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The Second Annual International Forum on Law and Religion commenced with an interfaith breakfast hosted by Elder D. Todd Christofferson and Sister Katherine Christofferson. They were joined by leaders from different faiths and the Philippines Area Presidency at the University of the Philippines-BGC Campus on 14 June 2018.
The intimate event was attended by Rev. Fr. Richard Babao, Assistant Minister for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs of the Archdiocese of Manila; Professor Pablito Paybado, Coordinator for Unhiarmony Partners Manila; Atty. Jo Imbong, Legal Counsel of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP); Pastor Aldrin Penamora, Director, Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC); Bishop Cesar Punzalan, World Evangelical Alliance (WEA); Former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. of the Supreme Court of the Philippines with his wife Madame Virginia Davide; Atty. Salma Pir Rasul, programs director of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID); Dr. Brian Grim, President of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation; Prof. Rüdiger Lohlker, an expert on Islamic Studies, University of Vienna and other leaders.
Christofferson encouraged all present during the breakfast meeting to help foster a culture that values religious freedom. He also expressed appreciation for the fruitful partnerships and deep friendships that have developed as fellow faith leaders and those from the academe worked together on a very important issue like religious freedom.
Christofferson is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is a strong advocate for religious freedom and has spoken on this topic in mosques, patriotic services, universities and churches of other faiths.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to foster relationships with government and religious leaders in order to preserve religious freedom and to improve the communities in which they live. A respect for the diverse beliefs and unique contributions of all the world’s faiths is one of the hallmarks of Mormonism. The spiritual and physical needs of the world require goodwill and cooperation among different faiths.
From the earliest days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith elevated the principle of religious liberty and tolerance: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may” (Articles of Faith 1:11).