James A. Cullimore

First Quorum of the Seventy (October 1, 1976 – September 30, 1978)
First Council of the Seventy (April 6, 1966 – October 1, 1976)

General Conference Addresses

  • April 1978 General Conference
  • April 1976 General Conference
    • The Book of Mormon
      • “If the Book of Mormon is not true, then Joseph Smith was not a prophet of God. I testify to you that the Book of Mormon is true and that the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price and other places are true and of the Lord. Our message to the world is that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that God has revealed himself to man in this dispensation and restored his gospel with all its keys and power. Nothing will be more certain to build faith and testimonies of members and touch the hearts of honest seekers for the truth than this great book.”
  • October 1975 General Conference
    • Family Home Evening
      • “I bear you my solemn witness, my brothers and sisters, that this is the work of the Lord, that these Brethren who instituted the family home evening program were greatly inspired. I see as well the great inspiration given to those who prepare the Family Home Evening Manual.”
  • October 1974 General Conference
    • Gifts of the Spirit
      • “It was not intended that we make merchandise out of the gifts of God and shout to the world the result of these most wonderful gifts. They are given to us for our salvation, to strengthen our testimony and the testimonies of others as we bear humble witness of them in our meetings, quietly, by the Spirit but not before the world.”
      • “After one has demonstrated his worthiness through good works and manifested his faith through prayer or proper administration to the sick, it must be left in the hands of the Lord those who will be healed and those who will not. We may not always understand why someone is healed and why another for whom we have also exercised great faith is not.”
  • April 1974 General Conference
    • Justice and Mercy
      • “God’s laws, as given for the government of the Church, must be supported and endorsed to win salvation and respect of those within the Church and without. The bishops of the Church have been designated as common judges and, together with their counselors, are authorized to deal with cases of serious transgression coming under their jurisdiction. Other cases go before the high council court under the direction of the stake president. These judges are expected to deal with all cases of infraction against the laws of the Church mercifully and justly.”
      • “Many who have violated the laws of the Lord feel unjustly dealt with if they are called before proper Church courts and appropriate action is taken in reference to their transgressions. Many priesthood leaders, whose responsibility it is to watch over the Church and take action in cases of serious transgression, are remiss in convening courts and taking action that one might be put in a position where he can be forgiven. What might be thought to be a kindness in not taking proper action may really be the most unkind thing that could have been done.”
  • October 1973 General Conference
    • To Be in the World but Not of the World
      • “We would not want to be free of our responsibility of being in the world by being taken out of the world, for this life is a probationary state. The “world” is our opportunity to prove ourselves. This is a part of the great plan of the Lord, to be confronted with the things of the “world,” that we might overcome them and be strengthened.”
      • “Since Zion is defined as the “pure in heart,” those who make up Zion must be free from worldly practices and indulgences.”
  • October 1972 General Conference
    • Home Teachers—Watchmen over the Church
      • “In September 1963 home teaching was introduced to the Church. This differs from ward teaching in that greater emphasis is placed on watching over the family, rather than just making a monthly visit.”
      • “We have been counseled that the family, presided over by the priesthood holder, is the basic church unit. We know, as home teachers, that the order of the priesthood requires us to work with a family through the presiding authority in the family, the father. The father should be recognized in his position. The Lord holds him responsible for the righteous functions of his family in relation to other church units and for the conducting of his family into eternal life. The home teacher working with and through the father strengthens his role and responsibility.”
  • April 1972 General Conference
    • The Importance of a Personal Testimony
      • “A testimony of the gospel is one of the most valued possessions of a member of the Church. The strength and unity of the Church depend upon each member so living that he comes to know for himself that the gospel is true.”
      • “Too often we ask the Lord for the direction of his Spirit before we’ve done all we can.”
  • October 1971 General Conference
    • Confession and Forsaking: Elements of Genuine Repentance
      • “Repentance isn’t always easy. It takes great humility. It often requires superhuman courage, especially in major transgression.”
      • “Confession and forsaking, then, are the two important elements of repentance. After one has been brought to realize his transgression and made his determination to turn from it, he must humble himself to make his confession. It would be much easier to simply cease doing the wrong, in the case of serious sin, and say nothing to anyone. But to humble himself to confess it to the ones offended and to the bishop is a more sobering matter and takes real humility.”
      • “The time of forsaking will likely be determined by the seriousness of the transgression and the repentant attitude of the transgressor.”
  • April 1971 General Conference
    • Marriage Is Intended to Be Forever
      • “In our day members do not abide by the law of the gospel in its fullness, and, as in the day of Moses, divorce is permitted, when deemed necessary, although it was never intended to be.”
      • “Important to any marriage is complete confidence—trust in all things. The confidence born of true love, never doubting, never questioning the integrity of each other.”
      • “To counsel with each other and make decisions together is so important to a happy marriage. Counsel which includes the whole family might build good family relationships.”
      • “I suppose there is no surer need in marriage than constant compromise. It is through compromise that we grow closer to each other. As we acknowledge our own faults and recognize the virtues in the other and make the adjustments, we strengthen our marriage.”
      • “Neither should courtship end at the altar. How important it is to constantly be conscious of our marriage and work at it every day we live, keeping alive our courtship by kind acts, thoughtfulness, and consideration always.”
