EDUCATION-

“Education … will open the doors of opportunity.”   As you follow the Lord’s admonition to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith,” you gain not only knowledge from your study but added light as you learn by faith.”

Mary N. Cook” Seek Learning: You Have a Work to Do” April 2012 General Conference

“For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it’s a commandment. We are to learn “of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad.” D&C 88:79-80

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf “Two Principles for Any Economy” Oct 2009 General Conference

  “I call your attention to another matter that gives me great concern. In revelation the Lord has mandated that this people get all the education they can. He has been very clear about this. But there is a troubling trend taking place. Elder Rolfe Kerr, Commissioner of Church Education, advises me that in the United States nearly 73 percent of young women graduate from high school, compared to 65 percent of young men. Young men are more likely to drop out of school than young women.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley “Rise Up, O Men of God”  October 2006 General Conference

 “In addition, your education will strengthen your service in the Church. A study was made some years ago that indicated the higher the education, the greater the faith and participation in religious activity.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley “Rise Up, O Men of God”  October 2006 General Conference

  “The best way I know of to make a contribution to the land we live in is to be prepared for the future. The Lord has promised us if we are prepared we should have no fear. If we make an effort to obtain the best education available to us, we are in a better position to be self-sufficient and not to become a burden on the society in which we live.

I read in a newspaper a few weeks ago of the earning potential with increased levels of education. The difference between no high school degree and a high school graduate is an average income increase of 38 percent. From a high school diploma to some college, the increase is 20 percent, and from a high school diploma to a university degree, the increase is 56 percent. Yes, education does pay. It is never too early to determine the direction you want to prepare yourself for. Don’t wait until you register for college to decide what you want to study. It is such a waste of time and money to attempt to pursue an education without having a definite goal.”

L. Tom Perry “Youth of The Noble Birthright” October 1998 General Conference

“The Church must concentrate on moral and spiritual education; we may encourage secular education but not necessarily provide it.”

Boyd K. Packer “To Be Learned Is Good If …” October 1992 General Conference

“Because of our sacred regard for each human intellect, we consider the obtaining of an education to be a religious responsibility. Yet opportunities and abilities differ. I believe that in the pursuit of education, individual desire is more influential than institution, and personal faith more forceful than faculty.

Our Creator expects His children everywhere to educate themselves. He issued a commandment: “Seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118.) And He assures us that knowledge acquired here will be ours forever. (See D&C 130:18–19.)

Measured by this celestial standard, it is apparent that those who impulsively “drop out” and cut short their education not only disregard divine decree but frustrate the realization of their own potential.”

Russell M. Nelson “Where Is Wisdom?” October 1992 General Conference

“In approaching any field of learning, remember the Lord’s direction to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118.) Your faith will sustain you and give added meaning and increased accomplishment to your secular studies if you will live to deserve the blessings of the Lord.”

Dallin H. Oaks “Strive for Excellence” October 1971 General Conference

“Education has, of necessity, become a lifelong pursuit. We must, in our scheduling of time, allot sufficient time to educate ourselves for now and for the future.”

L. Tom Perry “If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear” October 1995 General Conference

“Work hard to obtain an education and to learn technical skills that will allow you to be self-sufficient and support your family.”

Robert D. Hales “If Thou Wilt Enter into Life, Keep the Commandments” April 1996 General Conference

 

 

 

 

FORGIVENESS-

“Every incorrect choice we make, every sin we commit is a violation of eternal law. That violation brings negative results we generally soon recognize. There are also other consequences of our acts of which we may not be conscious. They are nonetheless real. They can have a tremendous effect on the quality of our life here and most certainly will powerfully affect it hereafter. We can do nothing of ourselves to satisfy the demands of justice for a broken eternal law. Yet, unless the demands of justice are paid, each of us will suffer endless negative consequences.”

Elder Richard G. Scott  “Finding Forgiveness” May 1995 Ensign

“To every forgiveness there is a condition. The plaster must be as wide as the sore. The fasting, the prayers, the humility must be equal to or greater than the sin. There must be a broken heart and a contrite spirit. There must be ‘sackcloth and ashes.’ There must be tears and genuine change of heart. There must be conviction of the sin, abandonment of the evil, confession of the error to properly constituted authorities of the Lord. There must be restitution and a confirmed, determined change of pace, direction and destination. Conditions must be controlled and companionship corrected or changed. There must be a washing of robes to get them white and there must be a new consecration and devotion to the living of all of the laws of God. In short, there must be an overcoming of self, of sin, and of the world”                                               Spencer W. Kimball (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 353).

