Joseph L. Wirthlin

Presiding Bishop (April 6, 1952 – September 30, 1961)
First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric (December 12, 1946 – April 6, 1952)
Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric (April 6, 1938 – December 12, 1946)

General Conference Addresses

• October 1961 General Conference
  • Cease to be Idle
    • “I want to bear testimony to you that I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet. There is no question about that in my mind. I am so grateful that in my own soul I can bear that testimony without any hesitation whatsoever. It was necessary for the world to have a prophet that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in its fulness might be available to the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. Joseph Smith was a Prophet, and those who have followed him are also prophets, every one of them. President McKay is a prophet, a seer, and a revelator, brethren and sisters. That is my testimony to you this morning.”
    • “We cannot afford to have idle people. Every American ought to have something to do. This will protect him against the power of the evil one, Satan.”
• April 1961 General Conference
  • Be Thou an Example of the Believers
    • “President McKay said in the meeting of the General Authorities in the temple two weeks ago that Satan has more power over the world than ever before in history. I accept this without a question. Therefore, it is very important for all of us to give thought that sooner or later the end is going to come—the end of all of this difficulty that we have at the present time and that we will prepare the world for the second coming of Christ.”
• October 1960 General Conference
  • This Marvelous Work
    • “So, we come to the conclusion, brethren and sisters, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is being made available to many nations, but when we are going to have the opportunity of preaching the gospel to the people in Russia or the people in India or the people in China, I do not know. But, as the President said this morning, sooner or later all these nations will hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ just exactly as they have heard it in Great Britain and as they have heard it in the European missions.”
• April 1960 General Conference
  • The Aaronic Priesthood
    • “Youth should know that this young man at the age of thirty-six made it possible for all of us to receive what is called endowments. The youth should understand and know what these endowments are. Fathers and mothers, that is your responsibility, and mine, to teach them of these sacred things. At the age of thirty-seven, the Prophet Joseph received the revelation on the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. Youth should know about the new and everlasting covenant of marriage whereby youth may have the opportunity of going into the house of the Lord and being sealed for time and eternity. That is our responsibility. At the age of thirty-eight, he sealed his testimony of the restoration of the Church and the gospel of Jesus Christ with his blood.”
• October 1959 General Conference
  • Can You Bear Testimony?
    • “If we live the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are “a chosen generation.” We are a chosen generation because through the wonderful revelations that were given to the Prophet Joseph, we have the commandments, we have the direction, we have the guidance that is necessary to so live the gospel that we indeed are going to be a chosen generation.”
• April 1959 General Conference
  • The Sabbath Day
    • “Brethren and sisters, if people will give consideration of the Sabbath as a holy day and remember God who has given them life as their Father and Jesus Christ, his Son, as their older Brother, meeting together in priesthood meeting and Sacrament meeting with the attitude of prayer, they will be blessed, guided, and directed by divine inspiration whereby they can bear testimony that God actually lives and that Christ is his Son.”
    • “We of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accept this marvelous revelation, and we accept and look upon the Sabbath day of the Lord as the most sacred day of the week. As a people, we have a great responsibility not only living the gospel but also in constantly keeping the Sabbath day of the Lord holy and sacred, thereby setting an example to the world as a whole.”
    • “He recognized the most important meeting of the week—the Sacrament meeting on the day of the Lord, the day when they should come together and partake of the Sacrament and remember exactly what the Christ had done in dying for all men and making it possible for us to have the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, our guidance and our direction. I pray the day will come that all of these men of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood will attend Sunday morning priesthood meeting, Sunday School, and particularly the Sacrament meeting.”
• October 1958 General Conference
  • In Consequence of Evils and Designs
    • “So, if we are loyal and devoted to Jesus Christ, if we live the gospel as we should, if we are sweet and clean, and if war and difficulties come, as he said, “Pray always,” for if we will pray to God and to his Son Jesus Christ, there is no question but that the Lord will help us solve our problems and give us the guidance and the direction that we need.”