  • October 1970 General Conference
    • How Do You Draw God?
      • “Men everywhere seem to be confused as to what God is like. Strange, incomprehensible concepts of God have been taught apparently to enlighten men, but in their uncertainness they only tend to further confuse men.”
      • “I believe sincerely that our faith in God, our works of righteousness, and our sincerity of purpose are greatly determined by our concept and understanding of God. If, like the young lady trying to draw God, I can’t visualize him, if I don’t really know him, how can my faith in him be strong? How can I really pray to someone I don’t know?”
      • “It is man’s purpose in life to learn to know God, to know the nature and kind of being God is, and then to conform to his laws and ordinances; to progress, to be exalted to that high state wherein man becomes perfect as the Father is perfect.”
  • April 1970 General Conference
    • The Responsibility of Membership in the Church
      • “The Lord expects us to be obedient to our covenants. Great blessings are promised us as we are obedient, both temporal and spiritual, the greatest of which is eternal life. Likewise, condemnation follows disobedience. The Lord expects us to be strong and conquering as we exercise our agency.”
      • “It is of utmost importance that we stimulate proper desires in our lives, by study, by teaching, by constant activity.”
      • “The degree to which we receive help from the Lord for the guidance of our lives depends upon ourselves. We must be in tune with the Spirit to receive and understand its message. We must be worthy.”
      • “The guidance that we seek from our Heavenly Father greatly depends upon our obedience to every truth known to us. By our good works we demonstrate to the Lord our obedience.”
      • “Yes, membership in the Church carries with it the responsibility to live the gospel and overcome temptations. May we always have a strong desire to serve the Lord, remembering that the surest way to keep the faith is by being actively engaged in the work of the gospel.”
  • October 1969 General Conference
    • Easing the Sting of Death
      • “Knowing the beauty of God’s plan for the salvation of his children sometimes makes even death beautiful. We understand that death is a very necessary part of the great plan of salvation and that it is the means of the separation of the body and the spirit, in which the spirit returns to God and the body returns to the earth.”
      • “Possibly one’s concern about not having lived well is really in not knowing what his real purpose in life is. Real peace of mind comes from a firm conviction of the plan of salvation as revealed to us of the Lord; that we are the children of God, created in his image; that he is the Father of our spirits; that we lived with him in a glorious spiritual existence before this temporal existence; that this mortal state is probationary; that through death and the resurrection, having lived a worthy life, having complied with the ordinances of the gospel, we might enter again into the presence of God. Peace comes as we know the gospel and live it, as we develop a strong testimony of its divinity, as we are vindicated by the Holy Spirit in our good works.”
      • “It is our witness to the world that the gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, contains the direction and understanding of eternal life, that by abiding by its principles and teachings and by complying with its ordinances, one might have peace and satisfaction by the vindication of the spirit, and whether in life or death they will know all is well—death will have no sting.”
  • April 1969 General Conference
    • Blessings, Through Obedience to Counsel
      • “Today, more than ever before, we have need for implicit faith in God and his appointed leaders and their inspired counsel. In this day, when many doubt the very existence of God and the divinity of Christ, as we learn of the “new morality,” see a general breakdown in moral standards, witness common use of drugs and disregard for parents and home, see increase in juvenile delinquency and the tendency to break marriage vows, riots, violence, and great disturbances everywhere, there is justification for great concern.”
      • “The following of this counsel can only bring eventual happiness. Disobedience to counsel can only accrue to our detriment. It often leads to fault-finding, lack of activity in the Church, breaking the commandments, and even loss of faith.”
  • April 1968 General Conference
    • He Rose Again
      • “The miracle of the resurrection is one of the greatest evidences of Christ’s divinity. No fact in ancient history is better attested to than that Jesus lived, that he was crucified, and that he was resurrected from the dead and administered in his immortal body to his disciples.”
      • “This inseparable union can only come about through birth into mortality; death of the body, which is separation of body and spirit; and the resurrection, which is the reunion of body and spirit. In the resurrected, glorified, immortalized body we can go on into eternal life with God.”
  • October 1967 General Conference
    • The Road to Happiness
      • “The Lord intended that man should have joy in his labors; that even through adversity and sorrow and trials the hand of the Lord could be seen as he fulfills his purposes in the earth; that in the sum of life we should emerge with more joy than sorrow, more gladness in work than drudgery, be motivated by love rather than fear, have joy as we build and achieve, have peace and satisfaction as we seek to find the truth.”
      • “The Lord is greatly concerned about every one of his children and would that all would repent and enter into the joy that he has prepared for those who keep his commandments.”
  • April 1966 General Conference
    • Peace Now and Joy Hereafter
      • “I know that only by virtue of the strength I can receive from the Lord can I be made a qualified and capable servant of the Lord in the fulfillment of this responsibility.”
      • “I am so grateful for the heritage that I have, for the teachings of a good mother and capable father who taught me in my youth to love the Lord. I am grateful for the experiences that I have had of living away from Zion—Utah Zion—in the far-flung corners of this country and in many areas of the country. There are many such circumstances as mine all over the world and especially in the United States. I see, as I have made visits to your stakes, that almost without exception a devoted family has been instrumental in the growth of the Church in that particular area, as family members have seen fit to serve the Lord, to devote themselves to the work, and to build the Church.”

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