THE 33rd Annual Law and Religious Liberty Symposium took place in Provo, Utah, United States, from October 4-6, 2026, at Brigham Young University (BYU), but memories of the rich experience still linger with the sole Seventh-day Adventist presenter, Jamaican Nigel Coke.

Coke, the foremost voice for religious liberty in Jamaica for the past 15 years, was clearly awed by the expansiveness of the symposium hosted by the International Center for Law and Religious Studies (ICLRS) in the US State most known for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons.

“The symposium was one of the best I have ever attended — well-organised, timely, and practical — since I have been involved in religious liberty advocacy over a decade and a half,” Coke reflected in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

“It was particularly heart-warming to be among such a diverse group of religious liberty experts, scholars, religious leaders, public and government officials, ambassadors, and advocates across 14 languages,” said the former religious liberty director of the local Seventh-day Adventist Union.

“On the first day, I attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints General Conference at their Convention Centre in Salt Lake City, approximately 22,000 members in attendance. Their 300-voice choir was memorable.

“As I interacted with them, I noticed their close knowledge of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its work in promoting religious freedom, but particularly that they all had something positive to say about Jamaica.

“They described our island as beautiful, noting that some of them have visited or plan to visit Jamaica. One of three ‘B’s came up for each person across all the discussions: Bob Marley, Usain Bolt, and the bobsled team. It made me feel good to be a Jamaican.

“My presentation focused on Interfaith Respect for Religious Pluralism.

“I identified two supporting pillars of religious pluralism: legal neutrality and grass roots religious literacy. The State must not become the defender of one religious tradition against others. At the same time, laws alone cannot teach people how to live together. That responsibility also belongs to families, schools, congregations, and religious leaders.

“My presentation was well received, and immediately afterward, a member of the Organization of American States (OAS) religious liberty group approached me and invited me to join, as they are lacking a representative from the English-speaking Caribbean. I hope to pursue this.

“I was honoured to be one of five people the organisers asked to present a reflection on the symposium; the others were from South Africa, Rwanda, Indonesia, and the Dominican Republic’s ambassador to the United Nations.

“In a summary of each presentation at the symposium, Rev Monseigneur Bernardo Pantin, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said of my reflection: ‘Nigel Coke… offered a more personal challenge. Expressing gratitude for the opportunity to encounter people of different faiths, he emphasised that the promotion of religious freedom cannot end with conferences, declarations, or academic discussions.

‘It requires individuals who are prepared to speak and act in defence of liberty of conscience. Drawing inspiration from Ellen G White, he encouraged participants to become advocates for religious freedom and to make effective use of modern communication technologies in spreading its message.

‘His appeal was direct and memorable: Be that voice for freedom. In this way, he reminded everyone that the protection of religious freedom is not exclusively the responsibility of governments and institutions — it is also a personal responsibility.”

More than 200 attendees from over 50 countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, North and South America, the United States, and the Caribbean attended the symposium.