The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints desires to be a “light” and “leaven” in every nation, even in environments hostile to religious faith, said President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, while participating on a panel with global faith leaders on Thursday, July 13, at the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit in London, England.
“When it is darkest, even a small light makes a big difference,” President Johnson said. “So, we believe the Savior’s injunction — that His followers should be a light — applies to us, especially in times of darkness.”
Discussing Jesus Christ’s parables about salt and leaven, President Johnson observed, “Salt and leaven can make a big difference in small doses, but only if they retain their distinctive character and savor.”
The three-day conference was held at the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, a storied legal society in London where the likes of Mahatma Gandhi once studied and that dates back to the Knights Templar.
Some 60 scholars and experts from various nationalities and institutions presented during the conference. In addition to her full-time Church service, President Johnson has more than three decades of experience practicing law as a civil litigator.
Members of the Relief Society seek to live out their mission of bringing relief the world over through collaborative humanitarian efforts, President Johnson continued. This includes global initiatives to meet the “needs of all young children and their mothers,” regarding nutrition, immunizations, education and maternal and newborn care. “We let our light shine globally and, like salt and leaven, seek to address the needs of those in need of relief who live in our own homes and neighborhoods.”
President Johnson spoke on the closing day of the conference. Her panel included remarks from Rabbi Alex Goldberg of England’s University of Surrey and Bishop Matthew Kukah, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto in Nigeria, each speaking to the subject of the panel, “Religious Responses to the Rise of Autocracy.” Professor Mahan Mirza of the University of Notre Dame moderated the panel.
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