SALT LAKE CITY-Wednesday, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke of “strong wake-up calls” being given to the world during an address he made which primarily pertained to religious freedom.
These remarks were streamed as part of the Religious Freedom Annual Review hosted by the Brigham Young University Law School.
Because of the pandemic, this year’s conference occurred online. Elder Bednar delivered his remarks from his office on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
Elder Bednar said the pandemic has already alerted the world of the existent limitations in the food supply chain or the dependence upon other nations for essential medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and other products.
He continued, saying that this dependence also consists of constraints in inventory and delivery systems for manufacturing plants and retail businesses, deficiencies in our national and local health care systems, the importance of defending the borders between personal liberty, constitutional rights and governmental authority and attacks on the freedoms of religion, speech and assembly.
Elder Bednar also cautioned of the dangers in limiting a religious organization’s right to gather. He said that if the faithful cannot gather, they will eventually begin to scatter.
Elder Bednar then gave four personal reflections concerning the impacts of the pandemic:
-government power can never be unlimited
-religious freedom is paramount among our fundamental rights
-religious freedom is fragile
-in times of crisis, sensitive tools are necessary to balance demands of religious liberty with the just interests of society.
In North America, for instance, at the advent of the pandemic, Elder Bednar cited that jurisdictions considered services such as marijuana, alcohol and animals as essential but considered religious services to be non-essential, even when such services could be safely conducted.
Elder Bednar spoke of Catholic priests being barred from anointing a parishioner with holy oil in the performance of the last rites, even if this person did not have COVID-19. In this same state, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were not allowed to perform baptisms.
Elder Bednar said the COVID-19 crisis demonstrates the fragility of religious freedom and the need to shore it up.
In conclusion, Elder Bednar exhorted all in society to “heed the wake-up call, to remember and to act.”
