February 5th, 2025, 4pm
Elder Suarez of the quorum of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ Church said at the opening reception of the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, DC on February Monday, the importance of religious freedom in building a peaceful society. He talked about it. 3.
In his remarks, Elder Soares said that peace requires dialogue and action to protect it and spread it throughout society.
He added: “Protecting human rights is important to maintaining peace. …It is our responsibility to strongly support the protection of human rights around the world as a leader in religion, government and community.”
The Multiday Summit includes speakers from around the world and aims to promote international religious freedom for all, representing dozens of faith traditions. Elder Soares gave two speeches at the event and participated in one Q&A session with the Global Face Forum on Monday.
Human dignity
In his keynote address on Wednesday, February 5th, Elder Soares said his heart is directed towards everyone who is facing various forms of persecution, including religious persecution.
“People of faith have long faced persecution, from discrimination to atrocities like genocide,” he said. “However, history doesn’t have to repeat itself; whether we shape a violent past or not is up to us to our future.”
The discussion of how we treat each other must begin with human dignity, according to Elder Soares, who defined human dignity as the basis of all human rights.
“When both society and culture recognize, respect and protect the inherent values of everyone, society thrives,” he said. “Dignity is a universal birthright. Everyone has dignity by being human, regardless of religion, race, gender, or nationality. Cultural and religious differences are shared by us. They enrich humanity, but they do not affect our dignity.”
Elder Soares reminded me that it is not until after World War II that leaders of various nations, religions and political systems come together to establish universal human rights. Among these are life, freedom, security, equal protection under the law, freedom of thinking, speech, and religion.
“We often take it for granted as if they were always around and always around,” Elder Soares said. “These rights speak for themselves, but we cannot protect ourselves. That’s our job. We believe our rights come from God, but we care for those rights. It’s up to us.”
According to Elder Soares, the protection of these sacred rights depends on a society of people who prioritize cooperation and compassion.
A call to compassion
“Comment allows us to see not only our dreams, hopes, victory, but also our own reflections of each other, our fears, worries, suffering, etc,” Elder Soares said. .
He told the Summit that without compassion, everything is merely strangers and foreigners. But with compassion, you can see others with new eyes, like brothers and sisters. He defined compassion as working beyond tolerance to understand and engage different people.
“It should be the driving force behind shared efforts for conscience and freedom of religion,” he said. “Comment is not only ideal, but it also guides us to cultivate through daily actions and advocacy to promote religious freedom around the world.”
The need for religion
Elder Soares said the idea of compassion is deeply embedded in the structure of religion.
“But the influence of religion goes beyond compassion,” he said. “I believe that enduring religious freedom is rooted in religious principles that nurture moral individuals, encourage peace and promote service to vulnerable communities. Religion itself is important. Freedom is important.”
Religion, according to Elder Soares, provides a framework for people to find meaning, belonging and identity. He pointed to a sociological study entitled “American bounty.” This found that religious observance was related to higher civic engagement.
“Strive to lead a spiritual life broadens our perspective and enhances our struggle,” Elder Soares said. “Great religion protects us from despair and insignificant emotions.”
In conclusion, Elder Soares said that when the government supports religious freedom, they will strengthen the entire country.
“The fight for religious freedom is more than protecting the right to worship: it is about maintaining the dignity, compassion and respect that all people deserve,” he said.
