The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(3/1/98)
"When first communicated to mankind by prophets, the teachings we now
have in the Bible were 'plain and pure, and most precious and easy' to
understand (1 Ne. 14:23). Even in the transmitted and translated
version we have today, the Bible language confirms that God the Father
and his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ, are tangible, separate beings.
To cite only two of many such teachings, the Bible declares that man
was created in the image of God, and it describes three separate
members of the Godhead manifested at the baptism of Jesus (see Gen.
1:27; Matt. 3:13-17)."—Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Apostasy and
Restoration, General Conference, April 1995
(3/2/98)
"Of what great significance to the world are the contributions of
Joseph Smith, the Prophet?... Perhaps most important is the concept of
the Godhead. The New Testament clearly established that the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct beings, yet
there are many in the Christian world who do not accept this or believe
in a personal God in whose image we were created. The Father and the
Son actually appeared personally to Joseph Smith to establish their
personality and image. When the boy came out of that grove he knew the
facts--that God is in form like a man. He speaks, he is considerate and
kind, he answers prayer. He is a personal God for he called Joseph by
name. His Son is a like and distinct person and is the Mediator between
God and man."—President N. Eldon Tanner, The Contributions Of The
Prophet Joseph Smith, General Conference, October 1979
(3/3/98)
"That the unity of the Godhead is not oneness in person is made very
clear in the account of the baptism of Jesus Christ. The Son on that
occasion, coming up out of the waters of Jordan, the Holy Spirit
descending upon him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father
from heaven proclaiming 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.' Jesus said, 'I came forth from the Father, and am come unto
the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.' He also
prayed to the Father and in the prayer recorded by John, explained in
unmistakable language what he meant when he declared. 'I and my Father
are one.'"—Reed Smoot, Conference Report, April 1933, p.20
(3/4/98)
"Further, carrying out these duties [the commandments of God] will
entitle us to an ever-increasing companionship of the Holy Ghost. And
when we have the Spirit with us, it means we have achieved significant
Christ-centeredness in our lives, for we cannot be close to one member
of the Godhead without being close to all three."—Neal A. Maxwell, Notwithstanding
My Weakness, p.112
(3/5/98)
"Our Godhead consists of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. They are
supreme over all, and though they administer their kingdoms through a
hierarchy of appointed angels who also are exalted, one of whom is Adam
or Michael, in the ultimate sense these members of the Eternal Godhead
are the only Gods with whom we have to do. We worship the Father, in
the name of the Son, by the power of the Holy Ghost. We follow the Son
as he follows his Father. We labor and strive to be like the Son as he
is like the Father, and the Father and Son and Holy Ghost are one. For
these holy Beings we have unbounded love, reverence, and
worship."—Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p.13
(9/28/04)
"Notwithstanding the numerous New Testament witnesses of the Savior as
a resurrected being following his crucifixion (see, for example, Luke 24:36-48),
there still persists the fallacious doctrine formulated at the Council
of Nicea in A.D. 325 that God the Father, his Son, Jesus Christ, and
the Holy Ghost are three personages of spirit-three personages in one.
The sacred record of the Savior's appearance to the ancient Nephites is
an essential, additional witness of the true nature of the Son and of
his relationship to the Father and to the Holy Ghost. After introducing
himself as Jesus Christ, he who had taken upon himself the sins of the
world (see 3 Ne.
11:11), he warmly invited the multitude to 'come forth unto me,
that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel
the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet' (3 Ne. 11:14). The
resurrected Christ had a glorified body of flesh and bone as certified
by a multitude who 'did see with their eyes and did feel with their
hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he' (3 Ne. 11:15)." -
Spencer J. Condie, "The Fall and Infinite Atonement," Ensign, January
1996, p. 25
(10/21/04)
"The first article anchors our belief in God, our Eternal Father, in
His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. How grateful we are for a
knowledge of Supreme Beings that rule and govern this world. Our belief
does not come from the speculations of men about the existence and
nature of God, but from firsthand experience from the Prophet Joseph
Smith in the Sacred Grove. His experience clarified for mankind the
existence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Thus
to the world came the vision that three personages comprise this great
presiding council of the universe and have revealed themselves to
mankind as three separate beings, physically distinct from each other
as demonstrated by the accepted records of their divine dealings with
mankind. We know the occasions where they have been in evidence to
mankind as three distinct personages. It is clear that the Father is a
personal being possessing a definite form of body, parts, and spiritual
passions, that Jesus Christ was with the Father in spirit before coming
to dwell in the flesh, and through whom worlds were made. He lived
among men as a man, with all of the physical characteristics of a human
being. After His Resurrection He appeared in that same form. The Holy
Ghost, also called Spirit or Spirit of the Lord, Spirit of God,
Comforter, or the Spirit of the Truth, is not tabernacled in a body of
flesh and bones but is a personage of spirit. The Holy Ghost is a
witness of the Father and of the Son declaring to man their attributes,
bearing record of the other personages of the Godhead." - L. Tom Perry,
"The Articles of Faith," Ensign, May 1998, p. 23-24
(10/23/04)
"When first communicated to mankind by prophets, the teachings we now
have in the Bible were 'plain and pure, and most precious and easy' to
understand (1 Ne.
