“When I think about what we can offer our children, I know that there is an earnestness that we have. When we talk about differences, we often talk about being colorblind and this is an idea whose intent is really good. I know that there is such good intent to want to see everyone as the same. But what I would say is that we can elevate our differences that are important parts of the identity of people and cultures around the world. For instance, I am a Black woman who is part of the African diaspora, and those things are part of my identity and I think that those parts of my identity are complementary to others who are not of my culture. There are things that I have…
“The words we use can draw us closer to or distance us from other Christians and friends. …One inspired ward activities chair and committee nurtures individuals and a community of Saints. Their well-planned activities help everybody feel valued, included, and invited to play a needed role. Such activities bridge ages and backgrounds, create lasting memories, and can be carried out with little or no cost. Enjoyable gospel activities also invite neighbors and friends. …Of course, no individual and no family is perfect. We all need help better to speak love here. “Perfect love casteth out fear.” Faith, service, and sacrifice draw us beyond ourselves closer to our Savior. The more compassionate, faithful, and selfless our service and sacrifice are in Him, the more we may begin to fathom Jesus Christ’s atoning…
"As sons and daughters of the covenant, we can help to eliminate this kind of behavior by looking at the apparent differences that exist between us with the Savior’s eyesand based on what we have in common—our divine identity and kinship. Moreover, we can strive to see ourselves reflected in the dreams, hopes, sorrows, and pains of our neighbor. …United in purpose, we see one another with new eyes, and in our oneness, we celebrate our differences as divine children of God. …My dear brothers and sisters, may we align our hearts and minds with the knowledge and testimony that we are all equal before God, that we are all fully endowed with the same eternal potential and inheritance. May we enjoy more the spiritual kinship that exists between us…
Elder Boyd K. Packer said in 1987 concerning our entry into third-world nations, “We can’t move there with all the baggage we produce and carry here! We can’t move with a 1947 Utah Church!”
“My dear brothers and sisters, aloha! In February, I rejoiced with you when the number of members outside the United States edged ever so slightly past the number of members inside the United States. That slight shift is an important symbol of the international nature of the Church. I thought of Paul’s statement to the Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). …Brothers and sisters, today I want to talk about the beautiful oneness that we share in the gospel. I just returned from the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji three weeks ago… Earlier assignments have taken me to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Samoa, Korea, and Japan.…
“With our all-inclusive doctrine, we can be an oasis of unity, and celebrate diversity. Unity and diversity are not opposites. We can achieve greater unity as we foster an atmosphere of inclusion and respect for diversity.”
“Think of the protection provided by the skin. Could you make, or even conjure in your mind how to create a cloak that would protect you and yet, at the same time, perceive and warn against injuries that excessive heat or cold might cause? That is what the skin does. It even gives signals indicating when another part of the body is ailing. The skin can flush and sweat with fever. When one is frightened or ill, the skin pales. When one is embarrassed, the skin blushes. And it is replete with nerve fibers that communicate and often limit possible harm through perception of pain...The concept of self-renewal is remarkable. Each cell in the body is created and then regenerated from elements of the earth according to the recipe or…
“To counter racism and the pride and greed that are associated with it, the King of Kings invites each of us in love and magnanimity to “come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.” The Savior invites all of us to share in His abundant gifts of love and redemption, in which racial and economic status are inconsequential, in which each of us can partake of His nourishing word, and in which we are inherently equal. Jesus Christ taught us that we too should be loving and generous. Yet the adversary attempts to distort the great commandment through pernicious forms of racism. He attempts to convince us that if we want a world in which race is no longer a…
