The LDS Daily WOOL© Archive -  Teaching


(9/27/98)
"Parents bear the first and greatest responsibility to teach their children principles of gospel living and good citizenship." — Elder M. Russell Ballard, "Standing for Truth and Right," General Conference, October 1997

(9/28/98)
"I believe there is no greater call in the Church than to be an effective teacher. Effective teaching by the Spirit can stir the souls of men with a desire to live the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ more completely." — Elder M. Russell Ballard, "Teaching--No Greater Call," General Conference, April 1983

(9/29/98)
"If we desire that we shall have influence over our children, so that they shall grow up with a disposition to love God and keep His commandments, so that they shall have the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we must remember this commandment: 'And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.' (D. and C. 68:25) If we desire the Spirit of God, so that we can teach our children and inspire them, we must obey that law. So with all the requirements that are made of us as Latter-day Saints." — Heber J. Grant, "Gospel Standards," p.48

(9/30/98)
"Sunday school teachers should be exemplary men [and women] who teach not only by precept but by example. If you want children to do right show them the way. The teacher who indulges in things forbidden in the Word of Wisdom will not accomplish much in teaching the children. The little ones soon find out the teacher's way and manner of living and the effort to instruct will be in vain. If you want to have influence with the children show them that you are in earnest and believe what you teach and mean it, and thus lead them in the paths of virtue and right." — Anthon H. Lund,  "Conference Report," October 1902, p.92

(10/1/98)
"What we can do to create and transmit that legacy comes from an understanding of how testimony is instilled in our hearts. Since it is the Holy Ghost who testifies of sacred truth, we can do at least three things to make that experience more likely for our families. First, we can teach some sacred truth. Then, we can testify that we know what we have taught is true. And then we must act so that those who hear our testimony see that our actions conform with what we said was true. The Holy Ghost will then confirm to them the truth of what we said and that we knew it to be true." — Elder Henry B. Eyring, "A Legacy of Testimony," General Conference, April 1996

(7/25/02)
"It has ever been my desire in addressing the Latter-day Saints, that my mind might be lighted up with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I realize that, in teaching the people, unless the speaker is inspired of our Father in Heaven it is impossible to say anything that will be of benefit or worth to the Saints." — Heber J. Grant, "Conference Report," April 1898

(7/26/02)
"The way to truth? Yes, it may be found easily, but only by paying the eternal price of truth, the way is through the higher logic, the convincing teaching of the spirit of truth by the operations of the mind and the eager outreaching of the spirit of God." — Heber J. Grant, "Conference Report," April 1933, p. 124

(7/27/02)
"There is one particular feature connected with the preaching of the gospel: You may send out a thousand elders and they will all teach the same doctrines; they will all labor for the building up of the same Church, they will be united; for their faith, their doctrines, and the organization of the Church have all been made known unto them by the revelations of God: hence they will see eye to eye in regard to the principles of the gospel. Supposing a thousand ministers of different denominations were to be sent out into the world, it would be very different with them from what it is with the elders of the Church of Christ: they would not be so united or so harmonious in their sentiments. Our union and oneness of sentiment constitutes one of the prominent beauties of the organization of the kingdom of God." — Wilford Woodruff, "Journal of Discourses," 8:265

(7/28/02)
"The matter of teaching is one of the greatest importance. We cannot estimate its value when it is properly done; neither do we know the extent of the evil that may result if it is improperly done. Whether in the Church schools, the seminaries, auxiliary organizations, or in the priesthood quorums, the greatest qualification required of a teacher is that he have faith in the principles of the gospel; that he believe in the principles of revealed truth as they have come through inspired prophets in our own day as well as in times of old; and that he shall exercise his privilege as a teacher in the spirit of prayer and faith." — Joseph Fielding Smith, "Doctrines of Salvation," 1: 311

(7/29/02)
"We need to do a more thorough job in the teaching process to get the Spirit down into the hearts of the people. It is more than intellectual, it is more than a mental assessment. It must be a thing of the heart, a thing of the spirit." — Gordon B. Hinckley, Ireland Dublin Missionary Meeting, September 1, 1995

