President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke during the Saturday morning session of October 2022 general conference. The Law of The Big Mo (#16) The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Coronavirus: la Chiesa di Ges Cristo dei Santi degli Ultimi Giorni Sta Aiutando Top 40 Best Quotes from The Gift of Imperfection by Bren Brown. First,all persons are brothers and sisters under God, taught within their various religions to love and do good to one another. I wonder if persons who cannot handle an honest mistake without abusing the actor can stand up to having their own mistakes judged by so severe a standard. That question is as penetrating today as when Jesus used it to confound the Pharisees almost two thousand years ago. . On the foundation belief in right and wrong, there is an alarming contrast between the older and the younger generations. Then, to other believers, we might express appreciation for the fact that we share common ground on what is most vital because each of us believes in God and in the existence of absolute truth, even though we differ in our definitions of these fundamentals. April 2022. Through the prophet Moses the Lord commanded Israel, Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour (Leviticus 19:15). A testimony of the gospel is not a travelogue, a health log, or an expression of love for family members. No sect or religious denomination in the world possesses a single principle of truth that we do not accept or that we will reject. Dallin H. Oaks quotes cover more than 30 years. Please! Perfect love casteth out fear. They were innocent of neglect and should not have been judged on the basis of an inadequate knowledge of the facts. . This is shaping the attitudes of many young Americans who are taking their places as the teachers of our children and the shapers of public attitudes through the media and popular entertainment. Whenever possible we should refrain from judging people until we have an adequate knowledge of the facts. That is why we make covenants. I have chosen to speak about truth because teachers in schools, colleges, and universities are teaching and practicing relative morality. Shocking reports of large-scale thievery and lying in civilized societies in the last two months suggest a moral vacuum in which many have little sense of right and wrong. I begin with our personal conduct, including the teaching of our children. And in those intermediate judgments we are responsible to make, may we judge righteously and with love. . We also know that evil exists and that some things are simply, seriously, and everlastingly wrong. . Elder Dallin H. Oaks speaks on Sunday, April 3, 2022, during The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Annual General Conference at the church Conference Center in Salt Lake City. 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. . Boyd K. Packer, Be Not Afraid (address at the Ogden Institute of Religion, 16 November 2008), 5; see also Bruce D. Porter, Defending the Family in a Troubled World,Ensign,June 2011, 1218. While we are powerless to alter the fact of the Second Coming and unable to know its exact time, we can accelerate our own preparation and try to influence the preparation of those around us. May 3: Dallin H. Oaks is ordained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Divine Love in the Father's Plan. Helping the Poor and Distressed. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. . I will, therefore, limit myself to describing four paramount principles that should govern such an effort. It is not a sermon. BYU Speeches Beyond that, we should remember the Saviors teaching that we should avoid contention (see 3 Nephi 11:2930) and that our example and our preaching should be the warning voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in meekness (D&C 38:41). What does it mean to always remember our Savior? President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke during the Saturday morning session of October 2022 general conference. 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. I express them as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, but I believe that most of these ideas are shared by believers generally. Jesus answered: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. President Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was invited to speak at the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit on July 20. They all come through the mercy and grace of the Holy One of Israel, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23). . For them, almost anything goes. President Thomas S. Monson has provided an excellent example of the practice of these twin virtues. Thus, our Saviors teachings contain many commandments we cannot keep without making intermediate judgments of people: Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6); Beware of false prophets. , 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. A final ingredient or principle of a righteous judgment is that it will apply righteous standards. I close with this assurance and this testimony: The Bible teaches that one of the functions of a prophet is to be a watchman to warn Israel (see Ezekiel 3:17; 33:7). In the process of what we call the Apostasy, the tangible, personal God described in the Old and New Testaments was replaced by the abstract, incomprehensible deity defined by compromise with the speculative principles of Greek philosophy. Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution - The Church of Jesus President Oaks and his late wife, Sister June Dixon Oaks, are the parents of six children. The worlds way is to judge competitively between winners and losers. We are taught many small and simple things in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 3 Apr 2016 Opposition in All Things General . Whether or how we might seek to obtain laws that would compel or influence behavior that we deem desirable because of our belief in God and His commandments is too large a subject for adequate treatment in the concluding few minutes of my talk. The parents have insisted that he not smoke in their home or in front of his younger siblings. A talk a day: How to prepare for April 2023 general conference The best known of these is Judge not, that ye be not judged (3 Nephi 14:1, Matthew 7:1). And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged. Purchase a 60+ page workbook which will help you read, study, and record insights from each General Conference talk from October 2022 while using the 8 learning styles. . Letter to Dallin H. Oaks, 22 December 1987. . Throughout his life he has been exemplary in reaching out and working with the members and leaders of other faiths in cooperative efforts on matters of common interest and in the Christian fellowship and concern that have no denominational boundaries.16. Russell M. Nelson Dallin H. Oaks Henry B. Eyring Also implicated due to his historic position as Presiding Bishop is Gary E. Stevenson. It will refrain from declaring that a person has forfeited all opportunity for exaltation or even all opportunity for a useful role in the work of the Lord. . In most cases this decision can depend on how directly we are personally affected by it. He is a native of Provo, Utah (born in 1932). You do your thing, and Ill do my thing is the popular description. In this way diversity increases the potential for conflict and requires us to be more thoughtful about the nature of tolerance. The woman taken in adultery was granted time to repent, time that would have been denied by those who wanted to stone her. Dallin H. Oaks: Kindness Is Powerful - Latter-day Saint Women Stand . cannot be judged as dress-goodsby a yard or so of sample unrolled from a bolt on the counter. His creations witness His existence, and His servants hear and proclaim His voice. We must stand up for truth, even while we practice tolerance and respect for beliefs and ideas different from our own and for the people who hold them. October 2022. I