• April 1958 General Conference
  • Into His Marvelous Light
    • “My brethren and sisters, it is wonderful to know that all of us are here enjoying the blessings of the Church and the gospel because we are among those who have literally been called out of darkness into his marvelous light. One hundred years ago, our grandfathers and grandmothers and many of our own fathers and mothers were literally drawn out of the darkness of the world into the marvelous light of the Lord Jesus Christ through missionaries. Men and women today are accepting the truth and becoming members of his Church. There is no other Church in the world where individuals have as great responsibilities, particularly those who hold the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods.”
• April 1957 General Conference
  • Our Obligations
    • “I think it is a wonderful opportunity when we can talk with our children about the matter of prayer. I am so grateful for my dear mother who taught me to pray. I recall at the age long before we children were reading, during the evening hours, she would call us together and say, “Now, we will have prayers.” She would then explain to us the existence of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. Those teachings became a reality to us, that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and those teachings remain with us today. When she talked to us about the Prophet Joseph, there was no question in our minds but that Joseph Smith actually saw the Father and the Son.”
    • “Now, may the Lord continue to bless us and so inspire us that each one of our children will be happy and thrilled to follow our attitudes in the matter of living the gospel as it has been restored.”
• October 1956 General Conference
  • The Weak Will Confound the Strong
    • “We are all grateful that from the Prophet Joseph came also the establishment of the Book of Mormon, and with it the priesthood-the Melchizedek Priesthood and the Aaronic Priesthood- whereby every man has the opportunity to serve God as his servant and the opportunity to show to the world by the way we live here that we have the priesthood, we have all of the powers whereby there will come blessings to all the people in every land.”
• April 1956 General Conference
  • Teach Your Children
    • “It is a wonderful thing if a father will tell his son what it means to pass the sacrament and what it means to be called by the bishop to go out and collect the fast offerings for the good of those who are in need. It is an inspiring lesson that ought to be taught to these young men to the end that day by day they will endeavor to live the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and actually have in their hearts his spirit.”
• October 1955 General Conference
  • When Mankind Will Listen
    • “It is marvelous to know that in this day and age we have more missionaries out in the world than ever before, preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. There will be more, and the time will come when mankind will listen to what the Prophet said in the establishment of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
    • “I would make one addition, and I might not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation revealed to us and given to us through the Prophet Joseph and every one of the Apostles who has lived from that day until this time.”
• April 1954 General Conference
  • The Restoration
    • “The Gospel of salvation—The Priesthood of the Son of God—is so ordered and organized, in the very nature of it, being a portion of that law of heaven by which worlds are organized, that it is calculated to enlighten the children of men and give them power to save themselves.”
• October 1953 General Conference
  • One Church, One Gospel, One Savior
    • “As we carefully peruse the law and the testimony, we find there was but one Church organized by the Christ. He gave to the world but one gospel plan for the salvation and exaltation of mankind, and the priesthood of God and in it officers duly ordained and authorized to serve in his kingdom upon the earth, his Church—one Church.”
• April 1953 General Conference
  • The Lord’s Tenth
    • “At the same time, there was established what was known as mercantile co-ops. There was the Eleventh Ward Co-op established on the corner of First South and Seventh East; the Tenth Ward Co-op established on Eighth East and Fourth South; the Twentieth Ward Co-op on the corner of Fifth East and South Temple. These co-ops were also established throughout the settlements of the state for the sole purpose of providing merchandise for our people at the right price.”
    • “I promise you as God lives, through the spirit of the Holy Ghost, that testimony will come into your hearts that the law of tithing is a divine law, and it is necessary to carry on the functions of the priesthood government of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
• October 1952 General Conference
  • The Senior Aaronic Priesthood
    • “Can you anticipate any blessing more desirable than to become the very elect of God? To become the very elect of God anticipates that when we return to him and live with him through the eternities yet to come, it will be in the Celestial kingdom, and that is the objective for which all of us are striving here in mortality.”
  • The Peace Table of the Savior
    • “We speak of love. As I define it, it is the great motivating, stimulating passion which activates us to render service to God, to keep his commandments, and to express our love for him by obedience to his commandments. And if we love our neighbor we will render service to him, whether it be of a materialistic or a spiritual nature.”
• April 1952 General Conference
  • An Inheritance of Faith
    • “I recognize that the Presiding Bishopric has a great responsibility in the matter of seeing that home teaching is carried on in the Church. This great priesthood assignment from the Lord makes it clear to us that it is the teacher’s duty to watch over the Church always, to be with them and strengthen them, to see that there is no iniquity in the Church, backbiting, or evil speaking, to see that they attend to their meetings, and that all of them do perform their duties.”
