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"Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God." I Peter 2:16

Over the course of this weekend, our country experienced another mass shooting. This time, in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, a man named Thomas Jacob Sanford rammed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with his vehicle, got out, opened fire with an assault rifle, killing four innocent people, and setting the church on fire. Motives behind the killings are being investigated, but regardless of the motivation, our country is once again experiencing senseless acts of aggression with the intent and plan to kill. 

When it comes to religion, I do not share the same beliefs as Latter-day Saints, but that doesn't give me the right to pick up a firearm and start shooting and killing innocent people. This horrific act reminded me of a religious statement I made sure remained on our church website as we continued recent upgrades. As part of this devotional, I would like to share the statement on religious liberty with you today, which says:

"We believe that religious liberty is a gift from God. We support the freedom of the individual conscience to choose to worship God according to the dictates of one's heart. And while we celebrate our own liberty to embrace biblical truth without compromise, we also support the First Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion for all Americans. We join with other faith communities in supporting the right to worship according to the dictates and mandates of their faith expressions."

Why is the above statement necessary? The answer is simple: Attacks on one faith give license/permission to attack any/all faiths, no matter your beliefs. One of the core founding principles in our country is the freedom to express one's faith in God freely and without fear of punishment. As long as your faith doesn't involve harming others, and/or forbids the free expression of conscience among other religions, you should be able to practice your faith without fear of reprisal.  Tertullian eloquently said, "Let each man worship as he pleases, seeing that you do not end up fostering irreligion by taking away freedom of religion." 

As you prepare for what life has in store for you today, please pray for the four victims, their families, and the Latter-day Saints community. In addition, pray for the shooter,  Thomas Jacob Sanford, and his family. I pray that God give us the courage to do what needs to be done to protect the innocent. 

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