“How much we need application of this God-given principle and its companion principle, repentance! We see the need for it in the homes of the people, where tiny molehills of misunderstanding are fanned into mountains of argument. We see it among neighbors, where insignificant differences lead to undying bitterness. We see it in business associates who quarrel and refuse to compromise and forgive when, in most instances, if there were a willingness to sit down together and speak quietly one to another, the matter could be resolved to the blessing of all. Rather, they spend their days nurturing grudges and planning retribution.”

President Gordon W. Hinckley “Of You it is Required To Forgive” June 1991 Ensign

“Forgiveness means that problems of the past no longer dictate our destinies, and we can focus on the future with God’s love in our hearts.”

Elder David E. Sorenson “Forgiveness Will Change Bitterness To Love”  May 2003 Ensign

 “Only through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ.”                 

 D. Todd Christofferson  "The Divine Gift of Repentance" General Conference, October 2011

  “If we learn to forgive one another within the family, we will be able to forgive more readily within the Church and within the community. Like many good things, forgiveness begins in the home. We must remember to teach our children that even if others fail to be kind and considerate, we ought to be slow to condemn and very quick to forgive. We need not be tolerant of sin, but we must become tolerant and forgiving of the sinner. Jesus Christ gave his life to reconcile us to God so that through his atonement we can repent and receive forgiveness of our sins. We owe our Savior a great debt. Part of that debt is the obligation we have to forgive one another.”

Elder Theodore M. Burton Of the First Quorum of the Seventy  “To Forgive Is Divine”  May 1983 General Conference

“For our own good, we need the moral courage to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. Never is the soul nobler and more courageous than when we forgive. This includes forgiving ourselves.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf “Point of Safe Return” April 2007 General Conference

“There are those among us who torture themselves through their inability to show mercy and to forgive others some supposed offense or slight, however small it may be. At times the statement is made, “I never can forgive [this person or that person].” Such an attitude is destructive to an individual’s well-being. It can canker the soul and ruin one’s life. In other instances, an individual can forgive another but cannot forgive himself. Such a situation is even more destructive.”

Thomas S. Monson “Mercy—The Divine Gift” April 1995 General Conference

“When our hearts are filled with the love of God, we become “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf “The Merciful Obtain Mercy” April 2012 General Conference

“We must forgive and bear no malice toward those who offend us. The Savior set the example from the cross: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).”

Henry B. Eyring “That We May Be One” April 1998 General Conference

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRACE-

“So it is easy to understand that we must accept the mission of Jesus Christ. We must believe that it is through his grace that we are saved, that he performed for us that labor which we were unable to perform for ourselves, and did for us those things which were essential to our salvation, which were beyond our power; and also that we are under the commandment and the necessity of performing the labors that are required of us as set forth in the commandments known as the gospel of Jesus Christ.”                                                                                                                Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56, 2:310–11.

“We are not saved in our sins, as by being unconditionally saved through confessing Christ and then, inevitably, committing sins in our remaining lives (see Alma 11:36–37). We are saved from our sins (see Hel. 5:10) by a weekly renewal of our repentance and cleansing through the grace of God and His blessed plan of salvation (see 3 Ne. 9:20–22).”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks “Have You Been Saved?”  May 1998 Ensign

  “My beloved brothers and sisters, to those of you who have been blessed by the gospel for many years because you were fortunate enough to find it early, to those of you who have come to the gospel by stages and phases later, and to those of you—members and not yet members—who may still be hanging back, to each of you, one and all, I testify of the renewing power of God’s love and the miracle of His grace. His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there.”

Jeffery R. Holland “The Laborers in the Vineyard” April 2012 General Conference

  “We are told in the Doctrine and Covenants that we are to “grow in grace.” 14  Grace is a God-given virtue. It is a disposition to be kind and to do good. It is a charming trait or accomplishment, “a pleasingly graceful appearance.” 15  Charm is attractiveness which comes from a feeling of personal dignity, an inner beauty that comes from a feeling of self-worth. It has been said that your expression is the most important thing you can wear. A fine young single man I know has a list of qualities he is looking for in his future wife. Cheerfulness is at the top of the list.”

James E. Faust “The Virtues Of Righteous Daughters of God” April 2003 General Conference

“I testify that the Lord, through His grace, can continually assist us in our daily lives and in our physical and mental sickness, pain, transgressions, and even in all of our infirmities.” (See Mosiah 14:5; Alma 7:11–13; Alma 34:31.

Elder Gene R. Cook Of the Seventy  “Receiving Divine Assistance through the Grace of the Lord” May 1993 General Conference

  “The doctrine of grace is better understood when we distinguish between grace and mercy, even though the words are often used interchangeably in the scriptures. The mercy of God might be defined as His compassion or forbearance. God displays or extends His mercy by granting grace to His children. This grace is an extension of divine help or enabling power.”

