In my religious class, I was asked to study the
Prophets and Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and do
a Practicum project. Here it is. I have taken these quotes from their talks. I
focused on eight different
principles of teaching. The eight principles of teaching are: Jesus Christ,
Family, Agency, Addiction, Desire, Hope, Revelation, and Gratitude, which is my
favorite, because I am grateful for Christ. Note: I am a member of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and while I am a member my understanding of
the doctrine is not completely sufficient. I was grateful for this assignment, because
it helped me understand God’s plan better. It helped me better understand how
to handle this world, and taught me Prophets and Apostles can be great guides
during of journey back to God the father and His son Jesus Christ. Each principle
of belief will have ten quotes and while a few quotes are not from Prophets and
Apostles of the Church, most are. Also General Conference is a biannual meeting
where there are many speakers, and these quotes are a part of a greater speech.
Christ:
We
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus is the
Christ. He came to earth as a God to save all mankind from sin, if we will
repent and turn to Him, covenanting to never abandon his law and principles. We
rely on our faith in Christ to follow Him, hoping to be “more than conquerors
through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37). And nothing “Shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans
8:39). We love and worship Christ, loyally and faithfully, knowing He will come
again to save His children from our perils.
1). “Our beloved Savior knows where you are. He knows
your heart. He wants to rescue you. He will reach out to you. Just open your
heart to Him. It is my hope that those who have strayed from the path of
discipleship—even by only a few degrees—will contemplate the goodness and grace
of God, see with their hearts, learn from Alma and Amulek, and hear the
life-changing words of the Savior: ‘Come, follow me.’” –President Dieter F.
Ucthdorf. “Learn from Alma and Amulek.” October 2016. General Conference.
2). “When necessary the Lord will even carry you over
obstacles as you seek His peace with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.”
–President Dieter F. Ucthdorf. “Waiting on the Road to Damascus.” April 2011.
General Conference.
3). “The important questions focus on what matters
most—Heavenly Father’s plan and the Savior’s Atonement.” –Elder M. Russell
Ballard. “Stay in the Boat and Hold On!” October 2014. General Conference.
4). “As the Savior’s latter-day disciples, we come
unto Him by loving and serving God’s children. As we do, we may not be able to
avoid tribulation, affliction, and suffering in the flesh, but we will suffer
less spiritually. Even in our trials we can experience joy and peace.” –Elder
Robert D. Hales. “‘Come, Follow Me’” by Practicing Christian Love and Service.”
October 2016. General Conference.
5). “’If we love the Savior more, will we suffer
less?’” –Elder Robert D. Hales. “‘Come, Follow Me’” by Practicing Christian
Love and Service.” October 2016. General Conference.
6). "When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan
of salvation, which President Thomas S. Monson just taught us, and Jesus
Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not
happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of
all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord
is come.” And we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus
Christ is joy!” –Elder Russell M. Nelson. “Joy and Spiritual Survival.” October
2016. General Conference.
7). “As our Savior becomes more and more real to us
and as we plead for His joy to be given to us, our joy will increase.” –Elder
Russell M. Nelson. “Joy and Spiritual Survival.” October 2016. General
Conference.
8). “The remarkable and celestial blessing of the
Savior’s Atonement is that through repentance, sinful conduct is blotted out.”
–Quinten L. Cook “Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus.” October 2016.
9). “To be valiant, we need to focus on the power of
Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice to overcome death and, through our
repentance, to cleanse us from sin, and we need to follow the doctrine of
Christ.” –Quinten L. Cook “Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus.” October 2016.
10). “She testifies that “there is no grief, no pain,
no sickness so great that the Atonement of Christ and the love of Christ cannot
heal.”” Cook “Hope Ya know, We had a Hard time” October 2008.
Family
is everything to eternity. Eternity is less pleasing without loved ones nearby.
