Spirituality. A testimony of the gospel is not a travelogue, a health log, or an expression of love for family members. In the words of President Joseph F. Smith: We believe in all truth, no matter to what subject it may refer. See, for example,John Paul II: The Encyclicals in Everyday Language,3rd ed., ed. President Oaks gives a powerful talk about service, and all of the amazing good works going on around the world. But we do know that God will help each of us overcome these challenges if we sincerely seek His help. The scriptures not only command or contemplate that we will make intermediate judgments, but they also give us some guidancesome governing principlesin how to do so. As young adults, you may wonder why I am speaking to you about the principles we should follow when we seek government action, such as by the legislature. The best known of these is Judge not, that ye be not judged (3 Nephi 14:1, Matthew 7:1). Spiritual food is necessary for spiritual survival. Our civilization is based on morality and cannot exist without it. I testify of the power and blessings of the priesthood of God, available for His sons and daughters alike. , not according to what they have not, but according to what they have, those who have lived without law, will be judged without law, and those who have a law, will be judged by that law. . We are enriched by associations with different peoples, which remind us of the wonderful diversity of the children of God. When believers enter the public square to try to influence the making or the administration of laws motivated by their beliefs, they should apply some different principles. Similarly, in modern revelation the Lord appointed the bishop to be a judge in Israel to judge over property and transgressions (D&C 58:17, 107:72). What are we thinking of to let you do all this work alone? How can I keep my covenant to stand as a witness and not offend these people?13. Second, a righteous judgment will be guided by the Spirit of the Lord, not by anger, revenge, jealousy, or self-interest. As described by an attorney supporting a Lutheran school in a case now before the United States Supreme Court, the big concern is the ability of people of all faiths to work out their relationship with God and one another without the government looking over their shoulder.10That is why we need understanding and supportincludingyourunderstanding and supportwhen we must contend for religious freedom. The guilty parties were not hard to spot because they continued whispering all through the class. That is how we qualify for the promised blessings. His or her total concentration will be on the needs of the sheepthe good of the students. What Was Brigham Youngs Swift Pony Express? What Have Scholars Learned about the Book of Mormon? Dallin H. Oaks quotes cover more than 30 years. Elder Oaks is a graduate of Brigham Young University (1954) and of The University of Chicago Law School (1957). Legal experts, including a former federal judge and a former Utah Supreme Court justice, examine the General Conference talk by Latter-day Saint apostle Dallin H. Oaks on the U.S. Constituiton. Summary of President Oaks' talk. BYU Studies sponsors FromtheDesk.org as part of its mission to publish scholarship informed by the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. . Some influential voices even question the extent to which our constitution should protect the free exercise of religion, including the right to practice and preach religious principles. Marthas self-importance, expressed through her judgment of her sister, occasioned the Lords rebuke, not her busyness with the meal. Cohabitation we know to be a serious sin in which Latter-day Saints must not engage, whatever the circumstances. . We must, of course, make judgments every day in the exercise of our moral agency, but we must be careful that our judgments of people are intermediate and not final. But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. Sustaining of General Authorities, Area Seventies, and General Officers. We are cast as combatants in the war between truth and error. 12. The gospel is a gospel of hope, and none of us is authorized to deny the power of the Atonement to bring about a cleansing of individual sins, forgiveness, and a reformation of life on appropriate conditions. In modern revelation the Lord has declared, I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men (D&C 64:10). One of Martin Harriss greatest contributions to the Church, for which he should be honored for all time, was his financing the publication of the Book of Mormon. Talks by Dallin H. Oaks. I am speaking to an audience of Latter-day Saints who believe in God and in absolute truth. First: Truth. Our obligation to tolerance means that none of these behaviorsor others we consider deviations from the truthshould ever cause us to react with hateful communications or unkind actions. 