Agency

“We have been given agency, we have been given the blessings of the priesthood, and we have been given the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost for a reason. That reason is our growth and happiness in this world and eternal life in the world to come. Today I ask, have we received that Spirit? Are we following on the strait and narrow path that leads to God and eternal life? Are we holding onto the iron rod, or are we going another way? I testify that how we choose to feel and think and act every day is the way we get on the path, and stay on it, until we reach our eternal destination.”
-              Elder Robert D. Hales, April 2006 General Conference, “To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/to-act-for-ourselves-the-gift-and-blessings-of-agency?lang=eng&query=agency

“How supernally precious freedom is; how consummately valuable is the agency of man.”
-              Boyd K. Packer, April 1988 General Conference, “Atonement, Agency, Accountability” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1988/04/atonement-agency-accountability?lang=eng&query=agency

“God reveals to His prophets that there are moral absolutes. Sin will always be sin. Disobedience to the Lord’s commandments will always deprive us of His blessings. The world changes constantly and dramatically, but God, His commandments, and promised blessings do not change. They are immutable and unchanging. 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. As Alma counseled his errant son Corianton, “Wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10).”
-              Elder L. Tom Perry, April 2013 General Conference, “Obedience to Law Is Liberty” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/obedience-to-law-is-liberty?lang=eng&query=agency

“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, October 1992 General Conference, “Healing Your Damaged Life” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1992/10/healing-your-damaged-life?lang=eng&query=agency

“Through Christ and his valiant defense of our Father’s plan, the course of agency and eternal aspirations prevailed. In that crucial, premortal setting, a major milestone was passed, a monumental victory was won. As a result, we would be allowed to continue to pursue what President David O. McKay once described as the “eternal principle of progress.” Later Christ himself would come to earth, President McKay noted, “to perfect society by perfecting the individual, and only by the exercising of Free Agency can the individual even approach perfection.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1940, p. 118.)”
-              Howard W. Hunter, October 1989 General Conference, “The Golden Thread of Choice” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/10/the-golden-thread-of-choice?lang=eng&query=agency

“We tend to think of agency as a personal matter. If we ask someone to define “moral agency,” the answer will probably be something like this: “Moral agency means I am free to make choices for myself.” Often overlooked is the fact that choices have consequences; we forget also that agency offers the same privilege of choice to others. At times we will be affected adversely by the way other people choose to exercise their agency. Our Heavenly Father feels so strongly about protecting our agency that he allows his children to exercise it, either for good or for evil.

“The plan of happiness is available to all of his children. If the world would embrace and live it, peace, joy, and plenty would abound on the earth. Much of the suffering we know today would be eliminated if people throughout the world would understand and live the gospel.”
-              M. Russell Ballard, April 1995 General Conference, “Answers to Life’s Questions” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/04/answers-to-lifes-questions?lang=eng&query=agency

“Agency is a divine gift to you. You are free to choose what you will be and what you will do. And you are not without help. Counsel with your parents is a privilege at any age. Prayer provides communication with your Heavenly Father and invites the promptings of personal revelation. And in certain circumstances, consultation with professional advisers and with your local leaders in the Church may be highly advisable, especially when very difficult decisions must be made.”
-              Russell M. Nelson, October 1990 General Conference, “Choices” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/choices?lang=eng&query=agency

“Life is meant to be a test to see if we will keep the commandments of God. (See 2 Ne. 2:5.) We are free to obey or to ignore the spirit and the letter of the law. But the agency granted to man is a moral agency. (See D&C 101:78.) We are not free to break our covenants and escape the consequences.”
--Boyd K. Packer, October 1990 General Conference, “Covenants” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/covenants?lang=eng&query=agency

“As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon. To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation.”
-              David A. Bednar, October 2006 General Conference, “And Nothing Shall Offend Them” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/10/and-nothing-shall-offend-them?lang=eng&query=agency

“I knew what agency was and knew how important it was to be individual and to be independent, to be free. I somehow knew there was one thing the Lord would never take from me, and that was my free agency. I would not surrender my agency to any being but to Him! I determined that I would give Him the one thing that He would never take—my agency. I decided, by myself, that from that time on I would do things His way.

