Charles Didier

Presidency of the Seventy (15 August 1992 – 15 August 1995, 15 August 2001 – 15 August 2007)

First Quorum of the Seventy (3 October 1975 – 3 October 2009)

General Conference Addresses

• October 2005 General Conference
  • Man’s Search for Divine Truth
    • “To hear is relatively simple. To heed and apply what is heard becomes life’s perpetual challenge.”
    • “In summary, the Lord has a pattern of sharing divine truth with prophets to guide and bless us through the challenges and evils of life: hear and heed. Our personal spiritual foundation needs to be built upon this pattern if we want to enjoy the blessings of the Lord. So it is not enough to search the scriptures to know the mind of the Lord. It must be followed by an act of faith, accepting to do the will of the Lord by obeying His commandments, before we can enjoy the blessings of the Lord. A personal spiritual confirmation of this process by asking and believing that we will receive becomes, then, the prayer of our lifetime.”
    • “Why would we need to grow a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God as found in the Book of Mormon? Today there is much confusion in the Christian world about the doctrine of Christ—not only about His divine nature but even about His Atonement and Resurrection, His gospel, and especially the commandments related to it. The result is a belief in a self-made-man Christ, a popular Christ, and a silent, crucified Christ. Wrong religious beliefs lead to wrong religious behaviors.”
• October 2003 General Conference
  • The Message of the Restoration
    • “First, by declaring that God our Father lives, loves us, and that He is a God of revelation. How is that known? By revelation and the witness of prophets.”
    • “But again persecution, denial of divine identity, and rejection of Christ’s gospel and His authorized priesthood servants characterized the post-Resurrection era. And religious history shows us evidence of how rapidly the priesthood authority was superseded by the secular authority; how the divine doctrine was traded for shifting, distorted human philosophies; how the ordinances of salvation were altered or purchased for money; how revelation was replaced by a veil of obscurity leading into the ages of spiritual darkness.”
• October 2001 General Conference
  • Building a Bridge of Faith
    • “Our mortal life is the time for men to meet God by building a bridge of faith, opening the door into immortality and eternal life.”
    • “The greatest of all the gifts of God is the supreme sacrifice of His Son, His Atonement, that brings not only immortality but also eternal life if we keep His commandments and endure to the end (see D&C 14:7).”
    • “Finally, a bridge of faith would not be complete without the linking of parents and children, uniting them to achieve an eternal family. The purpose of building this bridge of faith between generations is so they become one, as the Father and the Son are one—one in purpose in achieving life eternal.”
    • “In our day, it is so easy to isolate ourselves by erecting temporal, spiritual, and even family or religious walls. Let us instead build more bridges of faith, of reconciliation, and live by the peace that is given “not as the world giveth” (John 14:27), but by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the bridge of faith unto eternity.”
• April 1994 General Conference
  • Remember Your Covenants
    • “The process is the same, of course, with spiritual matters. I remember the gospel and the covenants, and I act or participate. I commit and receive the blessings associated with the covenants or commandments. If I forget my faith and my covenants and do not commit and work for my salvation, I fail to receive the promised blessings.”
    • “As I recall that priesthood preparation in the service of the Lord, I can see how remembering my covenants helped me to honor and magnify my priesthood calling, to keep the commandments, and to bring spiritual happiness into my life in preparation for eternal life. During those trial years, many of my young friends in the Church forgot their covenants and one by one returned to the world. The world always stands between man and God, representing two alternatives but only one true choice.”
    • “The true concept of marriage and family, the unit composed of a husband, wife, and children sealed together, was instituted at the beginning by God to create eternal families. That foundation principle became my vision and my goal and also reality as my companion and I were sealed in the temple in Zollikofen, Switzerland. As a husband and father and later as a grandfather, I was and still am responsible for the development, temporal support, protection, and salvation of my family.”
    • “Today the concept of priesthood and Church authority is on trial by the world and even by some members who think that the Latin expression vox populi, vox Dei can be literally interpreted in the Church as “the voice of the people is the voice of God.” The commercial slogan “Have it your way” certainly does not apply in God’s plan for the salvation of his children when we read that the very cause of apostasy is when “every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god” (D&C 1:16). How do you overcome the temptation to have it your own way, to satisfy your own appetites, and to follow the world’s trends?”
    • “One of my simple answers tonight is to constantly remember your covenants, to act on them, and to commit to them. This sequence, as repeatedly stated in the scriptures, is a classic, spiritual teaching pattern to prepare us for eternal life. It is centered upon Christ and his doctrine and teachings. I will remember them forever.”
• October 1991 General Conference
  • Testimony
    • “If the measure of strength and the stability or true foundation of an individual and his subsequent conduct lies in a testimony and we do not fully recognize its importance, or do not understand what it really means, or cannot or will not bear it or share it with others, and if we cannot teach it or explain it to others, maybe we ought to explore the deep, spiritual meaning of it and the blessing of obtaining, maintaining, and sharing a personal, individual testimony.”
    • “A testimony is not only a witness that Jesus is the Christ, but also a statement or affirmation of the fact that Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son; a conviction that the Book of Mormon has a divine origin and is another testament of Jesus Christ; and a knowledge that the Church of Jesus Christ, with its gospel and holy priesthood, was in truth and fact restored.”
    • “Unfortunately, there are those who gain testimonies and then deny them and lose them. How does this happen? If you follow the steps to obtain a testimony, you do exactly the opposite to deny it or lose it. Do not pray; the door to revelation will be closed. Do not be humble but listen to your own superior voice. Do not participate in the ordinances of the gospel but follow the practices of the world. Do not follow Church leaders but be critical of them. Do not listen to prophets and follow their counsel but interpret their declarations according to your own desires. Do not obey the commandments but live according to your own appetites and desires.”
• April 1976 General Conference
  • The Value of People
    • “One people, one country, has done more for the world than any other nation in history because of the righteous desires of its people. May I today celebrate with you the bicentennial of the creation of this country—a country that has a divinely inspired constitution—and praise the Lord with you for what its inhabitants were, what they are, and what they will be?”
    • “The value of a country rests upon the values of its people.”
• October 1975 General Conference
  • My Gratitude
    • “Thank you to the leaders of the Church, to the managers who have helped me to be a constant practicer of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you also to the prophet of the Lord, President Kimball, whom I love and admire because he’s here to lead us, to guide us in very difficult times.”
    • “I would like to share with you my testimony, that I know that God lives, that I know that Jesus is the Christ, as well as I know that the Holy Ghost can murmur and whisper in your ear the same testimony that I have today about the veracity of the Book of Mormon and all the principles that exist in the church of Jesus Christ on earth today.”

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