Latter-day Saint Life

Elder Uchtdorf: "Accept Differences, Stand Up for Others. Our Message Should Always Be If You Live Differently, I Love You No Matter What.”

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Latter-day Saints often wonder how we can clearly stand for our faith in our modern world. While it may be tricky to navigate differences we experience in politics, in faith, at work, in our families, and at church, it is important for us to recognize other's agency is just as sacred as our own and to put first and foremost the two great commandments: "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30–31).

Recently, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf wrote on Facebook about how we can deepen our love for those who may be different from us:

"In the world we live in today, I believe we need to be more cognizant that we are all brothers and sisters. All of us—wherever we go, no matter our country, nation, or background—are children of God. We should not look down on anyone because of their political views, race, language, or socioeconomic circumstances.
"This is how the Savior would act. He didn’t look down on the Jews even though they looked down on Him. So I say to you: accept differences, stand up for others. The freedom to choose our own path is at the core of what we believe.
"Our message to others about our faith should always be 'I love it. I want to live it. I invite everyone to come and see. If you want to join me, that is wonderful. But if you choose to live differently, I can accept that. I love you no matter what.'"

Lead image from Elder Uchtdorf's Facebook page
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