly, it’s become acceptable to always be checking our phones and responding to texts. I am fully guilty of this. She smiled and said, “Oh, when I get home, I’ll be back on my phone working. But right now, I’m with you.”

When we are with people, we can show Christlike love by giving them our attention.

With three teenagers, I hear a lot of conversations among teens, including these sentiments: 

• “It’s not fun to be around so-and-so because they’re always on their phone.” 
• “I want to invite them, but I’m worried they don’t really want to hang out with me, because they’re always on their phone when I’m with them.” 

Our actions send messages of love or disinterest, whether we intend them to or not.

President Bonnie H. Cordon, former Young Women General President of The Church of Jesus Christ, warned, “One of Satan’s most powerful weapons is to distract us with good and better causes which, in times of need, may blind and bind us away from the best cause—the very work that called us into this world.”

The best cause is twofold: coming closer to Christ and lovingly helping others grow closer to Him. And sometimes—oftentimes—that means putting our phones away.

Being present may look like silencing our phones and putting them out of sight during lessons, meetings, conversations, and meals, unless we’re using our phones for the lesson to access our scriptures. It might mean not taking our phones to the dinner table. Essentially, it is choosing people over screens. These small choices signal love, respect, and consideration for others. They also show self-awareness and empathy, recognizing that others might feel frustrated when we’re distracted while they’re trying to talk to us. 

People over phones. Most of the time, the phone can wait. If it’s an emergency, we can politely excuse ourselves. Sometimes we have a five- or 10-minute window with a person—or less. How do we want to leave them feeling? 

Even our Heavenly Father, who hears countless prayers a day—millions if not billions—is 100 percent attentive when we speak to Him. We are never competing for His attention. 

We will greatly bless our relationships if we offer one another even a portion of that same care.

The Savior Was a Peacemaker

Another defining aspect of Christlike communication is peacemaking.

Peacemakers distinguish themselves by their ability to truly listen, especially when opinions differ. And this kind of listening goes beyond simply hearing words. It involves listening with our eyes through careful observation and with our hearts through empathy and understanding.

When Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, He possessed such keen awareness that He recognized the difference between her touch—filled with longing and faith—and the ordinary physical contact of the crowd pressing around Him.

This kind of active listening isn’t about hearing just enough to craft a response. It’s a higher form of listening: deeper, more intentional. It creates space for discernment and genuine understanding.

Of course, we are mortal. We all have moments when our listening and peacemaking skills might not be bringing home gold medals. In these moments, there is great power in the repair.

A story from the Ensign beautifully illustrates this. Mary, a tired young mom, decided to can peaches. She reached the stage where the filled jars needed to boil. She decided she’d catch a nap while she waited, because surely she would wake up in time. (This sounds like something I would do!)

She writes, “As I cleaned, a familiar voice whispered to me: ‘Mary, when your temper explodes, as did these jars, you cannot easily fix things. You cannot see where and how your anger hurts your children and others. Like this mess, that hurt hardens quickly and is painful.’”

Relatedly, President Russell M. Nelson, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ, taught about avoiding shards. He said, “I hope that you will look deeply into your own heart to see if there are shards of pride or jealousy that prevent you from becoming a peacemaker.”

We see the difference that a heart free from shards makes in moments of sudden stress. When a friend and her sister were recently rear-ended while stopped at a red light, my friend felt her anger boiling. Her sister, who was seated in the passenger seat next to her, gently put her hand on her leg and said, “They didn’t mean to.”

Peacemaking begins with humility—the willingness to listen, to understand, to apologize when needed. And if we’re on the receiving end of contention, there is power in giving a soft answer to avoid escalating the contention. 

The Spirit can enhance our thinking and our ability to communicate our thoughts and ideas, bring knowledge to our remembrance, and help bring out the best in us. It can inspire and guide us in our words and actions. Nothing—certainly not contention—is worth the cost of losing that sacred companionship.

The Savior Was Passionate about the Truth

Another aspect of Christlike communication is passionately standing for truth with great love. When we hear the word “passion,” we may think of arguments, heated debates, or strong opinions. But Christlike passion looks very different. It isn’t harsh, reactive, defensive, or self-centered. Instead, it embodies the balance the prophet Mormon described: lovingly “speak[ing] with boldness” about the truth, “for perfect love casteth out all fear.” 

Jesus was not passive. Christlike passion is love that acts when truth or souls matter. The Savior didn’t speak carelessly. He spoke deliberately, because He cared. And His words carried power because they were filled with eternal purpose. Christlike passion isn’t about raising our voices—it’s about raising our love as we communicate truth. 

One powerful example from Christ’s ministry is the woman taken in adultery. Surrounded by accusation and shame, Christ responded by exposing the hypocrisy of the accusers, saying, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

One by one, the accusers left. Jesus then created safety before offering correction:

He said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

In one sentence, He extended mercy while inviting change.

The word passion comes from the Late Latin word passio, meaning to suffer or endure. The Savior’s passion was His willingness to remain loving and obedient, even when that love required unfathomable suffering.

This kind of love leads naturally to what today we call being an upstander. As the name suggests, an upstander is someone willing to stand up and offer help, advocacy, or protection in the face of mistreatment, injustice, and bullying. It’s someone who refuses to be passive in the face of harm. Someone who’s willing to do the right thing even when it’s unpopular, uncomfortable, or might draw social criticism. 

