Elder Jack N. Gerard of the Seventy and the Reverend Dr. Amos C. Brown of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. (Photo: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
SALT LAKE CITY — Latter-day Saint leaders are working with other faiths to overcome prejudice. The next edition of the Liahona from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints features several articles and interviews on combatting racism, inhumanity to others, and understanding each other better.
In a segment called “We are a family,” Elder Jack N. Gerard of the Seventy sat down with the Reverend Dr. Amos C. Brown of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. Reverend Brown, a longtime advocate of civil rights, talked with Elder Gerard about the “us versus them” mentality of society.
“We have not mastered that pronoun ‘we.’ We are family. We came from one Creator. As scripture says, we are all made of one blood,” said Reverend Dr. Amos C. Brown.
Calling on the California reverend’s lifetime of experience, Elder Gerard asked what changes the human race should be working toward.
The Reverend Doctor responded by saying, “we need to be engaged with each other. People tend to hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they do not know each other. And they do not know each other because of a lack of communication. We must communicate with each other, listen to each other, see each other, feel each other’s pain, and celebrate with each other in times of joy and accomplishment.”
The conversation between the two faith leaders follows similar efforts by Church President Russell M. Nelson and his collaboration with the NAACP.
Other articles in the September Liahona center around building understanding. Pieces titled “We Are Better Together,” Jesus Christ Knows the Pain We Feel from Prejudice,” and “How Can I Overcome Prejudice?” all give suggestions for Latter-day Saints on realizing inherent biases and treating others as they would like to be treated.
There are still more articles aimed at Church youth, emphasizing how to disagree with civility, keeping friendships when the other person has different beliefs and determining when it is appropriate to speak up for those beliefs on social media.
“Regardless of how different we may be with external features, we are one as human beings. Every person is endowed, imbued with the sacred, and we should respect the worth and dignity of all persons. And all peoples means all,” added Reverend Dr. Amos C. Brown.
To read more from the next edition of the Liahona, visit Liahona.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.