RISE ZION

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IS BEING TESTED — AND LATTER-DAY SAINTS SHOULD PAY ATTENTION 🇺🇸🙏

A national prayer event recently gathered thousands on the National Mall for America’s 250th anniversary — but Reuters reported that several major religious groups were absent from the platform, including Latter-day Saints.

That detail matters.

This episode is not about outrage. It is about a much deeper question: who gets to define religious America? Who gets invited into the public Christian circle? And why do Latter-day Saints keep finding themselves in the strange position of being criticized as part of conservative Christianity when faith is unpopular, but treated as outsiders when Christian coalitions gather?

At the same time, the Church is still facing pressure over the Fairview Texas Temple, even after reducing the size of the proposed temple, lowering the spire from the original design, going through the approval process, and receiving a 5–2 vote from the Fairview Town Council. Construction has moved forward, yet recent reports say local leaders have continued urging the Church to reduce the steeple even further.

So what is really happening?

Is this merely about zoning, aesthetics, and local preference? Or are we watching a broader pattern emerge — one where Latter-day Saints are expected to defend religious values publicly, but still face exclusion, misunderstanding, and double standards when we try to worship openly according to our faith?

In this episode, we look at Rededicate 250, the Fairview Texas Temple controversy, the recent Pentagon religious list controversy, and the First Presidency’s July 5th fast for religious liberty. The timing is remarkable. Before these headlines fully unfolded, the prophet and apostles had already placed religious freedom directly before the Saints.

Doctrine and Covenants 98 teaches that constitutional freedom belongs to “all mankind.” That means religious liberty is not just about protecting ourselves. It is about defending moral agency, conscience, temples, worship, missionary work, and the right of all people to seek God without coercion.

Latter-day Saints know from our own history what happens when religious freedom is narrowed only to the approved religions. Missouri, Nauvoo, and the extermination order are part of our spiritual memory. But that memory should not make us bitter. It should make us awake.

As America prepares to celebrate 250 years, the question becomes more urgent:

Will religious freedom belong to everyone — or only to the religions powerful enough to be included?

🙏 Like, comment, and subscribe to Rise Zion as we discuss faith, freedom, prophecy, temples, and the signs of the times.

ELDER GONG JUST WARNED THE CHURCH ABOUT AI… AND IT’S MORE SERIOUS THAN MOST MEMBERS REALIZE ⚠️🤖🙏

Can artificial intelligence replace God?

That may sound provocative, but Elder Gerrit W. Gong just asked that exact question in his June 7, 2026 worldwide devotional, “Faith, Dignity, and Human Flourishing: Hearing God’s Voice in an Age of Artificial Intelligence.” And after studying his remarks, I believe this may become one of the most important apostolic warnings of the AI age.

Elder Gong is not speaking as someone unfamiliar with technology. Long before he was called as an Apostle, he worked at the U.S. Department of State, where Secretary George P. Shultz assigned him to help study the “shape, scope, and consequences” of the information age. He grew up in Silicon Valley. His father worked in physics and semiconductors. Elder Gong has been prepared in a remarkable way to speak to this exact moment.

And his warning is urgent.

AI is no longer just helping people summarize documents, write emails, or organize schedules. It is being marketed as a companion, counselor, spiritual guide, emotional support system, and in some cases, something dangerously close to a replacement for revelation itself.

Elder Gong said it plainly:

“Artificial intelligence can answer questions, but it cannot answer prayers.”

That line frames the entire issue.

In this episode, we look at Elder Gong’s warning through the lens of AI companion apps, Christian AI tools, and even Latter-day Saint-adjacent AI systems that appear to imitate sacred spiritual functions. We discuss why apps that offer comfort, guidance, scripture interpretation, personalized spiritual readings, or AI-generated “oracle” experiences should deeply concern faithful Latter-day Saints.

We also talk about the Tower of Babel.

Elder Gong brought up Babel for a reason. Anciently, people tried to build their own way into heaven. Today, the tower may not be made of brick. It may be made of algorithms, chatbots, digital companions, and counterfeit forms of revelation.

But this episode is not anti-AI.

Elder Gong made it clear that AI can bless humanity. It can expand learning, assist with translation, support family history, help with research, and open new doors of possibility. The question is not whether AI can be useful. The question is whether we will use it as a servant — or allow it to become a spiritual substitute.