14:23). Even in the transmitted and translated version we have
today, the Bible language confirms that God the Father and his
resurrected Son, Jesus Christ, are tangible, separate beings. To cite
only two of many such teachings, the Bible declares that man was
created in the image of God, and it describes three separate members of
the Godhead manifested at the baptism of Jesus (see Gen. 1:27; Matt. 3:13-17)."
- Dallin H. Oaks, "Apostasy
and Restoration," Ensign, May 1995, p. 84
(11/14/05)
"The Lord has blessed us with a knowledge that he lives, and has a
body, and that we are created in his image. We do not believe that he
is some kind of essence or that he is incomprehensible. If you have
received the witness that has come to me and know as I know that our
Heavenly Father has revealed himself to the children of men, that he is
a personal God, that we are created in his image, that our spirits were
begotten by him, that he has given us an opportunity to dwell upon the
earth to receive a physical tabernacle, in order that we may be
prepared to return into his presence and live eternally with him, I
say, if you have received that assurance, then you have a foundation
upon which you may build your faith. Take that from you, the knowledge
that God really lives, the assurance that Jesus Christ was the
manifestation of God in the flesh, take from you the assurance that
there will be a literal resurrection from the dead, and you will find
yourselves in the condition that our Father's children are in
throughout the world, and I ask you, what comfort remains to you then?
These are the truths that are fundamental." - George Albert Smith,
Conference Reports, October 1921, p. 39
9/17/06
"Our eternal life is as dependent upon spiritual nutrients as our
mortal life is upon air. The most important spiritual nutrients are
knowledge of God and knowledge of his Son. We know the Father by
knowing the Son. What is the best source on the face of the earth to
learn about the Son? It is in studying another testament of him,
commonly known as the Book of Mormon, and then having the Holy Ghost
bear witness to you that it is true." - J. Thomas Fyans, "The
Book of Mormon's Witness of Jesus Christ," Ensign (CR), May 1987,
p.28
11/26/06
"History tells us there is a God. Science confirms the fact there is a
Supreme Being. Human reasoning persuades us that there is a God. His
own revelations to man leave no doubt as to his existence. In order for
an individual to obtain unwavering knowledge of the reality of God, he
must live the commandments and the doctrines announced by the Savior
during his personal ministry. 'Jesus answered them, and said, My
doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his
will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I
speak of myself.' (John
7:16-17.) In other words, those who are willing to make the search,
apply themselves, and do God's will, will have the knowledge come to
them of the reality of God." - Howard W. Hunter, "Conference Report,"
April 1970, p.10
4/26/07
"How deeply grateful I am that we of this Church do not rely on any
man-made statement concerning the nature of Deity. Our knowledge comes
directly from the personal experience of Joseph Smith, who, while yet a
boy, spoke with God the Eternal Father and His Beloved Son, the Risen
Lord. He knelt in Their presence; he heard Their voices; and he
responded. Each was a distinct personality. Small wonder that he told
his mother that he had learned that her church was not true. And so,
one of the great overarching doctrines of this Church is our belief in
God the Eternal Father. He is a being, real and individual. He is the
great Governor of the universe, yet He is our Father, and we are His
children." - Gordon B. Hinckley, "The
Things of Which I Know," General Conference, April 2007
4/30/07
"I know that heaven-sent revelations have replaced the gross errors of
man-made doctrines concerning the Godhead. I know that God is our
Heavenly Father. His Son, Jesus Christ, is my Savior. The Holy Ghost
testifies of the Father and the Son. I express my profound gratitude to
God for introducing the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ to mankind in
these last days. The Savior lives; He has been seen; He has spoken; He
directs the work of His Church through apostles and prophets today.
What magnificent truths He has taught as the Good Shepherd who
continues to look after His sheep." - Gary J. Coleman, "Mom,
Are We Christians?" General Conference, April 2007
11/25/07
"We once knew well our Elder Brother and our Father in Heaven. We
rejoiced at the prospects of earth life that could make it possible for
us to have a fulness of joy. We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our
Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we
would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the
evil one. Now we are here. Our memories are veiled. We are showing God
and ourselves what we can do. Nothing is going to startle us more when
we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we
know our Father and how familiar His face is to us." - Ezra Taft
Benson, "The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson," p.24
2/15/08
"We have a little advantage
over the rest of the world, because our Father has supplemented the
teachings in the scriptures by a visitation to the Prophet Joseph
Smith. Together with the Savior he appeared manifesting his true
character and clearing away all doubt as to their actual existence.
This modern day visitation has placed us in a position to know our
Father and to know his Son Jesus Christ, and as Latter-day Saints, we
ought to praise God for this glorious revelation of the latter days,
for it has brought us happiness on earth, it has brought us even a
taste of heaven while we dwell here in mortal flesh." - G. E. Ellsworth, "Conference Report," October 1917, Second Meeting
Outdoors, p.130
4/20/08
"It is of special significance
that whenever Heavenly Father wants to introduce His Son to us, He
commands us to listen—to 'hear' the words of Jesus." - Robert
D. Hales, "Gaining
a Testimony of God the Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost,"
General Conference, April 2008
2/23/09
"For
us God is not an abstraction, he is not just an idea, a metaphysical
principle, an impersonal force or power. He is not identical with the
totality of the world, with the sum of all reality. He is not an 'absolute' that in some way embraces the
whole of reality in his being. Like us, he exists in a world of space
and time. Like us, he has ends to be achieved, and he fashions a cosmic
plan for realizing them. He is a concrete, living person, and though in
our finite state we cannot fully comprehend him, we know that we are
akin to him, for he is revealed to us in the divine personality of his
Son Jesus Christ." -
Hugh B. Brown, "Conference Report," April 1964, Afternoon Meeting,
p.83
6/28/09
“The following passage of Scripture is often cited to prove that the
Savior is the only personal being in the Deity: ‘Neither pray I for
these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their
word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in me and I in
Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that
Thou hast sent me. And the glory which Thou gavest me I have given
them; that they may be one, even as we are one.’ (John 17:20-22.) The
very wording of this Scripture shows that the Father and the Son are
not one in person, because He prays that all the disciples may be one
in the same manner that the Father and the Son are one, and one in that
sense only, for the simple reason that the oneness of the Father and
the Son is perfect and complete. Their unity consists in being one in
wisdom, one in knowledge, one in power, one in council, having a unity
of purpose in the accomplishment of man's salvation to the tallest
extent and in every conceivable respect. The disciples of Jesus could
not be one in person, for each of himself is a separate individuality;
they can be one, however, as the Father and Son are one, in the
accomplishment of one great purpose—the salvation of mankind—because
they are baptized by one Spirit into one body, even the church of
Christ; they have one Lord, one faith and one baptism, and are all
taught of God, having ‘access by one Spirit unto the Father’ (Eph
2:18), who is not the author of confusion, and cannot consistently,
with His own attributes, contradict Himself.” -
Matthias F. Cowley, “Cowley's Talks on Doctrine,” p. 80
2/4/10
“To me it is a significant and marvelous thing that in
establishing and opening this dispensation our Father did so with a
revelation of himself and of his Son Jesus Christ, as if to say to all
the world that he was weary of the attempts of men, earnest though
these attempts might have been, to define and describe him. Strange as
it seems, we alone, among all the great organizations that worship God,
have a true description and a true definition of him. The experience of
Joseph Smith in a few moments in the grove on a spring day in 1820,
brought more light and knowledge and understanding of the personality
and reality and substance of God and his Beloved Son than men had
arrived at during centuries of speculation. Notwithstanding the
declaration at Jordan at the time of the Savior's baptism when the
voice of the Father was heard, and notwithstanding the events on the
Mount of Transfiguration when again the voice of the Father was heard,
men somehow evidently had been unable to realize the separate entities
of the Father and the Son, their relationship and their reality.” -
Gordon B. Hinckley, “Conference Report,” April 1960,
Afternoon Meeting, p. 82
4/23/10
"I do not want this congregation, or any of
the congregations of the Latter-day Saints, to conceive the idea, or to
entertain it for one moment, that the true and living God—the Father of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—who so loved the world that he sent
his Only Begotten Son into the world, to bleed, to die, and to be
sacrificed for the sin of the world, the Father of our spirits, he who
loves his children, is in any degree responsible for the carnage, the
bloodshed, the crime and the infamy that is today being perpetrated
because of war, or any other cause, throughout the world. God is not
responsible for it. I want you to let this sink into your hearts and
remember it. God does not design wickedness or crime in the midst of
his children, neither is he the cause of it. One of the apostles said:
'Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot
be tempted with evil; neither tempteth he any man. But every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.' The Lord
God Almighty has no pleasure whatever in the nations of the earth
contending one with another and destroying themselves. All this is
contrary to the will of God, contrary to his purposes, and contrary to
his love, and to the very nature of the true and the living God. He
loveth his children; he desires them to have life everlasting and not
death. I pity the expressions that I have heard so many times in the
public print from ignorant preachers and some poor mothers whose sons
have been sacrificed at the front: 'Why does God permit it? Why has God
permitted my son to be slain? Why does God permit the war that is
existing today in all the nations of the earth?' The answer is: Because
the nations of the earth, together with their leaders, exercise their
freedom, the freedom of their agency, to pursue their wicked course,
which results in war and in the death and destruction that is being
perpetrated today throughout the nations of the earth. The Lord has no
pleasure in it, and I do not want the Latter-day Saints to conceive the
idea that God is responsible, or to charge him with the crime of
desiring the destruction of his children. It is not true!" - Joseph F. Smith, "Conference Report," April 1918,
Afternoon Session, p. 170
5/14/10
"Even if you cannot always see that silver lining on your clouds,
God can, for He is the very source of the light you seek. He does love
you, and He knows your fears. He hears your prayers. He is your
Heavenly Father, and surely He matches with His own the tears His
children shed." - Jeffrey R. Holland, "An High Priest of Good Things to Come," Ensign (CR), November 1999, p. 36