Elder Christoffel Golden Jr. Of the Seventy  “Words of the Early Apostles: Grace”  October 2003 General Conference

 “ I readily attest to the reality and greatness of our God, to his goodness and grace, to his justice and mercy, to the truth of his gospel and the power of his priesthood and the authenticity of the calling of his latter-day seers.”

D. Todd Christofferson “I Know in Whom I Have Trusted” April 1993 General Conference

“These teachings that the resurrecting and cleansing power of the Atonement is for all contradict the assertion that the grace of God saves only a chosen few. His grace is for all.”

Dallin H. Oaks “All Men Everywhere” April 2006 General Conference

“Because we all depend on the mercy of God, how can we deny to others any measure of the grace we so desperately desire for ourselves? My beloved brothers and sisters, should we not forgive as we wish to be forgiven?”

President Dieter F. Ucthdorf “The Merciful Obtain Mercy” April 2012 General Conference

“You may come to that truer moment of ordained love, of real union, only to discover to your horror that what you should have saved you have spent, and that only God’s grace can recover the piecemeal dissipation of the virtue you so casually gave away.”

Jeffrey R. Holland “Personal Purity”October 1998 General Conference

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRIESTHOOD-

“We who have been ordained to the priesthood of God are called to practice ‘the healer’s art.’ … Our assignment is to follow the Savior’s example and reach out to those who suffer.”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf “Four Titles,” Apr. 2013 General Conference

“Anyone who is righteous and desires to possess greater knowledge and to become “a greater follower of righteousness” can, under the authority of the priesthood, obtain a greater knowledge of God. The Lord tells us one clear way to do so, as given in the Doctrine and Covenants: “If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, … that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.”

President James E. Faust “ The Keys of the Knowledge of God”  Nov 2004 Ensign

“Anyone who is righteous and desires to possess greater knowledge and to become “a greater follower of righteousness” can, under the authority of the priesthood, obtain a greater knowledge of God. The Lord tells us one clear way to do so, as given in the Doctrine and Covenants: “If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, … that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.”

President Henry B. Eyring “Learning in the Preiesthood” April 2011 General Conference

“Priesthood holders young and old need both authority and power—the necessary permission and the spiritual capacity to represent God in the work of salvation.”

Elder Davis A. Bednar “The Powers of Heaven” April 2012 General Conference

 “The power of the priesthood is a sacred and essential gift of God. It is different from priesthood authority, which is the authorization to act in God’s name. The authorization or ordination is given by the laying on of hands. The power of the priesthood comes only when those who exercise it are worthy and acting in accordance with God’s will.”

M. Russell Ballard, “This Is My Work and Glory,” Apr. 2013 General Conference

 “The authority of the priesthood is with us. After all that we have correlated and organized, it is now our responsibility to activate the power of the priesthood in the Church. Authority in the priesthood comes by way of ordination; power in the priesthood comes through faithful and obedient living in honoring covenants. It is increased by exercising and using the priesthood in righteousness.”

Boyd K. Packer, “The Power of the Priesthood,” Apr. 2010 General Conference

 “Brethren, young and old, do not be hesitant to ask for a priesthood blessing when you are in need of spiritual power. Fathers and other elders, cherish and magnify the privilege of blessing your children and the other children of our Heavenly Father. Be prepared to give priesthood blessings under the influence of the Holy Ghost whenever you are requested in sincerity and faith.”

 Dallin H. Oaks  “Priesthood Blessings” May 1987 General Conference

“When ordained to an office in the priesthood, you are granted authority. But power comes from exercising that authority in righteousness.”

M. Russell Ballard “Personal Priesthood Responsibility” October 2003 General Conference

“The perfect role model for use of the holy priesthood is our Savior, Jesus Christ. He ministered with love, compassion, and charity.”

Elder Richard G. Scott “Honor the Priesthood and Use It Well” October 2008 General Conference

“It is our responsibility to conduct our lives so that we are ever worthy of the priesthood we bear.”

Thomas S. Monson “The Priesthood—a Sacred Gift” April 2007 General Conference

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESPECT-

“I remember a talk that President Boyd K. Packer gave in conference almost 20 years ago entitled “Reverence Invites Revelation.”   That phrase has remained in my heart all these years. It reminds me that we must create in our hearts, our homes, and our meetings places of reverence that will invite the Spirit to comfort, guide, teach, and testify. Because when the Spirit testifies to each of us that God is our Father and Jesus Christ is our Savior, it is that revelation that will invite true reverence born of love and profound respect.”

