Elder Dallin H. Oaks: Resolve Differences With Mutual Understanding
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 เม.ย. 2014
- When religious freedom and nondiscrimination interests collide, we should seek "effective ways to resolve differences without anger or contention and with mutual understanding and accommodation." That was Elder Dallin H. Oaks's encouragement tonight at Utah Valley University's Center for Constitutional Studies, where he was named one of the center's honorary fellows. Read more here: www.mormonnewsroom.org/article...
8 years after he has spoken on this he is right on what’s going on. We can see it. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are in danger. I love this talk and it should warn us to study the constitution and know how important these freedoms are.
God Bless The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.🙏
Outstanding
Oh, yes a pure knowledge ,.. a pure intelligence.. a pure truth and a pure doctrine.. revealed from God.. God revealed his secret through apostles and prophets .. things as they really are and things as they really will be
this talk is 8 years old,
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, thank you for that authoritative speech on the subject of religion, mutual understanding and accommodation in a time of bullying and intimidation.
You mention many points that bear repeating and further discourse. “The chilling effects of almost invisible restraints -- even censorship” have been felt by yours truly of late. I am a seasoned member of the motion picture and television community with viewership of easily over 100,000,000 and 23 million at one live sitting. As such, I have been blessed and burdened with the responsibilities of my singular voice in what could arguably be called the most tenacious and affected industry which oft utilizes the power of the air to ill end instead of glorious exaltation.
I have never shied away from unpopular and unwelcome facts in my work. Around the turn of the millennia, my family was devastated by indoor fungi exposure and with the help of a member of LDS, my wife and I produced a definitive scientific work dispelling hatred and scientific profanity attempting to maintain a culture of denial on the subject. I believe many thousands of not millions of individuals have been helped by creating an unbiased, unemotional work that has not endured one penetrating bullet of doubt on the subject. Today, indoor fungi is in our scientific, medical and popular vernacular, but only a decade ago, it was witchcraft, heresy, and I was literally laughed at while my children were hunted by the school district with flashlights at night. They insisted we return to our moldy-infested rental house or the kids would be expelled. Can you believe it?
I bring up my personal pain because of the loss and attack I endured by expressing an unwelcome fact. I praise God that I lived to see the truth uncovered and widely disbursed, which is a remarkable paradigm shift, and I know my work and contribution of gifts played a major part. But, I must emphasize that neither my wife and I, nor my children have ever received an ounce of material gratitude for our contribution. In fact, arguably on a material plane, the decision to endure this hardship was foolish - yet it was because I held such strong belief that the truth ached to be told, and I was the only one on the planet blessed to be able to tell it as a filmmaker that I completed the project and then another ten versions for the scientific community and public.
So, telling the truth is not something one does for reward in this life. Expressing and proving unwelcome facts is not something done to gain popularity. One may even expect scorn, slander, hatred, and attack during the battle, then abject silence and ignorant isolation after the battle against ignorance is won.
I applaud Elder Oak’s views, and must add that the fight for religious freedom was a fundamental founding block on most of the original colonies. It is not only paramount to our First Amendment; it is perhaps the motivating force for the amendments en masse in my view.
Working in an industry that celebrates depravity and has generally great disdain for Faith of any sort outside the box of ideas of Hollywood, I must expose that the ignorance is out of fear and self-exaltation. The egotistical nature of my industry invites and exalts self-proclaimed brilliance while chewing up and spitting out the week’s new talent into a sea of fire and glass by the turning of the seasons. There is no security, and it is in this insecurity that darkness prevails over the flickering images and un-inspired regurgitation that so often overtakes and consumes our talent. I trust new technology and distribution will allow disparate voices of Faith greater scope. I have personally seen millions of followers flock to words of faith on my TH-cam channel, as the thirst is so great in our people despite the blocking of the entertainment powers that hold a weakening grip on our talent culture.
Now, personally, I’ve endeavored to work on new works disclosing our nation’s unpopular and incorrect assumptions on a major topic: homelessness. In the research, I have also uncovered facts about the astonishing prevalence of clandestine and deliberate use of designer drugs in American society, industry, and even government and institutions.
As a result, I have suffered DDOS attacks, blacklisting, tracking, and other dark efforts which have failed only through my family’s Faith and acts that can readily be attributed to God.
I say the following from my experience as a NASA producer and as a scientific and sociological filmmaker: In an age where a multi-verse understanding of the universe, and acknowledgement that physics is fuzzy has become the norm, and any scientist who denies the wondrous mystery unfolding in our world view is considered ignorant, God increasingly has a place in the world of undeniable fact.
It is not to say religion and science should become intertwined in the dictated American public discourse, nor does it say that our government should itself embrace religion. But it does say that restricting or penalizing thinkers and revealers of new truths should not only be forbidden under Constitutional Law, it should be in many cases illegal.
I applaud the sentiment that legal recourse toward the hateful ignorant only serves to create an air of hostility, but as one who has gone down this thankless journey of disclosure before, I insist that law breakers be held accountable for their heinous egregious acts, even with the love of Christ welling through my intentions.
I pray I can find the level of the Holy Ghost LDS members enjoy, and I applaud you again for your struggle, your patience, and admirable restraint in the Love of Christ and his Word.
Happy and Blessed Easter and may God bless you and your authoritative efforts in these turbulent times.
Richard
I am not a member of the LDS and I live in the UK where we do not have the twin pillars of a constitution that exist in the US. This absence makes it easier for more and more legislation to limit freedom of speech and freedom of religion - it's happening now. Elder Oaks' speech is timely and wonderfully balanced; I hope its message spreads far and wide but I'm afraid I cannot feel the optimism that he feels - the extreme voices that he mentions appear to be dragging us further and further from his message of mutual understanding and accommodation. I hope not and, in the meantime, we must do as he suggests within our own hearts.
Sorry to hear that. Come to America and enjoy our way of life.
I think the optimism he feels comes from his belief and faith in Christ and our Heavenly Father's plan for us. Without that faith the world seems pretty bleak indeed. At least that's what I've noticed in myself. When I allow fear and to usurp my faith in God, the world becomes a terrifying, hopeless place.
For me, the antidote to despair has been prayer. Daily, on-my-knees prayer, morning and night. I've been practicing this for the past three months and have experienced an astounding, indescribable sense of peace, calm, and optimism. I'm no longer afraid. Perhaps I'm naive, maybe even a fool, to place such an unbridled faith in beings unseen, but the rewards are undeniable.
I hope you will find that same sense of peace and surety I have come to know through Christ.
Priceless words! Thanks for this vídeo! Genuine tolerance for points of view different from ours is a trait that is part of the character of highly intelligent individuals; " Real intelligence is true knowledge properly applied". Every media tool should be used exclusively as instruments to grow in knowledge and wisdom, such as having videos like this! Thanks for posting it!
Defenders of freedom, all freedoms, are speaking out.
All of us have a responsibility to forward better leaders and less layers of "laws" that are far from legal.
Repeal wrongheaded laws.
Demand our government stop attacking Americans.