(3/31/04)
"The years pass, we teach the doctrine the best we can, and yet some still do not respond. There is sorrow in that. But there is hope in the scriptural record of families. Think of Alma the Younger and Enos. In their moments of crisis, they remembered the words of their fathers, words of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. It saved them. Your teaching of that sacred doctrine will be remembered." - Henry B. Eyring, "The Power of Teaching Doctrine," Ensign, May 1999, p. 74

(6/24/04)
"When you teach with power, you teach the mind and the will of God. You fulfill D&C 68:4. You speak by the Spirit, and the Spirit speaks the word of Christ, which is the mind and the will of God. Do you remember what was happening about the time of Alma 17:2-3? Alma had gone one way and the sons of Mosiah had gone another way, and they met up again as the sons of Mosiah were traveling toward the land of Zarahemla. Alma must have said something like, 'Oh Ammon, Omner, Himni, and Aaron, it's so good to see you,' and no doubt they exchanged embraces and hugs. Then Alma said that what added to his joy was that his friends had 'waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth' and 'they were men of sound understanding.' Why? Because 'they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.' But this was not all. They'd also 'given themselves to much prayer and fasting,' so that when they spoke, they spoke by revelation and by prophecy, 'with the power and authority of God.'" - Ed J. Pinegar, "Especially for Missionaries, 4 vols." [American Fork, Ut.: Covenant Communications, 1997], Vol. 3

(8/15/05)
"Sometimes I think that we fear too much to link all of our teaching to the foundation of gospel truths. Too often, perhaps, we teach children to obey a law or a principle because our family expects that obedience. They might observe another truth in order to please a neighbor or a bishop, and another for yet some other reason. When we teach an eternal truth to our children and don't explain it in the context of a firm testimony of the Savior, we miss the power of the example of the greatest teacher the world has ever known." - Jack H Goaslind, "Spiritual Mountaintops," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 10

(9/17/05)
"The first thing we should teach our children is respect for all human beings. All are children of God. Man is made in the image of God. Respect for all men leads to a love for law and order. In the home is taught obedience to the loving directions of our Father in heaven, Then comes self-discipline, self-direction. Whether we are teachers of the gospel or professional men, we can and should dedicate ourselves to help our children to develop their potentialities for good, for truth, for love, for beauty, and above all, reverence for God." - Levi Edgar Young, "Conference Report," April 1955, Third Day—Morning Meeting p. 60

11/19/05
"As societies as a whole have decayed and lost their moral identity and so many homes are broken, the best hope is to turn greater attention and effort to the teaching of the next generation—our children. In order to do this, we must first reinforce the primary teachers of children. Chief among these are the parents and other family members, and the best environment should be in the home. Somehow, some way, we must try harder to make our homes stronger so that they will stand as sanctuaries against the unwholesome, pervasive moral dry rot around us. Harmony, happiness, peace, and love in the home can help give children the required inner strength to cope with life's challenges." - James E. Faust, "The Greatest Challenge in the World—Good Parenting," Ensign (CR), November 1990, p.32

11/24/06
"How blessed we are to have the words of the holy prophets preserved through the many dispensations of time. Because the Lord commanded His prophets to make a record of His teachings, the Old and New Testaments give us a continuity of gospel teaching from the very beginning of time. Then the miracle of the Book of Mormon was brought forth as another witness of the mission of our Lord and Savior. Added to this we have the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants and the teachings and revelations contained in the Pearl of Great Price.

"Because teaching is such a universal assignment, it is requisite of every member of the Church to prepare himself or herself through study of the holy scriptures." - L. Tom Perry, "Teach Them the Word of God with All Diligence," Ensign (CR), May 1999, p.6

10/27/07
"Now, tonight let us decide together what we are going to do. All of us, whatever our callings may be, face tasks that are beyond our own powers. I do and you do. That’s true from the simple fact that success is to get testimony down into the hearts of people. We can’t make that happen. Even God won’t force that on anyone.