Sister Margaret S. Lifferth “Respect and Reverence” April 2009 General Conference

“The Lord expects a great deal from us. Parents, please teach your children and practice yourselves the principle of inclusion of others and not exclusion because of religious, political, or cultural differences.”

M. Russell Ballard “Doctrine of Inclusion” Oct. 2001 General Conference

“I have tremendous respect for fathers and mothers who are nurturing their children in light and truth, who have prayer in their homes, who spare the rod and govern with love, who look upon their little ones as their most valued assets to be protected, trained, and blessed.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley “This is the Work of the Master” April 1995 General Conference

  “You young men need to know that you can hardly achieve your highest potential without the influence of good women, particularly your mother and, in a few years, a good wife. Learn now to show respect and gratitude. Remember that your mother is your mother. She should not need to issue orders. Her wish, her hope, her hint should provide direction that you would honor. Thank her and express your love for her. And if she is struggling to rear you without your father, you have a double duty to honor her.”

Russell M. Nelson “Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women” April 1999 General Conference

 “When we go to worship in a temple or a church, we put aside our working clothes and dress ourselves in something better. This change of clothing is a mark of respect. Similarly, when we address our Heavenly Father, we should put aside our working words and clothe our prayers in special language of reverence and respect.”

Dallin H. Oaks “The Language of Prayer” April 1993 General Conference

“Insecurity and lack of self-esteem may be related to lack of self-respect. Can we respect ourselves when we do things that we do not admire and may even condemn in others?”

James E. Faust “The Dignity of Self” April 1981 General Conference

 

“I felt a deep reverence for both the creation and the Creator. Reverence may be defined as a profound respect mingled with love and awe. Other words that add to our understanding of reverence include gratitude, honor, veneration, and admiration. The root word revere also implies an element of fear. Thus, reverence might be understood to mean an attitude of profound respect and love with a desire to honor and show gratitude, with a fear of breaking faith or offending.”

M. Russell Ballard “God’s Love for His Children” April 1988 General conference

“Self-respect, that simple, profound doctrine is worth knowing for another reason as well. It brings a feeling of self-worth, dignity, self-respect. Then self-pity and depression fade away. We then can yield to the discipline of a loving Father and accept even the very hard lessons of life.”

Boyd K. Packer “The Pattern of Our Parentage” October 1984 General Conference

“Servants of the Lord have always counseled us to dress appropriately to show respect for our Heavenly Father and for ourselves.”

President Thomas S. Monson “Preparation Brings Blessings” April 2010 General Conference

“Happiness abounds when there is genuine respect one for another. Wives draw closer to their husbands, and husbands are more appreciative of their wives, and children are happy, as children are meant to be. Where there is respect in the home, children do not find themselves in that dreaded “never never land”—never the object of concern, never the recipient of proper parental guidance.”

Thomas S. Monson “An Example of the Believers” October 1992 General Conference

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAMILY-

“Children and youth are shown, through prophetic words and through living examples, the importance of loving and honoring their parents. Parents are taught ways of building and maintaining close family ties, both in good times and in difficult times. The good spirit in these magazines will help fill your homes with warmth, love, and the strength of the gospel.”

 L. Tom Perry    “The Importance of the Family” April 2003 General Conference

“As taught in this scripture, an eternal bond doesn’t just happen as a result of sealing covenants we make in the temple. How we conduct ourselves in this life will determine what we will be in all the eternities to come. To receive the blessings of the sealing that our Heavenly Father has given to us, we have to keep the commandments and conduct ourselves in such a way that our families will want to live with us in the eternities. The family relationships we have here on this earth are important, but they are much more important for their effect on our families for generations in mortality and throughout all eternity.”

Elder Robert D. Hales “The Eternal Family’ Oct 1996

“We have programs and activities in both the family and the Church. Each is so interrelated that service to one is service to the other. When children see their parents faithfully perform Church callings, it strengthens their family relationships. When families are strong, the Church is strong. The two run in parallel. Each is important and necessary, and each must be conducted with careful concern for the other. Church programs and activities should not be so all-encompassing that families cannot have everyone present for family time. And family activities should not be scheduled in conflict with sacrament meeting or other vital Church meetings.

We need both Church activities and family activities. If all families were complete and perfect, the Church could sponsor fewer activities. But in a world where many of our youth grow up in homes where one parent is missing, not a member, or otherwise inactive in gospel leadership, there is a special need for Church activities to fill in the gaps. Our widowed mother wisely saw that Church activities would provide her sons with experiences she could not provide because we had no male role model in the home. I remember her urging me to watch and try to be like the good men in our ward. She pushed me to participate in Scouting and other Church activities that would provide this opportunity.”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks “Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church” Oct 2005 General Conference

“The ultimate purpose of every teaching, every activity in the Church is that parents and their children are happy at home, sealed in an eternal marriage, and linked to their generations.”

