One of the requests Ammon made of Lamoni’s father after defeating him in hand-to-hand combat was “that Lamoni may retain his kingdom, and that ye be not displeased with him, but grant that he may do according to his own desires in whatsoever thing he thinketh” (Alma 20:24). The king was impressed with the unselfishness of Ammon’s request and declared, “My son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more” (Alma 20:26).
Lamoni in turn gave new freedoms to his people:
He did also declare unto them that they were a people who were under him, and that they were a free people, that they were free from the oppressions of the king, his father; for that his father had granted unto him that he might reign over the people who were in the land of Ishmael, and in all the land round about.
And he also declared unto them that they might have the liberty of worshiping the Lord their God according to their desires, in whatsoever place they were in, if it were in the land which was under the reign of king Lamoni.
Alma 21:22
The eleventh Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says:
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
This is more than an affirmation of our desired legal status, with government refraining from establishing or prohibiting religious observance. It is also a declaration of intent to treat one another with respect, even when our beliefs differ from one another.
President Gordon B. Hinckley made the following appeal:
Let us reach out to those in our community who are not of our faith. Let us be good neighbors, kind and generous and gracious. Let us be involved in good community causes. There may be situations, there will be situations, where, with serious moral issues involved, we cannot bend on matters of principle. But in such instances we can politely disagree without being disagreeable. We can acknowledge the sincerity of those whose positions we cannot accept. We can speak of principles rather than personalities.
Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 662, quoted in Dallin H. Oaks, “Truth and Tolerance,” Brigham Young University Devotional Address, 11 September 2011
Today, I will choose to be respectful of people with whom I disagree. I will choose to be kind. I will strive to understand their point of view and acknowledge their sincerity. I will respect everyone’s freedom to believe as they choose.
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