(7/04/00)
"Our religion is not a thing apart from our life. It is
incorporated in it, and forms a part of the very tissue and sinews of
our being. It provides a rule of conduct and of action for us, not
only in our occasional worship but in our lives, in our work, in our
play, in all that we do in the whole course of our conduct. It is this
intense practicality of it that appeals to me as its greatest
strength, constituting its greatest salvation for the human family." —
"Conference Report", April 1917, p. 138
(7/05/00)
"'Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not
what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things
that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.' (John
15:13-16.) The essence of the friendship here set forth lies in belief
and acceptance of the divinity of the Master. It is inconceivable that
he should extend the friendship he so beautifully described to any
others than those who were believers. We know of his compassion, his
mercy, and concern for all our Father's children, but it should never
be forgotten that he set forth in unequivocal language the eligibility
of those admitted to the circle of his friendship. 'Ye are my friends,
if ye do whatsoever I command you.' (Ibid., 15:14.)" — "Conference
Report", April 1955, p. 38
(7/06/00)
"Therefore, if you would be truly Christian, if you would be
classified as a disciple of our dear Savior, I hold out to you the one
sure way of achieving that great distinction. Come into his kingdom
through the door which is open to all who will abide his law and his
gospel. Come to participate in blessings and high privileges which
surpass even the vision of your highest hopes and ambitions." —
"Conference Report," April 1959, p. 55
(7/07/00)
"Fellow members of the Church, I may overestimate our position in
the world, our opportunities and responsibilities, but I declare it as
my solemn conviction that no other organization is charged so
definitely with the responsibility of sustaining the true and eternal
standards of virtue in the world as is the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. We know that these standards are imperiled today
but I confidently believe that if it can be demonstrated that
three-quarter's of a million people scattered through the nations of
the earth, giving allegiance to the principles of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, can live honest, dependable lives, resisting all untoward
temptations and influences, that demonstration will serve to convince
the teeming millions of the earth that they can do likewise." —
"Conference Report," April 1933, p. 40
(7/08/00)
"Let me say to you men and women that in my judgment that simple
Word of Wisdom will do more for the advancement of the ultimate
destiny of a country than any other law that I know of." — "Conference
Report," October 1919, p. 195
12/6/05
"Therefore we say to all the world, if you want health, live the
principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ; if you want wealth, if you
want that which is necessary to sustain life and to secure the necessary
comforts of life, obey the laws of the gospel, pay tithing to the Lord.
If you would solve the great problems of society, apply the gospel of
Jesus Christ. If you would understand government, if you would create
and train citizens who will make a great government, live the gospel of
Jesus Christ, for a good citizen in the Church of God is a good citizen
in any good government on the face of the earth. If you want happiness,
if you want that great joy that comes into the hearts of those who know
the truth, if you want contentment, peace of mind, opportunity for
service, live the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master." -
Stephen L Richards, "Conference Report," April 1920, Third Overflow
Meeting, p.100
12/19/05
"Was he what he said he was? I
think all thoughtful persons must agree that the significance of his
Lordship is infinitely greater than the ethics of his teachings. Of
course, it is easier to believe in the Golden Rule than in the virgin
birth or the transfiguration. We can understand the one far better than
the other. It takes faith to accept the things we do not understand.
