dallin h oaks conference talks
[Catherine Corman Parry, Simon, I Have Somewhat to Say unto Thee: Judgment and Condemnation in the Parables of Jesus,Brigham Young University 199091 Devotional and Fireside Speeches[Provo: BYU, 1991], p. 116]. 218 University Press Building Another such circumstance was described in anEnsignarticle by BYU professor Arthur R. Bassett: I was troubled when one person whispered to another all through the opening prayer. , I do not need to condemn or judge my abusers nor be part of the punishment. Elder Dallin H. Oaks Opposition in All Things. My young brothers and sisters, we know that the existence of God and the existence of absolute truth are fundamental to life on this earth, whether they are believed or not. Wherefore, take heed . N. T. Wright on the New Testament in Its World, Ann Madsen Reflects on Isaiah, Jehovah, and the Temple. A testimony of the gospel is not a travelogue, a health log, or an expression of love for family members. We know from these inspired words that even the most extreme acts of servicesuch as giving all of our goods to feed the poorprofit us nothing unless our service is motivated by the pure love of Christ. The fundamental scripture on the whole subject of not judging contains this warning: For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again (Matthew 7:2; see also 3 Nephi 14:2). . Cohabitation we know to be a serious sin in which Latter-day Saints must not engage, whatever the circumstances. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming. 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. . April 2022. Like a sword, sharp and powerful, it uncovers what is hidden, divides truth from error, and goes to the heart of religious belief. President Oaks asks BYU: How are we measuring up to President Kimballs 1975 call to be unique, special? [John 13:3435]. In the balance between truth and tolerance, tolerance can be dominant where the behavior does not involve us personally. When we speak every man truth with his neighbour (Ephesians 4:25), and when we [speak] the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) as the Apostle Paul taught, we are acting as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, doing His work. Subscribe To Our Newsletter. 272. Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ. Top 11 Best Quotes From The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, by GamblingMorally Wrong and Politically Unwise (, Education Week devotional (unavailable) June 8, 2001. I have been puzzled that some scriptures command us not to judge and others instruct us that we should judge and even tell us how to do it. 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. Modern revelation shows that our first parents understood the necessity of the Fall. Second Annual Sacramento Court/Clergy Conference. 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. This philosophy of moral relativism denies what millions of believing Christians, Jews, and Muslims consider fundamental, and this denial creates serious problems for all of us. You know what is right and what is wrong, and no disguise, however appealing, can change that. 46:19. The Savior taught, Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven (Luke 6:37). Recently, the Church of Jesus Christ reported for the first time the extent of its humanitarian work worldwide; 2021 expenditures for those in need in 188 countries totaled $906 million, with members also volunteering over 6 million hours of labor. I no longer view myself as a victim. We should not presume to exercise and act upon judgments that are outside our personal responsibilities. Beware of the wordtolerance. The STANDS4 Network . Why, oh, why couldnt the Lord have said, Youre absolutely right, Martha. . There is a doctrine underlying the subject of gospel judging. Elder Dieter F. Ucthdorf back in 2017 said, The Lord did not go into the kitchen and tell Martha to stop cooking and come listen. . Perfect love is charity. Even He refrained from a final mortal judgment of the woman taken in adultery. judge; for judgment is mine, saith the Lord (Mormon 8:20). There are important restraints upon our intermediate judgments, but the presumption of innocence is not one of them. How should we react toward and communicate with them? He also said religious freedom is the DNA of The Church of Jesus Christ. . As the Book of Mormon teaches: All things which are good cometh of God. The weaker ones belief in God and the fewer ones moral absolutes, the fewer the occasions when the ideas or practices of others will confront one with the challenge to be tolerant. You do your thing, and Ill do my thing is the popular description. On the foundation belief in right and wrong, there is an alarming contrast between the older and the younger generations. Amen. 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. Because of a short-term memory loss, this elderly sister innocently answered no. In the quiet heart is hidden Those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood open the door for all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels. He was set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in April 7, 1984. And as your life is in harmony, you gradually receive the Holy Ghost in a great measure (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. When we do thisand there is great temptation to do sowe hurt ourselves and the person we pretend to judge. The article begins with heart-wrenching words and with true statements of eternal principles. Home. This Christmas, as with every Christmas, we focus on loving one another just as our Savior loved us. That's definitely what we want. Because He loves us, He challenges us to focus on Him instead of the things of this mortal world. Introductory Message. April 2022. First: Truth. I am a survivor of childhood physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. BYU Studies sponsors FromtheDesk.org as part of its mission to publish scholarship informed by the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to beinthe world, but notofthe world. Come, Follow Me 2023: New Testament Resources. All rights reserved. We have not sufficient wisdom, our minds are not filled with the knowledge and power of God. As I have observed the judgments of presidents of the Church in matters of Church discipline, I have marveled at the care they have exercised to assure that justice is balanced with mercy, with loving concern for the consequences to innocent family membersborn and unbornas well as to the transgressors themselves. The ripples in my pond will spread through future generations. We call this quality of life spirituality. President Oaks address can be read on the Church Newsroom website. King Benjamin taught: Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just. Our duty to truth requires us to seek relief from some behavior that is wrong. by Giuseppe Martinengo | Sep 11, 2019 | All Talks | 0 comments. : but judge righteous judgment (JST, Matthew 7:12; see also John 7:24, Alma 41:14). 