The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(8/31/97)
"Our youth, with all of their distractions, must realize that through
their membership they are very special; that the Lord is counting on
them that the prophecies might be fulfilled. You of a noble birthright
are different from your friends who are not members of Christ's true
church. You are a 'chosen generation'; you live 'in the world' but you
do not follow worldly trends or habits which are contrary to your
beliefs. May I remind you of only a few of the very special events in
your life that cause you to be different. You have made some promises,
and some eternal promises have been made to you." — David B. Haight,
General Conference, October 1973
(9/1/97)
"Having the stewardship under the direction of the First Presidency
for the 12 to 18 year old youth in the Church throughout the world, I
declare with all my soul--there is a cause! It is a cause worth giving
one's life for. It is the cause of righteousness. It is a cause that
every youth in this Church should rally to as he declares war on Satan
and his legions. As David said to Goliath, so each youth should
declare to Satan, 'Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear,
and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of
hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.' (1
Sam. 17:45.) In all this I have the greatest of faith in the
outcome. Never before in history has there lived a more valiant
generation of youth. I am convinced the spirits of this generation
were held to come forth at this important time in history. Their
potential is unlimited." — Victor L. Brown, General Conference,
October 1974
(9/2/97)
"One of our greatest needs is for true witnesses among our youth.
Young people need models from their own generation. Thankfully we have
a tremendous army of latter-day sons and daughters of Helaman,
stripling "Saturday's warriors," who are not ashamed of the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Rather, they have turned this commitment to the Lord
into an advantage." — J. Richard Clarke, General Conference, April
1985
(9/3/97)
"As youth goes, so will civilization go. Thus we must safeguard their
future with noble example on the part of worthy parents and
leadership, with devoted personal attention, then our civilization
will continue to progress."
— Oscar A. Kirkham, General Conference, October 1953
(9/4/97)
"Now, my dear young friends, I encourage you to take time each week to
be by yourself, away from television and the crowd. Have your
scriptures with you and as you read, ponder, and pray, take an honest
look at your life. Evaluate where you stand with the promises you have
made with Heavenly Father. If you have a problem, talk it over with
the Lord in earnest and humble prayer. Counsel with your parents; they
will help you. Your bishop and your Young Men and Young Women adult
leaders will help. They love you and want you to be at peace with
yourself so you can partake of the sacrament worthily each week. When
all is said and done, however, only you know if you are living true to
your covenants made with God. You will be grateful, when the day comes
for you to attend the temple, that you followed the counsel of the
Lord and chose to be morally clean. May God bless each of you young
men and women with a pure heart and a sincere desire to serve the Lord
worthily. I know this Church is true. I know God lives and Jesus is
the Christ. I know that if you, the youth of the Church, will have the
courage to keep your covenants and follow the counsel of your parents
and Church leaders, you will have the desire and the strength to live
worthy lives. You then will be prepared for your responsibilities in
your homes, in the Church, and in your communities and will be
prepared to return to your Heavenly Father." — M. Russell Ballard,
General Conference, April 1993
(9/5/97)
"To the youth of the Church... above all we plead with you to live
clean, for the unclean life leads only to suffering, misery, and woe
physically--and spiritually it is the path to destruction. How
glorious and near to the angels is youth that is clean; this youth has
joy unspeakable here and eternal happiness hereafter." — Gordon B.
Hinckley, General Conference, October 1964
(9/6/97)
Youth of Israel, be proud of the station which God has given you. Be
fervent in faith; be high-minded in your aspirations, for there
remaineth for Zion a glory, a development, a recognition in this world
that shall more than repay our fathers for all the scenes of turmoil,
strife and labor through which they passed in establishing and
maintaining this great work. They shall have joy in their posterity,
too; for we, their sons, will carry the burdens laid upon them; and
Zion shall triumph; and the gospel shall be proclaimed and accepted;
and the children of men shall be saved; and God shall be glorified." —
Elder B. H. Roberts, "Defense of the Faith and the Saints," Vol.2,
p.361
(2/8/05)
"We love the youth of the Church and we know the Lord loves them.
There isn't anything the Church wouldn't do that's right to help our
young people-to save them. They are our future. We have faith in them.
We want them to be happy. We want them to be successful in their
chosen fields. We want them to be exalted in the celestial kingdom.
"We say to them, you are eternal beings. Life is eternal. You cannot
do wrong and feel right. It pays to live the good, wholesome,
joy-filled life. Live so you will have no serious regrets-no
heartaches. Live so you can reach out and tap that unseen Power,
without which no man or woman can do their best." - Ezra Taft Benson,
"Satan's
Thrust-Youth," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 54
(2/21/05)
"What can we do? How can we help this great young generation meet the
challenges of their time?...
"First, they need faith. They need to believe....
"Two, they need to be accepted as they are, and to be included....
"Three, they need to be actively involved, to participate, to give
service, to give of themselves.
"Four, they have to learn somehow that they are more important than
their mistakes; that they are worthwhile, valuable, useful; that they
are loved unconditionally....
"They need... my fifth and final point-the example of good men, good
parents, good people, who really care." - Marion D. Hanks, "Love
Unconditional," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 106
3/23/07
"Parents should build comradeship and love in the home and eliminate
strained relations to insure stability and security of home life for
children. In dealing with children there should always be love and
kindness, yet firmness, when setting up controls and rules of conduct.