• October 1951 General Conference
  • The Strength of Faith
    • “The Savior at no time during his ministry or in the restoration of the gospel ever promulgated the doctrine that man can be saved on the basis of belief.”
    • “Therefore, if we are to gain the intelligence and the knowledge that is necessary for a place in the celestial kingdom, it will only come about by mental and spiritual effort and works.”
• April 1951 General Conference
  • Security Through the Gospel
    • “I believe that we can so instruct our youth that regardless of what events transpire in the world’s history, there will be in their hearts a feeling of security, security given to them through a testimony of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I’m sure that our youth will understand the gospel more fully if there is gospel instruction in the home.”
    • “I feel that if in our homes fathers will take the time to teach these young men what the priesthood means—its significance, its powers, what is expected of them who hold it, it will contribute to the feeling of security that youth is seeking for.”
    • “Love, after all, is something that creates and demands service. It isn’t lip service, but service that goes for the benefit and the good of someone else.”
    • “With a burning testimony in their hearts, there isn’t any question but that the youth of Israel will accept the word of the Lord at its face value, and with the promises involved, why should they be downcast or why should they ask the question, “Will there be a tomorrow;” There will be a tomorrow for them, not only tomorrows of mortality but tomorrows of eternity, where they will enjoy every blessing that the Lord has promised the faithful, the loyal, and the devoted.”
• October 1950 General Conference
  • Be Thou an Example
    • “So, we plead for your support, for your help in encouraging the youth of the Church to participate in the great Church youth program, with the aim that they may be prepared when the time comes to take over the responsibilities that we older people now have.”
• April 1950 General Conference
  • Spiritual and Temporal Security
    • “In the minds of holy men there have always been two categories of security, spiritual and temporal. Without the spiritual phase, temporal security could not be achieved. It was a sacred undertaking wherein the blessings of the Lord were needed. Involved in it were holy practices such as prayer, divine principles of faith, thrift, integrity, and endless effort. It demanded supplication to the Lord for his blessings; and at the harvest time the firstlings of the flock and the best of the fields were brought and burnt as offerings of gratitude and thanksgiving to the Lord, representing a great achievement in that a man of his own faith, works, and with the help of the Lord, had provided himself shelter, food, clothing, and the comforts of life, with some marginal reserves to provide for himself and family during periods of illness and in his declining years.”
• October 1949 General Conference
  • Honesty
    • “Salvation of the world depends upon a revival of the cardinal principles of honesty. It must become the foundation for all negotiations between nations wherein diplomatic trickery and double-talk are to be eliminated and cast aside. Other than this, World War III will become a holocaust involving the destruction of civilian populations as well as armed forces.”
    • “Honesty or dishonesty can become an integral part of our characters.”
    • “Honesty, then, after all, is the king of all virtues because the good life presupposes itself. Dishonesty cuts the arteries by which social life is nourished. Mutual deceit is social murder. Self-deceit cuts the blood vessels of one’s own existence. It is suicide.”
• April 1949 General Conference
  • Prayer
    • “And along with the restoration, there came the priesthood of God whereby we might enjoy leadership inspired by revelation; men who are humble and men who have but one desire, and that is to serve God in such a way that they might do the most good for his people and for the world.”
    • “Now, you and I have some definite responsibilities too—the responsibility of being prayerful, that we will remember in our prayers those who guide and direct the destiny of this nation to the end that God will touch their hearts and out of it all we will be able to follow that path laid down by George Washington, and the path of Abraham Lincoln, to the end that we may follow it for our own happiness and joy and for those who shall follow after us.”
    • “And there is no reason why every Latter-day Saint home should not be a house of God; for, in most instances, there stands at the head of every Latter-day Saint home a servant of Almighty God holding the priesthood and having the right to call upon God and supplicate him for the benefit and the blessings and the good of those who reside within his household.”
    • “We should teach our children that prayer is a privilege and not a duty. We should teach them to pray from their hearts and not from their lips and not to pray by rote. We should teach them to utter prayers of gratitude to God for all the blessings that we enjoy—prayers of generosity, not thinking so much about the things we want or need, but praying for those who are in distress. Prayers need not be long; they should be rather short and to the point and well thought out.”