Perhaps on that very account, they are of more importance and lasting
benefit to us, because they require and develop faith which is the very
genius and essence of the Savior's life, work and mission. No student of
the scriptures, I believe, will deny that." - Stephen L Richards,
"Conference Report," April 1935, First Day—Morning Meeting, p.3
12/7/06
"We consecrate our lives in this
Church to the advancement of the cause of God. There is no higher
evidence of that consecration than this giving which has been enjoined
upon us by the Lord. 'He who gives himself with his gift feeds
three-himself, his hungering neighbor and me.' So the law of tithing is
the epitome of the Gospel. It is genuine worship and true recognition of
the sovereignty of God. It is real consecration, the giving of the
muscle and energy of life to the cause: and it begets the abundant life
of love and service for which the Christ came. It is a measurement of
true religion. By the extent of its observance every man may determine
for himself the vitality of his own faith and love of God. A prophet has
said, 'The tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.' It will be holy unto you,
men and women of Israel, if you give it lovingly, joyfully, willingly,
to the great cause." - Stephen L Richards, "Conference Report," April
1929, p.53
12/17/06
"And now, my dear brethren and
sisters, I speak no idle words when I give you assurance that we are
in a position to make an inestimable contribution to the betterment of
human relations in this anxious, distracted world. We are a relatively
small group among the populations of the earth, but we are not reliant
only on ourselves and our own strength. God is at the helm of this
ship, which is his kingdom, sailing through troubled waters. He has
charted the course. He has chosen the pilot, his servant, tested and
true, to keep us on course. This ship, like the ark of old, bears all
the essentials for the re-establishment of the personal reign of the
Lord Jesus Christ in the earth, and the essentials for the exaltation
of man in the celestial presence of God the Father and the Son. This
ship will eventually come to its point of refuge in the harbor of a
peaceful world. With all my soul, I plead with you, my beloved
brethren and sisters, to stay with the ship, lend a helping hand, and
persuade as many of our Father's children as you can possibly reach to
avail themselves of the safety, the security, and the glorious promise
awaiting all who cleave unto the Lord, our Master and Deliverer." -
Stephen L Richards, "Conference Report," October 1953, Morning
Session, p.103
2/1/07
"I bear my testimony that I
know that this is the work of God. I wish I could deliver it to every
young man and every young woman, to every wayward man and wayward
woman in the entire Church. I know it just as confidently, just as
surely, as I know any other fact that has entered into my life. I know
that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God. All of my feelings,
every sensation that I can interpret, bears witness of that truth to
me. I know that it is the Holy Ghost that makes that knowledge
certain. I know, too, that that knowledge will come to every honest
man and woman and to every young man and woman who strives for it and
who lives for it, but I want us all to help in every way that we can
to bring that knowledge to the youth of our Church, and to all those
who have fallen by the wayside. I am grateful for that knowledge. It
brings into my life more comfort, more satisfaction, more hope, more
that is worth striving for, then all else, and I am very desirous that
I may live to be worthy of a continuation of that testimony, that it
may grow and ripen and strengthen within me." - Stephen L Richards,
"Conference Report," April 1927, p.156
5/21/07
"I never regard the message of
Christ as being harsh. Sometimes it sounds a little harsh and
rigorous, but I never regard it as being harsh. I always regard the
message of Christ as being kindly, persuasive, forgiving and loving. I
can't picture our Lord and Savior in any atmosphere other than that of
love and kindness. I have always regarded the condemnations and
penalties of which we sometimes speak as being largely in the nature
of deprivations and retardations in our progress, for we are told, in
what seems to me to be the very genius of the Gospel according to
modern revelation—in the vision of the glories—that every one is to
receive even more than he anticipates, but that the highest and the
most perfect and the lovely blessings of the future are in store for
those who live the Christly life upon which those blessings are
predicated." - Stephen L. Richards, "Conference Report," October 1935,
Third Day—Morning Meeting, p.97
2/25/08
"Reverence for God, as I said in the beginning, is the fundamental
thing. Reverence for God comes of love for God, but love of God arises
out of faith in him, and out of an understanding of his greatness, his
majesty, his goodness, his kindness and his mercy. My God is my Father,
my eternal parent, the giver of every good gift to me, the conservator
of my life, my relationships, my family, my blessing. Do I revere him? I
bow at his feet. I humble myself in sheer praise and thanksgiving and
gratitude for the manifestations of all his kindness to me. There is no
question about reverence because the seed and foundation of reverence
are in my philosophy, in my testimony, in my soul and in my heart. So it
is essential that the gospel of Christ be preached to the people of the
world that they understand this fatherhood of God, that they understand
that all the progress made in this life is by and with his consent and
his guidance." - Stephen L Richards, Conference Report, October
1928, Third Day—Morning Meeting, p.98
10/19/09
“I
shall mention only one more gift. It is personal to each one, and it
is priceless. It is the gift of the testimony of Jesus, that inner
conviction and assurance which will come to each person who truly and
humbly seeks it. It is a manifestation of the spiritual in man and a
demonstration of his dual nature. It does not come by rationalizing
alone, but it is not inconsonant with reason when the nature of man is
understood. No gift of the Master brings more satisfaction to the
soul. I am sure I voice the sentiments of countless thousands who
worship with us this day when I thank God for this priceless gift of
testimony.” - Stephen L Richards, “Where
Is Wisdom?” p. 322
11/16/09
“The foe is attacking our unity. We in Zion have enjoyed a most
uncommon reputation for unity of purpose and achievement. This has
come about because it has ever been our disposition to follow and
yield obedience to our leaders. Our critics, who have not understood
our concepts, who have observed our unanimous voting in sustaining
officers, and other evidences of our concerted action, have called it
blind obedience, induced by some sort of fear or other compulsion.