“That was a great trial for me, for I thought I was giving away the most precious thing I possessed. I was not wise enough in my youth to know that because I exercised my agency and decided myself, I was not losing it. It was strengthened!”
-              Boyd K. Packer, April 1976 General Conference, “Spiritual Crocodiles” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1976/04/spiritual-crocodiles?lang=eng&query=agency

Position Statement:

Agency is one of the most precious gifts we have been given.  And not only were we given agency, we fought for it in our premortal lives.  We continue to “fight” for our freedom and agency when we choose the right and stay out of Satan’s grasp.  When we make choices that lead to addictions or other forms of slavery, we surrender our agency to outside forces.  We should never take our agency for granted.  We should protect it and use it for good.  We were given agency to prove ourselves and we must make this life a testament of who we are.  

Atonement

“It is a fundamental truth that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be cleansed. We can become virtuous and pure. However, sometimes our poor choices leave us with long-term consequences. One of the vital steps to complete repentance is to bear the short- and long-term consequences of our past sins.”
-              Elder Richard G. Scott, October 2013 General Conference, “Personal Strength Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ,”    https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/personal-strength-through-the-atonement-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng

“No matter what our transgressions have been, no matter how much our actions may have hurt others, that guilt can all be wiped out. To me, perhaps the most beautiful phrase in all scripture is when the Lord said, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.”  That is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement: to take anyone who comes, anyone who will join, and put them through an experience so that at the end of their life, they can go through the veil having repented of their sins and having been washed clean through the blood of Christ.”
-              President Boyd K. Packer, October 2012 General Conference, “The Atonement” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-atonement?lang=eng

“The Atonement was absolutely essential for men to cleanse themselves from sin and overcome the second death, which is the spiritual death, which is separation from our Father in Heaven. For the scriptures tell us, seven times they tell us, that no unclean thing may enter the presence of God.”
-              Boyd K. Packer, April 1988 General Conference, “Atonement, Agency, Accountability” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1988/04/atonement-agency-accountability?lang=eng&query=agency

“We have a champion, a Savior, who walked through the valley of the shadow of death on our behalf. He gave Himself as a ransom for our sins. No one has ever had greater love than this—Jesus Christ, the Lamb without blemish, willingly laid Himself on the altar of sacrifice and paid the price for our sins to “the uttermost farthing.” He took upon Himself our suffering. He took our burdens, our guilt upon His shoulders. My dear friends, when we decide to come to Him, when we take upon ourselves His name and boldly walk in the path of discipleship, then through the Atonement we are promised not only happiness and “peace in this world” but also “eternal life in the world to come.”
-              President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2013 General Conference, “You Can Do It Now!” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/you-can-do-it-now?lang=eng

“Sometimes in the depth of pain, we are tempted to ask, “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?” I testify the answer is yes, there is a physician. The Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all these conditions and purposes of mortality.”
-              Kent F. Richards, April 2011 General Conference, “The Atonement Covers All Pain” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/the-atonement-covers-all-pain

“But do we also understand that the Atonement is for faithful men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully? I wonder if we fail to fully acknowledge this strengthening aspect of the Atonement in our lives and mistakenly believe we must carry our load all alone—through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline and with our obviously limited capacities.

“It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to the earth to die for us. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to enliven us—not only to guide but also to strengthen and heal us.”
-              David A. Bednar, April 2014 General Conference, “Bear Up Their Burdens With Ease” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/bear-up-their-burdens-with-ease

“There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, “No one knows what it is like. No one understands.” But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do relying only upon our own power. Indeed, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.”
-              David A. Bednar, April 2014 General Conference, “Bear Up Their Burdens With Ease” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/bear-up-their-burdens-with-ease

“That brings us to the Atonement. Paul said, “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” The Atonement of Jesus Christ became the immortal creation. He volunteered to answer the ends of a law previously transgressed.  And by the shedding of His blood, His and our physical bodies could become perfected. They could again function without blood, just as Adam’s and Eve’s did in their paradisiacal form. Paul taught that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; … this mortal must put on immortality.”
-              Russell M. Nelson, October 1996 General Conference, “The Atonement” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/the-atonement?lang=eng&query=atonement

“The Creation required the Fall. The Fall required the Atonement. The Atonement enabled the purpose of the Creation to be accomplished. Eternal life, made possible by the Atonement, is the supreme purpose of the Creation. To phrase that statement in its negative form, if families were not sealed in holy temples, the whole earth would be utterly wasted. 