We’ll discuss:

⚠️ Why AI companion apps are exploding in popularity
🙏 Why lonely people may be especially vulnerable
📱 Why religious AI tools can become spiritually dangerous
🔥 Why “support, not supplant” may be the key standard
🏛️ Why the Tower of Babel is the perfect scriptural warning
👨‍👩‍👧 Why covenant community cannot be replaced by chatbots
🕊️ Why the Holy Ghost must remain central in the AI age
🌿 Why Elder Gong told us to “touch grass”
🤖 How faithful Latter-day Saints can use AI responsibly

Elder Bednar warned that AI can only “think telestial.” Elder Gong warned that AI cannot be God. President Nelson warned that we cannot survive spiritually without the constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

Those warnings now feel more relevant than ever.

AI can answer questions.

But it cannot answer prayers.

And that difference may matter more than we realize.

⚠️TRUMP CALLED GLENN BECK AT MIDNIGHT… AND THE NEW "MORMON MOMENT" JUST ARRIVED!⚠️

Something remarkable just happened in the unfolding Pentagon “LDS not Christian” controversy — and this follow-up may be even more important than the original story.

After the Department of War/Pentagon released a religious affiliation list that appeared to place The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints outside the Christian category, Utah leaders spoke out. Senator Mike Lee condemned the move as “repugnant.” Latter-day Saints across the country pushed back. And then, according to Glenn Beck, President Trump personally called him late at night — and Glenn raised the issue directly with the President of the United States. 📞

According to Glenn Beck, President Trump later sent him a message saying: “Done. They’re Christians. Congratulations. I love the Mormons.” But the most important part of this story is not simply that Trump reportedly recognized Latter-day Saints as Christian. The real issue is what changed next: the Pentagon did not just move Latter-day Saints into a preferred category. The government reportedly removed the theological labels altogether.

That matters.

This episode asks a much bigger question: Are we entering another Mormon Moment? During the Mitt Romney era, America debated whether a Latter-day Saint could be trusted near the highest levels of power. Today, something different is happening. Latter-day Saint voices are not merely being examined by the country — they are being heard in government, media, and national life at the highest levels. 🏛️

People do not spend this much energy debating institutions that do not matter. The controversy itself proves the point: the restored Church has become too significant to ignore.

But this is not about seeking political favoritism. It is about righteous influence. It is about what happens when faithful voices are close enough to power to say, “The government should not be drawing theological lines around churches.” Glenn Beck’s phone call mattered. Senator Mike Lee’s public pressure mattered. Ordinary members speaking up mattered. And this moment may reveal why Latter-day Saint influence in government, media, law, education, and culture is becoming more important as religious freedom comes under pressure.

As the July 5 worldwide fast for religious freedom approaches, this controversy feels deeply significant. The scriptures teach that agency is central to God’s plan. If the Saints are being prepared to help preserve religious liberty before the return of Jesus Christ, then we should pay attention when the Lord places His Church in the middle of national conversations about conscience, government power, and the name of Christ. ✝️

The Church does not need Washington, D.C., to certify its Christianity. Jesus Christ knows His own. But a free society does need leaders, citizens, and faithful disciples who understand that government power must never become the judge of religious truth.

Watch until the end, because this may be more than a Pentagon correction. It may be the beginning of a new Mormon Moment.

👇 Comment below: Is this controversy proof that Latter-day Saint influence matters more than ever?

⚠️DID THE PENTAGON JUST SAY LATTER-DAY SAINTS AREN’T CHRISTIAN? ⚠️

The phrase “LDS not Christian” exploded online after the Department of War/Pentagon released a new religious affiliation list that appeared to place The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints outside the Christian category. Was this just a bureaucratic mistake? Or did the government accidentally step into one of the most controversial religious debates in America? 🏛️

On June 5, 2026, the Pentagon announced it was reducing more than 200 religious affiliation codes down to roughly 31. That sounds administrative — until people noticed something stunning. The list reportedly still recognized multiple Christian denominations, but Latter-day Saints were not listed as Christian. Why would a government system treat a Church with the name of Jesus Christ in its official name as something outside Christianity?

Then the story got even stranger.

After outrage from Utah leaders, Senator Mike Lee blasted the move, warning that the government has no business weighing in on doctrinal disputes. Senator John Curtis said he spoke with President Trump about the Pentagon’s “Christian list.” Representative Mike Kennedy said Latter-day Saints “stand with Christ.” And shortly after, the Department of War Rapid Response account said the list included “redundant and unnecessary labeling,” that “the mistake has been fixed,” and that the Pentagon’s job is “not to adjudicate theological debates.”

