ARTICLE OF FAITH 11 - WORSHIPING GOD OUR WAY

THE ELEVENTH ARTICLE OF FAITH.

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.

EXERCISING FREE AGENCY

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints proclaims their allegiance to the principles of toleration and religious liberty to all people.

This is an inherent and inalienable right to all people all over the world. 

It is a self-evident truth, a birthright of all people and gives every person a claim to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

If you have a love for God who is your Heavenly Father, can you be content to be restricted in the performance of what you want to do with your life and what God gave you as your Free Agency to follow His commandments and your own conscience? 

WORSHIP OF GOD

True worship of God cannot exist if there is no reverence or love for God.  If man receives love in his soul, he will say in his heart that his Heavenly Father is love.  Man cannot serve Heavenly Father in ignorance and the more he knows about the personality of God, the truer will be his adoration or worship.

Once you know the Father and His Son whom He sent to perform the Atonement, this knowledge is man’s guaranty to eternal life.

Worship is the voluntary homage of the soul.  A prayer that is spoken is empty if it is not from the soul.

This church holds that a man has the right to worship according to the dictates of his own conscience and it has been given to us by an authority higher than any government on earth.  It cannot be changed.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints upholds the Constitution of the United States and the First Amendment for religious liberty in our own nation and that NO LAW shall ever be made “respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” ( Constitution of the United States, First Amendment). 

INTOLERANCE IS NOT SCRIPTURAL

This, we believe, should spread throughout the world and be accepted by every nation.  Intolerance has been a problem in every period of time and the professed ministers of religion have stained the pages of history with unholy deeds of persecution.

The Lord tolerated but did not approve the heathen in their idolatry, or the Sadducees in their luxury-loving, the Samaritans in their degenerate customs of worship or the Pharisees in their law bound ways of worship.

He instructed us in a different way:

MATTHEW 5: 44-45

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

The Lord has instructed us to tolerate others, and let the coming harvest of the Lord take care of it.

MATTHEW 13: 27-30

27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Let it be remembered that vengeance and recompense belong to the Lord. 

Do not hold anything against anyone.  Remember what the Lord said:

DOCTRINE and COVENANTS 64: 9-11

9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.

10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

11 And ye ought to say in your hearts—let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds.

Other places to learn about the U. S. Constitution are:

http://www.nccs.net/

https://online.hillsdale.edu/login

To See it:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html