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1/17/07
"Hidden
knowledge is not unfindable. It is available to all who really
search.
Christ said, '...seek and ye shall find.' (Matt.
7:7.) Spiritual knowledge is not available
merely for the asking; even prayers are not enough. It takes
persistence and dedication of one's life. The knowledge of things
in
secular life are of time and are limited; the knowledge of the
infinite
truths are of time an eternity." - Spencer W. Kimball, Conference
Report, October 1968, Afternoon Meeting, p.129
3/3/07
"This life that you and I
possess is for eternity. Contemplate the idea of beings endowed
with
all the powers and faculties which we possess, becoming
annihilated,
passing out of existence, ceasing to be, and then try to reconcile
it
with our feelings and with our present lives. No intelligent
person can
do it. Yet it is only by the Spirit of revelation that we can
understand these things [see
1 Corinthians
2:11].
By the revelations of the Lord Jesus we understand things as they
were,
that have been made known unto us; things that are in the life
which we
now enjoy, and things as they will be [see D&C
93:24], not
to the fullest extent, but all that the Lord designs that we
should
understand, to make it profitable to us, in order to give us the
experience necessary in this life to prepare us to enjoy eternal
life
hereafter." - "Teachings Of Presidents Of The Church: Brigham
Young,"
p.49
3/26/07
"Fix in your minds noble thoughts, cultivate elevated themes, let
your
aims and aspirations be high. Be in a certain degree independent;
to
the degree of usefulness, helpfulness and self-reliance, though no
human beings can be said truly to be independent of their fellow
beings, and there is no one reckless enough to deny our utter
dependence on our heavenly Father. Seek to be educated in the
highest
meaning of the term; get the most possible service out of your
time,
your body and brains, and let all your efforts be directed into
honorable channels, that no effort shall be wasted, and no labor
result
in loss or evil." - "Teachings Of Presidents Of The Church: Joseph
F.
Smith," p.313
11/18/07
"Mere knowledge of spiritual truth, information that may be drawn
from
the encyclopedia, for instance, that there is a God, that prayers
may
be heard, or that it is wrong to steal, is never really understood
unless the person is spiritually prepared. The absence of such
preparation explains why many who can glibly recite the Ten
Commandments or the Beatitudes may violate them with equal ease;
or
why, though reared in a religious atmosphere, they are
irreligious.
Such persons believe that spiritual knowledge may be poured into
them
with no consideration of their fitness and with no effort on their
part. That cannot be done in the lower fields of knowledge and
less so
in the highest, the spiritual field. It would be in opposition to
natural law. Such people are out of spiritual focus, and their
impressions are blurred, much as a telescope out of focus gives
only
indistinct and confused images. Or, to use another figure of
speech,
there is static in their lives which mars the beauty of life's
melody.
On the contrary, when a person does fit and qualify himself,
spiritual
messages, waiting to be revealed, come to him. Then, and only
then, is
spiritual knowledge quickened into living comprehension leading to
activity. When there is such correspondence between an individual
and
the spiritual world, the real joy of life appears. Otherwise,
something
is missing from our daily desire. We live incompletely." - John A.
Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p.86
8/5/08
"Latter-day Saints should be
ambitious to grow in knowledge of the truth; and if we shall know,
even
better than we do today, all that we need do is to be better than
we
are today, to be purer in our thoughts, to be holier in our lives,
and
our knowledge will increase in proportion." - Rulon S. Wells,
"Conference Report," October 1910, Afternoon Session., p.29
10/22/08
"The principle of knowledge has
often been misinterpreted by men. 'The
glory of God is intelligence'
(D&C 93:36). It surpasses all we can ever understand with our
intellectual capacities. People who try to find God sometimes
think
that they have to look for Him in intellectually complicated
concepts.
"However, our Heavenly Father is always available to us. He adapts to our level of understanding. 'If He comes to a little child, He will adapt himself to the language and capacity of a little child' (Joseph Smith, in History of the Church, 3:392).
"God would indeed be unjust if the gospel were only accessible to an intellectual elite. In His goodness, He has ensured that the truths regarding God are understandable to all His children, whatever their level of education or intellectual faculty." - Gérald Caussé, "Even a Child Can Understand," General Conference, October 2008
1/8/09
"It is good for men to be
taught in the history and laws of nations, to become acquainted
with
the principles of justice and equity, with the nature of disease
and
the medical properties of plants, etc., but there is no need of
their
being without the knowledge of God, of in fact every branch of
true
knowledge known to man has originated in God, and men have come in
possessions of it from His word or from His works. O, the folly of
men
in not acknowledging God in all things, in laying aside God and
his
religion, and trusting in their own judgment and intelligence. All
the
intelligence which men possess on the earth, whether religious,
scientific or political—proceeds
from God—every good and
perfect gift proceeds from Him, the fountain of light and truth,
wherein there is no variableness nor shadow of turning." — John
Taylor, "Journal
of Discourses," 26 vols., 10:276
2/19/09
"From my youth I have been
acutely interested in and tried to be observant of everything
around us—birds, animals, and plant life—their species, forms,
colors,
characteristics, and habits. I found that we can, as the Savior
did,
draw lessons from everyday occurrences. We can note the behavior
of
people in all their individuality and sameness. I developed the
desire,
as a teacher, to share the things I had observed. I found that by
diligent, consistent observation, notetaking, and filing, one can
store
up a vast reservoir of knowledge, examples, lessons, feelings,
experiences, and stories. One can come to know the verity of the
scripture 'treasure up in
your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given
you in
the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man.'