Elder Boyd K. Packer “The Father and the Family” April 1994 General Conference

“The key to strengthening our families is having the Spirit of the Lord come into our homes. The goal of our families is to be on the strait and narrow path.”

Elder Robert D. Hales “Strengthing Families:Our Sacred Duty” April 1999 General Conference

"We cannot control what others choose to do, and so we cannot force our children to heaven, but we can determine what we will do. And we can decide that we will do all we can to bring down the powers of heaven into that family we want so much to have forever."

--Elder Henry B. Eyring; Ensign, February 1998, Page16

“ Our children will remember us by our example. From my earliest childhood, I remember experiences which taught me about the priesthood which I hold and to respect and love the relationship my father and mother had with one another. My father taught me respect for the priesthood.”

Robert D. Hales “How Will Our Children Remember Us?” October 1993 General Conference

“As your leaders, we call upon members of the Church everywhere to put family first and to identify specific ways to strengthen their individual families.”

M. Russell Ballard “What Matters Most Is What Lasts Longest” October 2005 General Conference

“Our families can be given a gift to know what God would have them do and to learn it in a way that will encourage them to do it. God has provided such a guide. It is the Holy Ghost. We cannot give that to our family members as a companion, but they can earn it.”

Henry B. Eyring “A Legacy of Testimony” April 1996 General Conference

“Heavenly Father has a plan for His children and … families are the central part of that plan.”

Margaret D. Nadauld    “Turning Hearts to the Family” April 1998 General Conference

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATONEMENT-

“True, enduring happiness, with the accompanying strength, courage, and capacity to overcome the greatest difficulties, will come as you center your life in Jesus Christ.”                          Richard G. Scott  “Secure Your Peace and Happiness”  Oct 2006 General Conference

“The gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ provides us at all times and at all places with the blessings of repentance and forgiveness.”

President Dieter F. Ucthdorf “Point of Safe Return” April 2007 General Conference

“I weep for joy when I contemplate the significance of it all. To be redeemed is to be atoned—received in the close embrace of God with an expression not only of His forgiveness, but of our oneness of heart and mind. What a privilege! And what a comfort to those of us with loved ones who have already passed from our family circle through the gateway we call death!”

Russell M. Nelson “The Atonement”  Oct 1996 General Conference

“Making, keeping, and rejoicing in our covenants will be the evidence that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is truly written in our hearts.”

Sister Linda K. Burton “Is Faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ Written in Our Hearts?”  Oct 2012 General Conference

 “Atonement is really three words: At-one-ment, meaning to set at one, one with God; to reconcile, to conciliate, to expiate.”

Boyd K. Packer “Atonement, Agency, Accountability” April 1988 General Conference

  “Peace is the precious fruit of a righteous life. It is possible because of the Atonement of the Savior. It is earned through full repentance, for that leads to refreshing forgiveness. Repentance opens the doors of enlightenment and aids inspiration.  Repentance brings salvation through forgiveness,  but it does not come automatically. Each step of repentance must be fulfilled.”

Richard G. Scott “The Path to Peace and Joy” October  2000 General Conference

  “Among the tens of thousands listening to this conference, there are many degrees of personal worthiness and righteousness. Yet repentance is a blessing to all of us. We each need to feel the Savior’s arms of mercy through the forgiveness of our sins.”

Neil L. Anderson “Repent…..That I May Heal You” October 2009 General Conference

  “ None of us is called on to forgive so generously, but each of us is under a divinely spoken obligation to reach out with pardon and mercy. The Lord has declared in words of revelation: “My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened.

"[Jesus Christ] concluded His mortal ministry with the single most compassionate and significant service in the history of the world: the Atonement."

--Elder Russell M. Ballard; Ensign, November 1994, page 65.

“Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.

“I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

“And ye ought to say in your hearts—let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds.” (D&C 64:8–11.)

Gordon B. Hinckley “Of You It Is Required To Forgive”  October 1980 General Conference

  “We understand that the Atonement of Jesus Christ gives us the opportunity to overcome the spiritual death that results from sin and, through making and keeping sacred covenants, to have the blessings of eternal life.”

Dallin H. Oaks “Teachings of Jesus,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 93

The temple is the house of the Lord. The basis for every temple ordinance and covenant—the heart of the plan of salvation—is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Russell M. Nelson, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings,” Liahona, July 2001

“Lay your burden at the Savior’s feet. Let go of judgment. Allow Christ’s Atonement to change and heal your heart. Love one another. Forgive one another.”

