70+ Creative Ways To Protect Family, Faith, And Freedom
Family, faith, and freedom are the founding principles of life. A quick dive into my family history reminds me just how foundational these principles are. Be sure to check out the list of creative action ideas at the end of this post. But first, let’s travel back in time to the American Civil War and The Battle of Gettysburg:
My 3rd-Great-Granduncle
My 3rd-great-granduncle Enoch died in The Battle of Gettysburg. He was only 28 years old. His brother John, age 33, passed away only three weeks later–another casualty of war.
Art Credit: author
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We don’t know much about the lives of John and Enoch before the war, but their older brother, Calvin, became my 3rd-great-grandfather.
Calvin later married a faithful woman. Over time, they became the parents of sixteen children, one of whom became my 2nd-great-grandfather, Joseph A. S.
Joseph, a Man of Faith
Joseph was a man of faith who migrated with the Saints from North Carolina to Utah. His younger brother, Brigham, shared his experience with learning for himself the truthfulness of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ:
“I was born in Surry Co., N. C., December 12, 1855. My father was a farmer. I lived and worked with him on the farm until I was twenty years old. In my 21st year, I worked for John Hill for one-third of the crop. During this time Elders George Teasdale and John R. Winder, Jr. came in the neighborhood as ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I attended their first meeting and was converted to the Gospel. I was baptized the 15th of March, 1875, by John R. Winde. I was confirmed the same day by George Teasdale.
After receiving instructions from Brother Teasdale relative to my daily labors, I had received the Spirit of Gathering and was never satisfied until I came to Utah.“
A Spiritual Foundation
Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can exist apart from religious principle.
george washington
Brigham continues: “I was instructed by Elder Teasdale to live a righteous life and to never neglect my secret prayers, and if I was faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord I would receive the comfort which would be a guide and protector through life, and that I would know for myself that the Gospel was true. Believing that I had received the above instructions from a servant of the Lord, I resolved to try and live them.
I was living at the time with a man who did not believe in any religious denomination. So in order to be faithful in attending to my secret prayers, I prayed just as I attended to my chores night and morning.After striving diligently to live a pure life before the Lord.
A Most Wonderful Feeling
One beautiful morning about sunrise I was returning to the house from my usual place of prayer when I heard a peculiar noise in the air above my head. I looked up to learn what it was and as I did so I was filled with the most wonderful feeling that I had ever experienced. It fell upon my head and went through my whole being; apparently, all my body and I felt as though I was lifted from the earth.
This all happened so suddenly and was over so soon that I will not attempt to describe the joy and satisfaction it brought to me. I received at this time a living testimony of the Gospel which I had accepted and my mind was enlightened upon the scriptures so much that it seems like a different book and then the promise of Elder Teasdale was realized, If any person will test the Lord with an honest heart, they will surely receive an abundant testimony of the goodness of the Lord to his children.”
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A Legacy of Faith
This faithful family endured much heartache, yet remained faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
John and Enoch’s temple work was completed in the Salt Lake Temple in 1917, 1924, and 1926.
The truths of the Gospel were later passed on by Joseph to his son James (my great grandfather), who taught them to his daughter Lorraine (my grandmother), who taught them to her son (my father), who taught them to me.
This unfailing legacy of faithfulness is one that I am passing on to my children.
To live a pure life before the Lord and receive of his goodness.
To live honorable lives and sacrifice to defend our family, faith, and freedom.
These are lessons learned from my ancestors John, Enoch, Calvin, and their families.
Their legacy will endure forever.
Creative Ways to Protect Family, Faith, and Freedom
Patriotic Activities
- Patriotic activities for the whole family inspire a love for freedom, while providing opportunities to fight for, protect, and defend our freedoms. Find inspiration in the ideas shared in 30 Freedom Loving Patriotic Activities for the Whole Family.
- Little Family History Celebrations will bless you and your family as you learn more about your ancestors and the sacrifices they made to protect family, faith, and freedom.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
Margaret mead
Creative Ways to Protect Religious Freedom
This list of ideas can guide you as you seek opportunities to protect family, faith, and freedom:
1) Become informed about the basics of religious freedom:
- Understand your rights
- Study the religious freedom materials on this site
- Stay aware of news regarding religious freedom
2) Build trusted and diverse relationships in your community:
- Serve in your neighborhood
- Get involved with your business
- Run for a school board
- Coach a sports team
- Attend city council meetings
- Volunteer for a charity
- Attend a community cultural event
- Be part of a club, business group, or professional association.
- Build relationships and gain perspectives by joining with community members in a book club, a debate team, a college alumni group, a conservation effort, a Scout troop, a speech forum, or a sports team.
- Seek opportunities to educate others about the importance of religious freedom and challenges to it
- Connect service activities with the needs of the community where possible. Cooperation between church groups and community organizations helps build mutual trust and focuses resources on helping those in need.
