The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(10/31/98)
"Success in family life calls for parents who take time
to enjoy their children; who read with them; who play with them; who let them
participate in planning special occasions, seeking to make wholesome family
traditions a proud part of family life."
ElRay L. Christiansen
"Successful Parenthood - A Noteworthy
Accomplishment"
General Conference, April 1972
(11/1/98)
"To become a joint heir of the heirship of the Son, one
must put away all his false traditions."
Joseph Smith
"Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith", p.321
(11/2/98)
"We learn from ancient Israel that there is a place for
commemorative events. Let us build in our families, communities, and nations,
traditions of a lasting nature that will consistently remind us of the Lord's
eternal truths and of our forebears who preserved them for our day."
L. Tom Perry
"A Meaningful Celebration"
General Conference, October 1987
(11/3/98)
"Your Heavenly Father assigned you to be born into a
specific lineage from which you received your inheritance of race, culture, and
traditions. That lineage can provide a rich heritage and great reasons to
rejoice. Yet you have the responsibility to determine if there is any part of
that heritage that must be discarded because it works against the Lord's plan of
happiness."
Richard G. Scott
"Removing Barriers to Happiness"
General Conference, April 1998
(11/4/98)
"On occasion through the years I have enjoyed the
blessing of asking large groups of adult leaders to meditate for a moment on
their conclusion to an unfinished sentence, and then share their thoughts. The
sentence reads: 'The thing I remember best about my childhood at home with my
parents and family is _____________.' I suspect your answers would be about the
same as those that I have heard. Never once has anyone mentioned a high standard
of living, or material possessions. Always they have spoken, as I would speak,
of attention from mom or dad; of family associations, traditions, sacrifices,
adventures together; of books read aloud, songs sung, work accomplished; of
family prayers and family councils; of small presents lovingly and unselfishly
prepared; of homey and wholesome and happy memories. My single question to them
has always been, and I ask it today, 'What are we giving our own children that
they will remember with equal joy and appreciation?'"
Marion D. Hanks
General Conference, October 1968
(5/2/04)
"A recurrent theme throughout the Book of Mormon is the constraining
influence of the false 'tradition of their fathers' passed down from Laman and
Lemuel through subsequent generations (see Mosiah 10:11-12; Alma 37:9; Alma 60:32; Hel. 5:51; Hel. 15:4; Hel. 16:18-20). Tradition
can be a double-edged sword. When based upon the perpetuation of righteous
principles, tradition can become a marvelous support system in helping us employ
our moral agency wisely. On the other hand, many traditions find their origins
in the false pride and foibles of mankind. In modern-day revelation, the Lord
has taught: 'Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning.... [But] that
wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from
the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers' (D&C 93:38-39; emphasis
added)." - Spencer J. Condie, "Agency:
The Gift of Choices," Ensign, September 1995, p. 21
4/15/08
"I would invite all of us to take a
moment to reflect on the traditions in our lives and how they might be affecting
our families. Our traditions of Sabbath day observance, family prayer, family
scripture study, service and activity in the Church, as well as patterns of
respect and loyalty in the home, will have a great effect on our children and on
their future. If our parenting is based on the teachings of the scriptures and
of the latter-day prophets, we cannot go wrong. If every time there is a
challenge our hearts turn first and always to our Father in Heaven for
direction, we will be in a safe place. If our children know where we stand and
we always stand on the Lord’s side, we know we are where we need to be."
- Cheryl C. Lant, "Righteous Traditions," General Conference, April 2008
11/13/09
“Of
traditions which are complementary to the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul
admonished the Thessalonians, ‘Therefore, … stand fast, and hold the traditions
which ye have been taught’ (2 Thes. 2:15). In the Church, powerful traditions
remind us of the strength and sacrifice of our ancestors and inspire our
efforts. Among them are industry, frugality, and complete devotion to a
righteous cause. Others are based on doctrine and standards which may seem
peculiar to the world but are consistent with God's pattern. These include
chaste behavior, modesty of dress, unpolluted language, Sabbath observance,
adherence to the Word of Wisdom, and the payment of tithes.” -
Donald L. Hallstrom, “Cultivate Righteous Traditions,” Ensign
(CR), November 2000, p. 27