President Dieter F. Ucthdorf “The Merciful Obtain Mercy” April 2012 General Conference

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PORNOGRAPHY-

“[Pornography] is like a raging storm, destroying individuals and families, utterly ruining what was once wholesome and beautiful.”  President Gordon B. Hinckley “A Tragic Evil Among Us” Oct 2004 General Conference

“Sexual immorality and impure thoughts violate the standard established by the Savior.17 We were warned at the beginning of this dispensation that sexual immorality would be perhaps the greatest challenge.18 Such conduct will, without repentance, cause a spiritual drought and loss of commitment. Movies, TV, and the Internet often convey degrading messages and images. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and I were recently in an Amazon jungle village and observed satellite dishes even on some of the small, simply built huts. We rejoiced at the wonderful information available in this remote area. We also recognized there is virtually no place on earth that cannot be impacted by salacious, immoral, and titillating images. This is one reason why pornography has become such a plague in our day.”

Elder Quentin L.Cook “Can Ye Feel So Now?”  Oct 2012 General Conference

Brethren, today’s popular entertainment often makes what is evil and wrong look enjoyable and right. Let us remember the Lord’s counsel: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil.”  “Pornography, though billed by Satan as entertainment, is a deeply poisonous, deceptive snake that lies coiled up in magazines, the Internet, and the television. Pornography destroys self-esteem and weakens self-discipline. It is far more deadly to the spirit than the rattlesnake my father warned me not to pet. The Bible records that King David was gifted spiritually, but he stood where he should not have stood. He watched what he should not have watched. Those obsessions became his downfall. “

David E. Sorensen “You Can’t Pet a Rattlesnake” April 2001 General Conference

  “With this priesthood comes a great obligation to be worthy of it. We cannot indulge in unclean thoughts. We must not partake of pornography. We must never be guilty of abuse of any kind. We must rise up above such things. “Rise up, O men of God!” and put these things behind you, and the Lord will be your guide and stay.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley “Rise Up, O Men of God” October 2006 General Conference

“How like the elm is man. From a minute seed, and in accordance with a divine plan, we grow, are nurtured, and mature. The bright sunlight of heaven, the rich blessings of earth are ours. In our private forest of family and friends, life is richly rewarding and abundantly beautiful. Then suddenly, there appears before us in this generation a sinister and diabolical enemy—pornography. Like the bark beetle it too is the carrier of a deadly disease. I shall name it “pernicious permissiveness.””

Thomas S. Monson “Pornography—the Deadly Carrier” October 1979 General Conference

“Let us all improve our personal behavior and redouble our efforts to protect our loved ones and our environment from the onslaught of pornography.”

Dallin H. Oaks “Pornography” April 2005 General Conference

“Satan has become a master at using the addictive power of pornography to limit individual capacity to be led by the Spirit. The onslaught of pornography in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms has caused great grief, suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages. It is one of the most damning influences on earth. Whether it be through the printed page, movies, television, obscene lyrics, vulgarities on the telephone, or flickering personal computer screen, pornography is overpoweringly addictive and severely damaging. This potent tool of Lucifer degrades the mind and the heart and the soul of any who use it. All who are caught in its seductive, tantalizing web and remain so will become addicted to its immoral, destructive influence. For many, that addiction cannot be overcome without help. The tragic pattern is so familiar. It begins with curiosity that is fueled by its stimulation and is justified by the false premise that when done privately, it does no harm to anyone else. For those lulled by this lie, the experimentation goes deeper, with more powerful stimulations, until the trap closes and a terribly immoral, addictive habit exercises its vicious control.”

Richard G. Scott “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance” October 2009 General Conference

“Participation in pornography in any of its lurid forms is a manifestation of unbridled selfishness. How can a man, particularly a priesthood bearer, not think of the emotional and spiritual damage caused to women, especially his wife, by such abhorrent activity?” Richard G. Scott “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance” October 2009 General Conference

“In our day the dreadful influence of pornography is like unto a plague sweeping across the world, infecting one here and one there, relentlessly trying to invade every home, most frequently through the husband and father. The effect of this plague can be, unfortunately often is, spiritually fatal. Lucifer seeks to disrupt “the great plan of redemption,”  “the great plan of happiness.” Pornography will always repel the Spirit of Christ and will interrupt the communications between our Heavenly Father and His children and disrupt the tender relationship between husband and wife.”

