“Think about the people the Saviour ministered to—the people He taught, healed, raised, forgave, and restored. Was He selecting them from a particular economic class or background? Was He distinguishing between the righteous and the sinful? Was He singling people out because they were more deserving or more loved? No.”
Apply the following quote from Elder Barcellos to anti-racism: “The Savior taught that “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts” and that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” The quality of our thoughts and words is a good indicator of the purity of our hearts. Am I fostering too many negative thoughts about others’ actions or motives, or even about myself? Am I too quick to judge and condemn others? Do I seek to find excuses or justification for my mistakes? And what about my words? Do they lift and inspire those around me? Or do they often create conflict and resentment? …as you perform this spiritual assessment of your heart and notice some negative symptoms starting to creep in, please don’t panic! …He has even…
“Although the pressures felt by today’s rising generation differ from those of the young person in Galilee—polarization, secularization, retaliation, road rage, outrage, and social media pile-ons—both generations face cultures of conflict and tension. …Here they receive the same enduring invitations from the Lord: to let their light shine before others, to seek righteousness even when persecuted, and to love their enemies. They also receive encouraging words from living prophets of the Restoration: “Peacemakers needed.” Disagree without being disagreeable. Replace contention and pride with forgiveness and love. Build bridges of cooperation and understanding, not walls of prejudice or segregation. And the same promise: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” …The gospel of Jesus Christ nurtures and knits these divine traits, including peacemaking, into our…
A Note from Meetinghouse Mosaic on the Following Document: We recognize that this is not a perfect document and people may have a variety of feelings toward what information is included (or left out). We acknowledge the hard parts and hold space for those feelings. We also want to celebrate the bold and direct statements that were made. We see this document as a great step forward and wait with anticipation for more reconciliation, repair, and improvement in regards to race and the church. “Race is a concept that categorizes people based on the color of their skin or other physical features. Unfortunately, race is often used to justify mistreatment or to suggest that one group is better than another. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that…
“OUR LOVE FOR GOD AND HIS CHILDREN IS A POWERFUL TESTIMONY TO THE WORLD THAT THIS IS TRULY THE SAVIOR’S CHURCH Many years ago Sister Uchtdorf and I were traveling through southern Germany. It was just before Easter, and we invited a good friend, who was not a member of the Church, to join us in our Sunday worship service. …Afterward, as we drove home, I turned to talk to our friend. I wanted to explain that this was just one small branch and it didn’t really represent the Church as a whole. But before I could say a word, she spoke up.“That was beautiful,” she said. I was speechless. She continued, “I’m so impressed with how people treat each other in your church. They all seem to come from…
“In April 1834 in Kirtland, Ohio, the Prophet Joseph Smith gathered all who held the priesthood into a little schoolhouse about 14 feet (4.3 m) square. We could fit dozens of those schoolhouses in this Conference Center, with room to spare. Joseph Smith said, “It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America—it will fill the world.” That prophecy is being fulfilled “right before our eyes.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is growing in members and families, missions and missionaries, meetinghouses and temples, and in enrollment in our seminaries, institutes, and universities all around the world. We are grateful to be on earth when the Church is increasing in numbers and influence, but more importantly…
“All individuals are children of God and part of His divine family. As His children, we all have divine potential and are precious in His eyes. The scriptures teach that God “hath made of one blood all nations of men,” and “all are alike” unto Him. He does not love one race or culture more than any other. The gospel of Jesus Christ is for all of God’s children. The Book of Mormon teaches that the Lord invites “all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female.” Our standing with God depends on our devotion to Him and His commandments, not on the color of our skin, our ethnicity, or other attributes. Because we are children of God, we are all brothers and sisters. God has commanded us to…
Apply the following quote to the covenant we make to become anti-racist or to love our neighbors around the world: “The Lord’s method of teaching is “line upon line, precept upon precept.” We may be required to “wait upon the Lord” in the space between our current line of understanding and the next yet to be delivered. This sacred space can be a place where our greatest spiritual conditioning can occur—the site where we can “bear with patience” our earnest seeking and renew our strength to continue to keep the sacred promises we have made to God through covenant. Our covenant relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ signals our prevailing citizenship in God’s kingdom. And our residency therein requires aligning our life to divine principles and putting in the effort to grow…
The following quote can be applied to mistakes made in our anti-racism journey: “Our Heavenly Father understands our mortal journey and the inevitability of sin in our lives. I am deeply thankful that He has provided a Savior to atone for our transgressions. Through the Savior’s redemptive sacrifice, each of us can repent and seek forgiveness and become clean. Repentance, a foundational principle of the gospel, is essential for our spiritual development and resilience as we navigate life’s challenges. During the April 2022 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson invited every member of the Church to experience the joy of daily repentance. He said: “Please do not fear or delay repenting. Satan delights in your misery. Cut it short. Cast his influence out of your life! Start today to experience the…
“I have come to know that there is a clear, simple, and divine example we can look to for unity, love, and belonging. That example is Jesus Christ. I testify that He is the great unifier. …He drew upon the gifts and individual attributes of a diverse group of followers to call His Apostles. …Their belief in the Savior and desire to draw unto Him united them. …In May of 2020, just as the world was grappling with the spread of a global pandemic, members of the New York City Commission of Religious Leaders met virtually in an abruptly called meeting. There was no agenda. No special guests. Just a request to come together and discuss the challenges we were all facing as faith leaders. …Our small group—which included a…
