Since I have been in Azerbaijan, I have learned to appreciate the many freedoms and rights given to citizens of the U.S. One particular freedom that I have come to appreciate more is that of religious freedom. I am blessed to be able to attend Church meetings each Sunday, although there is not an actual chapel. Most churches and even some mosques in Azerbaijan have been destroyed in the past and I understand that this still happens on occasion as there is fear of radicalism. A different type of radicalism could take place in the U.S. if people are convinced that personal rights means something different than was outlined in the Constitution. I read this text from an address given to students at BYU-Idaho by Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle of the Lord, on lds.org, which helped me appreciate what could be fleeting even in the U.S. if the adversary succeeds in convincing people of his own definition of the freedom to practice religion.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/religious-freedom
More to come soon about my life and the culture here in Baku. I have books in my head that need to be typed.
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