Religious and political divisions are ramping up across the nation, but at an interfaith conference at BYU-Idaho students were encouraged to approach people of other faiths with understanding rather than hostility.

Speaking to students during a campus interfaith event in the John Taylor Building, BYU-Idaho President Meredith encouraged students and staff to become "bridge builders" and peacemakers while remaining solid in their own beliefs.

“We live in a time where people of faith really need to come together,” Meredith said.

The event, hosted by a student-led interfaith organization on campus, focused on helping students “understand, respect, and communicate with people who orient around religion differently,” according to organizers.

Meredith framed interfaith work as both a civic and spiritual responsibility. He repeatedly emphasized that cooperation between religions does not require abandoning personal conviction.

“We don’t have a corner on the market when it comes to Christianity,” Meredith told students. “We have the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but there are other good Christian people out there.”

Much of Meredith's address centered on personal experiences that shaped his views on interfaith relationships.

Growing up in Tennessee, Meredith said he was once removed from a Fellowship of Christian Athletes leadership position after organizers learned he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“They called to tell me that they don’t recognize members of your faith as being Christian,” Meredith recalled.

Later, after meeting privately with an evangelical representative who outlined theological disagreements with Latter-day Saint beliefs, Meredith said the experience strengthened both his testimony and his commitment to respectful dialogue.

“I walked out of there knowing that this is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” he said. “And I also walked out of there thinking there’s a better way. There’s a better way to work with our fellow Christians.”

Meredith also described humanitarian work he witnessed while serving in the Church's Middle East and North Africa Area Presidency. He said the Church works closely with Muslim communities in areas where proselytizing is restricted, often focusing instead on refugee aid, maternal health care and education.

“We’re not expecting a single baptism,” Meredith said. “But we hope to make the world a better place as we join arm in arm with them.”

Meredith used the example of the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, stating that Jesus intentionally used someone -- who at the time was viewed as an outsider by the Jews -- to teach that compassion shouldn't be withheld by religious and cultural boundaries.

One student connected the story to personal transformation.

“It’s not ‘Who do I need to take care of?’” the student said. “It’s ‘Who do you need to become?’”

Meredith encouraged students to "meet people where they are," referencing Jesus' interaction with the woman taken in adultery.

“There’ll come a time to say, ‘Go and sin no more,’” Meredith said. “But where we are now is we are kneeling to meet them where they are, and standing up with them to walk.”

To conclude the event Meredith recalled a visit to an African American Baptist church in Tennessee, where he said he felt welcomed despite doctrinal differences.

“I felt love, joy, peace,” Meredith said.

With that, he ended the discussion with a final question.

“How can we make people of all faiths feel love, joy and peace when we interact with them?”