Elder Oaks Full Speech: "The Boundary Between Church and State"

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told a gathering of several hundred lawyers, judges and religious leaders in California on October 20, 2015, that secularists and religionists with opposing views should seek balance and accommodation with each other rather than total victory for one side only.

[@MDCMemorial]

"United we stand...divided we fall." - Abraham Lincoln

[@cherylmillard5171]

I'm an Atheist and whenever a conflict arises between believers and non believers or those seeking a secular separation between church and state I show them this video or those who misinterpret the U.S. Constitution either way. Elder Oaks was not only a clerk and Justice at the state Supreme Court level but also for the federal Supreme Court. This is a favorite video that explains things in an even handed way.

[@lawanadraper2044]

We are not a Democracy. We are a Republic. There is a big difference. We pledge allegence to the flag of the United States of America. None the lest we do believe the we have the Freedom of Religion. Well done Elder Oaks. The First Amendment is the Freedom of Religion Thank you for your Speech..

[@Clem-Kadiddlehopper]

The US is a Democratic Republic. www.reference.com/government-politics/constitutional-democratic-republic-94535bfb08c336da

[@daviddrysdale8882]

The Lord prepared him, his life's experiences have prepared him for this moment!

[@victoroaktree]

Well done Elder Oaks!

[@paulrobbins7737]

So grateful for the metaphor of a curtain rather than a wall; inspires me to seek more peaceful approaches when speaking and working for the issues I feel are important. Thank you for this video.

[@emmarose4234]

Not Mormon, don’t want to be Mormon, but I have this to say: OH SWEET NIBLETS, PRESIDENT OAKS IS SOOOOOOOO SWEEEEEEEET! (And I love his tie here too.) 💛🖤💛🖤

[@gailepohlhaus5694]

Well balanced and articulated. Thank you Elder Oaks and Rev. Martin Marty for directing me here.

[@vezner]

The voice of reason.

[@hnryodl]

What a sage man, filled with truth and light. A testament to the truthfulness of the gospel, by upholding agency and freedoms for all.

[@Deltasixone]

He wasn't too keen on upholding peoples agency when the LDS church floated its opposition to gay marriage. Most gay people are unlikely to be LDS, so in opposing Gay marriage they stepped outside of their own LDS constituency in order to attempt to influence the legislation that directed affects largely non LDS folk. In doing this the LDS church sought to directly affect the free agency of Non LDS people, but they lost and they will continue losing and i suspect that is why the LDS church is changing its tune to a more conciliatory approach as it recognises the decline in religion in the US will undermine its strength in the longer-term.

[@alfredojr.esllerescandor7758]

Whats happening in the world now a days shows that human (principle) ways of thinking is really different from God...... That God may lift His Kingdom and show to the world that God is God. That His righteous (principle) ways will prevail over satan and human principles.

[@freshofftheboat8207]

(2 Nephi 28:21) And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security,

[@smarkl54bbin]

Great job Elder Oaks.

[@HvensFury]

How I love this man!

[@chocolatecake4888]

Beautiful Elder Oaks..

[@j.p.jensen8801]

Someone should've told Daniel and Shadrac, Meshac And Abednego.

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

We all need to support the law regardless of personal beliefs other wise it would be everyone for themselves.

[@fredkelbert1913]

What Elder Oaks is advocating is freedom to exercise religious beliefs, but not have them “imposed” on others. When that clerk in Kentucky took it upon herself to refuse to issue a marriage licence to that same-sex couple, she imposed her religious beliefs. As a result, she failed to perform her duty and discriminated. When you take it upon yourself to serve the public, then you serve everyone equally. You don’t necessarily support what others believe or the way they choose to live their lives, but you support their right to be different from you. To suppress freedom of speech in the name of religious or secular belief is wrong. Only in extreme cases when that speech threatens or deprives others of their rights protected by law, should such speech be censured. As I see it, religiously motivated morals and values are being increasingly marginalized in society. Elder Oaks’ timely discourse emphasizes the importance and value of religious freedom and ideas in our democratic society.

[@IAmNumber4000]

I actually agree with him... to a point. Religion and secularism have their places. Religion has a place with third world countries and the working class who have nothing else in their lives to turn to. All leaders, politicians, scientists, and educators should be secular, because I have only ever seen religion cloud the thoughts of such people and cause them to make detestable decisions.

[@romanempire8705]

that sounds bias, it is the root to many unecesary conflicts :/ Let every man act according to their own understanding of duty, while at the same time honoring, sustaining, and obeying the law of the land.

[@RICREYNOLDSMUSIC]

I still sustain Elder Oaks but I think he is losing to the intellectual/ spiritual boundaries, that keep one safe from making judgmental mistakes. The lawyer in him is starting to take over when he makes the claim that Davis did not have her religious freedom not to issue gay marriage license. If the supreme court of the land makes a law that you should kill one of your children if you have over three, to maintain population control, then elder Oaks is saying you should comply the law of the land. And yet his grandfather served in prison for his freedom of religion views, and he justifies that. When the supreme court issues a law that all mormon churches need to comply with allowing a gay speaker preach at the pulpit about the benefits of same sex marriage, then let`s see how soon that religious freedom kick`s in and our God given right to have religious freedom keeps us safe to keep Gods commandments. And to "love one another" does not mean you are to comply to their acts or beliefs. It means to respect and not have malice. I think brother Brigham Young is viewing this as worrisome talk.

[@theaggressivesalesman2424]

+Ricky Reynolds he said as an elected official operating in a governmental capacity, one should not be able to deny a public service based on religious beliefs. if she were a christian cake baker on the other hand, that's a different story, because she would not work for the public and she would operate within a private business. i don't think you understand what he's saying, and it seems to be due to a lack of political education. you have entirely missed elder oak's point. it has everything to do with separating church and state and respecting religious rights. you should really study the constitution and its principles, it sounds like you've never cracked open the pages of the bill of rights or the declaration of independence.

[@RICREYNOLDSMUSIC]

Then he should keep his political opinions seperate from religious views. I think he is just getting old and losing a little focus is all.

[@theaggressivesalesman2424]

Ricky Reynolds no you still don't get it, he needs to express this logical view because it is to protect religion as a whole from government interference which we have been experiencing lately. it is not only his well-informed view which he has EVERY RIGHT to express (which you have no right to suppress) it is his duty as a leader in the church to defend mormonism and all religion from tyranny and control. stop being such an idiot. i bet you won't actually go read the founding documents of our country to be informed, i bet you'd rather keep wallowing in ignorance so you don't actually understand what elder oaks is saying.

[@josefmiyasato3758]

+Ricky Reynolds I appreciate your point. However, because she is a government employee she does have an obligation to do her job. If she was working for the private sector and they made her act against her beliefs to keep her job then I would be completely behind her. But I certainly wrestled with this issue before I came to the conclusion.

[@zarthusmaximus7841]

+Ricky Reynolds You are wrong Ricky and Oaks obviously knows his position better than you do. Your examples are weak and it sounds like a high school debate team argument.

[@smarkl54bbin]

Great job Elder Oaks.