We in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that we are all
children of God, literal brothers and sisters under a Loving Father in heaven. We believe God had a plan for our
happiness and sent us to an earth to be tried and given opportunities to grow,
even under trial and hardship. God planned the family as carefully as he has
planned any other design. God structured the family to be the unit of the
eternities, because we are given the opportunity to live with families forever
and families are meant to strengthen our earthly life. This is why we build
temples. The temples are holy houses where people can be sealed or eternally
connected to family members forever.
1). “President Boyd K. Packer stated, ‘The ultimate
purpose of all we teach is to unite parents and children in faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ, that they are happy at home, sealed in an eternal marriage,
linked to their generations, and assured of exaltation in the presence of our
Heavenly Father.’” -Elder Gary E. Stevenson. April 2009. General Conference.
2). “Brothers and sisters, accepting and living the
gospel of Christ can be challenging. It has always been thus, and it ever will
be. Life can be like hikers ascending a steep and arduous trail. It is a
natural and normal thing to occasionally pause on the path to catch our breath,
to recalculate our bearings, and to reconsider our pace. Not everyone needs to
pause on the path, but there is nothing wrong with doing so when your
circumstances require. In fact, it can be a positive thing for those who take
full advantage of the opportunity to refresh themselves with the living water
of the gospel of Christ.” –Elder M. Russell Ballard. October 2016. General
Conference.
3). “As we ask these questions, we realize that the
purpose of our life on earth is to grow, develop, and be strengthened through
our own experiences.” – Elder Robert D. Hales. October 2011. General
Conference.
4). “Parents, you are called to be loving teachers and
missionaries to your children and youth. They are your investigators. You bear
the responsibility to help them become converted. In truth, all of us are
seeking to be converted—which means being filled with our Savior’s love.”
–Elder Robert D. Hales. October 2016. General Conference.
5). “When an opportunity comes to share your thoughts
about the gospel and the lessons of life, stop everything, sit down, and talk
with your children and grandchildren.” –Elder Robert D. Hales. October 2016.
General Conference.
6). “Before we were born, we lived in a family with
our exalted and eternal Heavenly Father. He ordained a plan that enables us to
advance and progress to become like Him. He did it out of love for us.”
–President Henry B. Eyring. April 2016. General Conference.
7). “In our home and in our priesthood service, the
greatest value will be in the small acts that help us and those we love work
toward eternal life. Those acts may seem small in this life, but they will
bring everlasting blessings in eternity.” –President Henry B. Eyring. April
2016. General Conference.
8). “Not only can we turn the doors of our homes to
the temple, or the house of the Lord; we can make our homes a ‘house of the
Lord.’” -Elder Gary E. Stevenson. April 2009. General Conference.
9). “In all of these family council settings,
electronic devices need to be turned off so everyone can look at and listen to
each other. During family councils and at other appropriate times, you may want
to have a basket for the electronic devices so when the family gathers,
everyone—including Mom and Dad—can deposit his or her phones, tablets, and MP3
players in the basket. Thereafter, they can counsel together without being
tempted to respond to a poke on Facebook, to a text, to Instagram, to Snapchat,
or to email alerts.” –Elder M. Russell Ballard. “Family Councils.” April 2016.
General Conference.
10). “[Lucifer] attacks everything that is sacred
about human sexuality, tearing it from the context of marriage with a seemingly
infinite array of immoral thoughts and acts. He seeks to convince men and women
that marriage and family priorities can be ignored or abandoned, or at least
made subservient to careers, other achievements, and the quest for
self-fulfillment and individual autonomy.” –Elder D. Todd Christofferson. “Why
Marriage, Why Family.” April 2015. General Conference.
Agency
is
a divine gift from God. It is the gift to make choices. In the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe that we lived with God before this life.
We believe that He taught us and gave us the ability to reason and make
decisions. We as a church, call this agency, as we are agents unto ourselves.
We are commanded to choose to follow Christ, and we are blessed when we do so.
