BRUSSELS, Belgium — Addressing the European Union Parliament in anticipation of International Women’s Day, President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, invited leaders to “envision a world in which women cultivate, use and expand their natural gifts.”
Reaching across faith boundaries builds peace, she said on Monday, March 4, at the parliament building in Brussels, Belgium. “Friends, we can achieve what no government can: a sisterhood — a global sisterhood of peacemakers.”
During keynote remarks titled “Empowering Women’s Freedom of Religion and Belief,” President Johnson quoted President Russell M. Nelson saying women “have been blessed with a unique moral compass” and possess “special spiritual gifts and propensities” to sense human needs and to comfort, teach and strengthen.
Accordingly, she explained, “each of our communities depend upon ordinary women for human flourishing as they perform their unique roles as leaders, teachers, nurturers, healers and peacemakers.”
For those “ordinary women upon whom we depend,” it is important to address a profound problem that is too often overlooked by contemporary observers, commentators and journalists.
“It is this — nationalizing cultures that are hostile to minority religious beliefs and secularizing cultures that are antagonistic to religion generally, when coupled with government restrictions on religious institutions and religious exercise, have devastating effects on society generally and on women specifically.”
The intimate meeting, held around a boardroom table, was hosted by Anja Haga, a member of the European Parliament. A panel discussion, including Rachel Bayani, E.U. representative; Helene Fisher of Gender and Religious Freedom; and Anastasia Hartman of Open Doors International addressed the topic “Voices of Resilience: Women’s Stories in the Pursuit of Freedom of Religion or Belief.” A second discussion featured Carolyn Handschin of the Women’s Federation for World Peace and Susan Kerr of Freedom of Religion or Belief discussing “Empowering Women’s Freedom of Religion or Belief: Strategies and Solutions.”
President Johnson noted that social scientists have found that when societies and governments restrict religious freedoms, social conflict increases. “Such conflict and ensuing violence always harm the most vulnerable, including women and children,” she said. “It destabilizes economies and households. It increases inequality, including gender inequality. And it keeps women from using their innate gifts to cultivate peace.”
Efforts to maintain social order by forcing homogeneity of belief, or restricting beliefs, always backfire, she said. “So today, I want to explore with you what this problem means, in particular for women; what it suggests about what is needed for women to flourish.”
If ordinary women are to accomplish their unique daily peacemaking roles, they themselves need to be inspired, nurtured, healed, empowered and taught about their divine potential, she said. “This wellspring will come from their ability to seek daily, if not hourly, inspiration in the way their conscience dictates.”
She asked Parliament members to imagine what would happen “if every woman felt empowered within her sphere of influence to live out the full measure of her special gifts and propensities for nurture, care, healing, teaching and leading.”
Imagine, she said, “what would happen if we, as women in leadership roles, could unleash the full power of women to transform their personal inspiration into organized action.
“And imagine the opposite — a reality in far too many communities — a world where women live in fear of social persecution, and official restrictions stifle their expression of conscientious belief and prevent them from assembling to worship and organize to provide mutual support. In such an environment, women’s collective capacity to address complex problems and lift society is vastly diminished, and individual hopes and aspirations are dashed.”
Freedom of religion
President Johnson noted that while freedom of religion and belief is stabilizing and empowering, it is not without its complexities.
Acknowledging harmful acts performed by extremists in the name of religion, President Johnson said these extreme situations are not a reason to restrict religious freedom. “Instead, we should recognize them as a warning sign that we need to better understand the plight of women so affected. We must better communicate with and actually empower our sisters in these desperate situations to reach across social divisions to solve problems.”
In almost all instances, when society or governments restrict women from living out their rights of conscience, “we can expect poorer outcomes within the home, with public health, with education and with civil society,” she said.
Religion and spirituality connect women with the divine — finding expression through art, music, poetry, scripture, prayer and devotions — and to one another.
“As women, we exist in an oft-unspoken global sisterhood,” she said. “The tides and seasons of our biology and the universality of the way we bear and nurture humanity connect us wordlessly across cultural divides, language barriers and political chasms.”
The religious freedom of women is a key component to global peace, President Johnson said. “Our implicit sisterhood creates an ability to build on common ground, which forms the basis of peace — a peace that is more than mere coexistence in the absence of war — but something much more beautiful and powerful, bringing individuality into a unified whole.”
Relief Society
Relief Society — one of the world’s largest and oldest women’s organizations consisting of nearly 8 million Latter-day Saints organized within more than 30,000 congregations around the globe — inspires women to unite in providing consistent acts of service within their homes and communities, said President Johnson.
“I have seen what our women do when they are able to express their fullest selves and connect with others through our joint sisterhood. I have seen women elevate one another in the midst of poverty. I have seen women care for, feed and nurture children who are not their own. I have seen women stand to protect others from the ravages of war.”
She said Relief Society provides the practical means to fulfill Jesus Christ’s admonition to love one’s neighbor, thereby providing the conditions for lasting peace and human flourishing.
For example, she said, in the last decade Latter-day Saints in Europe have responded to the refugee crisis. “Although they came from different countries, cultures and faith traditions, the common bond of faith was a critical aspect of why this support was particularly meaningful,” she said. “Latter-day Saint women were attuned to the importance of honoring and accommodating the religious commitments of these refugees.”
And in the Philippines, Latter-day Saint women concerned about the high prevalence of malnutrition in their communities and how it was affecting their own families learned more about the devastating lifelong consequences of malnutrition. In response, leaders and members hosted nutritional screenings, taught parents about good nutrition and referred those in need to local medical and community services that would provide treatment. “This effort is currently being implemented in over a thousand congregations in 12 countries. More than 14,000 children have been screened for malnutrition.”
Discipleship
President Johnson said that while Relief Society “can and will use our global reach to scale these women-inspired efforts,” she believes that the most important and impactful work of women continues to be done “when we care for our own children, teach a friend to read, patiently address the needs of an elderly neighbor, prepare a meal for the sick, or cry with a sister who is grieving.”
Testifying that she believes Jesus Christ came to earth to save humanity from sin and death, and to lift the world from their sorrow and distress, she said, “I strive to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
The Savior’s most important requirement for His disciples is to recognize immediate individual needs around them and respond with patience and love, President Johnson explained.
“So, my call to action today is simple and personal. While we must act justly and responsibly in our roles as women leaders, let us not neglect the individuals within our immediate circle of care.”
She asked the leaders to seek divine direction and perform an act of service for someone within their sphere of influence. “I hope that simple exercise will help us recognize that our greatest success will be in unleashing the power of our global sisterhood by unleashing the power of women as expressed through faith and conscience,” she said.
Women’s engagement in their congregations, families and communities will create a wave of empathy and compassion, she added.
“Now, for us in this room, from our unique vantage as women leaders, we can and must also assess and address concerns at a societal level. We can and must seek for ways to remove unnecessary burdens and restrictions on women. We can and must stand together for freedom of religion and belief.
“We cannot, however, reach every person in the world, no matter how well funded our programs, well penned our policies, or well developed our diplomacy.
“But through our global sisterhood, we can reach every single soul.”
