The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(8/31/97)
"Our youth, with all
of their distractions, must realize that through their membership they
are very special; that the Lord is counting on them that the prophecies
might be fulfilled. You of a noble birthright are different from your
friends who are not members of Christ's true church. You are a
'chosen generation'; you live 'in the world' but you do not follow
worldly trends or habits which are contrary to your beliefs. May I
remind you of only a few of the very special events in your life that
cause you to be different. You have made some promises, and some
eternal promises have been made to you."
— David B. Haight, General Conference, October 1973
(9/1/97)
"Having the stewardship
under the direction of the First Presidency for the 12 to 18 year old
youth in the Church throughout the world, I declare with all my
soul--there is a cause! It is a cause worth giving one's life for. It
is the cause of righteousness. It is a cause that every youth in this
Church should rally to as he declares war on Satan and his legions. As
David said to Goliath, so each youth should declare to Satan,
'Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield:
but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the
armies of Israel, whom thou hast
defied.' (1 Sam. 17:45.)
In all this I have the greatest of faith in the outcome. Never before
in history has there lived a more valiant generation of youth. I am
convinced the spirits of this generation were held to come forth at
this important time in history. Their potential is unlimited."
— Victor L. Brown, General Conference, October 1974
(9/2/97)
"One of our greatest
needs is for true witnesses among our youth. Young people need models
from their own generation. Thankfully we have a tremendous army of
latter-day sons and daughters of Helaman, stripling "Saturday's
warriors," who are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Rather,
they have turned this commitment to the Lord into an advantage."
— J. Richard Clarke, General Conference, April 1985
(9/3/97)
"As youth goes, so will
civilization go. Thus we must safeguard their future with noble example
on the part of worthy parents and leadership, with devoted personal
attention, then our civilization will continue to progress."
— Oscar A. Kirkham, General Conference, October 1953
(9/4/97)
"Now, my dear young
friends, I encourage you to take time each week to be by yourself, away
from television and the crowd. Have your scriptures with you and as you
read, ponder, and pray, take an honest look at your life. Evaluate
where you stand with the promises you have made with Heavenly Father.
If you have a problem, talk it over with the Lord in earnest and humble
prayer. Counsel with your parents; they will help you. Your bishop and
your Young Men and Young Women adult leaders will help. They love you
and want you to be at peace with yourself so you can partake of the
sacrament worthily each week. When all is said and done, however, only
you know if you are living true to your covenants made with God. You
will be grateful, when the day comes for you to attend the temple, that
you followed the counsel of the Lord and chose to be morally clean. May
God bless each of you young men and women with a pure heart and a
sincere desire to serve the Lord worthily. I know this Church is true.
I know God lives and Jesus is the Christ. I know that if you, the youth
of the Church, will have the courage to keep your covenants and follow
the counsel of your parents and Church leaders, you will have the
desire and the strength to live worthy lives. You then will be prepared
for your responsibilities in your homes, in the Church, and in your
communities and will be prepared to return to your Heavenly Father."
— M. Russell Ballard, General Conference, April 1993
(9/5/97)
"To the youth of the
Church... above all we plead with you to live clean, for the unclean
life leads only to suffering, misery, and woe physically--and
spiritually it is the path to destruction. How glorious and near to the
angels is youth that is clean; this youth has joy unspeakable here and
eternal happiness hereafter."
— Gordon B. Hinckley, General Conference, October 1964
(9/6/97)
Youth of Israel, be
proud of the station which God has given you. Be fervent in faith; be
high-minded in your aspirations, for there remaineth for Zion a glory,
a development, a recognition in this world that shall more than repay
our fathers for all the scenes of turmoil, strife and labor through
which they passed in establishing and maintaining this great work. They
shall have joy in their posterity, too; for we, their sons, will carry
the burdens laid upon them; and Zion shall triumph; and the gospel
shall be proclaimed and accepted; and the children of men shall be
saved; and God shall be glorified."
— Elder B. H. Roberts, "Defense of the Faith and the Saints," Vol.2,
p.361
(2/8/05)
"We love the youth of the Church and we know the Lord loves them. There
isn't anything the Church wouldn't do that's right to help our young people-to
save them. They are our future. We have faith in them. We want them to be happy.
We want them to be successful in their chosen fields. We want them to be exalted
in the celestial kingdom.