“The purposes of the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement all converge on the sacred work done in temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The earth was created and the Church was restored to make possible the sealing of wife to husband, children to parents, families to progenitors, worlds without end.”
-              Russell M. Nelson, October 1996 General Conference, “The Atonement” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/the-atonement?lang=eng&query=atonement

“May the Atonement of Jesus Christ cause a “mighty change” to be wrought in our hearts.  As we awaken to this doctrine, declared by an angel of God to be “glad tidings of great joy,” I promise that we will feel as King Benjamin’s people felt. After they had prayed mightily that the Atonement would be applied in their lives, “they were filled with joy” and were “willing to enter into a covenant with … God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things.” Making, keeping, and rejoicing in our covenants will be the evidence that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is truly written in our hearts. Please remember these three principles, sisters:

1. “All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

2. There is power in the Atonement to enable us to overcome the natural man or woman and become true disciples of Jesus Christ.

3. The Atonement is the greatest evidence we have of the Father’s love for His children.”
-              Linda K. Burton, October 2012 General Conference, “Is Faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ Written in Our Hearts?” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/is-faith-in-the-atonement-of-jesus-christ-written-in-our-hearts?lang=eng&query=atonement

Position Statement:

The Atonement is the greatest of all gifts.  Our Savior, Jesus Christ, suffered for all our sins and transgressions, all our pains and disappointments.  He understands our struggles.  He has borne our burdens.  Not only does the Atonement allow us to become clean again, it can strengthen and guide us throughout our lives.  Christ paid the price and made it possible for us to return to our Father in Heaven.  We should never take this gift for granted.  The gift of forgiveness that comes through the Atonement is available to us if we apply it.  The strengthening power we can find through Christ is offered to all.  

Divine Nature

“Your lineage is a “blood relationship.” That makes you literally “children of the prophets” with a noble birthright. That is why we often say that you are “youth of the noble birthright” and belong to a royal, “chosen generation.”
-              Julie B. Beck, April 2006 General Conference, “You Have a Noble Birthright” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/you-have-a-noble-birthright?lang=eng&query=royal

“When you know who you are and what you should be doing with your life, you don’t want to hide your light.  For instance, you would not want to “hide your light” by wearing clothing that diminishes your royal potential. You would not use improper language or stories or mar your body with tattoos or other procedures debasing for a daughter of royal birth. You would not cheapen your birthright by taking into your body any substance that is harmful or addictive. Neither would you view or participate in any behavior which is immoral and lowers your noble stature. You seek all that is praiseworthy and virtuous and lovely and of good report because you know you have a noble heritage.  You are treasured children of the promise. If you will keep the Lord’s statutes and commandments and hearken to His voice, He has promised that He will make you high above the nations in name and honor and praise. Your patriarchal blessing should inspire you to make changes in your life when they are needed. It contains promises that you can receive only through your faithfulness. If you are not faithful, you cannot plan on your blessing being fulfilled.”
-              Julie B. Beck, April 2006 General Conference , “You Have a Noble Birthright,” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/you-have-a-noble-birthright?lang=eng&query=royal

“I have always loved the story of the son of King Louis XVI of France because he had an unshakable knowledge of his identity. As a young man, he was kidnapped by evil men who had dethroned his father, the king. These men knew that if they could destroy him morally, he would not be heir to the throne. For six months they subjected him to every vile thing life had to offer, and yet he never yielded under pressure. This puzzled his captors, and after doing everything they could think of, they asked him why he had such great moral strength. His reply was simple. He said, “I cannot do what you ask, for I was born to be a king.” Like the king’s son, each of you has inherited a royal birthright. Each of you has a divine heritage. “You are literally the royal daughters of our Father in Heaven.”   Each of you was born to be a queen.”
-              Elaine S. Dalton, April 2010 General Conference, “Remember Who You Are!” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/remember-who-you-are?lang=eng&query=royal

