More than 200 people gathered across six venues in Iowa on April 10, 2025, to celebrate the 12th annual Iowa Religious Freedom Day. The event, which brought together individuals from various faith traditions and backgrounds, focused on exploring the role of religion in peacemaking.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a key sponsor and participant in the day’s events.
The day began with an interfaith breakfast co-sponsored by the Iowa Catholic Conference and the Church. This event opened both the House and Senate legislative sessions and featured traditional Sikh hymns, a flute choir, the reading of a gubernatorial proclamation on religious freedom, and interfaith prayers.
| Elder Kirt L. Hodges, Area Seventy, reminds youth of the importance of being kind to others as they get to know people of different backgrounds, on April 10, 2025. | 1 / 11 |
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ proclamation encouraged “all residents to strive to understand the experiences and values of others while supporting the essential role religion plays in strengthening our social fabric and fostering a culture of peace.”
State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott addressed the gathering, emphasizing the importance of interfaith collaboration to address community needs. Later, she also spoke to a group of Latter-day Saint high school students, encouraging them to engage with their elected officials by sharing their concerns and priorities.
Elder Kirt L. Hodges, an Area Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke to the youth about the importance of civic engagement. “Heavenly Father wants us to be kind, to be engaged with those around us, to serve, and to make friends,” Elder Hodges said. He stressed that Latter-day Saints have a responsibility to participate in the political process to ensure their voices are heard. “You can still share what’s important to you,” he told them, even before they can vote.
The primary event was an evening symposium at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in Des Moines. The conference featured two keynote addresses and workshops facilitating group discussions on personal, community, and global peacemaking.
Dr. Shirley A. Mullen, president emerita of Houghton College in New York, spoke on the courage and cost of peacemaking within communities. “Thoughtful people of true conviction really are in the best position today to be the peacemakers of society,” she said, highlighting the often-unseen but essential nature of this work.
Steven T. Collis, a legal scholar and expert on religious liberty, addressed the misconception that religion is a source of conflict. “It is not religion that causes war but the lack of religious liberty,” he asserted, emphasizing the positive contributions of religious individuals to their communities. He also noted the unique example of the United States, stating, “This is the most religiously diverse country in the history of humanity, and we live largely alongside one another in peace. That is incredible. It’s unheard of historically, and it’s mostly unheard of in the world today, and that’s because of religious freedom.”
Attendees expressed positive feedback about the event. Brian Warby of Cedar Falls, Iowa, a first-time participant, was impressed by the “intellectually engaging discussion of an expansive view of religious freedom.” Sonya Strathearn of Iowa City, Iowa, a first-time attendee, said she felt “a new resolve to make the effort to be a peacemaker.”
Colorado
The commemorations in Iowa were part of a broader recognition of religious freedom on April 10. In Colorado, for example, a similar event took place in the State Capitol, bringing together some 200 people, including Governor Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, State Senator Iman Jodeh, and interfaith leaders to speak on “The Value of Faith in Our Community.”
The event highlighted the shared commitment to constitutional protections of religious exercise and the positive role of faith in society, drawing significant participation from diverse faith communities.
| As part of Colorado's Religious Freedom Day, Colorado Governor Jared Polis speaks to an audience in the State Capitol, on April 10, 2025. He said all Americans can unite in defending free speech and Constitutional protections of religious expression that are enshrined in the First Amendment. | 1 / 5 |
Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faith leaders and local politicians highlighted the shared values of Coloradans across diverse faith traditions and belief systems, recognizing the importance of defending free speech and Constitutional protections of religious exercise enshrined in the First Amendment.
Governor Polis, Colorado’s first Jewish governor, observed that “freedom of religion or freedom of worship without fear of retribution is one of the founding principles of our country. It’s an important part of who we are as Americans and as Coloradans. We proudly embrace people from every religion, no religion and every walk of life here.”
The governor also presented a state proclamation, denoting April 10, 2025, as “Religious Freedom Day” and encouraging residents to “seek common ground” and respect each other’s “rights and concerns.” Both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly ratified the proclamation.
Quoting Martin Luther King and Psalm 133, Colorado Attorney General Weiser invited all Americans to follow the invitation of prophets to live in harmony. Dr. Rosemarie Allen, President and CEO of the Institute for Racial Equity and Excellence, noted that “religious freedom has the power to unite us in our diversity … and in honoring religious freedom, we are not just protecting individual rights, but we are cultivating a society of compassion and mutual respect. When we honor religious freedom, we honor the best in ourselves and the best in others, and in doing so, we create a world that is not only free, but also more compassionate, more united, and truly more humane.”