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.