Agency is to be used to obey God, because only through following a Christ like
life can eternal life be obtained. We cherish agency, and below are 10 quotes from our Prophets and
Apostles, teaching about agency.
1). “God will invite, persuade. God will reach out
tirelessly with love and inspiration and encouragement. But God will never
compel—that would undermine His great plan for our eternal growth.”-Elder
Dieter F. “Fourth Floor, Last Door.” October 2016. Ucthdorf. General
Conference.
2). “Agency must be understood.” –Elder Russell M.
Nelson. “Addiction or Freedom. October 1988. General Conference.
3). “Often, however, agency is misunderstood. While we
are free to choose, once we have made those choices, we are tied to the
consequences of those choices. We are free to take drugs or not. But once we
choose to use a habit-forming drug, we are bound to the consequences of that
choice. Addiction surrenders later freedom to choose.” –Elder Russell M. Nelson.
“Addiction or Freedom. October 1988. General Conference.
4). “To be tested, we must have the agency to choose
between alternatives. To provide alternatives on which to exercise our agency,
we must have opposition.” –Elder Dallin H. Oaks. April 2016. General
Conference.
5). “There would be no agency or choice by anyone and,
therefore, no need for opposition. There would be no test, no failure, and no
success. There would be no growth to attain the purpose the Father desired for
His children.” –Elder Dallin H. Oaks. April 2016. General Conference.
6). “It is God’s will that we be free men and women
enabled to rise to our full potential both temporally and spiritually.” –Elder D.
Todd Christofferson. “Free Forever, to Act for Themselves.” 2014.
7). “But God intends that His children should act
according to the moral agency He has given them, “that every man may be
accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.” –Elder D. Todd
Christofferson. “Free Forever, to Act for Themselves.” 2014. General Conference.
8). “The biggest business of any life is making
decisions. While one of the greatest gifts of God to man is … the right of
choice, he has also given man responsibility for these choices.” –President Ezra
Taft Benson. Teachings of the president of the Church. General Conference.
9). “If you have not chosen the kingdom of God first,
it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.” –Elder Neil
A. Maxwell. “Response to a Call” April 1974.
10). “Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they
are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know certain
spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual
agency, to obey the commandments of God.” –Elder Boyd K. Packer. April 1983.
General Conference.
Addiction
is
a slippery slope that when fought alone is often left un-won. We in The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that any action that inhibits our
ability to act for ourselves can be an addiction. That includes urges driven by
substances that overrule the mind, smoking for example. Similarly, habits can
overrule our behaviors as well, like pornography. The mind can be manipulated
to ruin through lustful addictions to pornography. People can be snared and
destroy relationships through pornography, because the lustful drive overrides
their hopes and desires. Lust subjects them to the power of their addiction
instead of to the power of their will. We believe that Christ can help heal the
soul, but that we must seek Him. He is knocking. Let Him in.
1). “Eternal perspective. Combined, my spiritual
prescription would return the gift of agency to its rightful owner.” –Elder
Russell M. Nelson. “Addiction or Freedom.” October 1988. General Conference.
2). “Choose to Be Alive. Choose to Believe. Choose to
Change. Choose to Be Different. Choose to Exercise. Choose to Be Free.” –Elder
Russell M. Nelson. October 1988. General Conference.
3). “There is hope for the addicted, and this hope
comes through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.” –Elder M. Russell
Ballard. October 2010. General Conference.
4). “He uses addiction to steal away agency. According
to the dictionary, addiction of any kind means to surrender to something, thus
relinquishing agency and becoming dependent on some life-destroying substance
or behavior.” –Elder M. Russell Ballard. October 2010. General Conference.
5). “Addictions often begin subtly. Addictions are thin
threads of repeated action that weave themselves into thick bonds of habit.
Negative habits have the potential to become consuming addictions.” –Elder Dieter
F. Uchtdorf. “Are You Sleeping Through The Restoration?” April 2014. General
Conference.
