(9/16/03)
"The God of Israel has set his hand to gather his elect and prepare the world for the sanctifying reign of righteousness. He will accomplish what he has undertaken, using for that purpose every means consistent and available. Christ died to save the souls of men, and save them he will—by mild measures whenever these will avail; but by stern methods if necessary, after the mild have proved ineffectual. First, the 'fishers,' with gentle, kind persuasion. Then the 'hunters'—war, commotion and destruction. Such is the divine program." — Orson F. Whitney, "Saturday Night Thoughts," p. 184

(9/26/04)
"Jesus knew it was an astounding proposition-the doctrine of the resurrection. He told his disciples before the crucifixion that he had power to lay down his life and take it up again. But when he appeared to the Apostles in his risen body they were frightened, deeming him an apparition. 'It is I, be not afraid,' said he, 'for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.' He wished to convince them that he had actually come forth from the grave, and he succeeded in convincing them of that fact. One, however, was absent, and when he, Thomas, was told by his brethren that the Lord had arisen and had been with them, he replied, 'I will not believe it, unless I can feel the prints of the nails in his hands, and thrust my hand into his wounded side.' Now Thomas was one of the Twelve Special Witnesses whose mission was to proclaim the resurrection of Christ, and these men had to know what they were preaching. They could not go out into the world and say, 'We believe Christ has risen from the dead; it is our opinion that it is so; peradventure it happened, as he said it would.' What kind of a message would that have been to a waiting world, hungry for the words of eternal life? These men had to know, not merely believe, and that is why he allowed them to hear his voice, and even to touch him, that they might be convinced beyond a doubt. And so, when he condescended to come again-this time to Thomas-he said: 'Reach hither thy hand, feel of me, and see that it is I.' Thomas, no longer doubting, fell at his feet, exclaiming, 'O Lord, my God!' The Savior then said: 'Thomas, thou hast believed because thou has seen, but blessed are they who have believed and have not seen.' (See Luke 24:36-39; John 20:24-28.)" - Orson F. Whitney, "The Doctrine of the Resurrection," Improvement Era, April, 1952

4/23/06
"We do not confer a favor upon the Almighty by obeying his laws, by receiving his blessings; though we please him, no doubt, by so doing. And when we stand before him at the last day, having 'come up through great tribulation' and made our calling and election sure, I think I can hear Him say: 'Well done, good and faithful servant, or good and faithful handmaid-enter into the joy of thy Lord.' But I cannot by any stretch of imagination, conceive Him as saying: 'Thank you, my child, for coming to Heaven!'" - Orson F. Whitney, Conference Report, April 1931, Second Day—Morning Meeting, p.65

6/16/06
"While it is true that the Savior, when He commissioned His apostles to preach the Gospel, used these words: 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned,'—there is nothing in this to indicate that the Gospel is a Gospel of damnation. Damnation is no part of the Gospel of Christ. There is no damnation in it, but there is plenty of damnation outside of it. When the end comes, and Christ's mission is consummated, it will be found that He has exhausted every means for the salvation of man; and those who stand condemned after the Gospel has done its work, will be found to have condemned themselves. God is bent upon saving, not damning, the human race; and He will use every possible means to that end. He will send His servants with the voice of persuasion, the voice of solemn warning, and will fashion, shape, mold and manipulate all things for the spread of truth-the message of salvation." - Orson F. Whitney, "Conference Report," April 1908, Outdoor Meeting, p.86

11/28/06
"Why am I a Mormon? Why, I came to the earth to be one. It was the object of my descent from the life pre-existent into this lower world of mortality. I believe it is expected of me; that I made a covenant to that effect before leaving the presence of my Father and God, to take upon me this clay; and that if I were to break my covenant and prove false to the trust reposed in me, I would become bankrupt in the estimation of my best and dearest friends. It is to preserve my credit with the heavens that I am a Latter-day Saint, and to keep the way open for my return to what I had formerly, taking with me what I earn as the reward of faithful service in this probation. There is joy in heaven over the victorious return of every soul engaged in the great conflict here below; but the heavens weep, as they wept over fallen Lucifer, when a soul surrenders to sin, turns traitor to God, and forsakes the cause of the great Captain for which it was sent forth to battle.

"The skeptical reader will, of course, say I am a fanatic, and that all this is mere drivel-idle, visionary speculation. To such I would answer, that may be your reason, or what you mistake as a reason, for not believing it. But I am not at present dealing with other people's reasons for believing or disbelieving anything. I am simply trying to make plain my own. For some good and sufficient cause, I was deemed worthy of coming here to be a Mormon, or Latter-day Saint. What I had done to merit the high honor, I do not know, or do not now recollect. But one thing I am certain of, as certain as I am that I live; it was an honor, a most precious privilege; one which the wealth of worlds would not now tempt me to barter or forego." - Orson F. Whitney, "The Contributor," Volume 8

11/23/07
"Young man, or young woman, just commencing life! Be true to yourself. Act your own character. Live the life for which you were intended, and you will succeed and be honored as certainly as God intended you should. But if you strive to be another than yourself, or to fill a place for which you were never designed, you will fall as would fall the exotic before a northern blast, or melt like the iceberg in the tropics." - Orson F. Whitney, "The Contributor," Volume 1