Editor’s Note: Defending Utah announces support for a powerful new movement to preserve freedom in Utah! Enoch Moore spoke at the Manti Tabernacle in support of this cause and the energy in the town was definitely moving for the cause of liberty. If you want to rally around the freedom cause in a tangible way in celebration of America 250, then gather your friends and connect with what’s happening in Sanpete county.
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We all understand that defending liberty requires constant vigilance in the home and local community. Yet activating an entire community to work together in defense of constitutional truth is far more difficult than it sounds. That is, unless you happen to live in Sanpete County.
For 52 years, Sanpete County was home to The Mormon Miracle Pageant, a beloved summer tradition that drew over 100,000 visitors each summer. Whatever one’s personal views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, few could argue against the sheer inspiration of watching more than 2,300 community volunteers unite to share a story of faith and history every summer for half a century.
When the pageant concluded in 2019, many in Sanpete recognized that their community still possessed a dedicated, passionate force of volunteers eager to proclaim their faith and preserve important truths. So they did what communities of conviction do best: they got to work.
The result is The Spirit of Freedom, a brand new, fully independent pageant that tells the compelling story of the fight for religious liberty in 17th-century England, as seen through the eyes of Reverend John Lothropp.
Rev. John Lothropp (often spelled Lathrop) believed that men should be free to act – or not act – according to their own conscience. In defiance of the law that proclaimed all must join The Church of England, he continued preaching the bible in secret. He was eventually captured and imprisoned for the crime of staying true to his conscience. After years in prison, he was exiled to the Americas where he helped lay the foundation for the religious liberties we enjoy today.
The production is adapted from Exiled, a celebrated work by Helene Holt, recipient of the prestigious National Freedoms Foundation Award. Unlike its predecessor, The Spirit of Freedom will be performed entirely live, featuring an original score with powerful musical numbers. The pageant will take place at the Sanpete County Fairgrounds in Manti, Utah, just 300 yards from where the original pageant touched hearts for more than half a century.
In truth, every community in America should be stepping into this kind of action. The defense of religious liberty does not begin in Washington, D.C. It begins in grassroots efforts in places like Manti, where ordinary people take extraordinary initiative. It begins in small towns and on budget-built stages.
So here is the call: Come. Bring your congregation, your youth group, your neighbors, your family. Come and witness what a community united in faith and a love of freedom is capable of. Come and be reminded that we can still change the world – one small town at a time.
The Spirit of Freedom will be performed at the Sanpete County Fairgrounds on July 22-25th. Visit www.spiritoffreedompageant.com to reserve your seats or join the ranks of talented volunteers.
