"There is nothing in the revelations which suggests that to be a man rather than to be a woman is preferred in the sight of God, or that he places a higher value on sons than on daughters," Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Council of the Twelve said Saturday.
Elder Packer opened the Saturday afternoon session of general conference. President Thomas S. Monson, second counselor in the First Presidency, conducted the session in a packed Tabernacle. Overflow crowds gathered in the Assembly Hall and Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Music for the session was provided by combined choruses from Brigham Young University."All virtues listed in the scriptures - love, joy, peace, faith, godliness, charity - are shared by both men and women, and the highest priesthood ordinance in mortality (the new and everlasting covenant of marriage) is given only to man and woman together," Elder Packer said.
"Those responsibilities of the priesthood, which have to do with the administration of the church, of necessity function outside the home," he said. "By divine decree, they have been entrusted to men. It has been that way since the beginning, for the Lord revealed that `the order of the priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son. . . . This order was instituted in the days of Adam.' "
But "a man who holds the priesthood does not have an advantage over a woman in qualifying for exaltation," Elder Packer said. "The woman, by her very nature, is also co-creator with God and the primary nurturer of the children. Virtues and attributes, upon which perfection and exaltation depend, come naturally to a woman and are refined through marriage and motherhood."
Quoting from a 1942 First Presidency statement, Elder Packer said, "This divine service of motherhood can only be rendered by mothers. It may not be passed to others. Nurses cannot do it; public nurseries cannot do it; hired help cannot do it - only mother, aided as much as may be by the loving hands of father, brothers and sisters, can give the full needed measure of watchful care.
"The mother who entrusts her child to the care of others, that she may do non-motherly work, whether for gold, for fame or for civic service, should remember that `a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.' . . . Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels," Elder Packer quoted from the statement.
"That message from the First Presidency is needed more, not less, today than when it was given," Elder Packer said. "And no voice from any organization of the church on any level of administration equals that of the First Presidency."
He added, "Any soul who by nature or circumstance is not afforded the blessing of marriage and parenthood or who must act alone in rearing children will not be denied in the eternities any blessing - provided they keep the commandments."
Elder Nelson:
Anchor trust on constants - heavenly personages, plans and principles.
In a constantly changing world, unchanging constants can be found on which we can safely anchor our trust, said Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Council of the Twelve.
The constants, Elder Nelson explained, were heavenly personages, plans and principles. "They provide peace, eternal progression, hope, freedom, love and joy to all who will be guided by them. They are true - now and forever," he said.
The heavenly personages are Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, Elder Nelson said.
The scriptures describe Heavenly Father as "infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God." Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone of the church and salvation comes only through his name. The scriptures assure that the Holy Ghost shall be a "constant companion," he said.
"Brothers and sisters, these heavenly beings love you," Elder Nelson said. "Their love is as constant as is the greatest love of earthly parents."
The unchanging plans are encompassed by Heavenly Father's plan. God's plan is called by many names, but regardless of the designation the "enabling essence of the plan is the atonement of Jesus Christ," he said.
To understand the atonement, however, we must first comprehend the creation and the fall, Elder Nelson said. "These three events - the Creation, the Fall and the Atonement - are three pre-eminent pillars of God's plan and they are doctrinally interrelated."
Our bodies and this Earth were the blessings of the Creation, and the fall of Adam allowed us the blessings of having children, agency and accountability, Elder Nelson explained. The Atonement brought us the blessing of the resurrection and "redeems every soul from penalties of personal transgression on the condition of repentance."
The principles of the priesthood, moral law, judgment, divine commandments, truth and family are unchanging because they come from an unchanging Heavenly Father, Elder Nelson said.
"Try as they might, no parliament or congress could ever repeal the law of Earth's gravity or amend the 10 Commandments," he said. "Those laws are constant. All laws of nature and of God are part of the everlasting gospel."
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Elder Banks:
Parents should be master teachers of their children, creating a `house of God.'
Parents must take the time to fulfill their responsibility to teach their children to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and to bring love into their homes, said Elder Ben B. Banks of the First Quorum of the Seventy.
"Parents should be the master teachers of their children. The church will assist parents in their teaching and training, but only assist," Elder Banks said. "The church cannot be a substitute for parental responsibility."
Start early and don't put off teaching your children the gospel, Elder Banks advised. He said the redemption may hold all children innocent before God, but the Lord has instructed parents to "bring up your children in light and truth."
Elder Banks also encouraged parents to spend time listening, show love and support, do things as a family, teach responsibility and service, discipline with love and establish a "house of God."
To help children stay pure and learn right from wrong, Elder Banks said parents should hold family home evening regularly, pray as a family twice a day, teach children love for the scriptures and how to receive answers to prayers, help children understand and recognize the Holy Ghost and teach children the sacred significance of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
"Our plea is for parents to take the time it takes to draw near to the children God has given them," Elder Banks said. "Let there be love at home, let there be tenderness and teaching and caring for and not a shifting of responsibility onto others. God grant that we may never be too busy to do the things that matter most."
