Professional Thoughts

October 01, 2012

Joseph Smith, Jr., as quoted by W. Cole Durham, "The Doctrine of Religious Freedom," BYU Devotional, April 3, 2001: "The Saints can testify whether I am willing to lay down my life for my brethren. If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a "Mormon." I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves. It is a love of liberty which inspires my soul--civil and religious liberty to the whole of the human race."

August 24, 2012

Tim LaHaye, as quoted by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "Standing Together for the Cause of Christ," Ensign, August 2012: "If religious Americans work together in the name of our mutually shared moral concerns, we just might succeed in re-establishing the civic moral standards that our forefathers thought were guaranteed by the [United States] Constitution. … All of our nation’s religious citizens need to develop a respect for other religious people and their beliefs. We need not accept their beliefs, but we can respect the people and realize that we have more in common with each other than we ever will with the secularizers of this country. It is time for all religiously committed citizens to unite against our common enemy."

July 19, 2012

Elder Marvin J. Ashton, It's No Fun Being Poor, Brigham Young University Devotional, March 30, 1982: "A person is poor when his character is honeycombed with greed and warped by dishonesty. When we yield to misconduct under pressure, we are poor. A person who has to beg for bread is not poor if he has not bent to expediency. An individual is headed for personal bankruptcy when he sells his character and reputation for cash, honor, or convenience. We are poor in character when we think getting by is a substitute for doing our best. Virtue, action, and truth properly blended in life make a person rich. Our character is determined by how we perform in meeting life's challenges."