Education Quote by Russell M. Nelson

A tidy bridge gets built here with a single plank: consensus. By saying "Many religious confessions share common values", Russell M. Nelson isn’t arguing theology; he’s strategically stepping above it. The move is diplomatic, almost managerial: lower the temperature of sectarian difference by foregrounding a moral overlap that’s hard to dispute. In an era where religion is often framed as a source of conflict or exclusion, the line quietly rebrands faith as a public good, a generator of civic ethics rather than a private badge.

The second sentence delivers the payload with a familiar phrase: the Golden Rule. It functions like moral shorthand, instantly legible across denominations and even outside belief altogether. That universality is the point. Nelson is inviting the listener to treat religion less as a set of competing truth claims and more as a shared training ground for empathy and restraint. The subtext is also defensive: if religious communities are criticized for dogmatism, this reframes them as teaching reciprocity, not rigidity.

As a clergyman and prominent leader within a distinct tradition, Nelson’s choice to speak in broad interfaith terms signals intent: cooperation without surrender. He can honor difference without litigating doctrine, creating space for alliances on family, charity, and social cohesion. The gentle phrasing ("should") is telling, too: persuasion over command, moral appeal over authority. It’s soft power theology, optimized for pluralistic society.