“You are literally a spirit daughter of heavenly parents with a divine nature and an eternal destiny. That surpassing truth should be fixed deep in your soul and be fundamental to every decision you make as you grow into mature womanhood. There could never be a greater authentication of your dignity, your worth, your privileges, and your promise. Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including your fears and frustrations. And He knows what you can become through faith in Him. Because of this divine heritage you, along with all of your spiritual sisters and brothers, have full equality in His sight and are empowered through obedience to become a rightful heir in His eternal kingdom, an “[heir] of God, and joint-[heir] with Christ.” Seek to comprehend the significance of these doctrines.”
-              Jeffrey R. Holland, October 2005 General Conference, “To Young Women” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/to-young-women?lang=eng&query=divine+nature

“All around us we see a growing desire for spiritual direction the world over as a result of increasing natural and human-caused disasters. This yearning for spiritual guidance is a consequence of our being children of a divine Heavenly Father. It is understandable that when we face difficulty we turn to our Creator for help. Our loving Heavenly Father knew that deteriorating world conditions, severe personal challenges, and disasters would lead His children to seek His spiritual nourishment. The challenge is how to properly find it.”
-              Richard G. Scott, October 2005 General Conference, “Truth Restored” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/truth-restored?lang=eng&query=divine+nature

“One title that defines all of us in the most fundamental way is son of Heavenly Father. No matter what else we are or do in life, we must never forget that we are God’s literal spirit children. We were His children before we came to this world, and we will be His children forevermore. This basic truth should change the way we look at ourselves, our brothers and sisters, and life itself.  Unfortunately, none of us quite lives up to everything that this title implies, “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  It can be discouraging at times to know what it means to be a son of God and yet come up short. The adversary likes to take advantage of these feelings. Satan would rather that you define yourself by your sins instead of your divine potential. Brethren, don’t listen to him.”
-              Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2013 General Conference “Four Titles” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/four-titles?lang=eng&query=divine+nature

“Brothers and sisters, as the literal spirit children of our loving Heavenly Father, we have unlimited, divine potential. But if we are not careful, we can become like the wilted tomato plant. We can drift away from the true doctrine and gospel of Christ and become spiritually undernourished and wilted, having removed ourselves from the divine light and living waters of the Savior’s eternal love and priesthood power.”
-              Elder M. Russell Ballard, April 2013 General Conference, “This Is My Work and Glory” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/this-is-my-work-and-glory?lang=eng&query=divine+nature

“To you women, I wish to issue a challenge tonight. That challenge is to rise to the stature of the divine within you. As you have been reminded, yours is a godly inheritance. “I am a child of God” is not an idle or meaningless statement. You were there “when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons [and daughters] of God shouted for joy.” (Job 38:7.) You brought some of that inheritance with you when you came “trailing clouds of glory … from God who is our home.” (William Wordsworth, “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood,” st. 5.) You were there when “there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon.”
-              President Gordon B. Hinckley, October 1989 General Conference, “Rise to the Stature of the Divine Within You” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/10/rise-to-the-stature-of-the-divine-within-you?lang=eng&query=divine+nature

“Sisters, we, your brethren, cannot do what you were divinely designated to do from before the foundation of the world. We may try, but we cannot ever hope to replicate your unique gifts. There is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman.”
-              M. Russell Ballard, April 2010 General Conference, “Mothers and Daughters” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/mothers-and-daughters?lang=eng&query=divine+nature

“God truly is our Father, the Father of the spirits of all mankind. We are his literal offspring and are formed in his image. We have inherited divine characteristics from him. Knowing our relationship to our Heavenly Father helps us understand the divine nature that is in us and our potential. The doctrine of the fatherhood of God lays a solid foundation for self-esteem. The hymn titled “I Am a Child of God” (Hymns, 1985, no. 301) states this doctrine in simple terms. Can a person who understands his divine parenthood lack self-esteem? I have known people who have a deep, abiding assurance of this truth and others who understand it only superficially and intellectually. The contrast in their attitudes and the practical effect of these attitudes in their lives is remarkably apparent.”
-              Joseph B. Wirthlin, October 1991 General Conference ,“Fruits of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1991/10/fruits-of-the-restored-gospel-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng&query=divine+nature

