What is freedom of religion?
What is freedom of religion?
Freedom of religion is made up of two things. The first is separation of church and state. The second is the free exercise of religion.
Separation of church and state simply means that the government cannot operate churches and churches cannot operate the government. The government cannot be involved in the creation or control of a church or favor one church over another. There can be no official government church. No church can control the government.
The free exercise of religion means that people can have whatever religious beliefs they desire, that they can share their beliefs with others, and that they can live their lives according to their beliefs at home, at church, and in public.
Robert D Hales has said that true religious freedom has four basics: The freedom to believe, the freedom to share our faith and our beliefs with others, the freedom to form a church, and the freedom to live our faith. He further stated that we must be free to live our faith in the home, the chapel, and in public places.
For the peace and safety of society, freedom of religion must contain some restrictions. Section 134 of the Doctrine and Covenants teaches that we can freely act upon our religious opinions unless they prompt us “to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others” and so long as “regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.”
Separation of church and state and the free exercise of religion are guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Together they provide an environment where we can worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
Published August 27, 2017