Boyd K. Packer “Cleansing the Inner Vessel” October 2010 General Conference

“Hence, I warn against pornography. It is degrading of women. It is evil. It is infectious, destructive, and addictive. The body has means by which it can cleanse itself from harmful effects of contaminated food or drink. But it cannot vomit back the poison of pornography. Once recorded, it always remains subject to recall, flashing its perverted images across your mind, with power to draw you away from the wholesome things in life. Avoid it like the plague!”

Russell M. Nelson “Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women” April 1999 General ConferencE

 

SECRET COMBINATIONS-

“The Doctrine and Covenants tells us that the Book of Mormon is the “record of a fallen people.” (D&C 20:9.) Why did they fall? This is one of the major messages of the Book of Mormon. Mormon gives the answer in the closing chapters of the book in these words: “Behold, the pride of this nation, or the people of the Nephites, hath proven their destruction.” (Moro. 8:27.) And then, lest we miss that momentous Book of Mormon message from that fallen people, the Lord warns us in the Doctrine and Covenants, “Beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old.” (D&C 38:39.)”

President Ezra Taft Benson “Beware of Pride” April 1989 General conference

“Among the lessons we learn from the Book of Mormon are the cause and effect of war and under what conditions it is justified. It tells of evils and dangers of secret combinations, which are built up to get power and gain over the people. It tells of the reality of Satan and gives an indication of some of the methods he uses. It advises us on the proper use of wealth. It tells us of the plain and precious truths of the gospel and the reality and divinity of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for all mankind. It informs us of the gathering of the house of Israel in the last days. It tells us of the purpose and principles of missionary work. It warns us against pride, indifference, procrastination, the dangers of false traditions, hypocrisy and unchasity.

L. Tom Perry “Blessings Resulting From Reading The Book of Mormon” Oct 2005 General Conference

  “I testify that wickedness is rapidly expanding in every segment of our society. (See D&C 1:14–16; D&C 84:49–53.) It is more highly organized, more cleverly disguised, and more powerfully promoted than ever before. Secret combinations lusting for power, gain, and glory are flourishing. A secret combination that seeks to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries is increasing its evil influence and control over America and the entire world. (See Ether 8:18–25.)”

President Ezra Taft Benson “I Testify” October 1988 General Conference

  “The Lord in his mercy has provided a way of escape. The voice of warning is to all people by the mouths of his servants. If this voice is not heeded, the angels of destruction will increasingly go forth, and the chastening hand of Almighty God will be felt upon the nations, as decreed, until a full end thereof will be the result. Wars, devastation, and untold suffering will be your lot except you turn unto the Lord in humble repentance. Destruction, even more terrible and far-reaching than attended the last great war, will come with certainty unless rulers and people alike repent and cease their evil and godless ways. God will not be mocked. He will not permit the sins of sexual immorality, secret murderous combinations, the killing of the unborn, and disregard for all his holy commandments and the messages of his servants to go unheeded without grievous punishments for such wickedness. The nations of the world cannot endure in sin. The way of escape is clear. The immutable laws of God remain steadfastly in the heavens above. When men and nations refuse to abide by them, the penalty must follow. They will be wasted away. Sin demands punishment.”

Ezra Taft Benson “A Message to the World” October 1975 General Conference

(D&C 109:24–28) “Please consider these verses in light of the current raging of the adversary and what we have discussed about our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and the blessing of protection promised to those who honorably hold a name and standing in the holy temple. Significantly, these covenant blessings are to all generations and for all eternity. I invite you to study repeatedly and ponder prayerfully the implications of these scriptures in your life and for your family.

We should not be surprised by Satan’s efforts to thwart or discredit temple worship and work. The devil despises the purity in and the power of the Lord’s house. And the protection available to each of us in and through temple ordinances and covenants stands as a great obstacle to the evil designs of Lucifer.”

David A. Bednar “Honorably Hold A Name and Standing” April 2009 General Conference

“The Holy Ghost will protect us against being deceived, but to realize that wonderful blessing we must always do the things necessary to retain that Spirit.”

Dallin H. Oaks “Be Not Deceived” October 2004 General Conference

“There are those who claim authority from some secret ordinations of the past. Even now some claim special revealed authority to lead or to teach the people. Occasionally they use the names of members of the First Presidency or of the Twelve or of the Seventy and imply some special approval of what they teach. There have been too many names presented, too many sustaining votes taken, too many ordinations and settings apart performed before too many witnesses; there have been too many records kept, too many certificates prepared, and too many pictures published in too many places for any one to be deceived as to who holds proper authority. Claims of special revelation or secret authority from the Lord or from the Brethren are false on the face of them and really utter nonsense!”

