Most Christians know that religious freedom is under attack today. Few realize it’s already happened here—in America—and that an official government order once declared that an entire church “must be exterminated or driven from the state.” This week marks the anniversary of the 1838 Missouri Executive Order 44. Elder Dallin H. Oaks’s powerful Senate testimony on why the free exercise of religion must never be surrendered. We’ll cover: The persecution that drove early Saints from Missouri and Illinois Why the “Extermination Order” still matters for every believer today How Elder Oaks’s legal and apostolic defense of faith points to divine principles of agency and conscience What the restored gospel teaches about religious liberty as a spiritual—not just political—law Freedom of religion isn’t just about what we believe. It’s about who we’re allowed to become in Christ when no one else stands in the way. HaleStorm WHERE YOU CAN LISTEN TO/READ MY CONTENT 🚀 Subscribe for more deep dives into church history, theology, and bad arguments dressed up as doctrine. ✍️ Substack: https://halestorm.substack.com/ 🎧 Prefer audio? 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6wmtsNQCl0ToLeSkt6j4hs?si=439a1219b7924c9a 🔹 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/halestorm/id1438201012 📺 Follow me on YouTube only — I don’t use social media. All footage used falls under “fair use” as defined by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (1998). This content is presented for educational, historical, and religious discussion purposes.