“Each of us is a son or daughter of God, and we have a unique premortal and mortal story. Accordingly, there are very few one-size-fits-all solutions. And so I fully recognize the trial-and-error nature of life and, most importantly, the constant need of the second principle of the gospel, even repentance.”
-              Elder L. Tom Perry, April 2014 General Conference, “Obedience through Our Faithfulness” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/obedience-through-our-faithfulness?lang=eng

Position Statement:

We are literally spirit sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.  Men and women have been given specific divine gifts to aid each other in their journey on this earth.  We must work together.  We have unlimited potential for good.  Knowing who we truly are keeps us centered and can provide greater self-confidence.  Knowing that God is my Father, instills within me a greater desire to know Him.  When we know who we truly are, our prayers become more frequent and more meaningful.  As we strengthen our relationship with our Father in Heaven, we want to make Him happy and do all we can to help Him in His work.  

Reverence

“We are drifting from the use of reverential words in our prayers. Familiar terms such as you and yours are replacing thee and thine in prayer. Teach the children and gently inform new members that we use reverential terms when addressing our Heavenly Father in prayer.”
-              Elder Boyd K. Packer, “Reverence Invites Revelation,” Ensign, November 1991 https://www.lds.org/ensign/1991/11/reverence-invites-revelation?lang=eng

“Inspiration comes more easily in peaceful settings. Such words as quiet, still, peaceable, Comforter abound in the scriptures: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10; italics added.) And the promise, “You shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom.” (D&C 36:2; italics added.)”
-              Elder Boyd K. Packer, “Reverence Invites Revelation,” Ensign, November 1991 https://www.lds.org/ensign/1991/11/reverence-invites-revelation?lang=eng   

“The scriptures remind us constantly of the goodness that is centered in the heart. Those who put on an appearance only to receive the honors of men, but have unclean hearts, are called hypocrites. It is not enough to behave reverently; we must feel in our hearts reverence for our Heavenly Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Reverence flows from our admiration and respect for Deity. Those who are truly reverent are those who have paid the price to know the glory of the Father and His Son. As Paul admonished in Hebrews, ‘Serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.’ (Heb. 12:28.)”
-              Elder L. Tom Perry, October 1990 General Conference, “Serve God Acceptable with Reverence and Godly Fear” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/serve-god-acceptably-with-reverence-and-godly-fear?lang=eng&query=reverence

“If reverence is an attitude towards Deity, then it is a private feeling. It is something we feel inside our hearts no matter what is going on around us. It is also a personal responsibility. We cannot blame others for disturbing our reverent attitudes.

“Where, then, does the development of reverent attitudes begin? The home is the key to reverent attitudes, as it is to every other godlike virtue. It is during personal and family prayer that the little ones learn how to bow their heads, fold their arms, and close their eyes while our Father in Heaven is being addressed. It is a mother taking time to be certain that during each day there is a quiet period where the hustle and bustle of daily activities are divorced from the house, where just parents and children have time together in quiet solitude for reflection and teaching, to set the example of having reverence in the home.”
-              Elder L. Tom Perry, October 1990 General Conference, “Serve God Acceptable with Reverence and Godly Fear” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/serve-god-acceptably-with-reverence-and-godly-fear?lang=eng&query=reverence

“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.”
-              Elder M. Russell Ballard, April 1988 General Conference, “God’s Love for His Children” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1988/04/gods-love-for-his-children?lang=eng&query=reverence

“The importance of having a sense of the sacred is simply this—if one does not appreciate holy things, he will lose them. Absent a feeling of reverence, he will grow increasingly casual in attitude and lax in conduct. He will drift from the moorings that his covenants with God could provide. His feeling of accountability to God will diminish and then be forgotten. Thereafter, he will care only about his own comfort and satisfying his uncontrolled appetites. Finally, he will come to despise sacred things, even God, and then he will despise himself.”
-              D. Todd Christofferson, BYU Fireside, November 7, 2004, “A Sense of the Sacred” http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1389

“With a deepening reverence for sacred things, your understanding grows. The scriptures speak of it as a light that grows “brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24). That process is also described as progressing from grace to grace. The Savior Himself progressed in that way until He received a fulness, and you may follow in His footsteps (see D&C 93:12–20).