• October 1948 General Conference
  • Draw Near to the Lord
    • “The cornerstone of the youth program of this Church is the priesthood of God, and along with it there have come into being other organizations, which have come into existence through the inspiration and revelation of the Lord to the leaders of Israel to organize the great Sunday School, the M.I.A. and the Primary organization.”
    • “When the priesthood of Aaron was first given to the tribe of Levi, it was entrusted to mature men, but in this day and age the Aaronic Priesthood has been given to young men because of the fact that the members of the tribe of Levi are not worthy to hold that priesthood, and hence the heirs of Ephraim are carrying on the work of the Aaronic Priesthood today.”
    • “What are the fruits of the priesthood? Some of them are service, testimony, virtue, honesty, prayerfulness, dependability, respect for authority, and selection of the proper kind of associates.”
• April 1948 General Conference
  • Behold, Lord, Here Am I
    • “In thinking of our fathers; our Heavenly Father, our father Abraham and our pioneer forefathers, I wonder what all this means, to you and to me. I wonder if we accept the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and all of its obligations as an opportunity, or I wonder if we accept these obligations somewhat in the spirit of sacrifice. I tell you there are two kinds of sacrifices. The greatest sacrifice was made by God, namely the offering of his son for the atonement and salvation of mankind, and that of Abraham in the offering of his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice out of pure love for God and his full understanding of the law of obedience. The other kind of sacrifice has the atmosphere of selfishness which causes men to feel that they are giving too much for this great cause, and that kind of sacrifice, let me tell you, circumscribes and restricts people in their activities in this great Church, for God expects us to give liberally and freely of our talents, our resources and our all for the upbuilding of his kingdom, as did our pioneer forefathers.”
    • “Do you pay your contributions as a sacrifice or do you pay them because you wish to express gratitude to God for the many blessings that he has bestowed upon you, and you are but returning that part which belongs to him?”
    • “Love of God is something that requires action, for men cannot have faith in God, nor love him, unless they are acting in his cause, with their whole heart constantly thinking of him and giving of their physical strength in love.”
• October 1947 General Conference
  • Achievements from Following Counsel
    • “Evil men took the Latter-day prophet and murdered him in cold blood. Again the people who had accepted him as a prophet of God stood at the crossroads, but another great counselor was raised up—Brigham Young—upon whom rested the great responsibility of responsibility of finding another home for the Latter-day Saints and also of finding a place where the roots of the kingdom should be sunk so deeply that they would never be torn up again. Following their divinely appointed leader, the people made the long trek over the plains and through the mighty defiles of these great mountains, and here in the valleys they built churches, homes, schools, buildings of various kinds, and a temple to their God.”
• April 1947 General Conference
  • What One Reads
    • “For a moment or two I would like to consider with you the sources of our thoughts. I think they fall in four categories: what one sees, and what one hears, what one reads, and then that great source of thought that comes to us through the inspiration of the Lord’s Holy Spirit, provided that we are so clean and sweet in our thinking and in our deeds that we might enjoy the association of the Holy Ghost. Time does not permit to discuss these four sources of thoughts, hence I should like to speak about the third one, what one reads.”
    • “The great responsibility in guiding the thinking of youth rests in the home. That obligation rests squarely upon the shoulders of parents.”
    • “We as parents usually are very careful about the kind of associates our sons and daughters shall have. But I want to say to you there are other associates to which we should also give very careful consideration; namely, the books they read, for, after all, books are more than associates because they are so intimate. Let us remember that the books that these young men and young women read will store away in the storehouse of memory the thoughts that will either motivate them to deeds of nobleness or evil.”
• October 1946 General Conference
  • Our Government
    • “Now is the time. Now is the time if we are to preserve our independence and liberty to let those know in whose hands we have given the affairs of government, that we are not going to stand for continued extravagant spending, for as surely as that policy continues we will face bankruptcy and with bankruptcy there will come that inevitable, dreadful thing that we call revolution. And with revolution comes the opportunity for those within the borders of our land who would destroy our government, to step in and take over.”
