"Let us as Latter-day Saints reach out to others not of our faith. Let us never act in a spirit of arrogance or with a holier-than-thou attitude. Rather, may we show love and respect and helpfulness toward them," quoted Keith Lane, BYU–Hawaii Associate Professor of Religion, at the November 17, 2009, devotional at the Cannon Activities Center (see Gordon B. Hinckley, "A Time of New Beginnings," Ensign, May 2000, 87). Lane’s speech, "He Inviteth All to Come unto Him," touched on the fundamentals of tolerance toward other faiths.
He continued with Gordon B. Hinckley's quote, stating, "We are greatly misunderstood, and I fear that much of it is of our own making. We can be more tolerant, more neighborly, more friendly, more of an example than we have been in the past. Let us teach our children to treat others with friendship, respect, love, and admiration. That will yield a far better result than will an attitude of egotism and arrogance."
He then said, "The palpable tolerance for cultural differences that is cultivated on this campus should carry over to our relations to those of other faiths as well." To that he added, "Please remember that we do not make the gospel any truer or more persuasive by denigrating the beliefs or practices of others. We do not make the Church any more divine by mocking other religions or by making them seem stupid."
"I truly am convinced that an attitude of tolerance, respect, appreciation, and love towards those of other faiths is the one the Lord would have us adopt. It will help us live and do His work in His way," stated Lane.
--Photo by Monique Saenz