Elder Busche:
We can receive help of the Lord only on the condition of complete self-honesty.
Each of us is engaged in a battle between the "spiritual child" within us and our "natural man," and without Christ this internal war is lost, said Elder F. Enzio Busche of the First Quorum of Seventy.
The restored gospel teaches us that during mortal life our agency is tested through the inseparable connection of our spirit with the elements of this Earth or the natural man, Busche said.
"With this enlightened understanding of the deadly battlefront inside of us, we are painfully aware that we can only ask for and receive the help of the Lord as the God of truth, under the condition of complete and relentless self-honesty," he said.
And only when we are honest with ourselves, recognizing our sinful, mortal state, Busche said, can we find truth and our spiritual selves.
"Honesty may not be everything, but everything is nothing without honesty," he said. "In its final state, honesty is a gift of the spirit through which the true disciples of Christ feel the force to bear testimony of the truth in such a powerful way that it penetrates the very core of our existence."
Not knowing the forces of good and evil are warring within us can lead to defeat, he explained. "These defeats are reflected in our conscious life as expressions of misery such as a lack of self-confidence, lack of happiness and joy, lack of faith and testimony or as overreactions of our subconscious self which we see then as pride, arrogance. . . cruelty and indecency," he said.
Elder Groberg:
The Lord does hear our prayers, but sometimes his answer is: Work harder.
Faith in Jesus Christ is not only the first principle of the gospel, it is the principle that underlies all others, said Elder John H. Groberg of the First Quorum of the Seventy.
But faith sometimes means trusting in God while working harder than ever before instead of waiting quietly for miracles, he said. "Sometimes we pray for the strength to endure, yet resist the very things that would give us that strength."
As a missionary in the South Pacific, Elder Groberg attempted to sail to an island where a family was waiting to hear the gospel. He set sail with several members early in the morning. But at midday, the wind failed, leaving the sailboat stranded in the ocean, he recalled.
The men prayed urgently and repeatedly for wind, pleading with the Lord to get them to the island in time to meet the family at sunset. But the Lord didn't answer with wind. Instead, God inspired an old man on the sailboat to put Elder Groberg in a lifeboat and row him to the island.
"He was the Lord's wind that day," Elder Groberg said.
"On that boat, five men prayed but only one heard and acted." God does hear our prayers, he said. But sometimes, his answer is: Work harder.
"How often do we not do more because we pray for wind and none comes? We pray for good things and they don't seem to happen, so we sit and wait and do no more. . . We should never stop moving because we think our way is barred or the only door we can go through is closed.
"No matter what our trials, we should never say, `It is enough.' Only God is entitled to say that. Our responsibility is to ask, `What more can I do?' then listen for the answer and do it!" Elder Groberg said.
Elder de Jager:
Only through hard work in life and callings can members find happiness.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a church of workers and not a museum of saints, said Elder Jacob de Jager Saturday.
Only through hard work in life and in church callings can members discover happiness, he said.
Elder de Jager passed on that lesson and others learned during the 171/2 years of service in the First Quorum of the Seventy. Elder de Jager received emeritus status Saturday.
Learn to love the calling you have in the church, he said. Learn to be satisfied with your life and accept adversity.
"No matter who you are or where you serve, you are going to have some. But do not fear the winds of adversity. Remember, a kite rises against the wind, rather than with it!"
He urged members to say pleasant things rather than make negative remarks and to live fully in the present. "Live the present moment to the hilt, and do not live in the past or the future," he suggested. "Success is a journey, not a destination."
"In good Western American tradition, I now will ride off into the sunset," he said. But he told listeners that he looks forward to his next church calling, even if it is being in charge of the hymnbooks as he was when he first joined the church.
Service enables church members to stay young at heart in whatever calling they have, he said. Service teaches members beauty, hope, cheer, courage, faith and happiness.
Happiness is the design of our existence, he reminded church members. "Let us walk in the clearly defined paths that will lead us to happiness."
Elder Komatsu:
Leader gives thanks for support of family, friends during his years of service.
In his final speaking assignment as a general authority, Elder Adney Y. Komatsu expressed love and appreciation for the support of family, friends and fellow general authorities during his 16 years in the First Quorum of the Seventy.
"I am grateful for the many opportunities I've had to bear my testimony of the truth of the gospel to many people in many parts of the world during my years of service in the church," said Elder Komatsu, who was given emeritus status Saturday.
In expressing his appreciation, Elder Komatsu told members to follow the Lord's admonition found in the Doctrine and Covenants to "trifle not with sacred things."
"The words trifle and sacred are an important part of the admonition that cautions us not to take for granted or make light of the sacred, holy and honorable blessings received," Komatsu said.
One of the most "sacred things" within the gospel is the covenants we make in the holy temple, he said. The relationship between husbands and wives is sacred. "Many couples enter into marriages without understanding the importance of the admonition not to trifle with sacred things, and divorce often follows," he said.
"Likewise, we should follow this admonition in relationships between parents and children," Komatsu said. "We must never take our children for granted and always keep our relationships sacred, honorable and holy."