“I haven’t time to analyze and point out the false premise of this criticism, but I flatly deny its validity. The obedience we render is voluntary and not blind, but intelligent; and the unity we manifest arises out of a common understanding of our purposes and a common devotion to their achievement. We seek for and enjoy the influence of the Holy Spirit, which, in the larger aspects of life, motivates us all alike. Our unanimity is in response to that Spirit.” - Stephen L Richards, “Conference Report,” October 1951, Morning Meeting, p. 114
4/22/10
"Today we find ourselves engaged
in a worldwide struggle to preserve liberty and tolerance, the
foundations of peace in the earth. Let it be remembered that these were
the very principles for which our progenitors have made the tragic
sacrifices.... Every shrine of the Church is a monument to freedom and
truth. There have been no more sincere and valiant defenders of true
democracy than the Latter-day Saints. No higher concepts of the liberty
of man, the Sonship of God, and the brotherhood of race have been given
to the world than those which have emanated from the Prophet of the last
dispensation." - Stephen L Richards,
"Conference Report," October 1942, First Day—Morning Meeting, p. 23
12/22/11
At the Christmas
time we pay homage to the birth of Jesus Christ, Savior of the world.
Many, many thousands will, in one way or another, attempt to do him
honor and pay tribute to him. All over the land carols and anthems of
praise will be sung; sacred pageants will be performed; reverential
sermons will be preached; cities will be decorated and festivities
carried forward to honor the birth of Christ. What is even more
important than these material expressions of adoration is the almost
universal effort to bring something more of the traditional spirit of
the Savior into the hearts and minds of men, women, and children. As he
is acclaimed to be the Exemplar of giving, having given more than any
other for the welfare of mankind, so largely in his honor we give to
each other, not only presents as material manifestation of goodwill, and
which incidentally, owing in part to the stimulation of commercial
interests, has become something of a burden and a source of
embarrassment to some people; but more importantly, and I think more in
harmony with the true spirit of the occasion, there is a conscious
effort to generate within ourselves a more generous thinking about
others, and a deeper and more heartfelt concern for friends, neighbors,
and family. This is the aspect of Christmas I like best, and I think he,
whom we honor, likes it too. - Stephen
L Richards, "Where Is Wisdom?," p.25
1/18/13
I want the world to know that
the only security that there is for perfect life, for advancement, for
progress, for peace, lies in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want the
Lord to be recognized as the giver of all these great, good, and
virtuous things. I believe that the only way in which we can sustain
them as the principles of the gospel in unity, in their integrity, is
by cultivating a close adherence to the Church, and maintaining the
standards for which it stands. - Stephen L Richards, Conference
Report, October 1920, Afternoon Session, p.71
2/8/13
Prophecy
and religion supply the one most indispensable element in all our
colossal endeavor, and that is faith--faith in the destiny of our
democracy, faith in the triumph of righteousness over evil, and
faith in the worth, the integrity, and the majesty of man. - Stephen
L Richards, Conference Report, April 1942, Second Day-Morning
Meeting, p.68
6/1/15
How essential is this bearing of testimony to the divinity of the
Lord Jesus Christ? Why, it is the first essential credential of a
Christian. Jesus himself set the example, when, in justifying
himself before the Jews, he said: "I am one that bear witness of
myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me." (John
8:18.) And from all we can learn from scripture, we must conclude
that there is but one indispensable fact which lies at the basis of
the whole Christian doctrine to which witness must be borne, and
that is that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and sent by him to
perform his mission in the world. - Stephen
L. Richards, Conference Report, October 1956, Second Day—Morning
Meeting, p. 42
8/28/15
It
is not too late to yield to Lincoln's appeal "to humble ourselves
before the offended power, to confess our national sins, and to pray
for clemency and forgiveness." And with the noble Washington, tender
"homage to the Great Author of every public and private good.” - Stephen
L Richards, "The Church in War and Peace," p. 96
8/6/16
I think of all Christian service vicarious work for the dead is the
most Christ-like. It often entails great sacrifice. The beneficiary
is not here, even to give thanks. It is true benevolence. - Stephen
L Richards, “Conference Report,” April 1938, Afternoon Meeting,
p.24
9/18/16
We set forth the word of God as we have received it. We claim no
monopoly on goodness, Christian virtue, and the love of Christ. We
rejoice that millions of his adherents, of his children throughout
the world revere his holy name and seek to follow in his ways as
they understand them. We know the Spirit of the Lord strives with
men for their uplift and betterment. We are not despondent about
human nature. We have confidence in men and women the world over.
When they shall be privileged to hear the full truth of the gospel
of our Lord, countless numbers, under the influence of the Holy
Spirit, will embrace the truth. - Stephen
L Richards, “Conference Report,” October 1953, Morning Session,
p.102
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