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(6/16/00)
"When we regard our work in the Church, let us remember that
we are working in the vineyard of the Lord, and that we are
his servants,.... And remember, too, that if we esteem lightly
the word of the Lord in the day of our prosperity, in the day
of our trouble he may be slow to hearken unto our prayers, to
answer us and provide for our needs." — "Conference Report,"
October 1944, p. 126
(6/17/00)
"As I reflect upon the youth of Zion, I reflect also upon the
homes from which they come. I know that great homes produce
great people. Those homes need not be rich in this world's
goods, but if they are rich in the wisdom of God, they are
rich indeed, and young people who grow up in homes such as
those are great young people." — "Conference Report," April
1955, p. 54
(6/18/00)
"In my opinion, America needs a rebirth of honor more than it
needs any other one thing. It needs honor more than it needs
its atom bombs and nuclear submarines. Put weapons in the
hands of dishonorable men and what have you? America needs
honor more than it needs wealth and prosperity. Put wealth in
the hands of dishonorable men, and what have you? America
needs honor even more than it needs professions of religious
piety. What good is a profession of religion in a man who has
no honor? Such men lived in the days of Jesus. He called them
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites." — "Conference Report,"
April 1960, p. 37
(6/19/00)
"Usually when people speak of an apostasy from the truth they
refer to changes in doctrines or a repudiation of certain
beliefs. There has been an abundance of this. Such changes
have resulted in the organization of hundreds of churches with
different creeds rituals and ordinances, many of them being
highly contradictory. But personal sin is as real an apostasy
as any effort to change the law or break the everlasting
covenant." — "Conference Report," April 1965, p. 35
(6/20/00)
"It is not enough merely to pray to the Lord, or to mention
Him in our speeches, because neither prayer alone nor lip
service will save anyone. The Lord is a God of works as well
as of faith. Mere appeals for divine aid, urgent though they
may seem to be, will not bring the desired results. Righteous
works must accompany them." — "The Way to Peace," p. 94
(6/21/00)
"We live today in a time of research, discovery, and
knowledge. The new knowledge bears testimony that both
Nephites and Lamanites lived in ancient America. Regardless of
the names given them by the scientists or the early Incas, to
us they were Nephites and Lamanites.... It is glorious to see
the confirming evidence as it comes forth from unexpected
sources, sustaining in principle after principle our holy
faith. We do not depend upon it for our faith at all, but we
welcome its sustaining power nevertheless." — "Conference
Report," April 1962, p. 115
(1/16/02)
"There is no reward for half-hearted obedience. We must become
vigorous and enthusiastic about living our religion, for God
commands that we serve him with all our heart, with all our
might, with all our strength, and with the very best of our
intelligence. With him there can be no halfway measures. We
must be fully for him or we may be classed with those who are
against him. Then what shall we do? Put on the whole armour of
God--that is what we are to do." — Mark E. Petersen, "Where
Do
We Stand?" Ensign, May 1980, p. 70
(2/17/02)
"These are a few of the infallible signs of the true Church.
But there are others. The Church of today must be of modern
origin. Does that surprise you? Not an ancient church, but of
modern origin. That is a vital sign of identification of the
true church." — Mark E. Petersen, "Signs
of
the True Church," Ensign, May 1979, p. 23
3/4/03
"It is possible for us to become perfect like God, or the
Savior would not have commanded it. It is something on which
we must begin here and now, or the Savior would not have
commanded it. It is not an impossible goal because the Lord
will command nothing of the children of men save he shall
prepare the way whereby they may accomplish it." — Mark E.
Petersen, January 17, 1962, "BYU Speeches of the Year," p. 3
(7/27/04)
"We must take a positive approach to our religion and
literally make it a way of life, a plan of daily action. We
must reform ourselves day by day along gospel lines, for this
is the time of our probation and it is now that we must
prepare to meet our God. (See Alma
34:32.)" - Mark E. Petersen, "We
Believe
in Being Honest," Ensign, May 1982, pp. 15-16
(8/12/04)
"Latter-day Saints, of all people, should stand firm in
defense of freedom. Free agency has a special meaning to us.
We know that without free agency there would be no progress.
We all know that the gospel itself is based upon the principle
of free agency. Yet there are some among us who have allowed
themselves to slip to one side or the other, and they need to
reorient themselves in line with the divine revelations we
have received concerning the principle of freedom." - Mark E.
Petersen, "Conference Report," April 1946, Afternoon Meeting,
p. 168
(11/17/04)
"So if you really desire to avoid deceptions, if you really
desire to do that which is right and proper, then you take
advantage of the safeguard that the Lord has given you in the
organization of this Church. And you remember that if you will
follow the teachings of your inspired prophets, seers, and
revelators, of your apostles, of your pastors and teachers,
your bishops and your stake presidents, you won't need to
wonder whether or not such and such a doctrine is a deception,
whether it is false or whether it is true, because those
authorized servants of the Lord will lead you into paths of
righteousness, and they will keep you on the right track." -
Mark E. Petersen, "Conference Report," October 1945, Afternoon
Meeting, p. 92
11/21/04
"It is evident from the scriptures that through the
foreknowledge of God the ancient apostles were shown in
advance that Christianity would be splintered, that its unity
for which Christ had prayed would be destroyed, and that thus
would come a general falling away from the original truth....
