ORANGE, Calif. — Christians should work together more than they do to protect the ideals of faith, family and religious freedom in American society, a senior LDS Church leader told an interfaith group Thursday night.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles made extensive arguments for the importance of those ideals, saying they are at risk in the 21st century. He said it is becoming popular to minimize religious faith in a way "unprecedented" in American culture.
"To counter these trends, every citizen should insist on his or her constitutional right to exercise one’s belief and to voice one’s conscience on issues not only in the privacy of the home or the sanctity of the pulpit but also in the public square, in the ballot box and in the halls of justice," he said.
"These are the rights of all citizens, including people, leaders and organizations who have religious beliefs. Such a group of people, leaders and organizations seem to me a perfect cluster for interfaith influence and interfaith activity.
"They must not be disenfranchised... ."