6). “It saddens our Heavenly Father to see how
willingly some of His noble sons extend their wrists to accept the chains of
devastating addictions.” –Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf. “Are You Sleeping Through
The Restoration?” April 2014. General Conference.
7). “Many children, youth, and adults are innocently
exposed to pornography, but a growing number of both men and women are choosing
to view it and are drawn back repeatedly until it becomes an addiction. These
individuals may desire with all of their hearts to get out of this trap but
often cannot overcome it on their own. How grateful we are when these loved
ones choose to confide in us as parents or a Church leader. We would be wise
not to react with shock, anger, or rejection, which may cause them to be silent
again.” –Sister Linda S. Reeves. “Protection from Pornography –A Christ-Focused
Home” April 2014. General Conference.
8). “The battle over man’s God-given agency continues
today. Satan and his minions have their lures all around us, hoping that we
will falter and take his flies so he can reel us in with counterfeit means. He
uses addiction to steal away agency. According to the dictionary, addiction of
any kind means to surrender to something, thus relinquishing agency and
becoming dependent on some life-destroying substance or behavior.” –M. Russell
Ballard. “Oh That Cunning Plan of the Evil One.” October 2010. General
Conference.
9). “[Moroni 7:48] and many other scriptures testify
to us there is hope for the addicted, and this hope comes through the Atonement
of the Lord Jesus Christ and by humbling oneself before God, pleading to be
freed of the bondage of addiction and offering our whole soul to Him in fervent
prayer.” –M. Russell Ballard. “Oh That Cunning Plan of the Evil One.” October
2010. General Conference.
10). “If you are bound by a habit or an addiction that
is unworthy, you must stop conduct that is harmful. Angels will coach you, and
priesthood leaders will guide you through those difficult times.” –Elder Boyd
K. Packer. “Cleansing the Inner Vessel.” October 2010. General Conference.
Desire:
What we desire is often what we seek in life. When it comes to the gospel of
Jesus Christ, we must desire to follow the Lord over mammon. Desire is the
gateway into revelation and faith. We must first seek the Lord, knock, and we
will behold His beauty pouring down upon us. These quotes from Prophets and
Apostles may seem vaguely tied to desire, but they all deal with our focus,
dreams, mindset, and inclination toward righteousness or sin.
1). “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape
our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine
our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.” –Elder Dallin H. Oaks. “Desire.”
April 2011. General Conference.
2). “Stay focused on these simple things, and avoid
becoming distracted.” –Elder M. Russell Ballard. “Stay in the Boat and Hold On.”
October 2014. General Conference.
3). “My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has
little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the
focus of our lives.” –Elder Russell M. Nelson. “Joy and Spiritual Survival.” October
2016. General Conference.
4). “Eternal perspective. Combined, my spiritual
prescription would return the gift of agency to its rightful owner.” –Elder Russell
M. Nelson. “Addiction of Freedom.” October 1988. General Conference.
5). “As Elder Ballard has taught, “A most significant
evidence of our conversion and of how we feel about the gospel in our own lives
is our willingness to share it with others.” –Elder Dallin H. Oaks. “Sharing
the Restored Gospel.” October 2016. General Conference.
6). “Some of these tests are temptations to sin. Some
are mortal challenges apart from personal sin. Some are very great. Some are
minor.” –Elder Dallin H. Oaks. “Opposition in All Things.” April 2016.
General Conference.
7). “We cannot afford to have our testimonies of the
Father and the Son become confused and complicated by stumbling blocks. We
cannot fall into that trap. Our testimonies of Them need to remain pure and
simple like my father’s simple defense of the power pole on the ranch where he
grew up.” –Quinten L. Cook “Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus.” October 2016.
8). “But we also know that the preferred strategy of
the adversary is to lead people away from God and cause them to stumble by
emphasizing the philosophies of men over the Savior and His teachings.” –Quinten
L. Cook “Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus.” October 2016.
9). Russell M. Nelson said, “If they desire to enjoy
every bloom in His beautiful bouquet, they must repent.” D. Todd
Christofferson. “Abide in My Love” October 2016.