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. A fourth principle of a righteous intermediate judgment of a person is that we should, if possible, refrain from judging until we have adequate knowledge of the facts. The doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone. When I was a young adult, about sixty years ago, it was only in books and magazines that most Americans were exposed to great differences in cultures, values, and peoples. . But our obligation to truth has its own set of requirements and its own set of blessings. Because of Gods plan and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be cleansed by the process of repentance. I used the principle of forgiveness to strengthen me.[Journey to Healing, p. 22]. Elder Oaks is a graduate of Brigham Young University (1954) and of The University of Chicago Law School (1957). Today were diving into Helping the Poor and Distressed by Dallin H. Oaks.In case you want to follow along, here are the quotes were discussing today:Quote #1: Despite all that our Church does directly, most humanitarian service to the children of God worldwide is carried out by persons and organizations having no formal connection with our Church. What Was Brigham Youngs Swift Pony Express? We see this in the account of the woman taken in adultery. I just reread it and appreciate the good counsel he gave. . This is an analysis of a general conference talk given by Elder Oaks titled Opposition in All Things, where he warned against taking opposition against the church. In this teaching Brigham Young was, typically, merely elaborating on a teaching of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who said: While one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard. The worlds way is to judge competitively between winners and losers. I am loyal to the chosen servants of the Lord, whom I sustain with all my heart. He spoke of helping the poor and distressed not just what the Church is doing but what is being done worldwide. 3740]. We should be strong in keeping the commandments and our covenants, and we should repent and improve when we fall short. Some say, I didnt learn anything today or No one was friendly to me or I was offended. Personal disappointments should never keep us from the doctrine of Christ, who taught us to serve, not to be served. Did the Kinderhook Plates Really Fool Joseph Smith? It is important to remember that the illumination and revelation that come to an individual as a result of the gift of the Holy Ghost do not come suddenly or without seeking. Thomas S. Monson, inCR,April 2008, 66; or Examples of Righteousness,Ensign,May 2008, 65; emphasis in original. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives. The Book of Mormon teaches: For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain . Marthas self-importance, expressed through her judgment of her sister, occasioned the Lords rebuke, not her busyness with the meal. We frequently update our Latter-day Saint history content related to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, the Book of Mormon, and Come Follow Me 2023. Apostles have the calling and ordination to be special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world (see D&C 107:23), but the duty to witness and testify of Christ at all times and in all places applies to every member of the Church who has received the testimony of the Holy Ghost. 00:30:09 - We discuss talks given by Elders Rasband and McConkie. Sometimes urgent circumstances require us to make preliminary judgments before we can get all of the facts we desire for our decision making. 3 Apr 2016 Opposition in All Things General . An apostle's responsibility is to be a special witness of Jesus Christ . The Savior gave this same teaching on another occasion, when he said to the Pharisees, And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world (John 12:47). Standing in the midst of a multitude, he stretched forth his hand and said: Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. I testify of the power and blessings of the priesthood of God, available for His sons and daughters alike. He and his late wife, June Dixon Oaks, are the parents of six children. I believe the United States Constitution contains at least five divinely inspired principles. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. November 12, 2021 at University of Virginia. And in those intermediate judgments we are responsible to make, may we judge righteously and with love. The guilty parties were not hard to spot because they continued whispering all through the class. In the intermediate judgments we must make, we should take care to judge righteously. Similar reasoning forbids our presuming to make final judgments on the outcome of any persons lifelong mortal contest. [Lord, I Would Follow Thee,Hymns,1985, no. His creations witness His existence, and His servants hear and proclaim His voice. Alwi Shihab, Building Bridges to Harmony Through Understanding, BYU forum address, 10 October 2006); http://speeches-dev.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=11324. Let us consider some principles or ingredients that lead to a righteous judgment.. . Isalute you for your righteous actions and your righteous desires. President Thomas S. Monson has provided an excellent example of the practice of these twin virtues. to judge the world; if it were, we would ruin everything. Tolerance, or respect, is on one side of the coin, but truth is always on the other. My treatment of truth and tolerance will invite you to consider and to teach these twin subjects because they are vital to the rising generation, in which you are the senior members. Clothed in a white robe, he descended out of heaven. President Dallin H. Oaks speaks at the 192nd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 1-2, 2022.President Oaks teaches that God inspires many organizations and individuals to help those in need and that the Church is committed to work with others in that effort.The Church of Jesus Christ is committed to serving those in need, and it is also committed to cooperating with others in that effort.https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/18oaks [Moroni 7:18]. In the words of President Joseph F. Smith: We believe in all truth, no matter to what subject it may refer. 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. What does tolerance mean to us and to other believers, and what are our special challenges in applying it? Spiritual food is necessary for spiritual survival. As President Thomas S. Monson taught us in the conference where he was sustained as our prophet: My young friends, be strong. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33). On Aug. 25, 2000, he married Sister. From time to time some diligent defenders deny this reality, such as the writer of a letter to the editor who insisted that certain publicly reported conduct should be ignored because in this country you are innocent until you are proven guilty. The presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law is a vital rule to guide the conduct of a criminal trial, but it is not a valid restraint on personal decisions. . October 2022 conference featured 35 messages over the five sessions. Some say that attending church meetings is not helping them. [Teachings,p. 218]. 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 . [Luke 10:4042]. May God bless us that we may have that love and that we may show it in refraining from making final judgments of our fellowman. The following is a summary of what he said. These subjects were not chosen because they are uniquely your concern as young adults, like the dating, hanging out, and marriage I described to this audience some years ago. [Moroni 7:1214]. The scriptures give a specific caution against judging where we cannot know all the facts. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of love. October 2022. Talks by Dallin H. Oaks. . As John Adams declared: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. Since mortals cannot suppose that they will be acting as final judges at that future, sacred time, why did the Savior command that we not judge final judgments? For the goal of all human relationswhether they are religious, social, political, or economicought to be cooperation and mutual respect.9. If we apply unrighteous standards, our judgment will be unrighteous. We can set and act upon high standards for ourselves or our homes without condemning those who do otherwise. What Have Scholars Learned about the Book of Mormon? That is a wise judgment of a situation, not a person. Sorrow that the eye cant see. President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke during the Saturday morning session of October 2022 general conference. In all our judgments we should apply righteous standards. And we must all oppose violence and thievery. I begin with our personal conduct, including the teaching of our children. In another essay, William George Jordan wrote: There is but one quality necessary for the perfect understanding of character, one quality that, if[a]man have it, he maydare to judgethat is, omniscience. . I left last weekend's LDS General Conference inspired and uplifted. We should refrain from anything that seems to be a final judgment of any personmanifesting our determination to leave final judgments to the Lord, who alone has the capacity to judge. That is athirdabsolute truth: We do not abandon the truth and our covenants. . . Whats Really in the Journal of Discourses? From these we magnify a mood into a character and an episode into a life. . President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, waves while holding his wife Sister Kristen Oaks' hand inside the Conference Center during the Saturday evening session of the 192nd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. Content licensed under CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise noted. With the love and mutual respect taught by divine commandments, President Oaks said. The Church News is an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Law of E. F. Hutton (#5). Dallin H. Oaks opened the Sunday afternoon session of the April 3, 2022 general conference by giving a talk titled "Divine Love in the Father's Plan." This is the topic for the rest of the week. In May 2013, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty awarded him the Canterbury Medal for courage in the defense of religious liberty (from the website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Your email address will not be published. This is a harder question for those who affirm the existence of God and absolute truth than for those who believe in moral relativism. 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). . 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. President Spencer W. Kimball taught that the Holy Ghost comes a little at a time as you merit it. 2022. Many of our challenges are different from those faced by former pioneers but perhaps just as dangerous and surely as significant to our own salvation and the salvation of those who follow us. What do you do?. Provo, Utah 84602, Simon, I Have Somewhat to Say unto Thee: Judgment and Condemnation in the Parables of Jesus. In this context the wordcondemnapparently refers to the final judgment (see John 3:17). The Church of Jesus Christ is committed to serving those in need, and it is also committed to cooperating with others in that effort. 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. . The law of tithing is not a remote Old Testament practice, but a commandment directly from the Savior to the people of our day. Like many scriptures, this commandment has multiple meanings. That is why we make covenants. The best known of these is "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (3 Nephi 14:1, Matthew 7:1). But in such instances we can politely disagree without being disagreeable. What does it mean to always remember our Savior? See, for example,John Paul II: The Encyclicals in Everyday Language,3rd ed., ed. 10. Second,when believers seek to promote their positions in the public square, their methods and their advocacy should always be tolerant of the opinions and positions of others who do not share their beliefs. Opposition permits us to grow toward what our Heavenly Father would have us become. . Please now consider the following sections of the Church Handbook of Instructions. 320.). The opposite of joy is misery. Trust Him." As our confidence in God goes up, our fear goes down. He practiced law and taught law in Chicago. I love the words in Susan Evans McClouds familiar hymn: Who am I to judge another It is forever associated with the Twin Towers. For them, almost anything goes. President Oaks talks cover topics like desire, repentance, and trust in the Lord. . What future event or events could this covenant contemplate? Profanity consistently used in our presence is an appropriate cause for us to communicate the fact that this is offensive to us. A final ingredient or principle of a righteous judgment is that it will apply righteous standards. The theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints centers on the family. . He will be just. What Have Scholars Learned about Joseph Smith? A recentEnsignarticle by an anonymous victim of childhood sexual abuse illustrates the contrast between judging situations and judging persons.
Crossleys Nightclub Halifax,
How To Cancel Formulate,
Cheap Houses For Rent In Walker County, Ga,
Articles D
