The following quotes from Brigham Young can bring compassion and understanding in modern day discussions, helping us unite in solving perpetuating problems that continue to harm Native American communities: “As we have here an assemblage of the people from other settlements, I wish to impress them with the necessity of treating the Indians with kindness, and to refrain from harboring that revengeful, vindictive feeling that many indulge in. I am convinced that as long as we harbor in us such feelings towards them, so long they will be our enemies, and the Lord will suffer them to afflict us. I certainly believe that the present affliction, which has come upon us from the Indians, is a consequence of the wickedness which dwells in the hearts of some of our brethren.…
“Good examples of this are the effects of our Church’s helping hands program. These volunteers in yellow shirts—tens of thousands of them—help cleanup efforts to relieve destruction and suffering from natural disasters and serve in many other humanitarian projects worldwide. In the process, relationships are formed people-to-people that would be impossible by institutional declarations. There is an important lesson in the “helping hands” experience. It is an effort that brings peace to people who are in distress. But it also teaches us the power that comes when individuals put aside their differences and work together to find common ground. When our volunteers bring help, people in distress do not ask for their beliefs. Likewise, the volunteers help everyone, not just fellow believers. Why? Simply because deeper moral needs about safety…
“What I can't recall with any great specificity is the date or time I learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints having placed priesthood and temple restrictions for people of Black African descent prior to 1978. …Now, I don't believe anyone was intentionally trying to keep information from me or deceive me in any way. I think it's an uncomfortable part of the Church's history,… …in an attempt to minimize pain and hurt, we forget to learn how to sit in the discomfort caused by the priesthood and temple restriction, demonstrating our understanding that no man-made explanation can alleviate the pain of it and have it emerge as tidy. This would be another place to start; a helpful step is to learn to simply acknowledge the hurt,…
“…we are children of a loving Heavenly Father. …“He wants you to be like Him! He gave you a body, abilities, and spiritual gifts. He wants you and all of His children to discover and develop these gifts. He gave us a plan to help us be happy and bless others.” Having this knowledge makes us stronger. This knowledge also makes us kinder to others, knowing that everyone around us is our brother or sister.”
“Many of us have experienced such moments when a conversation or discussion with a spouse, a child, a family member, a friend, a colleague, or a neighbor did not end as we hoped. In such moments, what may have begun as a simple exchange may leave us with feelings of anger, disappointment, frustration, or even regret. Whilst I was pondering about what to do, the words Jesus Christ spoke when He appeared to the people of Nephi in the Book of Mormon came to mind. He taught: “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with…
“No matter what citizenship or race, whether male or female, no matter what occupation, no matter your education, regardless of the generation in which one lives, life is a homeward journey for all of us, back to the presence of God. Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into His presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality. Once we have received them for ourselves and for our families, we are obligated to provide these ordinances vicariously for our kindred dead, indeed for the whole human family.”
“Baptism is the gate through which we enter this “strait and narrow path.” We must enter that gate one by one. Baptism is an individual ordinance. However, it is also a unifying one. It joins us to a worldwide community of Saints. Through baptism, we become not only covenant individuals but also part of a covenant people. When we are baptized, we declare before God and witnesses that we “are desirous to come into the fold of God.” We show that we do not want to live only for ourselves. We desire to be part of a people who “bear one another’s burdens,” “mourn with those that mourn,” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort.” In other words, when we join the Church of Jesus Christ, we say—humbly,…
“The Book of Mormon adds to our knowledge of how our Savior’s earthly ministry reached out to all of His scattered flock. It records His appearance and teachings to the Nephites on the American continent. There He repeated that the Father had commanded Him to visit the other sheep which were not of the land of Jerusalem. The Savior also taught that He would visit others “who [had] not as yet heard [His] voice,” such as the “lost tribes of Israel.” The Book of Mormon is a great witness that the Lord loves all people and reaches out to all, everywhere. “Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I…
“It is a spiritual exercise to identify the language and expressions we need to forgo and then replace them with words and phrases that bring peace wherever we are and at all times. From ancient times, the Lord has counseled His people to avoid contention, dispute, and language that create conflict. In Proverbs we read, “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him.” Among them are “a lying tongue, … a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” During His earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ taught: “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and…
“As a child, I learned that greetings in my culture communicate love, concern, respect, and belonging. My daughter recently reminded me of the significance of the southern African greeting sawubona, which means, “I see you.” This greeting is much more than a simple “hello.” It is an acknowledgment of another person’s worth and humanity. It communicates, “I recognize you. I respect you. You matter.” The Savior Jesus Christ perfectly exemplified this principle. Throughout His ministry, He truly saw the people around Him. He saw the woman at the well, the leper, the blind man, and the child. Where others saw labels, He saw beloved sons and daughters of God. Even of the rich young man who later walked away from Him sorrowing, the scriptures say, “[And] Jesus beholding him loved…