11819]. These include covenants and ordinances and repentance when our choices are wrong. . Let us consider some principles or ingredients that lead to a righteous judgment.. That's definitely what we want. In a BYU devotional address, Professor Catherine Corman Parry gave a memorable scriptural illustration of the consequences of judging by the wrong standards. See Riots in Britain: Anarchy in the UK, Leaders,The Economist,400, no. Reverent and Clean. The change has come from inside memy attitude. He is a native of Provo, Utah (born . I am very t`hankful that it is not our province . . Finally, the spirit of our balance of truth and tolerance is applied in these words of President Gordon B. Hinckley: Let us reach out to those in our community who are not of our faith. Whats in the Relief Society General Board Minutes? For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil. Home. Is Jim Bridger Responsible for What Happened to the Donner Party? We sing: Tho the heavens depart and the earth's fountains burst,Truth, the sum of existence, will weather the worst,Eternal, unchanged, evermore.1. . And furthermore, what about the value of our work in the world? We should limit our judgments to our own stewardships. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 114). She died July 21, 1998. Forgiveness is a companion principle to the commandment that in final judgments we judge not and in intermediate judgments we judge righteously. It is not a sermon. Our tolerance and respect for others and their beliefs does not cause us to abandon our commitment to the truths we understand and the covenants we have made. Those of us with more of Martha than of Mary in us . . Wherefore, take heed . I begin with our personal conduct, including the teaching of our children. I am waiting further evidence. Tolerance requires a similar refraining in our judgment of others. We can all pray for desire to help with this vital part of the work of salvation. If given in the right way and for the right reasons, that service will reward us beyond anything we have given. It was taught when a lawyer asked the Savior, Which is the great commandment in the law? (Matthew 22:36). This time he was definitely speaking to the Church. But diversities in cultures and values also challenge us to identify what can be embraced as consistent with our gospel culture and values and what cannot. 2730; emphasis in original]. 1015]. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33). In such circumstances we do the best we can, relying ultimately on the teaching in modern scripture that we should put our trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do goodyea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously (D&C 11:12). We live in a world where more and more persons of influence are teaching and acting out a belief that there is no absolute right and wrong, that all authority and all rules of behavior are man-made choices that can prevail over the commandments of God. , I do not need to condemn or judge my abusers nor be part of the punishment. Some time ago I attended an adult Sunday School class in a small town in Utah. . First of all, a righteous judgment must, by definition, be intermediate. She died July 21, 1998. We must go, I believe, beyond tolerance if we are to achieve harmony in our world., Relying on the teachings of the Quran, Dr. Shihab continued: We must respect this God-given dignity in every human being, even in our enemies. See Heidi S. Swinton,To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson(Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010), especially chapters 25 and 28 and pages 46263. After the class, one of them came to me and apologized that she hadnt explained to me before class that her friend was deaf. What Did the Founding Fathers Think about the Bible? Professor Parry observed: Quite literally, they were measured by their own standards and found wanting. April 1986, Sunday morning session. . Learn how your comment data is processed. I dont need to entertain thoughts of revenge. 2. I express them as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, but I believe that most of these ideas are shared by believers generally. bid her therefore that she help me. 218 University Press Building
. He will be just. You will need to understand how our efforts in the public square are informed by the balance between truth and tolerance. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world (3 Ne. No sect or religious denomination in the world possesses a single principle of truth that we do not accept or that we will reject. The STANDS4 Network . For example, an atheist has no need to decide what kinds and occasions of profanity or blasphemy can be tolerated and what kinds should be confronted. Guided by heaven in this righteous cause, our words will be sweet and find place in the hearts of many. The Church News is an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a vital matter on which we who believe in a Supreme Being who has established absolute right and wrong in human behavior must unite to insist on our time-honored constitutional rights to exercise our religion, to vote our consciences on public issues, and to participate in elections and debates in the public square and in the halls of justice. Misery is more than unhappiness, sorrow, or suffering. Iassure you that my message is true. I love that truth that although I need to evaluate situations . The Lord obviously did not justify the womans sin.