    • “It is time that public servants should look upon the matter of serving in government capacity as a great and a sacred calling, not one wherein they receive special benefits for themselves, but one wherein they are willing to serve the people to the best advantage.”
• April 1946 General Conference
  • Divinity of the Name of Christ
    • “The great difference between Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the other great religious teachers of the world was that after he left the earth, the third member of the Godhead, even the Holy Ghost, would testify to the races of men on earth of the divine mission of the Lord, Jesus Christ.”
    • “With the restoration of the name, the organization was now complete with the priesthood, all its officers, ordinances, and principles that existed in the ancient Church as Christ taught them. The restoration of the name is one of the greatest evidences of the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph, the Church in the latter-days being known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
    • “We only become Latter-day Saints insofar as we live the gospel of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and a real Latter-day Saint is willing to take upon him the full name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, keep his commandments, his covenants. It demands wholehearted, devoted loyalty to the anointed of the Lord who preside over his Church, and beyond that cleanliness of life is a prime requisite, for I am convinced that anyone who claims to be a Latter-day Saint and drinks a glass of beer or smokes a cigarette is not entitled to the divine title of Latter-day Saint.”
• October 1945 General Conference
  • Teachers
    • “In analyzing this great priesthood assignment of perfecting the Saints, it will require constant motivation, teaching, and particularly in guarding the Saints against those who come as wolves in sheep’s clothing, teaching the doctrines of men which are always false doctrines. The untiring effort, prayers, and presence of the teacher, the guardian of the flock, are necessary in order to strengthen the Saints in knowledge, in their faith, and in their testimonies, to the end that they will know of a surety that the restored gospel of Christ is being taught by the teacher of the Lord, and to enjoy a testimony that whispers constantly to them that the gospel as restored to the Prophet Joseph Smith is the Lord’s plan wherein they can enjoy salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father.”
    • “It logically follows that if the Saints are to be perfected, of necessity iniquity, hardness with each other, lying, backbiting, and evil speaking must be eliminated from their daily lives. If you will think of iniquity, think of hardness, think of lying, backbiting, and evil speaking, inevitably you think of Satan, who is the source of these sins which have caused and do cause sorrow and death. The emotions of hate, criticism, and backbiting that he inculcates into the hearts of men are the causes for apostasy, for whenever a man in this Church finds fault, practices backbiting and evil speaking, he becomes hardened in his heart, and the spirit of God departs from him. Unless there is a change, this course leads to apostasy and degradation. The teachers of the Church being the watchmen on the towers of Zion should have as one of their objectives so to teach the Saints that they will have the strength to overcome these vices and evils to the end that the perfection spoken of by Paul will ultimately be their achievement and blessing.”
    • “I want to tell you that no man will give up his faith, will give up the restored gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ or will give up his membership in this Church for any other faith or any other organization if he has a full understanding and comprehension of the gospel as it has been restored in this day. The reasons they leave are that they do not fully understand it and that many of them become critical and disobedient, which necessitates, on our part, greater activity and more alertness, a greater willingness to watch over the Church always and be with them and strengthen them. Many of these people could be saved to the Church if the teacher were doing his full duty.”
• April 1945 General Conference
  • Baptism
    • “The Savior here laid down the mandate of baptism that applies to every son and daughter of the Lord that is born in the flesh, that if they expect entrance into the kingdom of our Heavenly Father they must be born of the water, or baptized of the water, born of the spirit or baptized of the spirit. This declaration was so important that the Savior himself submitted to the ordinance of baptism.”
    • “This is the philosophy of Mormonism, a plan of salvation so broad that it provides an opportunity for everyone of the Lord’s children to gain entrance to his kingdom as was prescribed by the Savior to Nicodemus.”
• October 1944 General Conference
  • Idleness and Labor
    • “The very spiritual, mental, physical makeup of man fits him for work and the acquirement of godly power there through. Think, if you will, of all God’s creations, there are none comparable to man spiritually, mentally, or physically. In the mind of man, the plan is formulated, and physical instruments, such as the hand, bring into actual existence the plan of the mind. There is nothing comparable to the hand as a useful tool. The things that can be done and accomplished by the hand are innumerable. The most delicate mechanical instruments, such as the electric eye, the radio, radar, all forms of transportation and buildings, are the creations, first, of the mind, influenced by the spirit of inspiration, and, secondly, the hand of man—man, the son of the Eternal Creator.”