But the Lord was not content to abandon a shattered
Christianity. He was still determined to save mankind if they
would obey him. Therefore, knowing in advance that a falling
away would take place, he provided for a restoration of the
original truth in the latter days. This was voiced through the
apostle Peter as one day he discoursed upon the second coming
of the Lord. He explained that the Lord’s second coming would
be preceded in the latter days by a restoration of the gospel
which would be so extensive as to return all that God had
spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets from the beginning of
the world. (See Acts
3.)" - Mark E. Petersen, “The Message of Elijah,”
Ensign, May 1976, p. 14
(12/9/04)
“'Why are ye ashamed to take
upon you the name of Christ?' he asked, speaking to modern
America, knowing full well that many might profess to
believe in him and yet refuse to do his works (Morm. 8:38).
It is by engaging in his works that we truly take his name
upon us. It is not through lip service. Moroni knew that
faith without works is dead. And so likewise should we." -
Mark E. Petersen, “The Last Words of Moroni,” Ensign, November 1978, p. 58
(12/14/04)
"The Lord also teaches that, over the ages, if angels have
ceased to appear, it is because of unbelief and the spirit
of apostasy among men. But where there is faith, the
ministry of angels will last as long as the earth shall
stand or 'there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be
saved.' (Moro.
7:36.) Because the Lord desires to save mankind, even
until the end, He revealed to John the Revelator that in the
latter days angels would again fly through the midst of
heaven as emissaries of the Almighty. John saw that one of
these angels would fly from heaven to earth and would bring
the everlasting gospel back to earth, it having been lost to
mankind over the ages. (See Rev.
14:6.)" - Mark E. Petersen, "The
Angel
Moroni Came!" Ensign, November 1983, p. 29
(1/7/05)
"Our inconsistency in the present situation is frightening.
While millions accept promiscuity as a new way of life and
excuse adultery even though it wrecks marriages and breaks
up homes, at the same time we make it illegal to offer a
prayer in some of our public places. While we teach sex in
schools and publicly portray the vilest of filth on the
movie screen, we virtually make a criminal of a
schoolteacher who would bring a Bible into the classroom or
who might ask the students to recite the Lord's Prayer. So
far have we lost our sense of values! Some Americans protest
reference to the Almighty in the Pledge of Allegiance to the
flag, while others would eliminate 'In God We Trust' from
our coins. Church attendance in most denominations is
falling off at a rapid rate. Bible sales are down 25
percent, and some members of the clergy have lost their
faith. The Almighty provided that we should observe a sacred
Sabbath each week. We have flouted this law to his face, and
most of us have turned his holy day into one of pleasure or
of 'business as usual,' and yet the Sabbath was given as a
symbol of allegiance to our Creator. How true it is that
'first we pity, then endure, then embrace' the repeated and
relentless incursions of iniquity." - Mark E. Petersen, "Warnings
from
the Past," Ensign, June 1971, p. 47
(2/13/05)
"Dishonesty is directly related to selfishness, which is its
origin and source. Selfishness is at the root of nearly all
the disorders that afflict us, and man's inhumanity to man
continues to make countless thousands mourn.
"If all mankind were honest, we could have heaven here on
earth. We would have no need for armies or navies, nor even
a policeman in the smallest community, for there would be no
crime, no invasion of other people's rights, no violence of
one person against another.
"There would be no grounds for divorce, nor would we have
errant husbands or unfaithful wives. Conflict between
children and parents would disappear, and juvenile
delinquency would come to an end.
"But in our society is there anything more widespread than
the tendency to lie and deceive?" - Mark E. Petersen, "Honesty,
a
Principle of Salvation," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 72
(7/5/05)
"It is no easy matter to live the gospel as we should. But
unless we do, we cannot receive the blessings. It is no easy
matter to become perfect in anything. Perfection requires
devotion, long-suffering, persistence, willingness to
sacrifice, and constant concentration. Imperfection can
produce only further imperfection.
"Could you sisters bake a good cake if you did not follow
the recipe? Could you brethren build a house or a highway,
or make a clock, or send a man to the moon if you ignored
the formula provided for such achievements? Could you become
a doctor if you did not follow the prescribed course in a
medical school? Could you become an engineer if you ignored
the principles of engineering?
"Then can we expect to achieve perfection like that of
Almighty God if we fail to follow the course He lays out for
us?
"The gospel will do us little good if we do not live it." -
Mark E. Petersen, "Believers
and Doers," Ensign, Nov. 1982, 18
(8/23/05)
"Almost like children, we fret over our fuel shortages and
other inconveniences. We resent restrictions upon our
pleasure-seeking activities. Why don’t we admit like grown
men and women that a rejection of God is at the very root of
all of our troubles? Why do we refuse to wake up to the
facts in our situation? Why must we blindly plunge on into
catastrophe?
