to judge the world; if it were, we would ruin everything. Conquer fear through Charity. , I do not need to condemn or judge my abusers nor be part of the punishment. The love of God does not supersede His laws and His commandments, and the effect of Gods laws and commandments does not diminish the purpose and effect of His love. bid her therefore that she help me. Please now consider the following sections of the Church Handbook of Instructions. King Benjamin taught: Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just. I kept glaring at them, hoping that they would take the hint, but they didnt seem to notice. We know from these inspired words that even the most extreme acts of servicesuch as giving all of our goods to feed the poorprofit us nothing unless our service is motivated by the pure love of Christ. Surely Latter-day Saints do need to be more wise and skillful in explaining and pursuing our views and in exercising our influence when we have it. Consider where society would be if we did not have religious freedom, says President Oaks, President Oaks general conference addresses, Read more October 2022 general conference coverage, President Oaks was a law clerk to Chief Justice Earl Warren at the U.S. Supreme Court and served as a. If a particular person has been arrested for child sexual abuse and is free on bail awaiting trial on his guilt or innocence, will you trust him to tend your children while you take a weekend trip? [The Journey to Healing,Ensign,September 1997, p. 19]. We grow and mature spiritually by choosing to obey Gods commandments in a succession of right choices. 16. In all our judgments we should apply righteous standards. He has an eye trained for the imperfections, the weaknesses. I testify of Jesus Christ, whose light and Spirit guides all the children of God in helping the poor and distressed throughout the world.. Those of us with more of Martha than of Mary in us . . And whosoever will not repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people. The scripture is familiar. Some of these intermediate judgments are surely among those the Savior referred to when he taught that the weightier matters of the law include judgment (Matthew 23:23). See, for example,John Paul II: The Encyclicals in Everyday Language,3rd ed., ed. In the words of President Joseph F. Smith: We believe in all truth, no matter to what subject it may refer. Its approach, as counseled by the Prophet Joseph Smith, is to teach correct principles and then leave its members to govern themselves by personal choices. Marthas self-importance, expressed through her judgment of her sister, occasioned the Lords rebuke, not her busyness with the meal. President [Spencer W.] Kimball taught that the moment we begin preaching to others, our testimony is ended. . Now we experience such differences in television and the Internet, through travel, and often in personal interactions in our neighborhoods and the marketplace. That's amazing. [Moroni 7:1516]. Eric Rassbach, quoted in William McGurn, Religion and the Cult of Tolerance,The Wall Street Journal,16 August 2011, A11. Similar reasoning forbids our presuming to make final judgments on the outcome of any persons lifelong mortal contest. Someone has said that you cannot slice cheese so fine that it doesnt have two sides. . Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke in the October 2014 General Conference. That approach to differences will yield tolerance and also respect. What we get from a bookespecially a sacred textis mostly dependent on what we take to its readingin desire and readiness to learn, and in attunement to the light communicated by the Spirit of the Lord. Jointly published by the Deseret News and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its content supports the doctrines, principles and practices of the Church. The scriptures give a specific caution against judging where we cannot know all the facts. [Lord, I Would Follow Thee,Hymns,1985, no. And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged. Did you enjoy these Dallin H. Oaks quotes? They should cultivate loving family relationships so that family members will want to ask them for blessings. Tolerance is defined as a friendly and fair attitude toward unfamiliar opinions and practices or toward the persons who hold or practice them. President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke during the Saturday morning session of October 2022 general conference. . Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives. The fundamental scripture on the whole subject of not judging contains this warning: For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again (Matthew 7:2; see also 3 Nephi 14:2). . This is that future occasion in which all of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to be judged according to our works (see 1 Nephi 15:33, 3 Nephi 27:15, Mormon 3:20, D&C 19:3). Third, to be righteous, an intermediate judgment must be within our stewardship. It is not a sermon. See the full text of President Oaks talk: Helping the Poor and Distressed, 19th latter-day Apostle to reach the age of 90, evidence of Gods saving love for His children. We frequently update our Latter-day Saint history content related to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, the Book of Mormon, and Come Follow Me 2023. (Church Newsroom), New BYU opera professor performs as featured soloist for Tabernacle Choir, Orchestras summer concert, Video of the Day: West Virginia city adopts stray cat as mascot, Gov. We should not add to the extremism that divides our society. I am a survivor of childhood physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. We should all be edified and strengthened by this example of speaking both tolerance and truth: kindness in the communication, but firmness in the truth. I testify to the sweetness of the marriage and family life that the family proclamation describes as founded upon a husband and wifes solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children and upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.. And as your life is in harmony, you gradually receive the Holy Ghost in a great measure (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. The Book of Mormon tells of the resurrected Lord visiting some of the people of the Americas. For the goal of all human relationswhether they are religious, social, political, or economicought to be cooperation and mutual respect.9. As Latter-day Saints use the words saved and salvation, there are at least six different meanings. We are taught many small and simple things in the gospel of Jesus Christ. President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency delivers the 2021 Joseph Smith Lecture in the Dome Room of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia on Nov. 12, 2021. When I was a young adult, about sixty years ago, it was only in books and magazines that most Americans were exposed to great differences in cultures, values, and peoples. see other collected talk by Church Leaders, from the website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church, Loving Others and Living with Differences, Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution, Prophetic Announcements of Christs Birth, Going Forward with Religious Freedom and Nondiscrimination, Elder Dallin H. Oaks at BYU: Racism and Other Challenges | Giuseppe Martinengo, President Oaks: avoid being unduly influenced by extreme voices | Giuseppe Martinengo, President Oaks Tells Students in Rome Why Religious Freedom Matters | Giuseppe Martinengo, Top 25 Best Quotes From Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. Second, a righteous judgment will be guided by the Spirit of the Lord, not by anger, revenge, jealousy, or self-interest. Then, to other believers, we might express appreciation for the fact that we share common ground on what is most vital because each of us believes in God and in the existence of absolute truth, even though we differ in our definitions of these fundamentals. The bishop answered, You do nothing. The effect of one mortals attempting to pass final judgment on another mortal is analogous to the effect on athletes and observers if we could proclaim the outcome of an athletic contest with certainty while it was still underway. What he did say is difficult to bear, but perhaps somewhat less difficult if we examine its context. When He faced the woman taken in adultery, Jesus spoke the comforting words of tolerance: Neither do I condemn thee. Then, as He sent her away, He spoke the commanding words of truth: Go, and sin no more (John 8:11). What can one person do to promote world peace? Pursuing that principle, the author of theEnsignarticle writes: Somewhere along the journey of healing comes the essential task of forgiving. [Moroni 7:18]. Since followers of Jesus Christ are commanded to be a leavennot to be taken out of the world, but to remain in itwe must seek tolerance from those who hate us for not being of the world. He simply told her that he did not condemn herthat is, he would not pass final judgment on her at that time. What does tolerance mean to us and to other believers, and what are our special challenges in applying it? As John Adams declared: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. In one of the monthly General Authority fast and testimony meetings, I heard President James E. Faust say, The older I get, the less judgmental I become. That wise observation gives us a standard to live by in the matter of judgments. Professor Parry observed: Quite literally, they were measured by their own standards and found wanting. We sing: Tho the heavens depart and the earth's fountains burst,Truth, the sum of existence, will weather the worst,Eternal, unchanged, evermore.1. . . Another thoughtful LDS member wrote: In Mosiah 18:9 Alma tells us that when we are baptized we covenant to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in. . Conference on-the Go: Dallin H. Oaks, Helping the Poor and Distressed, One Minute Scripture Study: A Come Follow Me Podcast. Trust Him." As our confidence in God goes up, our fear goes down. Well all help, and by the way, that centerpiece looks lovely? A Conversation with Dallin H. Oaks, President of Brigham Young University Ensign.