But here is the twist everyone is talking about: the Pentagon reportedly did not simply move Latter-day Saints into the Christian category. Instead, it removed the “Christian” designation from everyone. So what does that mean? Did the Pentagon back down? Did President Trump intervene? Did Mike Lee force a correction? And why are so many online commentators furious that Latter-day Saints objected to the government defining their faith for them?

This episode asks the bigger question: Should the U.S. government ever decide who counts as Christian? If Christianity is defined by later creeds, rather than the words of Jesus Christ Himself, who gave the state the authority to enforce that boundary? Jesus taught that His disciples would be known by their love, their faith, their repentance, their obedience, and their witness that He is the Son of God. He never said a fourth-century creed would become the government’s test for Christian identity. ✝️

This is about more than the phrase “Mormons are not Christian.” It is about religious freedom, military chaplains, the First Amendment, Department of Defense faith codes, and the danger of turning theological assumptions into official government categories. A Latter-day Saint service member should never have to wonder whether the institution they serve is misrepresenting the faith that sustains them.

And with the July 5 worldwide fast for religious freedom approaching, the timing could not be more striking. Is this exactly the kind of warning Latter-day Saints should be paying attention to? Is religious liberty being narrowed through quiet bureaucracy rather than open persecution? What happens when a government list becomes ammunition for people who already wanted to marginalize a religious minority?

The Church does not need Washington, D.C., to validate its Christianity. Jesus Christ knows His own. But a free society must remember that government power must never become the judge of religious truth.

Watch until the end, because the correction may be even more revealing than the original mistake. 👀

👇 Comment below: Did the Pentagon fix this the right way by removing “Christian” from every category? Or should Latter-day Saints have been explicitly listed as Christian?

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IS BEING TESTED RIGHT NOW… AND THE CHURCH ASKED US TO PAY ATTENTION 🌎🙏⚖️

What if the most important part of the First Presidency’s July 5th Worldwide Fast for Religious Freedom isn’t the fast itself—but everything happening before it?

For months, many Latter-day Saints have focused on the invitation to fast. But what if the timing of that invitation is part of the message?

Since the announcement was made, a remarkable series of developments has unfolded across the world. Governments, courts, military institutions, and legislatures are suddenly wrestling with some of the most fundamental questions of religious liberty in decades.

🔹 Should governments decide which religions receive official recognition?

🔹 Can scripture lose legal protections under hate speech laws?

🔹 Can prayer become restricted by the state?

🔹 Can governments determine which moral viewpoints are permitted in counseling rooms?

🔹 Where is the line between protecting people and controlling conscience?

In this episode, we examine major developments in the United States, Canada, and Australia that all emerged during the months leading up to the July 5th worldwide fast. Individually, each story is significant. Together, they reveal a pattern that every believer should understand.

The Department of Defense has dramatically reduced recognized religious affiliation codes. Canada continues debating legislation that could remove long-standing protections connected to religious teaching and scripture. Australian laws are raising serious questions about prayer, pastoral counseling, and government authority over religious practice. Meanwhile, the United States Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling involving speech, conscience, and counseling—and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints directly participated through an amicus brief.

This is not a political episode.

This is not an episode about fear.

This is an episode about vigilance.

The Lord repeatedly commands His people to watch. Watching means more than reacting to a headline. It means stepping back and looking at the entire board. It means recognizing when multiple events begin pressing on the same spiritual principle.

For Latter-day Saints, that principle is clear:

📖 "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege..." — Article of Faith 11

That principle does not apply only when our own faith is under pressure.

It applies when the rights of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Orthodox Christians, minority faiths, and even those who reject religion altogether are challenged.

Religious liberty is not merely about protecting the majority.

It is about protecting conscience itself.

As Joseph Smith understood through personal persecution, governments can regulate many things—but they must never become masters of the human soul.

In this episode, we explore why the First Presidency may have announced the July 5th fast months in advance, why recent global developments deserve our attention, and why religious freedom may be one of the defining issues of our generation.

If you've ever wondered why Church leaders continue emphasizing agency, conscience, constitutional principles, and religious freedom, this discussion may help connect the dots.

🌟 The Saints are being asked to fast.

🌟 The world is debating conscience.

🌟 The timing is difficult to ignore.

Watch, study, and decide for yourself.

👇 Let me know your thoughts in the comments:

Do you think the events leading up to July 5th are significant, or are these developments simply unrelated coincidences?

If you enjoy thoughtful analysis of current events through a Latter-day Saint lens, please LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔, and SHARE this video to help spread these important conversations throughout the world.



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