Elder Lance B. Wickman, the general counsel for the LDS Church, said Thursday that believers have to prioritize religious freedoms, defending those at the innermost core of importance and compromising when needed on those that aren't as critical.
The top lawyer for the LDS Church proposed Thursday that people of faith should prioritize the defense of an innermost core of religious freedoms.
They also have to be willing to compromise on freedoms outside that core, said Elder Lance B. Wickman, general counsel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an emeritus General Authority Seventy.
"Please understand that in labeling some freedoms part of the 'core' of religious liberty, I am not suggesting that freedoms outside that core are unimportant or not worth defending," Elder Wickman said.
"What I am suggesting is that if we want to preserve religious freedom and live in peace in a society that is increasingly intolerant of faith, then we will have to be very clear about what matters most and make wise compromises in areas that matter less. Because if we don’t, we risk losing essential rights that we simply cannot live without."