turn now to the obligations of truth and tolerance in our personal relations with associates who use profanity in our presence, who live with a partner out of wedlock, or who do not observe the Sabbath day appropriately. What we get from a bookespecially a sacred textis mostly dependent on what we take to its readingin desire and readiness to learn, and in attunement to the light communicated by the Spirit of the Lord. 35 (25 July 2011): 2021; csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0719/Is-US-a-nation-of-liars-Casey-Anthony-isn-t-the-only-one. We have a right to our preferences, our likes and dislikes, our impressions, our opinions, but we should withhold final judgmentas an honest unprejudiced juryman keeps his verdict in suspense until he has heard and tested all of the evidence. . Lord, I would follow thee. You will need to understand how our efforts in the public square are informed by the balance between truth and tolerance. How Did Freemasons Influence the Temple Ceremony? The love of God does not supersede His laws and His commandments, and the effect of Gods laws and commandments does not diminish the purpose and effect of His love. . In revelation the Lord added this parable for modern Zion: Set . One judges a painting by the full view of the whole canvas; separate isolated square inches of colour are meaningless. The Law of Reproduction: (#13) The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by Top 50 Quotes From The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Top 23 Best Quotes from Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. The Savior also commanded individuals to be judges, both of circumstances and of other people. Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal on Finding Christ Through Suffering, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution, Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Loving Others and Living with Differences, Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church. Opposition permits us to grow toward what our Heavenly Father would have us become. If there are more that I have missed, please let me know and I will add them to the list. Our Savior applied this principle. In contrast to forbidding mortals to make final judgments, the scriptures require mortals to make what I will call intermediate judgments. These judgments are essential to the exercise of personal moral agency. What Have Scholars Learned about the Book of Mormon? If given in the right way and for the right reasons, that service will reward us beyond anything we have given. . . Search for biographies: Dallin H. Oaks Surely Latter-day Saints do need to be more wise and skillful in explaining and pursuing our views and in exercising our influence when we have it. President Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was invited to speak at the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit on July 20. Yet we dare to judge our fellow man by single acts and words, misleading glimpses, and deceptive moments of special strain. 13. Misery is the ultimate state of disharmony with God and his laws. Commandments mark the path and show us the way to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. 00:30:09 - We discuss talks given by Elders Rasband and McConkie. This wise author also treats the importance of forgiveness. What is tolerance, when does it apply, and when does it not apply? From these we magnify a mood into a character and an episode into a life. This is essential whenever we attempt to act upon different standards than those of others with whom we must associateat home, at work, or in the community. In the intermediate judgments we must make, we should take care to judge righteously. He has an eye trained for the imperfections, the weaknesses. President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, opened Conference by answering the question, "What does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members give . All efforts begin with desire. What are we thinking of to let you do all this work alone? For the goal of all human relationswhether they are religious, social, political, or economicought to be cooperation and mutual respect.9. I believe the United States Constitution contains at least five divinely inspired principles. Tolerance requires a similar refraining in our judgment of others. November 04, 2022. The scripture is familiar. He is a native of Provo, Utah (born . June: Carol Lynn Pearson's estranged gay husband returns to live with her and their children after being diagnosed with AIDS, and she cares for him until his death. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not attempt to isolate its members from alternate voices. 7. President Oaks said religious liberty faces serious challenges around the world, such as secularism, authoritarianism, political correctness and deteriorating attitudes toward religion. By falling short of righteous standards, we place ourselves in jeopardy of being judged by incorrect or unrighteous standards ourselves. As John Adams declared: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. He was set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostlesin April 7,1984. I may need to do something. That wise answer illustrates my point about stewardship in judging. I leave all that to the Lord. 15. The Relief Society has great significance for every member of the Church. October 2022 General Conference Recap - Saturday Morning Session Show Timeline. I kept glaring at them, hoping that they would take the hint, but they didnt seem to notice. We give thanks for commandments. I am a survivor of childhood physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. As one who knows, I invite you to believe on my words. The Church News is an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 272. . Once an accepted part of American life, religion is now suspect in the minds of many. We all make judgments in choosing our friends, in choosing how we will spend our time and our money, and, of course, in choosing an eternal companion. As believers, we must always speak with love and show patience, understanding, and compassion toward our adversaries. 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). Elder Uchtdorf introduces the revised For the Strength of Youth pamphlet while bearing powerful testimony of Jesu. In this troubled circumstance, we who believe in God and the corollary truth of absolute right and wrong have the challenge of living in a godless and increasingly amoral world. We frequently update our Latter-day Saint history content related to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, the Book of Mormon, and Come Follow Me 2023. . In one of the monthly General Authority fast and testimony meetings, I heard President James E. Faust say, The older I get, the less judgmental I become. That wise observation gives us a standard to live by in the matter of judgments. As was wisely taught in a BYU devotional, The Lord does not grade on a curve. He will judge us in terms of qualities, not quotas (in Janet G. Lee, The Lord Doesnt Grade on a Curve,BYU 199495 Devotional and Fireside Speeches[Provo: Brigham Young University, 1995], pp. First of all, a righteous judgment must, by definition, be intermediate. This Christmas, as with every Christmas, we focus on loving one another just as our Savior loved us. The question posed by the second commandment is What is our ultimate priority?. [JD19:78]. as the daylight is from the dark night. First is the principle that the source of government power is the people. 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. She said she received about 10 phone calls from outraged Latter-day Saints who would not accept her admission of error and sincere apology and berated her with abusive language. Content licensed under CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise noted. I will say no more about the tolerance or intolerance of nonbelievers. . Why, oh, why couldnt the Lord have said, Youre absolutely right, Martha.