    • “Why should faith without works be dead? Because the godly power of work, the power of God unto salvation, has not been invoked.”
• April 1944 General Conference
  • The Aaronic Priesthood
    • “It occurs to me that after all, a son is an appendage to his father. He is a part of his father, and how glorious it is to contemplate the relationship of father and son in connection with the holy Priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Aaronic Priesthood is an appendage to the Melchizedek Priesthood, the son is an appendage to his father, and hence they become one in the work of the Boy of Nazareth.”
    • “Any young man trained properly and fully in the Aaronic Priesthood will so live that his parents will never be plagued with any kind of problem in juvenile delinquency.”
• October 1943 General Conference
  • The Fifth Commandment
    • “Many centuries have passed since the days of the Israelites and the Redeemer of the world, but again we submit the question: What about the fifth commandment in this dispensation? Is this commandment still binding upon the covenant people of this day? The answer is obvious for in the restoration of the new and everlasting covenant, family ties, bonds, and relationships in this life and the eternities yet to come are dependent upon the acceptance of and obedience to the immortal commandment, Honour thy father and thy mother.”
    • “Family relationship in this life will influence our future eternal associations. Failure to honor parents temporally will jeopardize anticipated eternal blessings. Israel’s God will never sustain any son or daughter who enjoys the privilege of having a tabernacle in the flesh and then casts that father or mother aside who has made this glorious privilege possible. As God’s covenant people, the obligation resting upon us to honor fathers and mothers is just as binding as it was upon the children of Israel and the Saints who lived in the days of Christ. If there is one people who should fully understand and comprehend the fifth commandment from a temporal and a spiritual point of view, it should be the members of the restored Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
• April 1943 General Conference
  • Martin Luther and Joseph Smith
    • “Martin Luther declared, “As to organizing a new church, I have neither the desire nor the authority to do so.” Joseph Smith had no personal desire, but under mandate of God proceeded to organize the Church of Christ. Martin Luther recognized the fact that he did not possess the authority to do so. Through the restoration of the Priesthood, Joseph Smith had the authority from on high to again inaugurate among the children of men the plan of salvation as given to the world by the Savior, and again to authorize men to act as His servants to bestow upon the Lord’s children all of the blessings involved in the ordinances of the Gospel plan as was done in former dispensations. Luther’s translation of the Bible sustains wholly the doctrines and ordinances of the Gospel as restored to the earth by the Lord through Joseph Smith.”
    • “I am grateful for the witness with which the Lord has blessed me, convincing me beyond all doubt that Joseph Smith was an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, a prophet, seer, and revelator, and through him God’s greatest gift to man has been made available to all who accept His teachings. This gift is known as the gift of salvation, and there is no greater gift.”
• October 1942 General Conference
  • Revelation
    • “As leaders in Israel, brethren, we should accept wholeheartedly modern-day revelation as presented to the people by His chosen servants, applying it in our lives to the end that we shall be a shining example to all of those who come under our direction—admonishing the people that they, too, can know of the doctrine, modern-day revelation.”
    • “And eternal life can only be achieved, brethren, not alone by obeying the principles of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, but by hearkening unto the advice and counsel of those who are in authority that come to us as modern-day revelation.”
• April 1942 General Conference
  • Spirit of Testimony
    • “I am sure, brethren, that the same spirit of testimony exists throughout the Church today. This is the spirit that is in your hearts. As long as that spirit endures within us, God will bless us, He will sustain us, and this work will roll on to its final destiny and objective, which is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people, that the world will be prepared for the second coming of the King of Kings, which event I pray will soon come to pass that we again shall know peace, harmony, and good will among men.”
• October 1941 General Conference
  • Apostasy in Government
    • “In the light of the above practice, a new form of apostasy is taking place, in that politicians and government agencies bid for the votes of the people; and when the votes of the people are placed on the auction block to be purchased by the highest bidder, what will the outcome be?”
