President Dallin H. Oaks delivered a landmark address on religious freedom Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral, pointing to the United States Constitution as a key tool for peacemaking and finding common ground.
“The Constitution compels a divided people to build coalitions to allow them to act together,” said President Oaks, who has spent seven decades studying the Constitution as a scholar, judge, and religious leader. “‘Compels’ is a strong word, but it is exactly what the Constitution does. It puts what we now call ‘peacemaking’ at the heart of the Constitution’s process for achieving freedom and unity, and fairness for all.”
His remarks are the first by a Church President at Washington National Cathedral, a “house of prayer for all people,” and came on the eve of the country’s Constitution Day. The event, titled “Faith, Freedom and the Common Good,” explored the relationship between religious faith and American democracy. The gathering was part of the cathedral’s “A Better Way” series, which encourages Americans to find common ground and move forward together in polarized times.
