George Teasdale

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (October 18, 1882 – June 9, 1907)

General Conference Addresses

• April 1907 General Conference
  • Knowledge of God
    • “I notice that the Latter-day Saints who love the principles of eternal life, are cheerful, happy, and satisfied; they have a living testimony. I notice, on the other hand, that people who do not have that testimony, who do not have the fellowship of the Spirit of God, are dissatisfied and contentious.”
• October 1906 General Conference
  • Integrity and Heroism
    • “The Lord has blessed me, arid filled my soul with unspeakable joy. He has blessed me in the opportunities that I have of being associated with the highest order of intelligences that dwell upon His footstool, men who are devoted to the establishment of His Kingdom on the earth.”
• October 1903 General Conference
  • Promises to the Faithful
    • “Of course, in the service of God we have something to do. We who have been warned, and have a living testimony, the Lord requires us to be faithful in bearing that testimony.”
    • “You cannot be a Saint without the fellowship of the Spirit of God; and you should train your children that they also may know the benefit of having its fellowship.”
• October 1902 General Conference
  • A Promise Fulfilled
    • “I understand that, to live our religion is to love the Lord our God with all our might, mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, and speak of all the best we can. I understand that to live my religion is to mind my own business, attend to my own affairs, work out my own salvation, and magnify my calling. I understand that to live my religion is to trust in the Lord and do good; to seek earnestly for the blessing of the Almighty, and to be filled with gratitude to Him that I have the privilege of being a member of His Church, that I have a living testimony, that I have become sanctified through the precious blood of Christ, and that I have the fellowship of the Holy Ghost.”
• April 1902 General Conference
  • God’s Message to the World
    • “Please tell me where is the justification for calling the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ in this dispensation “Mormons,” and the doctrine taught by the Latter-day Saints “Mormonism.” I have never heard a justifiable reason why it should be so. It is done, under the influence of anti-Christ, for the purpose of impressing upon people that this is not the Church of Christ. Those who embrace the Gospel are called Saints, because they are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and in His doctrine.”
• October 1901 General Conference
  • Restoration of the Gospel
    • “There are two influences in the world, and we receive our impressions from them. The people generally are under the influence and dominion of the adversary, the prince and power of the air; for if they had the spirit of truth they would know most assuredly that these principles are the only means of salvation, because they were taught by the Father and by the Son.”
    • “When we have been smitten and driven, we have not retaliated; but we have prayed for our enemies, and have taken the Gospel to them, simply because we have learned to love God and our neighbor, according to His commandment.”
    • “So far as I understand salvation, it is to be in harmony with the eternal principles of the everlasting Gospel, to endeavor to be kind to ourselves, and to make our calling and election sure, regardless of what others do.”
    • “In the restoration of the Priesthood, it has become possible for all mankind to obtain eternal life. If they reject it, they are very unkind to themselves, because it is the pearl of great price.”
• April 1901 General Conference
  • The World Prefers Falsehood
    • “These are evidences to me that it is the Lord’s work, and no man-made system. It is the “Marvelous work and a wonder” that is being performed by our Father in heaven. All glory to His holy name that we have the privilege of being associated with it! I am thankful beyond expression.”
    • “The Lord has said that those who assist in this work should be full of love, having faith, hope and charity, being temperate in all things, trusting in the Lord, and doing good.”
    • “We have nothing to do with the world, except to preach the Gospel to them. When you desire to pattern after the world and come under their influence and dominion, you are on the wrong side.”
• October 1900 General Conference
  • How to Receive a Testimony
    • “I rejoice exceedingly in these principles. I love my brethren. I love my President, and whenever he utters anything that he wishes me to do, by the grace of God, I hope to be able to do it.”
• April 1900 General Conference
  • Faithfulness and Liberty
    • “We know no fear. Our trust is in the Lord; and the exhortation to us, Learn the will of God and do it, brings forth and establishes within us a character. We are always willing to do the will of God. We came into the Church for that express purpose.”
    • “The Lord does not require a blind obedience, but an intelligent obedience, and the Savior has exhorted us to ask and it shall be given us, to seek and we shall find, to knock and it shall be opened unto us.”
    • “I have no faith in the wisdom of man, nor in doctors of divinity. They have made a mistake from the beginning. The history of the world tells us that mankind always accepted false prophets and slew and rejected those who were sent of God with the glad tidings of great joy.”
    • “Seek the counsel of the Almighty in your individuality, and when the Lord reveals to you what your mission is, fulfill it to the glory of God, no matter who else is pleased or displeased.”
• October 1899 General Conference
  • Knowledge and Wisdom
    • “There are two resurrections, the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust. How could we expect a part in the resurrection of the just, unless we were just to our God and to each other?”
    • “Vain theories will never do us any good. Foolish dogmas never saved anybody or anything. We can only be sanctified by the truth as it is in Christ Jesus.”
• April 1899 General Conference
  • Value of a Well Spent Life
    • “We want to magnify the Priesthood God has given us and the Lord has told us concerning the magnifying of the Priesthood, that we can rightly have some idea as to what we can attain to, because the Lord has been very kind unto us in giving unto us the principles of the everlasting Gospel, and has taught us the value of the Priesthood. He requires an intelligent obedience.”
• October 1898 General Conference
  • Promises of God
    • “Why, yes, when they persecute the Latter-day Saints they persecute the Lord Jesus, for we are His. We do not represent ourselves, we represent Him. We plead with the people in Christ’s stead to be fully reconciled to God. These are our pleadings all the time.”
• April 1898 General Conference
  • Promises to the Obedient
    • “The wheat and tares are growing together, are they not? The wise and the foolish virgins are living together, are they not? But the Lord’s own love Him and keep His commandments. They do not rob Him in tithes and offerings. They are consistent in their profession and in their faith.”
    • “I regard the education of the world as an artificial education. You do not see faith manifested; you do not see the power of God maifested. You have a people that are lifted up because of their scholastic attainments, like men are lifted up when they acquire the riches of this world. They are lifted up in pride, and think themselves better than those who have not been so fortunate as themselves to obtain that class of an education. I say it is an artificial education.”
    • “It is no use coming to Conference and hearing the word of the Lord unless we do it.”
• October 1897 General Conference
  • Grateful for the Church
    • “What would be the use of the Scriptures to us if there were no living men having authority to officiate in the ordinances of the house of God. Where there is no authority of the Priesthood there cannot be any ordinances, to be of any effect.”
    • “If you are honest in your hearts, and desire to know God, whom to know is eternal life, He will lead you into His fold, as he has done us; He will reveal to you the principles of life and salvation, as He has done to us; He will give you a living testimony, as he has given us.”