“That is where a sense of the sacred will lead you. Always remember, however, as holiness grows within and you are entrusted with greater knowledge and understanding that you must treat these things with care.”
-              D. Todd Christofferson, BYU Fireside, November 7, 2004, “A Sense of the Sacred” http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1389

“Hymns ‘create a feeling of reverence.’  The words reverence and revelation are like twins who like each other’s company. When the Seventy and Presiding Bishopric are invited to meetings with the First Presidency and the Twelve, we are reminded to arrive early and reverently listen to prelude music. Doing so invites revelation and prepares us for the meeting.”
-              Jay E. Jensen, April 2007 General Conference, “The Nourishing Power of Hymns” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/the-nourishing-power-of-hymns?lang=eng&query=reverence

“When the names of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, are used with reverence and authority, they invoke a power beyond what mortal man can comprehend.

“It should be obvious to every believer that these mighty names—by which miracles are wrought, by which the world was formed, through which man was created, and by which we can be saved—are holy and must be treated with the utmost reverence. As we read in modern revelation, ‘Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit.’ (D&C 63:64.)”
-              Dallin H. Oaks, April 1986 General Conference, “Reverent and Clean” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1986/04/reverent-and-clean?lang=eng&query=reverence

“As parents and leaders, we must set the example of reverent behavior in our Church meetings. Our chapels provide places for many different functions, but on Sunday they are places of worship. We gather to renew covenants that will heal our souls. We come to learn doctrine and strengthen testimony. Missionaries bring their investigators. Only in an attitude of reverence can the Spirit confirm the truths of the gospel through the word of God, music, testimony, and prayer.”
-              Margaret S. Lifferth, April 2009 General Conference, “Respect and Reverence” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/respect-and-reverence?lang=eng&query=reverent

Position Statement:

We must develop an attitude of reverence for sacred things.  We must teach our children to be reverent as well. The best way to do this is by example.  At church, we must sit reverently and quietly, so they can learn how to behave appropriately.  When we pray, we should use words that show our reverence to our Father in Heaven so our children will know the correct way to show their own reverence for Him.  When we are reverent, we do not take our blessings and testimonies for granted.  When we take the time to be still, we provide an opportunity for the Holy Ghost to teach us. As our reverence deepens, our understanding of gospel truths will grow.  

Family

“The family unit is not only fundamental to society and to the Church but to our hope for eternal life. We begin to practice in the family, the smaller unit, what will spread to the Church and to the society in which we live in this world and what then will be what we practice in families bound together forever by covenants and faithfulness.”
-              Henry B. Eyring, BYU Fireside, November 5, 1995, “The Family” http://speeches.byu.edu/index.php?act=viewitem&id=777

“The family is at the heart of Heavenly Father's plan because we are all part of His family and because mortality is our opportunity to form our own families and to assume the role of parents. It is within our families that we learn unconditional love, which can come to us and draw us very close to God's love. It is within families that values are taught and character is built. Father and mother are callings from which we will never be released, and there is no more important stewardship than the responsibility we have for God's spirit children who come into our families.”
-              Elder M. Russell Ballard, “Let Our Voices Be Heard,” Ensign, November 2003, pgs. 16-19 https://www.lds.org/topics/pornography/audiences/leaders/let-our-voices-be-heard?lang=eng

“The joining together of a man and a woman to be legally and lawfully wed not only is preparation for future generations to inherit the earth, but it also brings the greatest joy and satisfaction that can be found in this mortal experience. This is especially true when the powers of the priesthood proclaim a marriage to be for time and for all eternity. Children born to such marriages have a security that is found nowhere else.
“Lessons taught in the home by goodly parents are becoming increasingly important in today’s world, where the influence of the adversary is so widespread. As we know, he is attempting to erode and destroy the very foundation of our society—the family. In clever and carefully camouflaged ways, he is attacking commitment to family life throughout the world and undermining the culture and covenants of faithful Latter-day Saints. Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and important responsibility.”
-              L. Tom Perry, October 2012 General Conference, “Becoming Goodly Parents”  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/becoming-goodly-parents