"Should we not take right and proper steps to overcome our
conflicts, our crimes, and all of our corruptions?
"There is but one sure and certain way: return to God! And
that must include a sincere acceptance of the Lord Jesus
Christ, with full obedience to his precepts." - Mark E.
Petersen, “O
America, America,” Ensign, Nov. 1979, 14
(10/31/05)
"What do we mean by the grace of God?
"Jesus is gracious—that is, He is kind, merciful,
compassionate. It is out of His grace, His compassion and
His love for us, His mercy, His kindness, His desire for us
to become like Him, that He provides for us His glorious
gospel.
"But to reject His truth is to reject His grace, His mercy,
His kindness, His compassion. It is to say that we want none
of it. And of one thing we may be sure: if such is our
attitude, we most certainly shall have none of it.
"Obedience is the thing. What did Samuel say to Saul when he
tried to serve two masters? To obey is better than
sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (1
Sam. 15:22.)" - Mark E. Petersen, "We
Believe in Being Honest," Ensign (CR), May 1982, p.14
3/27/06
"The First Epistle of John tells us that if we do not have good
relationships with our neighbors, whom we have seen, we cannot
rightfully claim to love God, whom we have not seen. (1
Jn. 4:20.)
"Do we take time occasionally to read the Sermon on the Mount?
It refers largely to our relationships with one another. Let me
mention just a few of its principles." - Mark E. Petersen, "Do
Unto Others...," Ensign (CR), May 1977, p.73
9/9/06
"In the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants we read
'that the Lord shall come to recompense unto every man according
to his work, and measure to every man according to the measure
which he has measured to his fellow man.' (D&C
1:10.)
"This teaching deserves the most careful consideration, for on
judgment day the Lord will mete out to us precisely as we have
dealt with our fellowmen, unless we have fully repented. It is a
staggering thought, and yet it is an integral factor in the
Lords method of judgment. Do we realize its broad significance?
Do we see how we shall reap what we sow?
"This principle, showing the manner by which God will judge us,
puts a new light upon the commandment to love our neighbors as
ourselves, and should persuade us to take that law seriously.
"It also helps us to understand the deep meaning of the Golden
Rule: 'All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them.' This is a commandment, and to further
emphasize it the Lord said: 'This is the law and the prophets.'
(3 Ne. 14:12.)"
- Mark E. Petersen, "Do
Unto Others...," Ensign (CR), May 1977, p.73
3/11/07
"We must take a positive approach to our religion and literally
make it a way of life, a plan of daily action. We must reform
ourselves day by day along gospel lines, for this is the time of
our probation and it is now that we must prepare to meet our
God. (See Alma
34:32.)" - Mark E. Petersen, "We
Believe in Being Honest," Ensign (CR), May 1982, p.14
9/22/09
“The
divine gospel was lost over the centuries, human philosophies
displaced revealed doctrine, and the holy priesthood was taken
away. But now it is all restored! We testify that it is
restored! Revelation again comes from heaven. Prophets once
more walk among us, and the truth is offered freely to all who
will listen. God’s modern dispensation now shines as a
brilliant ensign to the nations, just as the prophets
foretold.” - Mark E. Petersen,
“Where Do We Stand?,” Ensign (CR), May 1980, p. 68
5/23/10
"We cannot reach perfection by imperfect means. Being lax in
our attention to the Lord and slovenly in our obedience to him
spell nothing but imperfection and failure.
"The Lord knows this. Because he wants us to become like him,
he requires that we follow his formula, and that requires
consistent daily obedience, the living of his kind of life,
the thinking of his kind of thoughts, in order that 'the works
that I do shall [ye] do also,' and 'greater works than these
shall [ye] do.' (John 14:12.)" - Mark
E. Petersen, "Moses: Man of Miracles," p. 127
6/16/11
"Becoming
Christlike is a matter of daily spiritual growth. As a flower
develops from a seed, as a mature adult develops from a tiny
child, so we can grow spiritually day by day, eventually into
Christlike personalities." - Mark
E. Petersen, "Believers
and Doers," Ensign (CR) October 1982
8/4/11
The Saints today need instruction from God through his
prophets just as did the members of the ancient church. We of
this dispensation also must depend upon inspired direction in
the work of the ministry and upon constant divine guidance on
our way to perfection.
In many ways conditions now are much the same as they were
anciently. The attitudes of the people—then and now—are not
essentially different, neither are their basic problems, such
as immorality.
The Lord has given us modern prophets as part of his modern
Church, and their duties are like those of the ancient ones. -
Mark
E. Petersen, "Follow
the Prophets," Ensign (CR) October 1981
8/26/11
Do we appreciate what this earth really means to us? Do we see
why it was made? Do we understand its purpose? Do we see that
there was nothing accidental or spontaneous about its origin?
Do we see that its creation was literally and truly,
completely and exclusively, an act of God?
And who was the Creator?
Our Heavenly Father declares that it was His own Beloved Son
who accomplished the mighty task. - Mark
E. Petersen, "Creator and Savior," Ensign (CR) April 1983
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