As found in the Millennial Star on November 13th, 1941
The word liberal correctly used, has a noble meaning. The true liberal hates slavery of every kind. He battles for human freedom. He wants liberty in thought and action. He is tolerant, free from bigotry, and generous in all his deeds. He places truth above all else and hungers for full truth. He welcomes all new improvements and calls for more – the telegraph, electric light, telephone, printing press, typewriter, railroad, airship, radio. He insists that every new invention must be used for human welfare, with full respect to civil and moral law. In short, the liberal seeks to make better the day in which he lives, and becomes therefore a crusader for the betterment of the human race.
Such a liberal, to accomplish his purpose, holds fast, without the least concession, to the convictions of his soul. He is anchored to the rock of truth, as he may see it. He never wavers from the basic, underlying principles of the cause, whether of church or state, to which he is committed. All the world knows how and where he stands.
His liberalism lies in his constant attempt to make the underlying unchanging principles of the cause he represents serve the changing conditions of the day. He may differ with superficial conditions of the past, but not with its established truths. He may refuse to continue the church architecture of the past, but will insist that the ancient truths of the Gospel be taught in every building dedicated to worship. He may be forever seeking, under changing conditions, to make the doctrine of human brotherhood more effective in behalf of the needy. He is a believer who seeks to use his beliefs in every concern of his life.
Unfortunately, the word liberal is not now always properly used. It has been used, or misused, for so many purposes that its original meaning has largely vanished. Word-juggling, making a good word cover a doubtful or an ugly cause, is an age-old pastime. Words are too often used as shields to hide or disguise the truth. Many men are inclined to hide their true motives behind a word.
It is folly to speak of a liberal religion, of that religion claims that it rests upon unchanging truth. Neither can one be a liberal in religion except in the application of the underlying doctrine to human needs. it would be as preposterous as speaking of a liberal science, since science rests upon truthful observations of nature. It is only in the use of scientific discoveries that the world liberal may be used. One either accepts or rejects truth. There is no middle course.
Proponents of a liberal religion are probably not certain of the foundations of their own faith and characterize their distrust by the world liberal. They are doubters. For example, a Catholic or Protestant Christian who denies the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ, has no tight to claim the title of liberal. He is an agnostic to, or unbeliever in, a fundamental doctrine of the church.
It is well to beware of people who go about proclaiming that they or their churches are liberal. The probabilities are that the structure of their faith is built on sand and will not withstand the storms of truth Usually, if they try to define their liberalism, the teeth of the wolf appear under the sheep’s clothing.
Under the definition of true liberalism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is pre-eminently liberal. First, it makes truth and love of truth its foundation. The whole latter-day work was initiated by Joseph Smith’s search for truth. “In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right…?” Thus came the first great vision of Joseph Smith; and as a consequence of his search for truth came other revelations, and the enduring light-giving structure of the Church. In his differences with the beliefs of the churches of his day, he did not seek cover under the name of an existing church. Instead he frankly formed another Church and fought out the issue on the basis of his own fundamental doctrine. It is understood that every worthy member of the Church must likewise seek and find truth for himself. Then, the Church recognizes that there is a constant change on earth, but insists that every change must respect the use of the basic doctrine of the Church, and must be for human good. It declares that men “live and move and have their being” under the law of progress. change steps upon the heels of change in the unfolding universe. The simple eternal truths of existence are combined and combined again, in different ways, but progressively, to serve man on his never-ending journey. It is much as the endless combination of the few numerical digits from simple to increasingly larger numbers. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not need to look elsewhere for a liberal Church.