"Youth, if properly taught, for the most part expect and desire
restrictions to guide them in social activities and dates. Safeguards
and protective counsel are necessary to fortify them against
familiarities and intimacies that lead to sin.
"What appears to youth as fun, excitement, or glamour may present
lurking dangers. If parents enjoy the confidence of their children and
know what their plans are, they will then be able to see the hidden
perils before them and from the experience of parenthood give
protective guidance and counsel to help control their emotions and to
safeguard virtue and honor, so essential to youth for a happy and
satisfying life." - Delbert L. Stapley, Conference Report, October
1956, Afternoon Meeting, p.121-122
2/9/08
"I beg of you mothers and you
fathers to teach your daughters that they, too, have to fight a
strenuous battle. God bless and protect. the womanhood of this nation!
The young women, under the sustaining prayers and the counsels of their
mothers, need the restraining, discipline which characterizes a
well-ordered home. Protect the young men and young women, and build them
up in the faith of the true and the living God, so that when they go
forth in the great battle of life, they will have the assurance that
they will not fall victims to the evils of the world. God help us to be
loyal to him, to give unto him all the praise and the glory. And if we
go forth to battle, let us remember that the great God of the whole
earth, Jesus Christ, is the King...."
- Charles A. Callis., "Conference
Report," April 1917, Second
Meeting Outdoors, p.13
12/3/09
“For
young people to be in the world but not of the world has never been
more difficult than today. But this burden must be shared by the
parents. The family home evening is an important barrier to the works
of Satan. The MIA program must protect our youth against every evil
influence and should fill a vacuum left by rejecting worldly
enticements. And, of course, a great panacea for all problems and
personal doubts: prayer-private and family prayer, night and morning.”
- Ezra Taft Benson, “Satan’s Thrust–Youth,”
Ensign (CR), December 1971, p. 5
2/2/10
"The spiritual strength sufficient for our youth to stand
firm just a few years ago will soon not be enough. Many of them are
remarkable in their spiritual maturity and in their faith. But even
the best of them are sorely tested. And the testing will become more
severe.
“The youth are responsible for their own choices. But as faithful
parents, teachers, leaders, and friends, we shore up the faith of
young people. And we must raise our sights.” – Henry
B. Eyring, “We Must Raise Our Sights,” Ensign, Sep 2004, 14–19
8/29/10
"An equally
important part of fulfilling our parental duty to God is teaching our
children the gospel and preparing them to participate fully in the
Savior’s restored Church. Remember the lesson of King Benjamin’s people.
As a result of his teachings, many of the adults had a mighty change of
heart (see Mosiah
5:2). But then it says that 'there were many of the rising
generation that could not understand the words of King Benjamin, being
little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not
believe. . . . And their hearts were hardened' (Mosiah
26:1, 3).
"It is our imperative duty to help youth understand and believe the
gospel in a deeply personal way. We can teach them to walk in the light,
but that light cannot be borrowed. They must earn it for themselves.
They must obtain their own light of testimony directly from the source
of spiritual light—God Himself—through prayer and study and pondering.
They must understand who they are and who Heavenly Father wants them to
become. How do we help them?" - Robert
D. Hales, "Our
Duty to God: The Mission of Parents and Leaders to the Rising
Generation," Ensign (CR) May 2010
1/20/13
The
conclusion is this: Youth may be guided in this world of unrest and
confusion by strict adherence and obedience to the principles of
Christianity. It is youth that must survive the unrest of the
present day and the apparent breaking down of morals and democratic
principles. They will be the leaders of tomorrow, and upon them will
rest the burden of rebuilding a better world. - "The
Teachings of Howard W. Hunter," edited by Clyde J. Williams, p.118
6/5/14
My young brothers and sisters,
how we love you, admire you, and pray for you. Don’t let the
whirlwinds drag you down. These are your days—to stand strong as
disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Build more firmly your foundation upon the rock of your Redeemer.
Treasure more completely His incomparable life and teachings.
Follow more diligently His example and His commandments.
Embrace more deeply His love, His mercy and grace, and the powerful
gifts of His Atonement. - Neil L.
Andersen, “Spiritual
Whirlwinds,” Ensign (CR) May 2014
4/19/15
If I may paraphrase what I said
to missionaries 13 years ago, what we need now is the greatest
generation of young adults in the history of the Church. We need
your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate
young adults who know how to listen and respond to the whisperings
of the Holy Spirit as you make your way through the daily trials and
temptations of being a young, contemporary Latter-day Saint. - M.
Russell Ballard, “The
Greatest Generation of Young Adults,” Ensign (CR) April 2015
7/11/15
What the youth need today is to be stirred to a knowledge of God; to
understand that the sublimest thing of all life is the simple faith in
God the Father, in his Son Jess Christ, and in the Holy Ghost—the
greatest truth for you and me and yet the simplest. This is
fundamental, and if the youth can only get to see that after all,
civilization has always been based on religion and always will be, and
that the religion of God comes from one great fundamental source,
namely revelation—God is understood through knowledge, God is known
through revelation; and those two great principles, if they are known
and can be seen and understood, the faith of the youth then will grow
and they will always know that after all, morality, the richness of
life, the sublimity of all things, lie in the simple Gospel of Christ.
It is beautiful this Gospel, for truth is beauty, and beauty is truth.
- Levi Edgar Young, "Conference Report," April 1932, Afternoon
Meeting, p. 77