Speaking from the pulpit during a recent speech before a crowd of Ensign College students in Salt Lake City, Utah, leaders of the Latter Days Saints church called on all Mormons to condemn racism and defend democracy.
“In the wake of a deadly racist attack in Buffalo, President Dallin H. Oaks urged Latter-day Saints to condemn racism and ‘avoid extreme or polarizing positions and teachings that undermine the U.S. Constitution,’” The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
“In condemning and working against racism, we encourage our students, our teachers, and all our members to avoid extreme or polarizing positions and teachings that undermine the U.S. Constitution and other core institutions,” Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court justice, told the students. “[The Constitution’s] inspired principles, including the freedoms of speech and religion and its authorized amendments, have allowed subsequent generations to continue to improve and strengthen the rights of all of its citizens.”
The leaders also urged “fair treatment” for members of the LGBTQ community.
“Individuals or groups who do not treat our LGBTQ members with empathy and charity are not aligned with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ,” Elder Gilbert said. “At the same time, ignoring God’s laws has never been the Savior’s pattern for showing love. Remember, Jesus asked us to love God first.”
Watch the speech below: