(8/17/99)
"It seems to me that any member of this Church would never be satisfied
until he or she had read the Book of Mormon time and time again, and thoroughly
considered it so that he or she could bear witness that it is in very deed a
record with the inspiration of the Almighty upon it, and that its history is
true.... No member of this Church can stand approved in the presence of God who
has not seriously and carefully read the Book of Mormon." — Joseph
Fielding Smith, "Conference Report," Oct 1961, p. 18
(12/29/99)
"Let me not be misunderstood, when I say that there is need for repentance
in Zion. ...There is constant need of warning, teaching and calling upon the
people to remember the promises the Lord has made unto them; urging them to be
true and faithful in all things, to his holy word that none may go astray, nor
falter, or be overcome and trodden down and be cast back again into the world,
to partake of the sins of the world from whence they came. And so I feel that it
is my mission to cry repentance and to call upon the people to serve the
Lord." — "Conference
Report," October 1919, p. 88
(12/30/99)
"We are living in perilous times, in a day when the mission of the Church
is perhaps more pronounced, and our message to the world more clearly defined,
than ever before. As a people we stand as witnesses for Christ in a day when the
world has turned from him, when they are teaching the doctrines of men and
discarding the fundamental truths of the Christian faith." — "Conference Report," April 1924, p.
40
(12/31/99)
"I plead with the Latter-day Saints to stand firm and faithful in the
discharge of every duty, keeping the commandments of the Lord, honoring the
priesthood, that we may stand when the Lord comes--whether we be living or dead,
it matters not--to be partakers of His glory." —
"Conference Report," April 1935, p. 99
(1/01/00)
"But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their
temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going forth and receiving all the
ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings, anointings, ordinations and
sealing powers upon their heads, in behalf of their progenitors who are dead,
and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be
exalted to thrones of glory with them; and herein is the chain that binds the
hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, which
fulfills the mission of Elijah..." — "Conference
Report," April 1948, p. 136
(1/02/00)
"Not all truth is of the same value or importance. Some truths are greater
than others. The greatest truth, or the greatest truths, we find in the
fundamentals of the gospel of Jesus Christ. First of all, that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, who came into this world to die that
men might live. That truth we should know. It is far more important to know that
Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, that he has given unto us the principles of
eternal life, than it is to know all that can be obtained in secular
education." — "Conference
Report," April 1955, p. 51
(1/03/00)
"The words of the prophets are rapidly being fulfilled, but it is done on
such natural principles that most of us fail to see it." — "Conference Report," April 1966, p.
13
(1/04/00)
"I think if all men knew and understood who they are, and were aware of the
divine source from whence they came, and of the infinite potential that is part
of their inheritance, they would have feelings of kindness and kinship for each
other that would change their whole way of living and bring peace on
earth." — "Conference
Report," April 1970, p. 4
(6/17/03)
"This City of Holiness, or Zion, was a theocracy like unto the government
established by the Lord in the days of Adam. In it the celestial law prevailed,
the commandments of the Lord were respected; there were no jealousies, envyings,
immorality or wickedness of any kind. The people were truly happy, and only by
obedience to divine law can a people be truly happy. If we, today, had the faith
and willingness to serve the Lord and would love God and our neighbor as
ourselves, as we have been commanded to do, we would be just as happy and
blessed as were the people of the City of Zion. The Son of God would again be
willing to do as he did with the inhabitants of Zion, he could dwell in our
midst, in other words, we could "walk with God." It is only our
rebellion and unwillingness to be obedient in all things, that keeps us from
having the companionship of heavenly messengers in this latter day. Eventually
this condition will come, but not until the earth is cleansed of its wickedness
and the reign of righteousness is ushered in for one thousand years." —
Joseph Fielding Smith, "The Progress of Man," [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1964], p. 86-87
(7/22/03)
"Because the daughters of Noah married the sons of men contrary to the
teachings of the Lord, his anger was kindled, and this offense was one cause
that brought to pass the universal flood. You will see that the condition
appears reversed in the Book of Moses. It was the daughters of the sons of God
who were marrying the sons of men, which was displeasing unto the Lord. The fact
was, as we see it revealed, that the daughters who had been born, evidently
under the covenant, and were the daughters of the sons of God, that is to say of
those who held the priesthood, were transgressing the commandment of the Lord
and were marrying out of the Church. Thus they were cutting themselves off from
the blessings of the priesthood contrary to the teachings of Noah and the will
of God ....
"Today there are foolish daughters of those who hold this same priesthood who are violating this commandment and marrying the sons of men; there are also some of the sons of those who hold the priesthood who are marrying the daughters of men. All of this is contrary to the will of God just as much as it was in the days of Noah." — Joseph Fielding Smith, "Answers to Gospel Questions," 1:136-37
(9/03/03)
"Never in the history of the world has this truth been so greatly manifest
as in the preaching of the Gospel by the weak and humble elders of the Church.
They have gone forth into strength which the Lord promised them and they have
confounded the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of their prudent men has
been hid. (Isa. 29:14) Think of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who was without
training or education, only in the simple grades, so far as the learning or the
world is concerned. Yet the Lord called him and educated him and he has
confounded the entire religious world and brought to naught their false
doctrines." — Joseph Fielding Smith, "Church History and Modern
Revelation," p. 149
(12/15/04)
"We know that God is known only by revelation, that he stands revealed or
remains forever unknown. We must go to the scriptures-not to the scientists or
philosophers-if we are to learn the truth about Deity. Indeed, John's great
prophecy about the restoration of the gospel by an angel who should fly in the
midst of heaven says that it was to occur so that men could come to a knowledge
of the true God and be taught: 'Fear God, and give glory to him... and worship
him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.' (Rev.
14:7.) In other words, beginning with the restoration of the gospel in this
dispensation, men once again would be called upon to worship and serve their
Creator rather than the false concepts of Deity that prevail in the world."
- Joseph Fielding Smith, "The
Most Important Knowledge," Ensign, May 1971, p. 2-3
(12/26/04)
"We are engaged in the Lord's work; this is his church; he is the author of
the plan of salvation; it is his gospel which we have received by the opening of
the heavens in this day; and our desire and whole purpose in life should be to
believe the truths he has revealed and to conform our lives to them. No person
in or out of the Church should believe any doctrine, advocate any practice, or
support any cause that is not in harmony with the divine will. Our sole
objective where the truths of salvation are concerned should be to find out what
the Lord has revealed and then to believe and act accordingly." - Joseph
Fielding Smith, "Out
of the Darkness," Ensign, June 1971, p. 2
(1/8/05)
"As the Lord's agents we are bound by his law to
do what he wants us to do regardless of personal feelings or worldly
enticements. Of ourselves we have no message of salvation, no doctrine that must
be accepted, no power to baptize or ordain or marry for eternity. All these
things come from the Lord, and anything we do with reference to them is the
result of delegated authority." - Joseph Fielding Smith, "Our
Responsibilities As Priesthood Holders," Ensign, June 1971, p. 49
(1/30/05)
"We believe that worship is far more than prayer and preaching and gospel
performance. The supreme act of worship is to keep the commandments, to follow
in the footsteps of the Son of God, to do ever those things that please him. It
is one thing to give lip service to the Lord; it is quite another to respect and
honor his will by following the example he has set for us." - Joseph
Fielding Smith, "I
Know That My Redeemer Liveth," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 27
12/13/05
"I wonder if we ever stop to think why the Lord
has asked us to pray. Did he ask us to pray because he wants us to bow down and
worship him? Is that the main reason? I don't think it is. He is our Heavenly
Father, and we have been commanded to worship him and pray to him in the name of
his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. But the Lord can get along without our prayers.
His work will go on just the same, whether we pray or whether we do not. He
knows the end from the beginning. There are many worlds that have passed through
the same experience that we are going through. He has had sons and daughters on
other earths, where they have had the same privileges and the same opportunities
to serve him and the same commandments that we have had given to us. Prayer is
something that we need, not that the Lord needs. He knows just how to conduct
his affairs and how to take care of them without any help from us. Our prayers
are not for the purpose of telling him how to run his business. If we have any
such idea as that, then of course we have the wrong idea. Our prayers are
uttered more for our sakes, to build us up and give us strength and courage, and
to increase our faith in him." - Joseph Fielding Smith, "Conference Report,"
April 1968, First Day—Morning Meeting, p.10
9/11/07
"The meeting was opened by prayer and singing and then under the
influence of the Spirit of the Lord the Prophet addressed them. In the
course of his remarks he called attention to the great spirit of
darkness which prevails upon the face of the whole earth. The Sun of
Righteousness has been made obscure by the evil acts of men, but soon
the light was to burst forth upon the heads of the faithful. Great
blessings await the faithful members of the Church even beyond the
blessings of the saints in the days of our Lord, for they had him with
them and relied upon him, but through reliance on the Holy Spirit and
by exercising great faith, they would be greatly blessed." - Joseph
Fielding Smith, "Church History and Modern Revelation," 4 vols., 3:68
9/30/07
"If we could see
the Savior of men suffering in the garden and upon the cross and
could fully realize all that it meant to us, we would
desire to keep his commandments and we would love the Lord our God with all
our heart, with all our might, mind and strength, and in the name
of Jesus Christ would serve him." - Joseph Fielding Smith, "Doctrines
of Salvation," 3 vols., edited by Bruce R. McConkie, 2:347
11/3/07
"In my judgment the sacrament meeting is the
most sacred, the most holy,
of all the meetings
of the Church. When I reflect upon the gathering of the Savior and
his apostles on that memorable night when he introduced the sacrament,
when I think of that solemn occasion, my heart is filled with wonderment and my
feelings are touched. I consider that gathering one of the most solemn and
wonderful since the beginning of time." - Joseph Fielding Smith, "Doctrines
of Salvation," 3 vols., edited by Bruce R. McConkie, 2:340
5/27/09
“And
now, my good brethren and sisters, what is our duty? To keep the commandments of
God. And we are instructed to do that in our quarterly conferences, in our
general conferences and in all the meetings that are held in the various stakes
and wards of Zion. Even as it is, there are conditions arising which should
cause us to be alert, on our guard, diligent, persevering in the keeping of the
commandments of the Lord, and in instructing the members of the Church. By all
means, this is needed. Satan is not dead.” - Joseph
Fielding Smith, “Conference Report,” October 1959, Afternoon Meeting, p. 19
6/7/09
“Satan is abroad in the land, deceiving the nations, and he will
deceive us unless we are firmly grounded in the faith, unless we base our
salvation on truth, unless we search for gospel knowledge. and understanding.
The Lord has required of us, as he sets it forth in many of the revelations
given to the Church, that we should search the, scriptures, and make ourselves
familiar with the teachings they contain. If we will do this then, we will not
be led astray by every wind of doctrine and foolish teaching of men in the
world, but will have power to understand and discern between truth and error and
choose the right, avoiding that which is wrong. Every member of this Church has
it within his power to know the truth, so that he may not be deceived. This
knowledge will come to us through our study, through faith, through
perseverance, and through living in full accord with the ordinances of the
gospel." - Joseph Fielding Smith, “Conference Report,”
April 1928, Second Day—Morning Meeting, p. 68
7/26/09
“To know the
way to eternal life is far more important than all the learning that the world
can give. We find that in the sacred principles which have been revealed for the
last time, and in these ordinances which are being performed for the last
time—that is, in the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times—for the gospel will
never be restored again. It has been restored to remain. The Lord has ordained
his servants, and has given them authority to execute his laws, to preach his
gospel, to cry repentance, to call upon men to humble themselves and receive
these fundamental principles of eternal life.” - Joseph
Fielding Smith, “Conference Report,” April 1955, Afternoon Meeting, p. 51
11/12/09
“I would
like for a few minutes to offer a few observations in regard to the question of
tolerance and broadmindedness. We hear so much in these days about being
tolerant and broadminded. I suppose the world will never know how many crimes
have been committed through a misinterpretation and misunderstanding of these
terms. Satan is very ‘broadminded,’ extremely so as long as he can get people to
do evil and avoid the truth. He will teach any kind of theory, or principle, or
doctrine, if it doesn't conform to the fundamental things of life–the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. He is even willing to teach some truth if he can join that truth
with error, and by teaching the error with the truth lead men astray. This is
how broadminded he is, and that is how the apostasy came about in the primitive
church.” - Joseph Fielding Smith, “Conference Report,”
October 1936, Second Day–Morning Meeting, p. 59
3/17/10
“The world
is full of philosophy. One prominent and intelligent writer has called these
theories ‘scientific fiction.’ I think he is right. We have the theories of
evolution, of higher criticism, the ideas that prevail in the schools throughout
our land that are dangerous, that are striking at the fundamentals of the gospel
of Jesus Christ, trying to destroy the faith in the minds of the students who
attend the schools. We are troubled with it…, and the colleges throughout the
country are full of it, and the professors teach it; they believe in it, at
least they profess to believe in it; and it seems to me that the sole purpose of
it is to undermine and destroy the gospel of Jesus Christ.” -
Joseph Fielding Smith, “Doctrines of Salvation,” 3 vols., edited
by Bruce R. McConkie, 1:320
3/23/10
“The world
is rapidly coming to its end, that is, the end of the day of wickedness. When it
is fully ripe in iniquity the Lord will come in the cloud of heaven to take
vengeance on the ungodly, for his wrath is kindled against them. Do not think
that he delayeth his coming. Many of the signs of his coming have been given, so
we may, if we will, know that the day is even now at our doors.” -
Joseph Fielding Smith, “Conference Report,” October 1965,
Afternoon Meeting, p. 29
6/29/10
"There should be no sin in the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. No man should attempt to excuse himself because he
has this failing or that. If we have a failing, if we have a weakness,
there is where we should concentrate, with a desire to overcome, until
we master and conquer. If a man feels that it is hard for him to pay
his tithing, then that is the thing he should do, until he learns to
pay his tithing. If it is the Word of Wisdom, that is what he should
do, until he learns to love that commandment." - Joseph Fielding Smith, "Conference Report," October 1941, Afternoon Meeting, p. 95
7/23/10
"The Saints have not too much time to save and redeem their dead, and
gather together their living relatives, that they may be saved also,
before the earth will be smitten, and the consumption decreed falls
upon the world." - Joseph Fielding Smith, "Conference Report," April 1948, Third Day—Morning Meeting, p. 136