"So success requires people we serve to choose to accept the testimony of the Spirit into their hearts. The Spirit is ready. But many people aren’t ready to invite the Spirit. Our task, which is in our power, is to invite the Spirit into our lives so that people we serve will want to have the fruits of the Spirit in their lives—the fruits that they can see in ours." - Henry B. Eyring, "God Helps the Faithful Priesthood Holder," General Conference, 6 October 2007

11/10/07
"Just as I learned as a young man that grain was more appealing to our horses than a dirt-filled bucket, I also learned that grain was more nourishing than hay, that hay was more nourishing than straw, and that it was possible to feed a horse without nourishing him. As teachers and leaders, it is vital that we nourish those we teach and lead by focusing on the fundamental doctrines, principles, and applications emphasized in the scriptures and the words of our latter-day prophets instead of spending precious time on subjects and sources of lesser importance." - Daniel K. Judd, "
Nourished by the Good Word of God," General Conference, 7 October 2007


9/21/08
"I believe the most valuable thing a mother can teach her child is belief, confidence, and faith in a loving Godto reach outward and upward beyond himself for strength and courageand to instill in that child the simple faith that he or she is a child of God with a purposeful life ahead. Life is filled with the unexpected: accidents, deaths, hazards, fears. Mother, father, the light switch, water in the tap may not always be there. But resource to God is always available." - "Favorite Quotations from the Collection of Thomas S. Monson," p.39


10/30/09
“What a wonderful, warm, and reassuring thing it is to know that the primary objective of the very God of heaven is ‘the immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39), or, in other words, our eternal happiness and joy. Sometimes I wonder if we really appreciate what that means and how it should affect our lives. We must give adequate attention to the doctrines of happiness–real happiness, infinite and eternal. They should be the objective of everything we teach in the Church and of everything we do.” - M. Russell Ballard, “Answers to Life’s Questions,” Ensign (CR), May 1995, p. 22


12/27/09
“Brothers and sisters, we need not be a part of the virtue malaise that is penetrating and infecting society. If we follow the world in abandoning Christian-centered virtues, the consequences may be. Individual faith and fidelity, which have eternal consequences, will diminish. Family solidarity and spirituality will be adversely impacted. Religious influence in society will be lessened, and the rule of law will be challenged and perhaps even set aside. The seedbed for all that plagues the natural man will have been planted, to the sheer delight of Satan.

“We need to stand tall and be firmly fixed in perpetuating Christlike virtues … in our everyday lives. Teaching virtuous traits begins in the home with parents who care and set the example. A good parental example encourages emulation; a poor example gives license to the children to disregard the parents’ teachings and even expand the poor example. A hypocritical example destroys credibility.” – H. David Burton, “Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts,” Ensign, November 2009


2/25/10
“There is one lesson, at least, that I have learned during my brief life, and It is this: no man can reach the hearts of the children of our Father in heaven, in speaking upon the principles of eternal life, save he is led by the inspiration of the Spirit of God. So important has our Father thought it to be that His servants should be led by that Spirit, that He has given commandment that they should not attempt to teach unless they knew they were led by His Holy Spirit.” - J. G. Duffin, “Conference Report,” October 1902, First Day—Morning Session, p. 13


9/5/10
"The world will teach our children if we do not, and children are capable of learning all the world will teach them at a very young age. What we want them to know five years from now needs to be part of our conversation with them today. Teach them in every circumstance; let every dilemma, every consequence, every trial that they may face provide an opportunity to teach them how to hold on to gospel truths." - Rosemary M. Wixom, "Stay on the Path," Ensign (CR) October 2010


8/28/11
I believe there is no greater call in the Church than to be an effective teacher. Effective teaching by the Spirit can stir the souls of men with a desire to live the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ more completely. - Russell M. Nelson, "Teaching—No Greater Call," Ensign (CR) April 1983


9/5/11
Young men are sowers. Young women are sowers. Who trains and guides these sowers? Who points out to them which is the right grain to place in the sower’s bag? Who teaches them how to place the sower’s bag on their shoulders? Who teaches the young sower going out into the field for the first time whether the season is right, or how far to scatter the seed? Hopefully, a caring father, a loving mother, teachers and quorums, or other loved ones will guide their footsteps. - David B. Haight, "Become a Star Thrower," Ensign (CR) October 1983


4/13/12
The message, ministry, and Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior, are our essential family curriculum. No scripture characterizes our faith better than 2 Nephi 25:26: “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” - Quentin L. Cook, "In Tune With the Music of Faith," Ensign (CR) May 2012

4/15/15
The challenge for all of us who seek to teach the gospel is to expand the curriculum beyond just the dance steps. Our children’s happiness depends on their ability to hear and love the beautiful music of the gospel. - Wilford W. Andersen, “The Music of the Gospel,” Ensign (CR) April 2015


 
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