“Be certain that every decision you make, whether temporal or spiritual, is conditioned on what the Savior would have you do. When He is the center of your home, there is peace and serenity. There is a spirit of assurance that pervades the home, and it is felt by all who dwell there.”
-              Elder Richard G. Scott, April 2013 General Conference, “For Peace at Home” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/for-peace-at-home?lang=eng

“It is important for parents to teach children to recognize how their actions affect each individual who lives in the home. Children who are made to feel accountable for their actions, whether righteous or otherwise, grow to become trustworthy citizens in the kingdom of God.”
-              Elder Richard G. Scott, April 2013 General Conference, “For Peace at Home” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/for-peace-at-home?lang=eng

“[E]nlist the entire family to love each other. President Ezra Taft Benson taught:
“In an eternal sense, salvation is a family affair. …
“Above all else, children need to know and feel they are loved, wanted, and appreciated. They need to be assured of that often. Obviously, this is a role parents should fill, and most often the mother can do it best.  But another crucial source for that feeling of being loved is love from other children in the family. Consistent care of brothers and sisters for each other will come only with persistent effort by parents and the help of God. You know that is true from experience in your own families.”
-              President Henry B. Eyring, April 2012 General Conference, “Families under Covenant” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/families-under-covenant?lang=eng#10-10485_000_35eyrin

“He is all-powerful and He cares. If you let Him be the leader of your family, things will work out.”
-              Henry B. Eyring, April 2014 General Conference, “A Priceless Heritage of Hope” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/a-priceless-heritage-of-hope?lang=eng

“All families need strengthening, from the ideal to the most troubled. That strengthening can come from you. In fact, in some families you may be the only source of spiritual strength. The Lord is depending on you to bring the blessings of the gospel to your family.”
-              Mary N. Cook, October 2007 General Conference, “Strengthen Home and Family” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/10/strengthen-home-and-family?lang=eng&query=family

“In a world of turmoil and uncertainty, it is more important than ever to make our families the center of our lives and the top of our priorities. Families lie at the center of our Heavenly Father’s plan. This statement from “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” declares the responsibilities of parents to their families:

“’Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. ‘Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.’”
-              L. Tom Perry, April 2003 General Conference, “The Importance of the Family” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2003/04/the-importance-of-the-family?lang=eng&query=family

“The doctrine of the family begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them. The Apostle Paul taught that God is the father of our spirits (see Heb. 12:9). From the proclamation we read, “In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life.” The proclamation also reiterates to the world that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).”
-              Robert D. Hales, October 1996 General Conference, “The Eternal Family” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/the-eternal-family?lang=eng&query=family

“Parenthood is a sacred privilege, and depending upon faithfulness, it can be an eternal blessing. The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is that a man and his wife and their children can be happy at home.”

“Remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that [we] must build [our] foundation” (Helaman 5:12). He is the anchor that holds us and protects us and our families through the storms of life.”
-              President Boyd K. Packer, April 2014 General Conference, “The Witness” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-witness?lang=eng

“Parents today wonder if there is a safe place to raise children. There is a safe place. It is in a gospel-centered home. We focus on the family in the Church, and we counsel parents everywhere to raise their children in righteousness.”
-              President Boyd K. Packer, October 2013 General Conference, “The Key to Spiritual Protection” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/the-key-to-spiritual-protection?lang=eng

"From the beginning, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has emphasized family life.  We have always understood that the foundations of the family, as an eternal unit, were laid even before this earth was created!  Society without basic family life is without foundation and will disintegrate into nothingness."
             -              President Spencer W. Kimball, October 1980 General Conference, Ensign, November 1980, p. 4.

Position Statement:

I know families are central to God’s plan.  As parents, we have a lot of responsibility to teach our children in righteousness.  We need to teach them to keep the commandments, to love one another, and to be accountable for their actions. Mothers and fathers need to work together to make their homes a safe haven from the world.  I want to be a righteous mother in Zion.  I want my family to be eternal.  I know if we build our family’s foundation on Jesus Christ, we can make it through any trial or hardship we face in this life.