FAITH

In the news recently, faith has become a topic of conversation. It saddens me that we as a people may be not only trading politics for religion but in certain areas of our lives, giving up on faith altogether. 

I was recently in a Conflict and Negotiations class. One of the assignments required us to read articles from the news, and then state the positives or negatives the author used in the article and how Image Restoration was used.

One of the articles I went with for this assignment was, 

"Elder Bednar: Lack of respect for faith leads to "crisis of legitimacy in COVID-19 response."

I believe FAITH deserves a persona and a voice that is hearkened to and acknowledged loud and clear. 

FAITH

The actor in this image restoration is faith. In the October 2020 General conference, Elder Anderson stated that in the last 10 years some 30 billion have stepped away from the belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ. In the last decade, 12% have stepped away from describing themselves as Christians. Being unaffiliated has grown 17-26%. In the days ahead, Elder Anderson stated that the "world will speak less of Jesus Christ, let us speak more." Since the outbreak of Covid-19, churches have been closed and local governments have restricted the number of people allowed to gather and be present at faith-based organizations. Churches have been burned and criticized for allowing faithful service during the pandemic. Even as local officials claim faith is not essential and churches can close, Elder Bednar states, "Those who do not gather, scatter." Denial The fact that the world is not participating in faith-based gatherings could be a partial reason for the abolishment of faith by so many. Another possible reason could be that people feel they are not welcomed when they come into a particular faith community and the hypocrisy is seen and felt largely in those who proclaim to be faithful. Perhaps their faith failed them and God did not show up for them when they believed that He would. People all around the world have been audience to the fact that the image of faith has taken a hit by the world in which we live since Covid-19 has arrived. Many are unsure how they feel regarding faith. Faith feels mortification and sorrow over these accusations made against her. Faith understands religious activities should be carefully limited, spreading a dangerous virus is not something she feels she has the right to do. Good intentions

        On behalf of faith, Elder Bednar states, "Policymakers who didn't take into account the pivotal role of faith in people's lives, contributed to the 'Crisis of legitimacy' in the response to Covid-19. Corrective Action My call is for respect, accommodation, and cooperation - for creative solutions that mitigate the threat of Covid-19 while not cutting people off from an essential part of their lives." Responsibility 

Elder Bednar continues on faith's behalf by stating for the second time in four months that some government officials have failed during the pandemic to understand why religion is so fundamental to the lives of billions of people. Without it, he says we encounter a lack of respect towards the government. This makes it more difficult to control the pandemic. Elder D. Todd Christofferson stood behind faith and her goodness when he said, "religious freedom both protects other fundamental rights and promotes civic virtue and nurtures strong families." Bolstering

Elder Gerrit W. Gong last year spoke on faith's behalf when he dispelled the myth that religion inherently leads to violence, saying instead that religion provides inspiration, discipline, transcendence, faith, hope, and goodwill.

Elder Bednar and his colleges did an excellent job defending religious freedom and faith. They looked at why faith and religious freedoms are looked at as non-essential.  Wisely, they took those reasons and were able to show statistics that display how faith and religious freedom are extremely essential and a fundamental part of our individual lives and our nation's survival. 

References

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/15andersen?lang=eng

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2020/10/14/21514610/elder-david-a-bednar-apostle-speaks-covid-19-response-g-20-interfaith-forum-riyadh-saudi-arabia

https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-10-04/general-conference-october-2020-sunday-morning-session-elder-andersen-194065