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Gratitude for Religious Liberty

Gratitude for Religious Liberty

Last updated on: March 13, 2026 at 8:22 pm by Dan Peterson

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Gratitude for Religious Liberty 2026-03-13T20:22:03-06:00 Dan Peterson

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“Tarring and Feathering the Prophet,” by Carl Christian Anton Christensen (d. 1912)
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

There is much to be dissatisfied with, and much to be cynical about, in the current American political situation. Believe me: I could easily spout off much more than I do about the contemporary political scene. My self-restraint on this subject should be celebrated in oratorios and epic poetry.

Moreover, incidents of religious prejudice and persecution surely don’t make our condition any better. I’ve commented recently on shamefully bigoted anti-Muslim comments from some of our elected representatives (e.g., here and here) — could America’s Muslim community possibly have given rise to an enemy worse than Mohamed Jalloh? — and then there’s the anti-Jewish attack (regarding which, see this brief official “Statement on Violence at Synagogue in Michigan” from the United States Northeast Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) that occurred on Thursday.

But we have a very great deal for which to be grateful. (See, for instance, “America at 250: Celebrating a Unique History of Religious Liberty.”) Notwithstanding all of its imperfections in this respect — and Latter-day Saints likely have a better than average understanding of America’s historical failings with regard to freedom of religion and religious tolerance — America has provided a relatively congenial environment for religious belief and expression. In fact, this country was perhaps the only place on the planet where the Restoration could have survived and succeeded in the nineteenth century.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues its strong focus on efforts to preserve, strengthen, and extend religious freedom around the world (as illustrated, for example, in this news story: “Freedom of Religion or Belief and Women’s Rights Take Center Stage at International Women’s Day Events in Brussels”). And the Church has now announced that material will be forthcoming for special meetings for residents and citizens of the United States on 31 May 2026 to discuss religious liberty and has called for a special unified fast in the United States on 5 July to express gratitude for the freedom of religion that we have enjoyed and continue to enjoy: “First Presidency Invites U.S. Saints to Participate in United Fast of Gratitude for Religious Liberty: The fast is scheduled for Sunday, July 5”

The Jacob Spori Building, on the campus of BYU-Idaho where Dr. Brent Schmidt teaches.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph)

This new piece, written by Brent Schmidt, went up today on the perpetually unchanging website of the Interpreter Foundation: “An Unsystematic Dive into Gospel Questions,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 68 (2026) : 207-212: Review of Michael Hawkins, Infinite Contingencies: Insights on Latter-Day Saint Doctrine and Practice (Springville, UT: Cedar Fort, 2025). 120 pages. $16.99 (paperback).

Abstract: A recent book by Michael Hawkins provides subjective answers to timeless gospel questions and practices. Some readers will enjoy its novel approach and will gain insights that will help them live and apply the Restored gospel. Its unsystematic and lay approach, however, is neither apologetic nor scholarly.

It was preceded, on Thursday, by The Interpreter Insights Podcast — March 12, 2026: “Joseph in Egypt and Hugh Nibley,” with John Gee

In the 12 March 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Terry Hutchinson and his guest John Gee discuss John’s background, Hugh Nibley, and Joseph in Egypt.

The “key art” poster for our ongoing “Becoming Brigham” mini-documentary

You’re running out of time to see Episode 7 of Becoming Brigham while it’s still the newest installment of the series, because Episode 8 is scheduled to drop on Monday. So act now, if you don’t want to be, well, out of date, a relic of history and an embarrassment to your family and to your neighborhood. And — you’re under no obligation, by the way, to make a public confession, although it’s true that angels in heaven are silent notes taking — if you still haven’t seen the six previous installments, you can catch up on them at Becoming Brigham, All Episodes.

In the first scene of the Bayeux Tapestry, the childless King Edward the Confessor informs the nobleman Harold Godwinson that William, Duke of Normandy, is to succeed him as ruler of England. However, the Witenagemot (predecessor of Parliament) will choose Harold. Which sets up William’s invasion of the island from Normandy, the (in my view, tragic) death of Harold II, the end of Anglo-Saxon independence, and, eventually, the rise of the unique two-level English language. (Public domain image from Wikimedia Commons)

If you don’t think that English spelling is, umm, just a tiny bit quirky, just remember that read and lead rhyme and read and lead rhyme, but read and lead don’t rhyme, and neither do read and lead. (Paraphrased from “Language Nerds”)

The still relatively new (2017) Meridian Idaho Temple, in a photograph that was taken by my wife a few years ago.

We shouldn’t go too long between specimens from the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™. If we do go too long, allowing ardent anti-theists to lose their toughness, I’m afraid that the sudden shock of a new onslaught of material from the Hitchens File might be too much for their fragile systems to survive. So here are a couple of specimens, the second of which (depending upon one’s attitude toward kimchi) might give an entirely new and very specific meaning to the Hitchensian concept of religion “poisoning everything”:

“JustServe in Action: 600 Idaho Students Transform Community Through 2-Day Service Blitz: Seminary youth council and high school JustServe club organize effort benefiting multiple charitable organizations”

“2 Korean Stakes Unite in Service to Donate Kimchi Across the Country: ‘The Church’s cooperation with the community to help one another is an important mission to share the love of Jesus Christ,’ says Elder Christopher H. Kim”

The Seoul Korea Temple (LDS.org)

True confession: I’ve eaten already today, and I’ll probably eat yet again before I go to bed tonight. (I typically eat at least once on most days.) I’ve also driven my car. And yet, contrary to the expectations of some of my critics, donors to the Interpreter Foundation contributed not a single cent (or centime, or yen, or piaster, or yuan, or kopeck) to either today’s gas or today’s food. Neither directly nor indirectly.

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