(D&C 84:85.) That supply is
there whenever one needs to draw from it for teaching or speaking
assignments. Whatever else we are in life, we are teachers—as
parents, in church
service, in all else that we do." - Boyd K. Packer, "That All
May Be Edified," p.
6
7/22/09
“But
gaining knowledge is one thing, and applying it, quite another.
Wisdom
is the right application of knowledge, and true education—the
education for which the Church stands—is the application of
knowledge to the development of a noble and God-like character.”
- David O. McKay, “Conference
Report,” April 1968, General Priesthood Meeting, p. 94
4/5/10
"Although we would not want it otherwise, there is so much
knowledge
present in the world today; and tomorrow and each succeeding day
thereafter discovery, invention, and knowledge will continue to
increase and become so conveniently available that mental
development
and learning will come earlier and earlier in the life of youth.
With
it, unless youth is well grounded in the faith, will come worldly
sophistication and material pursuits and pleasures. Without
maturity of
feelings and judgment, wrong roads and attitudes can be easily
taken
that would impair the promise to them of a rich, useful, and happy
life." - Delbert L. Stapley, “Conference Report,”
October 1956, Afternoon Meeting, p. 121
5/16/10
"If you have that testimony of truth on your side, you can pass
through the dark valley of slander, misrepresentation, and abuse,
undaunted as though you wore a magic suit of mail, that no bullet
could
enter, no arrow could pierce. You can hold your head high, toss it
fearlessly and defiantly, look every man calmly and unflinchingly
in
the eye, as though you rode, a victorious king returning at the
head of
your legions, with banners waving and lances glistening and bugles
filling the air with music. You can feel the great expansive world
of
more health surging through you as the quickened blood courses
through
the body of him who is gladly, gloriously proud of physical
health. You
will know that all will come right in the end, that it must come,
that
all must flee before the great white light of truth, as the
darkness
slinks away into nothingness in the presence of the sunburst." -
David O. McKay, "Conference Report," April 1958, Afternoon
Meeting, p. 130
7/20/10
"We should develop an insatiable appetite for knowledge pertaining
to our salvation, for the Savior said, 'And this is life eternal,
that
they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou
hast sent.' (John 17:3.) There is no more important, exciting, and
exhilarating subject than to learn about him who created the
worlds and
the plan he has prepared for us." - Royden G. Derrick, "The
Beatitudes and Our Perfection," Ensign (CR), May 1977, p. 57
9/16/10
"There is much that I do not know. I
do not know the details of the organization of matter into the
beautiful world we live in. I do not understand the intricacies of
the
Atonement, how the Savior's sacrifice can cleanse all repentant
people,
or how the Savior could suffer 'the pain of all men' (D&C
18:11).
I do not know where the city of Zarahemla was, as referred to in
the
Book of Mormon. I do not know why my beliefs sometimes conflict
with
assumed scientific or secular knowledge. Perhaps these are matters
our
Father in Heaven described as the 'mysteries . . . of heaven' (D&C 107:19)
that will be revealed at a later date.
"But while I don't know everything, I know the important. I know
the
plain and simple gospel truths that lead to salvation and
exaltation. I
know that the Savior did suffer the pain of all men and that all
repentant people can be cleansed from sin. And what I don't know
or
don't completely understand, with the powerful aid of my faith, I
bridge the gap and move on, partaking of the promises and
blessings of
the gospel. And then, as Alma teaches, our faith brings us to a
perfect
knowledge (see Alma
32:34).
By moving forward into the unknown, armed only with hope and
desire, we
show evidence of our faith and our devotion to the Lord." -
Richard C. Edgley, "Faith—the
Choice Is Yours," Ensign (CR) October 2010
7/24/11
We should keep in mind that there is more than one source of
knowledge. There is the knowledge obtainable through man’s normal
sensory organs. Such knowledge should be sought after. The Lord
has commanded us to get all such knowledge we can in this manner.
There is also knowledge of divine things which comes through
direct revelation—religious knowledge, it is sometimes called. And
there are two aspects to religious knowledge. One of them concerns
the great store of religious knowledge which we have in the
scriptures. Ever since the beginning, from Father Adam’s time
until now, the Lord has given through his prophets, by revelation,
religious knowledge. Such knowledge concerns the verities of life.
It deals with God and his Beloved Son, the great gospel plan, and
the mission of Jesus as Savior and Redeemer. The other aspect to
religious knowledge is the personal witness available through
inspiration, a form of revelation that comes to each individual. -
Marion G. Romney, "Except
a Man Be Born Again," Ensign (CR) October 1981