10). “Never stop hoping for all of the righteous
desires of your heart.” Uchtdorf “Forget Me Not.” October 2011.
Hope is found in and
through Jesus Christ. We hope for greater things, because of Him. We can have a
surety that if we follow Christ we will be blessed by His bounteous hand. We
are hopeful for a better world because of Christ. Hope is an assurance that dispels
fear and doubt, because we know there are better things yet to come. Hope
defies stress and anxiety. So be hopeful!
1). “His life was brought into
compliance with the teachings of the Church, and he once again felt hope and
joy.” –President Monson. “Be of Good Cheer.” April 2009. General Conference.
2). “My beloved brothers and sisters,
fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.” –President
Monson. “Be of Good Cheer.” April 2009. General Conference.
3). “We know from our doctrine that good will overcome
evil, and those who repent and are sanctified shall be given eternal
life.” –Elder Quinten L. Cook. “Hope Ya know We had a Hard time.” General Conference.
4). “We can be assured that He is there and we are
safe in His loving arms.” –Elder Quinten L. Cook. “Hope Ya know We had a Hard
time.” General Conference.
5). “Each of us can experience the ecstasy of divine
potential unfolding within us” –Elder D. Todd Christofferson. “Abide in My Love.”
General Conference.
6). “Hope in God, His goodness, and His power
refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges.” –Elder Dieter F.
Uchtdorf. “The Infinite Power of Hope.” October 2008. General Conference.
7). “Hope has the power to fill our lives with
happiness. Its absence—when this desire of our heart is delayed—can make ‘the
heart sick.’” –Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf. “The Infinite Power of Hope.” October
2008. General Conference.
8). “The Lord has given us all the source of hope as
we struggle to help those we love accept their eternal inheritance. He has made
promises to us as we keep trying to gather people to Him, even when they resist
His invitation to do so.” –Elder Henry B. Eyring. April 2014. General Conference.
9). “After all we can do in faith, the Lord will
justify our hopes for greater blessings for our families than we can imagine.
He wants the best for them and for us, as His children.” –Elder Henry B.
Eyring. April 2014. General Conference.
10). “But even though we may feel lost in the midst of
our current circumstances, God promises the hope of His light—He promises to
illuminate the way before us and show us the way out of darkness.” –Elder Dieter
F. Ucthdorf. “The Hope of God’s Light.” April 2013. General Conference.
Revelation
is
divine communication and guidance from God to his children. The Prophet is God’s
spokesman as a church, meaning he receives revelation for God’s church, but we
as children of God can receive personal revelation. In Peter we learnt that God
gives answers to those who seek with true intent. We are allowed answers to
prayers, but answers are not always miracles. Sometimes answers are small
feelings of comfort and reassurance. Peter was the Prophet and was promised
revelation for the church, but the members were promised to be comforted. God
is willing to speak to us.
1). “Often He speaks to us in ways that we can hear
only with our heart. To better hear His voice, it would be wise to turn down
the volume control of the worldly noise in our lives. If we ignore or block out
the promptings of the Spirit for whatever reason, they become less noticeable
until we cannot hear them at all.” –Elder Dieter F. Ucthdorf. April 2011. “Waiting
on the Road to Damascus.” General Conference.
2). “Our Father in Heaven expects us to study it out
first and then pray for guidance as we seek answers to questions and concerns
in our personal lives. We have our Heavenly Father’s assurance that He will
hear and answer our prayers. The answer may come through the voice and wisdom
of trusted friends and family, the scriptures, and the words of prophets.” –Elder
Dieter F. Ucthdorf. April 2011. “Waiting on the Road to Damascus.” General
Conference.
3). “Never fail to give equal time to the Lord through
honest attempts to understand what the Lord has revealed.” –Elder M. Russell
Ballard. October 2016. “To Whom Shall We Go?” General Conference.