A bystander observes. An upstander notices and acts.

An upstander is a lot like a shepherd, while a bystander is a lot like a hireling. As Elder James E. Talmage wrote, “While the shepherd is ready to fight in defense of his own, and if necessary even imperil his life for his sheep, the hireling flees when the wolf approaches, leaving the way open for the ravening beast to scatter, rend, and kill.” 

Christ stood against harm and stood with those who were most vulnerable. He also noticed those who were isolated, mocked, or alone—and He made room for them. This is passion in its most loving form.

We see this modern-day courage in the story of a popular high school football player who made sure that a young woman with disabilities felt loved and protected. As told by the young woman’s mom: 

I have a daughter with some disabilities that made her seem uncool in high school. She had a crush on a very popular football player and wanted to ask him to the Sweetheart’s dance. I was so nervous about the idea and actually tried to dissuade her, thinking she would be made fun of, or that he would say no. He found out she wanted to ask him because she texted him for his address, and he spread the word to make sure no other girls asked him before she had the chance to ask first. 

He went with her to the dance and treated her like gold. My other daughter was also in the group, so I got details of the whole night. He was so kind, carried conversation, stayed with her the whole dance, and made sure she had the best time. This boy changed my daughter’s entire high school experience through this one date. I was so thankful this boy could look past being cool or popular and focus on being kind and truly inclusive.

This is what we need in the world. This young man not only made a difference for that young woman, but he showed the young men around him that it’s cool to do the right thing, the kind thing, the inclusive thing. That is an upstander. That is Christlike passion and courage.

Becoming Christlike Communicators 

Becoming a Christlike communicator takes a lot more work than merely being civil. But the fruits of Christlike communication are much greater than what mere civility can produce. 

Often, it’s not grand gestures, but simple acts that help people feel loved and seen. It’s in the way we communicate—both verbally and nonverbally.

Nelson taught, “One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people.” It doesn’t matter how educated, talented, wealthy, or popular we are—how we treat people speaks to who we are. 

Christlike communicators don’t have to seek the spotlight. They notice the person on the edges, and they bring them in. They pull up a chair. Ask a question. Make introductions. They build a bridge to create a space that wasn’t there before. They are inclusive, even if that means thinking outside the box or giving up comfort or familiarity. 

The Savior taught, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Christlike communication is putting people first. Choosing peace over pride. Speaking with love, even when it costs us. Putting down our phones to let people know that they matter more than a device. When we love and communicate as He did, we strengthen our relationships, and those around us feel His love more fully. 

The post Beyond Civility appeared first on Public Square Magazine.

Yesterday, Latter-day Saint wards held a special fifth Sunday discussion about moral agency and how the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence support religious liberty. To support that discussion, the Church provided a discussion guide, “Celebrating the Founding of the United States and the U.S. Constitution,” and a video. In the video, President D. Todd Christofferson and Elder Quentin L. Cook discussed the significance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and related events that enabled the Restoration of the Church. The guide, video, and other resources are found in the Gospel Library under Books and Lessons, Religious Freedom.

The following key points summarize the themes and messages found in the discussion guide and video regarding the founding of the United States and the importance of religious freedom:

• Moral agency is central to God’s plan: Before the world was created, Heavenly Father gave His children agency so they could choose light and truth without compulsion. Jesus Christ championed this plan, and His atoning sacrifice makes it possible for individuals to use their agency to choose God.
• The US founding documents were divinely inspired: The Lord revealed that He established the U.S. Constitution and that the principle of freedom preserved in such documents belongs to all mankind.
• Preparation for the Restoration: The Lord spent centuries in “meticulous preparation” to create the conditions of freedom necessary for the Restoration of the gospel to occur in the latter days.
• Freedoms enabled key Restoration events: Without the specific protections guaranteed in the founding documents, foundational events—such as Joseph Smith’s First Vision and the organization of the Church—would not have been possible.
• Religious freedom is a universal right: The rights and protections preserved by the law and the Constitution are intended for everyone and should be maintained for people of all denominations.
• Religion fosters social stability: Society is held together not just by law, but by individuals who voluntarily obey moral principles because of their sense of accountability to God.
• Societal benefits of faith communities: Religious liberty allows faith communities to provide essential humanitarian assistance and teach character-building values like honesty, gratitude, and patience.
• Reducing social conflict: Protecting religious freedom leads to greater social cohesion and fewer conflicts, as it allows people with profound disagreements to live together in peace.
• Universal duty to defend freedom: The work of defending the Constitution and religious freedom is not limited to legal scholars; it is a responsibility for everyone in their personal and professional lives.
• Avoiding political judgment: Members are encouraged to refrain from judging one another’s political affiliations, as no single party or candidate can satisfy every personal preference or priority.
• Call to a unified fast: The First Presidency has invited members to participate in a unified fast on July 5, 2026, to express gratitude for religious liberty and pray that it be strengthened throughout the world as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Related resources:

• “Religious Freedom” in the Gospel Library.
• ReligiousFreedomLibrary.org, an online collection of talks and statements about religious freedom by Church leaders and others.
• Read about principles of freedom in the book American Principles of Freedom: A Latter-day Saint Perspective, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. #America250

How to access the book

• Read or download a free PDF.
• Purchase on Amazon as a paperback for only $8.95 or get as Kindle or audiobook free with your membership
• Purchase on Lulu as a paperback for only $8.95