"We say to them, you are eternal beings. Life is eternal. You cannot do
wrong and feel right. It pays to live the good, wholesome, joy-filled life. Live
so you will have no serious regrets-no heartaches. Live so you can reach out and
tap that unseen Power, without which no man or woman can do their best." -
Ezra Taft Benson, "Satan's
Thrust-Youth," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 54
(2/21/05)
"What can we do? How can we help this great young generation meet the
challenges of their time?...
"First, they need faith. They need to believe....
"Two, they need to be accepted as they are, and to be included....
"Three, they need to be actively involved, to participate, to give service,
to give of themselves.
"Four, they have to learn somehow that they are more important than their
mistakes; that they are worthwhile, valuable, useful; that they are loved
unconditionally....
"They need... my fifth and final point-the example of good men, good
parents, good people, who really care." - Marion D. Hanks, "Love
Unconditional," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 106
3/23/07
"Parents should build comradeship and love in the home and eliminate strained
relations to insure stability and security of home life for children. In dealing
with children there should always be love and kindness, yet firmness, when
setting up controls and rules of conduct.
"Youth, if properly taught, for the most part expect and desire restrictions to
guide them in social activities and dates. Safeguards and protective counsel are
necessary to fortify them against familiarities and intimacies that lead to sin.
"What appears to youth as fun, excitement, or glamour may present lurking
dangers. If parents enjoy the confidence of their children and know what their
plans are, they will then be able to see the hidden perils before them and from
the experience of parenthood give protective guidance and counsel to help
control their emotions and to safeguard virtue and honor, so essential to youth
for a happy and satisfying life." - Delbert L. Stapley, Conference Report,
October 1956, Afternoon Meeting, p.121-122
2/9/08
"I beg of you
mothers and you fathers to teach your daughters that they, too, have to
fight a strenuous battle. God bless and protect. the womanhood of this
nation! The young women, under the sustaining prayers and the counsels of
their mothers, need the restraining, discipline which characterizes a
well-ordered home. Protect the young men and young women, and build them up
in the faith of the true and the living God, so that when they go forth in
the great battle of life, they will have the assurance that they will not
fall victims to the evils of the world. God help us to be loyal to him, to
give unto him all the praise and the glory. And if we go forth to battle,
let us remember that the great God of the whole earth, Jesus Christ, is the
King...." - Charles
A. Callis., "Conference Report,"
April 1917, Second Meeting Outdoors, p.13
12/3/09
“For young
people to be in the world but not of the world has never been more difficult
than today. But this burden must be shared by the parents. The family home
evening is an important barrier to the works of Satan. The MIA program must
protect our youth against every evil influence and should fill a vacuum left by
rejecting worldly enticements. And, of course, a great panacea for all problems
and personal doubts: prayer-private and family prayer, night and morning.” -
Ezra Taft Benson, “Satan’s Thrust–Youth,” Ensign (CR),
December 1971, p. 5
2/2/10
"The spiritual strength sufficient for our youth to stand firm
just a few years ago will soon not be enough. Many of them are remarkable in
their spiritual maturity and in their faith. But even the best of them are
sorely tested. And the testing will become more severe.
“The youth are responsible for their own choices. But as faithful parents,
teachers, leaders, and friends, we shore up the faith of young people. And we
must raise our sights.” – Henry B. Eyring, “We Must
Raise Our Sights,” Ensign, Sep 2004, 14–19
8/29/10
"An equally important part of
fulfilling our parental duty to God is teaching our children the gospel
and preparing them to participate fully in the Savior’s restored
Church. Remember the lesson of King Benjamin’s people. As a result of
his teachings, many of the adults had a mighty change of heart (see Mosiah 5:2).
But then it says that 'there were many of the rising generation that
could not understand the words of King Benjamin, being little children
at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe. . . .
And their hearts were hardened' (Mosiah 26:1, 3).
"It is our imperative duty to help youth understand and believe the
gospel in a deeply personal way. We can teach them to walk in the
light, but that light cannot be borrowed. They must earn it for
themselves. They must obtain their own light of testimony directly from
the source of spiritual light—God Himself—through prayer and study and
pondering. They must understand who they are and who Heavenly Father
wants them to become. How do we help them?" - Robert D. Hales, "Our Duty to God: The Mission of Parents and Leaders to the Rising Generation," Ensign (CR) May 2010