    • “I pray that those who belong to this Church will hearken to that warning. I sincerely hope the American nation will turn for counsel toward these great mountains where the House of the Lord is established, where His inspired servants may be found, and, above all, that this nation’s people will hearken to that counsel, to achieve the place that Thomas Jefferson predicted would be our blessing if we followed the fundamentals of government as laid down by the founders of this great nation, and to avoid the catastrophe that now lies immediately ahead.”
• April 1941 General Conference
  • Obedience
    • “It is a most wonderful privilege to covenant with the Lord periodically that we will sustain these brethren as servants of God and obey the counsel they impart to us. In following their counsel and advice, we will always be found doing those things which will be for our ultimate good and benefit.”
    • “Success, spiritually and temporally, will only be achieved to the degree that the laws involved are obeyed. The highest degree of success is accomplished by rendering the fullest degree of obedience to the fundamentals and the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ ; and the same is true in any line of endeavor that we may choose to follow.”
• October 1940 General Conference
  • Teach the Boys
    • “The Priesthood is a shield against temptation; it motivates and inspires young men to the highest and noblest of deeds, and every young man, whether he holds the office of Deacon, Teacher or Priest, is a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
    • “Brethren and sisters, in this great Church many of our boys and girls could well afford to follow the example of this young man in being prayerful, and without doubt the Lord will hear and answer their prayers. We should teach them to pray; teach them to be loyal to the leadership of this Church and particularly to follow the admonitions of the men who have been selected and appointed by the Lord to guide and direct the destiny of this people. I challenge anyone to point out one instance where the President or his counselors or the Quorum of the Twelve have ever given any advice but what it was for the good and benefit of the people.”
• April 1940 General Conference
  • The Welfare Program
    • “This plan anticipates not only that men and women shall be rehabilitated in their temporal affairs, but that there shall be a rejuvenation and rehabilitation in their attitude towards God, towards their Government, and towards work.”
    • “The spirit of testimony is the power of the Holy Ghost. Any individual who rises to his feet and declares that he knows that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that Joseph Smith is a Prophet, does so under the power and influence of the Holy Ghost. Brigham Young- declared that no man could testify that Jesus was the Christ only by and through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
    • “Love of God is only genuine, heartfelt, and real when actual service is rendered to our Father’s children, our neighbors.”
• October 1939 General Conference
  • Teaching Children
    • “The men and women of tomorrow are in your homes and my home.”
    • “The home is the greatest institution of learning.”
    • “In teaching our children to love God, what is the first lesson? I would suggest that the first lesson is the lesson of prayer, to take the child, although he may be barely able to walk, to the family altar of prayer. Teach him the necessity of communicating with God, his Eternal Father, from whose presence his spirit has but recently come. If we can establish that bond, between God the Eternal Father and our children, through prayer, we are inculcating into their hearts respect for, faith in, and love for their Eternal Father.”
    • “The university of the home has some advantages that the institutions of learning have not, namely, at the head of every Latter-day Saint home there should stand a man who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood. In holding the Melchizedek Priesthood he has the right to inspiration and revelation, as far as it affects those who are attached to his household. If men are living the Gospel of Jesus Christ and attending to their duties in the Priesthood, God will bless them, as far as their children are concerned, giving them leadership and inspiration.”
    • “When a child or an individual thinks that he can be dependent upon society, then he becomes an enemy of society.”
• April 1939 General Conference
  • Objectives of the Church
    • “To me, the Church has two objectives. The first one is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. That has been and is being accomplished through the efforts of the young men and women who are representing the Church in the world today, under the inspired leadership of the mission presidents.”
    • “The next objective, as I understand it, is that one which has to do with the entire membership of the Church, to see that they are counseled, advised, exhorted, and stimulated to the utmost to observe all that the Lord requires of his people.”
• October 1938 General Conference
  • Priesthood Governance
    • “So Priesthood to me is more than the power of God delegated unto us, whereby we may act as his representatives, it is a perfect system and order of government given to us through which we may help the human race to solve the problems that now afflict it. One of the greatest differences between this government and the government of men is that we have no desire to take away land or natural resources from any nation or people, but we have a desire to help the human race, teach them the ways of life and righteousness as they have been revealed to us in this day and age.”
    • “Those of us who are members of the Priesthood government, who hold the Priesthood of God, should remember that in all of our dealings with the business world we should be honest, fair and square in our dealings.”

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