4). “Waiting upon the Lord means pondering in our
hearts and ‘receiv[ing] the Holy Ghost’ so that we can know ’all things what
[we] should do.’” –Elder Robert D. Hales. October 2011. General Conference.
5). “Personal revelation is the way we know for
ourselves the most important truths of our existence: the living reality of
God, our Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ; the truthfulness of the
restored gospel; and God’s purpose and direction for us.” –Elder Robert D.
Hales. October 2007. General Conference.
6). “The Spirit will lead you along. I promise you:
the calling to be a parent includes the gift to teach in the ways that are
right for you and for your children. Remember, God’s power to influence us
righteously is His love. ‘We love him, because he first loved us.’” –Elder
Robert D. Hales. October 2016. General Conference.
7). “Let us remember, the most important work we do in
our families is through the power of the Holy Ghost.”-Elder Robert D. Hales.
October 2016. General Conference.
8). “Revelation is communication from God to His
children on the earth and one of the great blessings associated with the gift
and constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.” –Elder David A. Bednar. April
2011. General Conference.
9). “Sincere desire and worthiness invite the spirit
of revelation into our lives.” –Elder David A. Bednar. April 2011. General Conference.
10). “The Holy Ghost communicates important
information that we need to guide us in our mortal journey. When it is crisp
and clear and essential, it warrants the title of revelation. When it is a
series of promptings we often have to guide us step by step to a worthy
objective, for the purpose of this message, it is inspiration.” –Elder Richard
G. Scott. April 2012. General Conference.
Gratitude is the
ability to be thankful. It is a difficult thing to always be grateful, because
it means you see what is good even in hard times. Gratitude is holy, because we
glorify God by thanking him. We can have a worshipful attitude by giving God
thanks. When we are grateful, our hearts turn toward the Lord, because he is
the source of all good things (Moroni 7). Gratitude is a noble trait to hold
to, because it refines your character and guides you toward Christ. I am
grateful for Jesus Christ saving me.
1). “Sincerely giving thanks not only
helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and
helps us feel God’s love.” –President Thomas S. Monson. “The Divine Gift of Gratitude.”
October 2010. General Conference.
2). “And he who receiveth all things
with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things
of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.” (D&C
78:17-19) –Elder Henry B. Eyring. “Gratitude on the Sabbath.” October 2016.
General Conference.
3). “As we partake of the bread and water, we remember
that He suffered for us. And when we feel gratitude for what He has done for
us, we will feel His love for us and our love for Him.” –President Henry B. Eyring.
“Gratitude on the Sabbath.” October 2016.
General Conference.
4). “In the scriptures, the word wait means
to hope, to anticipate, and to trust. To hope and trust in the Lord requires
faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments,
and enduring to the end.” – Elder Robert D. Hales. “Waiting upon the Lord: They
Will Be Done.” October 2011. General Conference.
5). “We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we
refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our
hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious
sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.” –President Thomas
S. Monson. “An Attitude of Gratitude.” April 1992. General Conference.
6). “Those who are obedient to the
Lord’s commandments and who faithfully observe the Word of Wisdom are promised
particular blessings, among which are good health and added physical stamina.”
–President Thomas S. Monson. “Obedience Brings Blessings.” April 2013. General
Conference.
7). “Our foremost gratitude should be
for the Savior and His Atonement.” Cook “Hope ya know, we had a bad day”
October 2008.
8). “My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is
gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live
with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.” –President Thomas S. Monson. “The Divine Gift of Gratitude.” October
2010. General Conference.
9). “Our realization of what is most important in life
goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.” –President Thomas S. Monson. “Finding Joy in the Journey.” October 2008.
General Conference.
10). “Let us follow Him. Let us
emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we give to Him the
divine gift of gratitude.” –President Thomas S. Monson. “Finding Joy in the
Journey.” October 2008. General Conference.