Other Talks

• Essentials, Remarks in Logan, November 4, 1883
  • “In order that we may be properly educated in this Church, we have been instructed to be very particular to preserve the fellowship of the Holy Ghost; because no man knoweth the things of God save by the Spirit of God, and if we want to understand His ways, if we want to walk in His paths, we must become converted.”
  • “You go into the world. There are millions of professing Christians that say they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. But they do not believe in His doctrine. They do not understand anything about His doctrine. The calamity that was to come upon the people in the last days, was not because they did not believe. It is said that Jesus Christ would be revealed from heaven in flaming fire to take vengeance on those who knew not God, and who obeyed not the Gospel.”
  • “What is the object of our being Latter-day Saints? Is it not that we may be fitted and prepared for the association of the Father and the Son; and has not our Heavenly Father declared to us that He cannot look upon unrighteousness with any degree of allowance, showing that we cannot be saved in our sins. We are called upon to repent of our sins, to cease from wrongdoing, and the Lord has declared that herein it might be known who had repented, for they would cease from their evil ways.”
  • “Now, would you think that it were possible that a people called Latter-day Saints, professing to have the highest light and intelligence, would allow their children to be educated by an enemy? Those who would allow such a thing might tell me they loved their children, but I could not believe them. I would sooner my children should go without any scholastic education than that they should be educated by an enemy. There is no common sense in such a course. I cannot see that there would be any common sense in taking our children from the family altar and placing them under the dominion of Baal. I would advise all Latter-day Saints who undertake this suicidal policy, for God’s sake, to become converted. Listen to the voice of warning. Have your children trained in the principles of righteousness, for your sake—for your future happiness, and for the future happiness of your children; for as you lay the foundation so you may expect to build upon it. I would like our children when they go from the family altar to go into a school where they would hear the same God addressed, the same blessings sought, the hand of the Eternal acknowledged in their education, as well as to ask that His blessing might be upon them when they surround the family altar. You never can make me believe that a man and a woman have the sense of affection that they should have, who do not place their children in this position, for we have most excellent schools. We believe that our children are our glory, do we not?”
  • “I can see that we must pay the greatest attention to our children. You cannot teach them the principles of righteousness from books alone.”

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