- Speak up for others. When you see unfair treatment, take appropriate action to help eliminate unfairness.
3) Study the issues:
- Study the words of the living Apostles on religious freedom and moral issues
- Read responsible websites, newspapers, magazines, and blogs that explore current events from a variety of perspectives
- Rely on the Spirit to help you discern truth
- Let your beliefs and the facts inform your views
- Be ready to act
- Know your rights established by the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances”
World History Timeline
This is, by far, the best world history timeline I have come across. Hang it on a wall or keep it in the book. It will revolutionize the way your family learns about history.
4) Speak up with courage and civility:
- Have meaningful and kind conversations with those of differing beliefs
- Ask questions with the intent to understand
- Acknowledge legitimate points and seek to identify common ground
- Share appropriate links, stories, photos, articles, and personal experiences on social media
- Start a blog, write an op-ed, or submit a letter to the editor
- Explain why the freedoms you defend are so important to you, your loved ones, and the Church—make it personal.
- Remember that the people you’re talking with are children of God; ask God to help you see others as He sees them
- Express your beliefs calmly and sincerely, from your personal perspective. You can start by saying things like, “Thanks for sharing your perspective. Can I share mine, too, so we can both understand each other better?”
- Explain your beliefs as simply, clearly, and sincerely as you can. Elder Ronald A. Rasband has said, “Remember how the Savior handled tough questions and challenging viewpoints. He remained calm, He showed respect, and He taught truth, but He never forced anyone to live the way He taught” (“Religious Freedom and Fairness for All”, Brigham Young University devotional, Sept. 15, 2015)
- Stay true to your beliefs. Elder Oaks provides this important counsel: “Even as we seek to be meek and to avoid contention, we must not compromise or dilute our commitment to the truths we understand. We must not surrender our positions or our values…” (“Loving Others and Living with Differences,” Oct. 2014 general conference).
- Rely on the Holy Ghost. He can help you personalize your conversations in every situation (see 2 Nephi 32:5).
- Stand firmly for principle while understanding that in some areas we will have to seek compromise to protect our most vital freedoms
- Know when to end the conversation
5) Get involved in the political process:
- Vote in your local, state, and national elections
- Support candidates who understand the proper role of religion in society
- Learn how laws are made
- Attend city council meetings
- Join a political party
- Contact your government representatives to express your views (Senators, House of Representatives)
- Get involved in the democratic institutions and conversations around you
- Combine your efforts with others who support religious freedom
6) Get to know people of other faiths:
- Talk with them about matters of shared concern
- Participate in an interfaith service project
- Support their religious freedom
- Follow the Golden Rule when protecting family, faith, and freedom
Hands-On History Projects
- timelines
- maps
- games
- lap books
- history studies
- holidays
7) Get involved in education:
- Participate in your local PTA
- Run for the school board
- Lend your voice and resources to solving problems in your school
- Help preserve reasonable space for religious values in educational settings
- Support the right of parents to guide their children’s education
- Support values-based extracurricular activities like religious clubs or Bible-study classes
- Students can express their faith at school, unless it’s disruptive or coercive. They can comment about their own religious views in class or in assignments as long as it’s related to the discussion.
- Students can pray alone or in groups of other students as long as the school doesn’t sponsor the event and others aren’t pressured to participate.
Family-Friendly Historical Booklist
Browse the Historical Booklist to find books for all ages
- If a school allows community groups to rent or use its facilities after hours, then it must give religious groups the same access.
- While public schools and teachers can’t celebrate religious holidays or promote religious practices, they can certainly teach about them. Religious traditions have greatly influenced history, literature, art, and music. Those traditions continue to contribute to culture today, and teachers can discuss their influence so long as it’s objective rather than devotional.
- A public school’s approach to religion in the curriculum must be academic, not proselytizing. Still, choirs can sing and orchestras can play sacred music, book lists can include religiously themed literature, and drama students can enact religious plays—all as part of the school’s academic program, especially when intermixed with secular works.
- In schools that allow students to form non-curriculum-related groups, religious students can form religious groups or clubs.
- Teachers can help create safe environments where students feel comfortable appropriately expressing their religious beliefs and where nobody is bullied for their views.
8) Make it a family matter and a matter of prayer:
- Take your children to a speech or conference on religious freedom
- Watch a movie or documentary on the role and history of religious freedom in society
- Conduct a lesson or activity about the United States Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other foundational documents
- Invite a family of another faith into your home
- Pray that our freedoms will be preserved
- Pray and exercise faith that governments at home and abroad will be opened—or remain open—to the Church. As the Lord long ago “stirred” Cyrus, the King of Persia, to issue a decree allowing the Jews to rebuild a temple in Jerusalem (see Ezra 1:1), so can He stir other leaders with influence to help preserve religious freedom.
- Pray as you study about religious freedom
- Pray for the Spirit to help direct you in conversations