Boyd K. Packer “From Such Turn Away” April 1985 General Conference

“In our world of escalating crisis, where the fraternal wars, corruption, secret combinations, and immorality are reminiscent of the wickedness described in the Book of Mormon, Satan has intensified his efforts to destroy the family by corrupting the youth and robbing childhood of its innocence.Our youth are especially vulnerable as the enemy cunningly utilizes every means at his disposal, including the mass media and changes in constitutional law, to deceive them. He bombards our homes with enticements of destructive and harmful products and morals through television, videos, press, books, etc. We as Latter-day Saints and all good people anywhere must conscientiously screen what comes into our homes. Parents have the inalienable right and the responsibility to educate their children. No inappropriate outsider should be allowed to dictate our family’s values nor what our children are being taught.

Horacio A. Tenorio “Let Us Build Fortresses” October 1994 General Conference

“The Book of Mormon teaches that secret combinations engaged in crime present a serious challenge, not just to individuals and families but to entire civilizations. Among today’s secret combinations are gangs, drug cartels, and organized crime families. The secret combinations of our day function much like the Gadianton robbers of the Book of Mormon times. … Among their purposes are to ‘murder, and plunder, and steal, and commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness, contrary to the laws of their country and also the laws of their God’ [Helaman 6:23].

“If we are not careful, today’s secret combinations can obtain power and influence just as quickly and just as completely as they did in Book of Mormon times.”

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Standing for Truth and Right,” Ensign, Nov. 1997, 38.

“We learn in the Book of Mormon that Lucifer ‘stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness,’” Elder Cook said, quoting Second Nephi 9:9. “If you ever find yourself wanting to [put on a mask of anonymity], please know it is a serious sign of danger and one of the adversary’s tools to get you to do something you should not do.”

 CES devotional address, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles based his remarks on the popular quotation, “What e’er thou art, act well thy part.”  March 4, 2012

“The Book of Mormon further warns that “whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold they shall be destroyed. …” (Ether 8:22.) This scripture should alert us to what is ahead unless we repent, because there is no question but that as people of the free world, we are increasingly upholding many of the evils of the adversary today. By court edict godless conspirators can run for government office, teach in our schools, hold office in labor unions, work in our defense plants, serve in our merchant marines, etc. As a nation, we are helping to underwrite many evil revolutionaries in our country.”

Ezra Taft Benson “Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints” Ensign July 1972

 

 

AGENCY-

“Agency allows us to be tested and tried to see whether or not we will endure to the end and return to our Heavenly Father with honor. … Agency permits us to make faithful, obedient choices that strengthen us so that we can lift and strengthen others.”

Robert D. Hales “To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency,” Ensign, May 2006, 7–8.

“Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions. Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. With it we are 'free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil.' ”

Robert D. Hales, “Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life,” Liahona, Nov. 2010

“Our agency, given us through the plan of our Father, is the great alternative to Satan’s plan of force. With this sublime gift, we can grow, improve, progress, and seek perfection. Without agency, none of us could grow and develop by learning from our mistakes and errors and those of others.”

James E. Faust, “The Forces That Will Save Us,” Liahona, Jan. 2007

“The fundamental purposes for the gift of agency were to love one another and to choose God.”

David A. Bednar, “Did You Know?” Liahona, Sept. 2009

“You have agency, and you are free to choose. But there is actually no free agency. Agency has its price. You have to pay the consequences of your choices.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “On the Wings of Eagles,” Liahona, July 2006

“Because the eternal principle of agency gives us the freedom to choose and think for ourselves, we should become increasingly able to solve problems. We may make the occasional mistake, but as long as we are following gospel principles and guidelines, we can learn from those mistakes and become more understanding of others and more effective in serving them.”

M. Russell Ballard, “Be Wise,” Liahona, Nov. 2006

“Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard.”

D. Todd Christofferson, “Moral Discipline,” Liahona, Nov. 2009

“But this we know! It was all planned before the world was. Events from the Creation to the final, winding-up scene are not based on chance; they are based on choice! It was planned that way.”

Boyd K. Packer “Atonement, Agency, Accountability” April 1988 General Conference

“Men and women receive their agency as a gift from God, but their liberty and, in turn, their eternal happiness come from obedience to His laws.”

L. Tom Perry “Obedience to Law Is Liberty” April 2013 General Conference

“You may be tired of others trying to run your life—always telling you what to do. After all, you have the right to make your own choices. That is correct. You have that right. It is your agency. The secret to solve problems in your life will be found in understanding and using the eternally beneficial interaction of your agency and His truth.”

Richard G. Scott “Healing Your Damaged Life” October 1992 General Conference