(6/17/01)
"The ordinance of baptism is the accepted mode of entrance into the Church; an acknowledgment of the leadership of Jesus in the Plan; the acceptance of the Plan itself with its divine authority; and a promise of obedience to the requirements of the Plan. The man who is thus baptized receives the forgiveness of his former sins in the sense that they will not prevent him from attaining the highest salvation in the presence of God. Baptism as a principle is of general application, for in whatever pursuit a man may be engaged, whether in or out of the Church, he must first have faith in the work he has to do, then repent, in the sense of putting his faith into action and must enter into an agreement to obey the laws involved in the work."

John A. Widtsoe 
"A Rational Theology," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1937], p. 96

(6/18/01)
"Latter-day Saints identify their ancestors and arrange for baptism and other ordinances to be performed by proxy—that is, with a living person standing in for the deceased person—in a temple. This is not an optional function of LDS belief: it is, rather, a commandment of God. As Elder Oaks further explained, 'We are not hobbyists in genealogy work. We do family history work in order to provide the ordinances of salvation for the living and the dead' (Ensign, 19 [June 1989]:6)"

Carlos E. Asay 
"Family Pecan Trees: Planting a Legacy of Faith at Home," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992], p. 112

(6/19/01)
"Truly has it been said the Lord has called the weak things of the world to confound the wisdom of the wise, and to bring to pass the purposes of God. And they like the servants of the Lord of former days have promised to all those who obey the Gospel that they should receive the Holy Ghost. I have often said, and I say again, we might have preached to the whole world until we had become as old as Methuselah if the testimony of our Elders had not been backed up by the gift of the Holy Ghost..."

Wilford Woodruff 
"Fulfillment Of Ancient Prophesy" 
Delivered at the Quarterly Conference of the Salt Lake Stake, September 1, 1889

(6/20/01)
"He could have instituted an ordinance by washing their faces, or anointing their heads with oil. He could have kissed their brow, parted them on the back, or stroked their beards. But he did not--upon His bended knees, with water from His basin, He bathed their soiled and dusty feet, and with His own towel He dried their hard and calloused ones."

Spencer W. Kimball 
January 16, 1963 
"BYU Speeches of the Year," 1963 p. 12

(6/21/01)
"Again, we are 'endowed with power from on high' in holy places to enable us to 'go forth among all nations.' (D&C 38:32–33.) At the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith prayed that God’s servants 'may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;' (D&C 109:22)"

Jack H Goaslind 
"Our Responsibility to Take the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth," 
"Ensign," Nov. 1983, p. 33

(6/22/01)
"When two souls have a true love for each other, a genuine, tender affection (not merely physical attraction), when they are really united in spirit, having the same lofty ideals, the same beliefs and standards, trusting each other, confiding in each other; when there is sincere respect one for the other along with virtue and purity of life; when such people are joined together through the sealing ordinances, their marriage (if continued on such a basis) should give them the assurance and comfort in the thought that even though death may separate them, yet in the resurrection shall they come forth and live in the family relationship forever."

ElRay L. Christiansen 
"Three Important Questions," 
"Ensign," May 1974, p. 26

8/23/09
“While the Saints upon the earth are ministering in the temples that have been reared, and performing the necessary ordinances that pertain to the flesh which cannot be attended to by people in the spirit land, the prophets of the living God, who sealed their testimony with their blood, and their faithful brethren who have followed after them, are now laboring among the people behind the veil that they may be prepared to receive the blessings that shall come to them through the labors of the Saints in the flesh. For in this dispensation of the fullness of times the Lord has promised he will gather together in one all things that are in Him, both in heaven and on the earth, and the work that we are performing now in the flesh in carrying the Gospel of the kingdom to the ends of the earth, and gathering in the upright in heart from all parts of the world, is but a portion of the work of the Latter-day Saints.” - Charles W. Penrose, “Conference Report,” April 1906, Afternoon Session, p. 87

4/18/16
The ordinances of salvation and exaltation administered in the Lord’s restored Church are far more than rituals or symbolic performances. Rather, they constitute authorized channels through which the blessings and powers of heaven can flow into our individual lives. - David A. Bednar, "Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins,” Ensign (CR) May 2016

10/1/16
The peace Christ gives allows us to view mortality through the precious perspective of eternity and supplies a spiritual settledness (see Colossians 1:23) that helps us maintain a consistent focus on our heavenly destination. Thus, we can be blessed to hush our fears because His doctrine provides purpose and direction in all aspects of our lives. His ordinances and covenants fortify and comfort in times both good and bad. And His priesthood authority gives assurance that the things that matter most can endure both in time and in eternity. – David A. Bednar, “Therefore They Hushed Their Fears,” Ensign (CR) May 2015